Owning the Story: Redefining Failure, Power, and Purpose
The final panel of the Impact/Failure Conclave 2018 draws together deeply personal and philosophical reflections on what failure really means in development work, social investing, and advocacy. Moderator M.S. Sriram opens the session by questioning the very premise of failure: perhaps what some call failure is simply a reframing of progress. Each panelist takes this cue and responds with a raw, grounded understanding of the challenges in navigating social change and personal growth.
Sanjeev Phansalkar critiques our misplaced obsession with outcomes in a world of shifting goals, incomplete data, and delayed timelines. He insists that success must be measured by the integrity of contribution, not outcome. Stan Thekaekara builds on this, pointing to the fundamental dishonesty in our systems that refuse to name failure. Drawing from his work with Adivasi communities, he explains how our rigid models collapse when they fail to honour indigenous ways of being—focusing instead on power, ownership, and values over metrics and structure.
Saskia Werther brings the lens of early-stage social investing, where ambiguity is inevitable and failure is part of the terrain. Her call is for flexibility, listening, and staying true to the people we claim to serve. Actor and animal rights activist Amala Akkineni closes the conversation with a searing personal reflection. From a passion-led journey in animal welfare to a public breakdown and rebuilding of her organisation, she describes how emotional vulnerability, institutional fatigue, and the pressure to be endlessly available can lead to burnout. Yet, it is in reclaiming power and embracing emotional truth that transformation becomes possible.
