Yrika Maritz — Head of Experimentation: UNDP Accelerator Lab

It’s not because things are different, that we do not dare. It is because we do not dare things are difficult

Welcome to the UNDP Career Journey podcast brought to you by the Talent Development Unit out of the Office of Human Resources, our conversations, explore fascinating careers at UNDP and give an overview on how you can enhance your career experience through continuous learning. I’m Valentina and I would like to thank Yrika for joining us today.

“Hey, thank you very much for having me on this podcast Valentina. Yeah, I’m Yrika Maritz. I’m the Head of Experimentation at the UNDP Country Office in Namibia. And I’m part of the three-person outfit that the UNDP has established as an accelerator lab. So that’s what I do. And that’s who I am”.

Thank you, Yrika. So, it’s a great pleasure to have you here. My first question is related to the early stages of your career. So how you first joined the UN?

“Okay, maybe I should start from where I am right now. I joined UNDP at the beginning of last year. But before that, I’ve been a career civil servant. And I’ve been working in the public sector of Namibia for the past 25 years. But I started off as a learning and development officer. And I basically moved and work my way through the ranks and left as the Director of Human Resource Development at the public sector training institution.

But you know, what really encouraged me to apply for the accelerator lab position was the fact that the head of experimentation is something really unusual. And it’s really in line with the world of work and how it’s changing. And if you have to come to think of it, experimentation should and ought to become part and parcel of the way business is undertaken, and particularly how public sectors ought to operate, you know, testing out things, and coming up with different kinds of solutions, based on assumptions to help public policymaking. That is what really drew me to applying for the role.

So yeah, it’s been an interesting journey. And the past year and a half, despite COVID has been quite challenging. But I love the role that I’m currently occupying at the accelerator lab”.

Yeah, I am already interested and fascinated by your description of the role. So, thank you. And as you mentioned, the COVID-19 pandemic, may I ask you, what is the greatest career challenge you had to face during this tough year?

“I think the biggest career challenge that I’ve had to face in my career is, I am in Africa. So obviously, when a lot of people see me in the public service, and they don’t, you know, they usually have an idea of who I’m supposed to be and what I’m supposed to look like. So naturally, a lot of people are surprised when they do meet me in person. And I’ve got an Asian face. And, yeah, I kind of have a lot of Western ideas and thoughts. I’ve been schooled in, you know, Western tradition, in terms of my education. So having to conform, and basically meet people’s preconceptions, has been the biggest challenge for me.

So naturally, when I joined UNDP, I almost felt at home because you know, UNDP really embraces diversity, I felt accommodated. And I really, really felt that, you know, this is the kind of place the workplace that no different institutions across the world are to embrace as part and parcel of their culture. So really diversity, having to work through that has been the biggest challenge in my career.

And, of course, you know, being a woman is something somewhat of a challenge, you know, very often people when I would apply for interviews, people would say, oh, but you’re a woman, you know, don’t you think some of the issues that you face as a woman are going to be an impeding factor in your role? And I would say, but what challenges are those? And then people would say, well, you know, but you got women, and then, you know, your priorities would be more at home. And I would think, well, you know, this is a professional environment, civil services is supposed to be a professional environment, but at the end of the day, you know, being given the opportunity has been, you know, encouraging, because you basically fight those stereotypes as you go along. And that’s what I suppose is kind of kept me going throughout the years”.

Yeah, absolutely. These are great career challenge this one and I’m also happy to see in the report that we have actually achieved gender parity, especially in leadership roles. So, this is really a great news for us, women about for the entire organization. And now what skills the validity and personal attributes are essential to succeed in your job or in your field in general?

“Okay, I think that these are universal, but I really abide by the five C’s, I call them the five C’s. The first C is really, you know, the ability to be curious, you know, you have to constantly be curious, you have to be constantly interested in what is going on around you in the world. So that natural sense of curiosity is what’s going to propel you to seeking different vistas and newer opportunities outside of the scope of which you’re working in.

And then also, the second C, is that a competence? You know, I really believe in being a perpetual learner. So, you really have to find out what you’re good at. And you continue to become good at that, and you continue to practice, but not just in terms of skills development, but also, you know, having the right attitude to be able to learn and to keep wanting to learn, that’s part of, you know, building your competencies.

And the third c that I would like to really try and encourage is that of creativity, everybody says that, you know, you know, they’re not creative, but I don’t believe that I believe that every single person has that creative spark in them. And you know, you just need to allow that to emerge and nurture that. So having a natural sense of creativity, and then nurturing that is also very important.

The fourth C is that of communication. And I believe that communication really bridges barriers. And, you know, you’ve got to find ways of communicating whether you’re communicating across to your peers, whether you are communicating upwards or downwards here, knowing how to communicate was really, really important. And I believe that that will really take you far. And what I do believe in is, at least in learning language, language is an enabler to really be able to communicate. And what I tried to do is I tried to learn how to greet people in different languages. So, every time I start a workshop, or have a meeting, then you know, and I know the composition of the group of people in the room, then I will try and greet, you know, in that language. And then of course, that’s a great icebreaker.

