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My learning journey - taught to "believe I can fly"
If anything, the one thing I take away in 2010 from my Executive Director, Colleen Lowe Morna, is that she instilled in me the confidence to believe I can fly! This has given me strength to go on even when the going gets tough in the course of performing my duties at Gender Links where the standards are exceptionally high.
I have experienced professional growth in leaps and bounds since joining Gender Links in October 2006.
Planning and time management skills imparted to me by my senior managers have emerged as cornerstones for becoming a good manager. While this is still an area of growth, the foundation skills have been laid and the ball is in my court to continue working at it until I get it right. I am yet to see or hear of an organisation that has such comprehensive planning processes supported by relevant tools developed over time.
I have learnt the importance of organisational systems and procedures that are well-documented and accessible to all staff. This has set Gender Links apart from many NGOs and as a growing manager I have learnt to appreciate the value of this. Even if I were to move on from Gender Links this is another value added to my professional life that I will forever cherish.
I remember going to a donor meeting in Nairobi to discuss monitoring and evaluation of programmes. I can proudly say that I could pull out policy guidelines or a systems report at the click of a mouse for every single issue raised at that meeting and demonstrate this to the group. I resolved at that meeting that this was the space I needed to dwell if I am going to grow into senior management level some day.
My writing skills have continued to sharpen in the last five years and to borrow from Lowe Morna - I can see the movement from "chalk to cheese". While timelines continue to work against me, I have learnt to write under pressure and do some level of self-editing. I have also learnt different styles of writing from speeches, press statements, reports and winning donor proposals. I still need to learn to spend more time self-editing to ensure there are no avoidable errors so that we enhance the quality of the product.
My public presentation skills have improved as well as I have spoken at various local, regional and international fora and this continues to improve because of the faith management has placed in me to take on these responsibilities. This has also improved my networking flair and given me skills of how to address different levels of audiences.
The Deputy Director, Kubi Rama has also taught me to move from dwelling on any problem that arises and instead focus on finding a solution especially when under pressure. I am still learning to apply this.
I am still learning to balance work and my personal life even though through the GL wellness programme we have been given tips on managing time to keep the body, mind and spirit in check.
I believe I can fly! has become my mantra.
Loveness Jambaya Nyakujarah is the Gender Justice Manager at Gender Links.
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