I had the privilege of working closely with Roberto Chavarría for several years at One Earth Future, where I served as Director of PASO Colombia. Roberto became involved with PASO very early in the program’s development, initially supporting us on strategy, monitoring and evaluation, and planning. Over time, however, he became much more than that: he became a true strategic partner to the program and to me as its director.
PASO was an unusual initiative. We were building and testing a new approach to peacebuilding while simultaneously expanding into some of Colombia’s most conflict-affected territories. Eventually, we worked with close to 1,200 former combatants and supported approximately 140 productive projects. The challenge was not simply to execute activities, but to understand what we were learning from the field, what problems we were actually solving, and how those insights could become a coherent strategy and management system.
This is where Roberto made an extraordinary contribution.
He helped us make sense of what we were doing. He worked with us to develop the program’s logical framework, management systems, objectives and indicators, but he did something more important than simply imposing structure. Roberto has a particular ability to make creativity and innovation managerially possible. He can take ideas that are still emerging and help make them actionable, measurable, manageable and shareable without sacrificing what made them innovative in the first place.
“He can take ideas that are still emerging and help make them actionable, measurable, manageable and shareable without sacrificing what made them innovative in the first place.”
One example was the development of our Escuelas Rurales Alternativas (ERAs), platforms that brought communities, former combatants, businesses, government institutions and other stakeholders together around productive projects and new forms of collaboration. We knew something important was happening through the ERAs, but explaining exactly what they did and why they mattered was much more difficult.
Roberto visited the work in the field and kept asking questions: What is the ERA actually doing? What value is it creating? What problem is PASO ultimately trying to solve?
I remember particularly a working session in Cali where those conversations helped us identify something fundamental: one of the central problems affecting the implementation of peace was the weakness of delivery in the “last mile.” Communities were simply not seeing institutions, resources and opportunities come together in ways that solved their problems. We came to understand that an essential part of PASO’s value was its ability to make things happen in that last mile. That insight helped us explain and develop the program much more clearly.
This was characteristic of working with Roberto. He could challenge us without ever making us feel that he was simply criticizing the program. When he disagreed, he often turned his doubts into questions. He knew when a discussion was losing focus and was not afraid to bring it back to what mattered. His questioning always felt motivated by the same purpose we had: making the program better.
“He could challenge us without ever making us feel that he was simply criticizing the program. When he disagreed, he often turned his doubts into questions. He knew when a discussion was losing focus and was not afraid to bring it back to what mattered.”
For me as a leader, having Roberto involved brought clarity, precision and focus. As PASO became increasingly complex, he helped us develop a common managerial language and systems of coordination that allowed innovation to coexist with accountability and disciplined execution. He was also someone with whom we could explore difficult or unconventional ideas—including ideas that the broader organization was not necessarily ready to embrace. Some of those conversations contributed to PASO eventually expanding its work into areas such as illicit-crop substitution.
“For me as a leader, having Roberto involved brought clarity, precision and focus.”
Roberto also developed into an exceptional facilitator. He prepared workshops carefully, making sure beforehand that we were asking the right questions. He created an atmosphere in which people could relax, think and participate; he knew how to distribute questions across a group, listen carefully to co-facilitators, reformulate contributions so they became useful to the discussion, and keep the group focused and disciplined about time. He was equally effective in person and virtually and continually incorporated new methodologies and tools into his practice.
I remember that after one of our final strategic planning workshops, the participants spontaneously described his facilitation as a “master class.” I think that captures the level of craft he eventually brought to this work.
There is also a very important human dimension to working with Roberto. He is deeply prepared, honest and intellectually rigorous, but he is also warm and capable of building genuine relationships of trust and companionship. He can be firm without becoming aggressive. He listens. He knows how to introduce sensitive issues with precision. And somehow, he has the ability to make working through very difficult problems enjoyable. We worked hard together, but we also celebrated together, laughed, listened to music and enjoyed each other’s company. That matters more than one might think when people are doing demanding work over many years.
“He is deeply prepared, honest and intellectually rigorous, but he is also warm and capable of building genuine relationships of trust and companionship. He can be firm without becoming aggressive. He listens. He knows how to introduce sensitive issues with precision. And somehow, he has the ability to make working through very difficult problems enjoyable.”
If I had the opportunity to hire Roberto again, I would do so without hesitation. I would want him beside me when making important decisions, helping me formulate initiatives, testing assumptions and bringing precision to ideas that are still taking shape.
I would recommend him to founders, entrepreneurs and executives not only at the beginning of an initiative, but also through its growth and maturation. Roberto understands that each stage requires something different. His particular gift is helping leaders recognize what their organization needs at that moment—and then helping them build the clarity, language and management discipline necessary to move to the next one.
“His particular gift is helping leaders recognize what their organization needs at that moment—and then helping them build the clarity, language and management discipline necessary to move to the next one.”
For organizations trying to innovate without losing focus, or trying to introduce managerial discipline without losing their capacity to innovate, I believe Roberto can be an exceptionally valuable strategic partner.
