One of the highlights of my professional life so far this year has been the selection and promotion of two fantastic leaders on our team!
A distinct joy of leadership is helping those you lead develop into better versions of themselves. Sometimes, as they grow into the people that God created them to be, you can’t help but feel like you are merely an observer. You are watching the miracle of personal development and professional growth happen right in front of you!
As we continue to expand organizationally, we intentionally “shortlisted” candidates for executive leadership roles. Because I have seen the value of diverse experience and new ideas, I initially pushed our team to look outside our existing staff to identify and interview external candidates.
Sometimes, it is smarter to hire leaders from outside an organization. They may notice issues where others have made unhealthy allowances for. For example, as one new leader joined a team from outside the organization, she observed there was a giant rock in the middle of an often-used path.
She noticed that some people skirted around the rock, others climbed over it and some people occasionally stubbed their toe on it, resulting in decreased efficiency and overall frustration for the team.
She decided to ask the team, “Why is that big rock in the middle of the path?”
One person responded, “What rock?”
Another said, “Well, it’s just always been there. We never really thought about it.”
In the end, the team wisely decided to move the rock, and everyone ended up happier—and more productive too!
Kellen Kirungi is one outstanding example of this concept. When we hired her as our Deputy Managing Director, she brought a wealth of experience from other organizations to the table and Kellen quickly elevated our entire team.
But, during our recent leadership selections, we ended up hiring from within. As we convened a selection board, it quickly became clear to the entire crew that we needed to hire from our pool of internal candidates. And so we did. Two men were selected to join the executive team: Samuel Odeke and Pascal Nduwayezu.
In Luke 16:10, Jesus told his disciples, “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much.” As we considered our next leaders, it was apparent that Odeke and Pascal had already been faithful with little. We knew them. We trusted them. They understood our Hope Haven culture and were committed to working hard to exceed our already high standards.
Welcome, Odeke and Pascal, to your new leadership roles as Secondary School Principal and Dean of Students! I am confident that under the capable leadership of Headmaster Fred Karangwa, you will continue to prove yourselves faithful.
How about the rest of us? Are we proving to be faithful in the tasks we have been entrusted with?