August is traditionally a quiet month in the world of training. While the workforce takes a well-deserved break it’s a chance for us to regroup and reflect upon the works we’ve done through the Spring and make plans for the onslaught of September and October when things pick up a pace again!
Winter 2021 to Spring 2022 saw Tracy & I complete our first cycle as the commissioned tutors on the UK Met Office International Essentials of Management leadership programme. It has been an incredibly exciting and humbling experience and we have learned so much.
In a nutshell the programme involves the selection of 60 delegates (existing and aspiring leaders) from Met Offices in developing countries and our role is to support them through 10 modules of all-things leadership and management. I certainly could never have predicted my work would involve Saturday morning Zoom sessions with aspiring leaders from Mongolia, Sudan, Myanmar and the Seychelles (to name a few).
Most of the delegates are not given any “study time” allowance from work so are completing the programme alongside full time work and family commitment. On top of that for some there can be days at a time when there is zero internet connection available in their town or city due to power failure or political insurgence. A significant challenge for an online programme!
The cultural differences between countries are fascinating – some delegates telling us they absolutely can’t be considered for any kind of management or leadership role until they’ve served at least 15 years “on the ground”. It’s interesting to consider how that approach impacts on the ability to “do something new” or “bring in fresh blood”. There are much more deeply embedded attitudes of hierarchy than we are used to, and discussions around respectfully challenging managers, senior or even older colleagues haven been very interesting.
It’s also been fascinating to get a sense of leadership opportunities for women in some countries where their voice and contribution is less valued. Both Tracy & I agree that the biggest buzz we have got from the course is the opportunity to hear these female stories and to coach and develop their confidence. Hearing them develop their confidence through supportive reflection is really inspiring;
“I purposed to reflect on my confidence when discussing and raising issues with my older colleagues. Sometimes I shy away from raising issues especially if the colleagues are more than 10 years older than me. As a result, if things go wrong when I know I should have raised the issue I start feeling guilty and give up. This ought not to be the case. I will try my best to be consistent in the whole process and also be patient with myself till I see a positive outcome.”
Their reflections have encouraged us to weave into the coming years programme more consideration of cultural influences, how age and gender can influence the team dynamics and the type of leaders we are. It reinforces for me that self-awareness and emotional intelligence are the most important leadership skills.
In October we’ll start a new journey with 60 new delegates and I look forward to what this cohort will teach me.
