Fellowship… Me!… No ways.
It never occurred to me that one day I would be part of a prestigious international leadership development program; serving alongside other social change makers from across the globe. Although I knew that I needed global leadership training programs to better understand the changing trends and dynamics in the field of communication; the urge wasn’t just there and neither did I have the energy to go through the tedious application process that often comes with exchange programs.
Looking back, I wish I had pursued leadership development programs much earlier and acquired the necessary skills to succeed and have a greater impact in my community. In this blog, I will share key highlights of the first month with my host organization.
My first Week
I can’t believe it’s a month already since I started at my host organization, the Global Fund for Children. I still vividly remember my first day; waking up early to do house chores, taking a quick bath, making breakfast while constantly checking the clock and wondering… how am I supposed to get used to being at home, doing chores on a Monday morning; let alone all week days. How will I get used to this routine when I’m used to just waking up, taking a quick shower, dressing up and rush to the office. Well, I guess I have no choice but to get acquainted with the new normal. To me it was like embarking on a voyage of unchartered waters.
It’s 11am (CAT) and I’m stationed on my home office desk, excited and anxious at the same time. I open my laptop, browse through my first day schedule one more time then follow instructions on how to set up a work email. It didn’t take me a minute before I started receiving stacks of emails that left me speechless. Things had started off a little hectic for a first day, I thought, definitely something I wasn’t expecting. Lucky enough, the majority of the emails were about setting up platforms and schedules for one on one meetings with key organization’s staff.
Meeting the team
To kick start my first week was the Marketing and Communications team meeting where I was presented the opportunity to familiarize with my newly found team. I also attended an all staff meeting. The team was so welcoming and getting acquainted with everyone was amazing. I also had eye opening one on one meetings with persons in different departments.
Well-being week
As the proverb says, “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy”. The second week at the organization was the wellbeing week. A week where the entire organization had to take a break from work, rest and prioritize personal well-being. This is just what I needed after an overload of information during my first week and when we resumed, I had all the energy and excitement to take up initial projects. I must admit that in my home country well-being breaks are a foreign concept and I can safely say that I have found something for keeps.
Please find time to also unwind, rest, rejuvenate and be ready to take up new challenges and serve your communities better.
Communication Platforms
Joining Global Fund for Children has made me realize the gaps and opportunities as a career information in a dynamic and evolving context. This month has also been about learning some of the platforms that every communications personnel should know about. I will try to share some of the platforms that can help you thrive in the field of communication in my next blog.
Generally, it has been an awesome one month; taking up initial projects, getting to learn on the job and so far it has been an amazing experience.
My advice: Don’t hesitate to take up leadership development programs and invest in your professional development.
Thumbnail Image by Nick Morrison on Unsplash
Header Image by Luca Bravo on Unsplash
