Interviewing a Company Head of an NGO - Assignment Example

Interview an Entrepreneur 1. Who the person is? This person is the company head of a local NGO that builds schools all over the community. He has been attached with this NGO for the last 15 years now. 2. Why did you select him or her? I selected him because he knows what he is doing and has been famous for his voluntary work all over the region. Plus he has good reputation that works to my good effect as I can find out about how he started and what issues did he face at the time of launching this NGO. 3. Their profile / background: education, work experience, etc. The company head belongs to a family of entrepreneurs as his ancestry speaks for its own self. He has been educated from the United States where he completed his Masters in Social Sciences. As far as his work experience is related, he worked as a librarian for 3 years before he decided to move on with his own NGO since he always wanted to provide relief and rehabilitation to the needy and under privileged within the society. 4. What is their current job? Title? His current job is of the company head who oversees all work related with the NGO. Even though he has more than 80 people in his NGO, yet he sees to it that all tasks are being taken care of properly and without any hindrances whatsoever. He also finds out the reasons behind the lags in the completion of the schools, the donations that come in from different quarters and all other administrative issues of the NGO. 5. How did you do the interview (face to face, email, telephone, Skype, etc.)? I conducted this interview face to face as it allowed me better understanding of his personality, the work he did and the tasks that were under his direct supervision. Also I found out his vision behind the launch of the NGO some 15 years back and how he was collecting donations day in and day out. The kind of motivation was also easily comprehensible from the face to face interview that I had of him. 6. How did they end up doing what they are doing now? He always believed that he wanted to do something of his own. He had the entrepreneurial drive in him from day one, ever since he graduated from the university. Even though he worked for a period of 3 years as a librarian, he always felt that he should do something of his own because it was very close to his own basis, and hence the idea of forming up his own NGO. Moreover, his desire was to bring something worthwhile for the cause of the society and this could not have been done better without the launch of the NGO. 7. Do they enjoy it? He enjoys his work immensely and this is the reason why he derives motivation from it on a day to day basis. He often inculcates the dictum of enjoying work whilst being on the job otherwise it bores an individual and he finds himself doing it merely because he has to. I believe this company head is spot on with his assessment because he knows what he is doing, and thus doing it enjoyably. He encourages people to give their best without feeling pushed, which is what appeals to me a lot. 8. Best part of their current job? Why? The best part of his current job is that he is involved in each and every task – from the assistant’s position to his very own. He feels that since this NGO was his own brainchild, he must get his act together and make his mark within every step of the way. He is of the opinion that his job is still not finished, and that he has to move on with each passing day. 9. Worst part? Why? He opines that there are times when donations stop coming in and it becomes difficult to finance huge projects that have already been undertaken. He also finds it strange why people back down on their word, which essentially puts him in a difficult position, and makes his task doubly difficult, which he still has to manage with belief and conviction. 10. Was this current job their long term plan or did it happen by coincidence? It was indeed his long term plan as pointed out. He wanted to do something for his own self and thus the reason why he took the initiative to launch an NGO of his own. 11. What are their current goals? His current goal is to register his NGO as a global body but for that he must ask for more donations from outside of his region. He is partnering with other global NGOs to form their offshore offices in the region so that his NGO can take control of their administrative aspects. 12. What are the biggest and best lessons they have learned? He has learned that he must do his own while listening to others. The final decision must be his very own which essentially means a great deal of significance for him in the long run. Also he must get everything in writing from the people who are giving in their money and basically donating to a certain educational cause in one way or the other. 13. If they could do anything differently what would it be? If he could have done something differently, it would have been to choose a better location for his NGO. This he says because the present location is at a distance from the city center and donors often find it difficult to frequent it. However, he has thought of this issue on more than a single occasion, and thus plans to get a new office for the NGO sometime in the future. 14. Who was the biggest influence on their career? Why? His father is indeed the motivator and the support basis for his career today. His father was the one who told him to have a vision once he wants to achieve something totally of his own making. This is the reason why he is now a trustworthy and influential entrepreneur, and everyone knows him though his name. The credibility that he has built over the years speaks much of his affection that people have of him. 15. What did you learn by doing this interview? I learnt that he is indeed a gem of a person, who wants to attain new heights with each passing day. I also found out that he does not have peculiar standards for various forms of people and remains the same way with each one of them. I felt good meeting up with him and learned quite a many things along the way. Read More