And then the fifth one is the ability to be able to collaborate. Very often we’re working in a world that requires, you know, collaboration, but also, and especially during the pandemic, you know, we tend to become very isolated and very siloed in our approach. But in order for us to be able to make those big, impactful changes, we’re not going to be able to do it on our own, we’re going to be able to do it together. So, there’s an African saying that saying, if you want to go fast, go alone. But if you want to go far go together, you know, so yeah, that’s the five C’s

So, the five C’s everybody should take into account and implement in their day-to-day work. And I would like also to ask you, whether there is any course training or learning activities that have played a critical role in your career development. So, since you actually were referring to the importance of learning. So, what’s your point on that?

“Okay, well, um, I really feel that a Senior Management Development Program or a leadership development program is something that’s kind of fundamental for a lot of people because that will really build your acumen in terms of how you are going to be able to manage and lead. So, the one course that I really, really enjoyed and shaped my career is a senior management development program that I attended. It was part of the civil service course, that I basically brought to the Namibian public service. And in that course, it introduces you to a combination of different skills, such as futures, literacy, horizons scanning, it talks about leadership, the different management dimensions. So, there was a component of economics, finance, which is like a mini-MBA.

But at the end of the day, you know, the entire course, was premised and really advancing and advocating for systems thinking. And I believe that that kind of pave or lay the foundation for the way I’ve started thinking and seeing the world.

And the second course that I would really, really recommend is the current course, that the UNDP has managed to bring on board in collaboration with the presenting Institute. This is the course on the system’s transformation, the decade of action that is being driven by Otto Sharma. And the course is really called the Action Learning Lab. And it is based on the theory of U. So that course is actually quite magnificent because it really looks at leadership from within and also outside. So, it’s a holistic course that is truly transformative, and I believe in highly recommend that that is the course that I everybody at UNDP should attend.

Thank you so much. So, thanks to these learning initiatives and to everything you have learned during your career. So how would you describe your career now, compared to five years ago?

“Well, five years ago, I was in the civil service. So, everything was very structured. I was at a senior level, because I was a Director of Training, I was running leadership programs, you know, managing huge budgets. So, there was a hierarchy there. And the focus was very much on outputs. But in my role as an accelerator lab member, I believe that it is evolved. Because even though there are no levels within the lab, and I’m pretty much doing the same thing, but in a more network manner.

So, the lab is one of 91 accelerate labs across the world. And I think it’s fantastic because the power of having to share what you’re learning in your individual country, and comparing similarities and challenges across the globe, is absolutely magnificent. It’s also taught me to be a lot more flexible and a lot more adaptable. And the little work that we’re doing as a Country Office, and also as a lab is contributing to broader outcomes. So, I believe that we’re creating more impact as opposed to what I was doing. And I felt I was making an impact five years ago, but I believe that this is to so much more, you know, in terms of the difference that ought to make, in terms of transforming systems. So yeah, almost the same, but not really”.

Okay, yeah, I guess that we, in a way make impact through our career journeys in different way. But we definitely try to be something positive for the world. What do you think is unique about the United Nations? And how would you pitch UNDP as an employer of choice?

“Yeah, I spoke a little earlier on about how much I felt at home when I joined the UNDP. That’s because of the way it embraces culture and diversity in all its different forms. And you know, the principle of not leaving anyone behind is something that I feel is quite aspirational. It really looks at multicultural dimensions and embracing that.

I also appreciate UNDP, because it does seem to be one of the most transparent organizations and international organizations, that that’s something that is quite important, especially since there are many organizations that are trying to install trust, you know, across the organization, but also with the different stakeholders that they’re collaborating with. And in this day, and age where, you know, trust is becoming fundamental to, to organizations, I believe UNDP is really doing justice to that.

And then finally, I really admire the fact that UNDP continuously tries to transform, you know, as part and parcel of its organizational DNA, you know, it’s aspirational, it’s transformative. And I mean, if you want to be part of the future, then you know, join UNDP that’s how I would pitch it.

So, if you want to stay relevant, and that competitive word just apply to job positions. Yeah. That’s right. I like that. Also want to ask you what the best tip is you have received, when it comes to creating a satisfying career?

“There’s this Roman stoic and scholar Seneca, who says, it’s not because things are different, that we do not dare. It is because we do not dare things are difficult. So, I believe that that is a tip or advice that I would like to give to people who are within UNDP, but also wanting to join you in the piece. It’s really just the ability to be able to adapt and to change with the times and really embrace change, and not be afraid to fail, you know, and if it is about failing, then it’s failing so that we’re learning something from it.

And I think those bold stances in terms of embracing that as a philosophy for the career is something that would take people very far. That’s what I would like to leave this podcast and listeners with. Thank you, Valentina”

Thank you so much, Yrika. So, I really appreciate your time without sharing your amazing and impressive career journey. So, thank you. Thank you for joining the UNDP career journey podcast. I would like also to thank all the listeners.

We hope this conversation will inspire you to keep learning and advancing your career. To access and listen to the second recording, you can visit our dedicated page on the Career Development and Employee Experience pillar and UNDP Talent Development Hub.