It's not often that an IEG evaluation is turned into a major motion picture.  Wait, what?  Movie?  Hollywood?  IEG?  When did this happen? 

If you've had any interactions with IEG over the years you would be right to be skeptical, and to challenge me about my opening sentence. But, here's my evidence...

OK fine, I'll accept a downgrade of my enthusiasm.  A three minute YouTube video about an IEG evaluation featuring a Clint Eastwood-like curmudgeon (the definition of an oxymoron's oxymoron) is not the same as a big screen, big budget, star-studded cast and Oscar-worthy presentation.

And, IEG's first report on the subject of "How the Bank Learns" was hardly a cliffhanger or suspense thriller.  The evaluation in part retells in black and white slow motion the 23 year story of learning and knowledge sharing from the Bank's past.  So, IEG took to "new media" and used a creative format to launch that first report last summer to overcome the challenge of how to engage the audience with a remake of a movie many staff had seen before.

We needed to build interest again in the topic.  Otherwise, there would be no box office draw when our sequel hit theaters in FY15.

Coming Soon To a Theater Near You!!

When we last left our protagonist, you, in the weeks leading up to July 2014, many issues and questions were on the table.  All of which could be boiled down to one:  If we are all working to reach The Land of 2030, what's the best route for us to take?

The correct answer, as difficult as it might seem, is there is no one single answer.  It very much depends on what each of us has in the way of ability and skill.  Take this blog posting for example.  Nobody asked me to write it.  To be honest, in many ways it wrote itself.  It's based solely on my experiences and the lessons I've taken onboard in the 6.8 years I've worked as a World Banker.

The way I see it, May 20th, 2015 was a day in Bank history we should all have marked on our calendars.  On that day CODE discussed IEG's sequel and what we commonly refer to around our hallways, water coolers, and over coffee as Learning 2  And, yes, it's for you.

The Most Famous Actor You've Never Heard Of: You

The longest running feature about World Bank culture I've heard repeated over the years is this:  if there is something you are particularly good at then occupy and own whatever that niche is for yourself.  Perform your daily TOR with distinction, but make what you personally do well your unique value added contribution to the World Bank's mission.

Learning is not one of those unique skills.  It's something we all do.  Our uniqueness and additionality (yes, it's true, I am and always will be an IFC staff member) comes through when we hone, sharpen, and apply what we learn and then use it to improve our lives.  

And, in our case, the lives of others.

So, no matter how you felt on July 1, 2014 as you queued up and walked through the door of The Office of Change, learning was the central question underpinning it all.  For more than a year, IEG has been looking at the question of how the Bank learns.  But, the time has come for each of us to look at the script for the role we've been playing and ask ourselves a few questions.  How do I learn?  How am I acquiring, sharing, and implementing lessons and knowledge to my work?  IEG's Learning 2 evaluation will help inform the answers to those questions for every Bank actor.

Ladies and gentlemen the stage has been set.  The curtain has opened.  This is the role of our lifetimes.

Read the Report: How the Bank Learns

Read the Learning 2 Evaluation