MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: TENZIN NAMDOL

Could you tell us who you are and what it is that you do?

I feel incredibly privileged and very selfish when I say that I am just on a journey of curiosity and learning and what better role to do that in but as a researcher. I get to be a life long student and get paid in the process.  I love the chance to dive in and learn more about certain topics so I’ve done research in a lot of different fields from finance to government to tech. I currently study human behavior particularly focused on how people use and interact with technology at Walmart. 

What do you love most about the work?

I love interviewing people and learning about their lived experience. For a while I was focusing on the health and wellness space so I had a lot of opportunities to spend time with people managing various chronic conditions and learn about how they manage them. It’s great to be able to share their stories with my stakeholders to improve existing products or work towards creating new ones. 

 How did you arrive at this point in your career? What’s your backstory?

I have been on this life long journey of going where I can learn more. And sometimes that has meant recognizing when I should take a new opportunity that scares me or should leave a certain career path to go in another direction that has more learning opportunities. And that also means saying yes to failing more often, being more uncomfortable and learning on the job. 

I have also been incredibility privileged to have people around me who have been willing to tell me their stories about their winding journeys and give me the courage to try new things. For example, when I was in my research role in finance, my professor from college met me for some lunch and at the end of lunch told me I needed to leave my job because I have stopped learning. And I knew he was right. I just wasn’t ready to admit it to myself.  

Has there been a light switch moment, a turning point, professionally &/or personally that stands out to you?

Honestly, coming to the US as a young child was a major turning point. I am incredibly grateful to my parents for coming to a country that they knew little to nothing about and putting me through school.   

What are you currently working on, excited about, looking forward to?

Honestly, I’ve been looking forward to my tomatoes growing this season. They’ve been really struggling this summer so I hope they make it through.

Work wise, I am managing a new research area, so I am excited to learn more about my end users in this new space. The fun part of doing research is that not knowing is okay, because learning is part of my job description. 

What drives your work each day? What most inspires you?

I think it’s really important that we create products, systems and policies that address the needs of the people that said product, system or policy is affecting. So what drives me to work is being able to hear the stories of the people who use the product - whatever the feedback may be - and take that feedback back to our partners to make changes that improve their experience.

People’s lived experience and resilience inspires me.