training applied workers

In my new position at Worcester Polytechnic Institute I have the privilege, and I mean this seriously and without irony, bright and hard-working undergraduates in developing skills to undertake applied work in various locations. The group I have this semester are focused on working with (mainly) Native American communities outside of Santa Fe, New Mexico. The projects are requested by local stakeholders and they all are interesting. The students submit to the work in good faith. But working with them reminds me how hard working in team-based situations can be when no one is clearly in charge, not to mention the difficulties of working across cultures. My answer, like much of my coaching, is to turn the question or issue back to the class to see how they would deal with a situation. I am reminded how exciting field work, especially when dedicated to making a difference, can be and how daunting at the same time. As I progress in my career I won't say I have learned that I know less, I think that is a cop out, but I have learned that that terrible unsatisfying phrase "it depends" is often the most meaningful thing you can say; well, that depends.