Power of leading a team by example

Amani sat in silence, observing people as they went about their work. She knew she would enjoy working with them.

The previous week, she had received a letter congratulating her for having passed the interview for the position of deputy director in the organisation.

There she was, waiting to meet the managing director.

Earlier when she had arrived at the premises of the organisation, a gentleman at the gate had offered to show her to the managing director’s office after she had enquired.

On the way, she had asked him what he liked the most about the organisation.

Smiling, the man had replied that in that organisation, one’s contribution was valued, and it was possible to rise to any position if one had the drive.

“In this organisation, you can be anything you want if you work towards it. We uphold professionalism, accountability, punctuality, customer-centeredness among others. Integrity is at the centre of these values,” the man had explained before returning to the gate after having showed her the MD’s office.

And so as Amani waited, several things impressed her about the organisation. All the offices were impeccably clean and organised.

She was struck by the politeness and professionalism of the various people as they interacted.

What wowed her most was the customer-centric culture that was evident right from the time she had walked into the compound.

She also noted that the staff were all neatly dressed and moved about with purpose.

There was also an air of professionalism in the manner in which the secretaries responded to calls.

As she mulled over all these things, she went through the organisation’s service charter, which lay on the small table in front of her.

Finally, she was ushered into a huge, clean office. The managing director, Mkurugenzi, was sitting on his chair, facing the window as he spoke on the phone.

She could not therefore see his face, but there was something vaguely familiar about the voice.

He finally hung up, swung round and stood up to greet her. It was the same man she had met at the gate.

“Welcome, Amani. You must be surprised to see me again. When you met me at the gate, one of my officers was giving me a report on an incident that had taken place there. I decided to visit him in his office.

“You see, we are a team and as such, titles are just that: titles. I can see that you are holding a copy of our service charter. We strive to live the values in the service charter as much as possible. This does not mean that we do not have problems. Should you decide to join us, let me warn you that things are not always smooth. We may have challenges along the way but we must continue to believe in ourselves and in the values that set us apart as an organisation. We try to live by them. Well, do you still want to join us?”