In this final part of this miniseries of the topic of “Flexing with Experience”, I propose to speak about experiences I have had with building structures and processes in an organisation.
I choose to speak of one engagement I have had.
My first encounter with my new boss was interesting. He had quite an intimidating stature but luckily for me, I had learned to use my miniature stature to respond to situations like that! Someone once told me that he saw me as a “copper bullet” and he advised that whenever I felt intimidated, I could ward it away by believing that my physique spoke nothing about my worth and effect!
Among the things we discussed and agreed was that I would build a functional department responsible for legal and corporate governance support for the organisation, within three months of my appointment. After this period, I was expected to demonstrate that what I had put in place was actually working.
On my first day of work, I quickly scanned my environment, and a part of me felt like I was at the foot of a very high mountain trying to see the tip of it and realizing that it would only become visible when I started climbing!
Before entertaining any other thoughts, I decided to roll up my sleeves and get down to it. I remember spending late nights in the office, literally sitting on the floor, navigating different documents and collating them into records that could be retrieved and referred to. My trips to and from the office were characterized by strategic thinking and change management. On top of all that, there was substantive work to be done that called for me to provide leadership to my colleagues, while at the same time, defining ways of work and delivery in the department.
Things started shaping up and in summary, I was able to deliver on my key performance indicators. The team registered growth and the processes and procedures that were put in place took root and had buy-in from my colleagues. They were positioned to effectively contribute to continued improvement of the department.
This experience taught me that as a leader, you must be able to demonstrate that you can roll up your sleeves and get things moving. You will inspire others in ways that even you do not anticipate!
I am comfortable and happy to be a corporate builder. It is my humble belief that it is a positive addition to one’s attributes.
Thank you.
