By Oga Chan, Founder of North AdaptiveWhy it happens
Many programmes feel like a series of workshops. People tune in, tune out, and drift apart once it ends. The cohorts that last are built differently. They choose people carefully, so the mix itself becomes the teacher. They open with trust and close with commitments people make to each other. They build in peer accountability. And every session leaves room for the wisdom in the room to come alive.
A story from my work
I led a fellowship programme which brought together some of the country's most talented social impact leaders to tackle its toughest problems. We selected for motivation, track record, potential, and the ability to learn in a group. From day one, fellows spoke from personal experience, held each other to account and stepped out of their comfort zones.
Then COVID arrived and our plans for the year collapsed. I rebuilt the programme online in a matter of weeks. Because the trust was already there, it held. By 2021, it had the highest participant satisfaction of any region in the global network. Years later, those fellows still lean on each other through hard decisions, and many now work together on social impact projects.
What to try this week
If you're planning a cohort, answer three questions before you write the application form.
- Who must be in the room?
- Who isn't ready yet?
- And where do you want them to be, together, in two years?
Then design your selection criteria to find exactly those people.
How I can help
I've led the design and delivery of more than 20 cohort-based programmes, both privately and publicly funded. I start by understanding your theory of change. Then I design, recruit for and deliver a programme built around it, with a monitoring and evaluation framework so you can show the impact to your funders and board.
I work with enterprise agencies, funders and business networks across Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, the Highlands and Islands, and beyond.