I am Sr. Rosemary Ndyomugyenyi of the Missionary Sisters of Mary Mother of the Church. I am excited to have participated in the very enriching Administration Workshop of the ASEC Sisters Leadership Development Initiative (SLDI) program. It has just ended at the Secretariat of the Association of Religious in Uganda. We were 25 participants from 16 Congregations serving in Uganda.
We started this month-long journey on 27 August and concluded the first part on 23 September 2017. Mr. Andrew Otsieno facilitated our Administration workshop. The workshop was to prepare us for leadership in various ministries and understanding how to make human resources productive.
Being a participant in this workshop has enabled me to know myself and others better. As human beings, God created us with different gifts so as to complement each other in stewardship. Each person in the course came to realize the gap that can be filled by others. This means that we all need each other and each person has something to contribute so as to grow together into a better whole.
The knowledge and skills I got from this workshop will help to improve my service as a Coordinator in the Women’s Promotion Programme in Kabale Diocese. I have learned how to use the power of the position appropriately. This will help others to grow in maturity, and become productive and fulfilled. I need to empower others to enable them to be servant leaders who demonstrate by example, the ways of our Lord Jesus Christ. He served and empowered his Apostles to continue the evangelization of the people for the Kingdom. I also learned to adjust my leadership style to the needs of my team and the requirements of changing situations.
As the leader, when hiring, I need to value skills, character and background to put people in correct positions. I also need to help them build on what they know for productivity and fulfillment. After I have put people in positions, we need to build together as a team in order to be empowered. They need to be able to utilize their gifts fully. Involving them in some of the major decisions that affect them will help them to feel a sense of belonging, and also to own the resolutions for excellence and better service.
As people come together to work, they sometimes conflict with one another because of their differences in personality, interests and values. As a leader, I have to design a well-defined job description so that each one knows what is expected of them, and thus can be held accountable.
I have learned how to help people solve their conflicts but not running away from them, but understanding that they help us to grow. When we go beyond them we learn to value differences and this can lead to increasing one’s own good and the good of the organization.
Leading with integrity for me means to lead with the character of God. This will enable me to always reflect to see if what I am doing is giving glory to God. Since I am just a steward or caretaker of God’s creation, there is need for me to be accountable for what I do and say. What appears outside should resemble what is inside.
I have also become aware that in leading change for the good of the people I serve, I need to first of all carry out a needs assessment with both members and people outside the organization to find out how they see us. Then, following steps to improve the situation, I must try to make others realize the need to change and build the vision which will show what will happen after realizing the change. Putting in place a team to lead the change is essential. There is also a need to communicate the vision and manage disagreements, so as bring everyone on-board. Once the new change is embraced, I need to make sure that it works successfully and, finally, strengthen it to be part of the organizational culture.
I have learned that people are motivated by different things based on their temperaments, and that a satisfied need ceases to motivate someone. Therefore, before motivating someone I should try to find out what that person needs and address it accordingly. When a person is motivated he /she feels valued and loved and will be able to do his or her best for the organization.
All the above shared insights, if put into practice, will enable me to be a servant leader, who leads by example through putting into practice what I preach, and empowering others for the continuity of spreading the kingdom of God. After the SLDI workshop, I feel more empowered to go and serve God with a difference and to develop others by mentoring, so that they can also benefit. I thank the Hilton Foundation for their support, African Sisters Education Collaborative for such wonderful training, and the facilitator Mr. Andrew Otsieno, for the wonderful work done.
