– Mark Topley, CEO
Last week was Quarterly Team Meeting time in Tanzania. Because of my diary and travel I missed the last one, so I was really looking forward to seeing the team and catching up (as well as enjoying at least 4 different carbs for lunch – if you’ve visited us or worked with us you will know what I mean!).
I’ve said before how well this team has done over the past 10 years. We started with a couple of people, working in fairly low level administrative positions. In the past 3 years particularly, that has dramatically changed to a position where the team is largely managed and each area led by a Tanzanian colleague.
Listening to the teams reporting back on their achievements and challenges, and meeting their KPIs, it’s difficult to single anyone out. Everyone has grabbed with both hands the work ethic and commitment we have worked so hard to instil – it was such an encouragement.
A few things resonated powerfully with me:
- Focus – everyone knew what their most important achievements needed to be last quarter. The keys to the organisation’s success that were their responsibility were very clear.
- Drive & Determination – as usual, it had not been an easy quarter, but the tenacity demonstrated across the team was massive.
- Teamwork – the toxic poison of “it’s not my job” is so damaging to teams, and ours is the antithesis of this. There were so many examples of where people had stepped outside of their primary responsibilities to help others, and where co-operation within teams and a willingness to serve was so evident.
I’m still buzzing from the morning. Huge congratulations to everyone in Tanzania, particularly the managers, and Jo and Shaenna who have worked so hard with the team to get things to this point.
