As promised, here is an update on the Training of Trainers (ToT) we held with our new Field Managers (FM) in Leadership the past months. Six bright eyed recruits entered the Regional Training Center (RTC) in Keborui on the morning of April 9th and for five weeks they worked hard to learn and apply the lessons of this training. The District Managers Leadership (DMLs) had written the curriculum based on their own learning as well as research they conducted. There were lessons on knowledge and attitudes about Nuru and the Leadership Program such as Nuru’s mission, the bottom-up approach to development, servant leadership, etc., and knowledge and skills on becoming good facilitators such as adult learning, the learning cycle, communication skills, etc.
The FMs Leadership embraced the work from the beginning and have grown a lot in the past five weeks. Some feared to speak before an audience and to listen to feedback about their performance, and though they may still fear a bit, they are much more comfortable with both and are improving each day. The process we used was similar to the process that was used with the original training team. The trainees learned the lessons and were given an opportunity to prepare the same lessons and to teach them back to the teachers. In this way, we were able to assess their understanding of the content within the lessons and evaluate their facilitations skills. We gave feedback after each lesson which helped them improve for their next opportunity and learn from each other’s successes and mistakes. Without any major or minor snafus, the ToT sessions have gone very well. The final week of training was to go over Focus Project 1 which the FMs will be teaching starting on the 18th of May. We have set the schedule for all Field Officers to receive this training along with other Nuru staff who have missed this training in the past.
In my last post I mentioned the importance of this time for us in terms of leadership sustainability. And in this first attempt, our DMLs have done a great job. They have gained valuable experience training other trainers who could replicate the successes they have had in facilitation and building up our staff. They have given great and pointed feedback and have encouraged a safe environment for learning. Because of the freedom and encouragement to share together and give feedback, classes are usually very active and FMs have been free to share their opinions and viewpoints even if they differ from the DMLs. DMLs have embodied good servant leadership as they have been managing this process and the FMs. I feel really good about this new team and how they will help Nuru grow as an organization and develop leaders who can take and improve all of our impact programs and innovate past challenges.