The first leadership program cohort that was run for five organizations in Uganda graduated at a lakeside resort in Entebbe- Uganda in July 2019. This was a nine-month development journey that the 15 participants were exposed to and was complimented by a Mentorship program that was running as part of the leadership trainings; of which they quoted to be a transformational and growth journey.
The leadership program typically had three learning workshops and at least six -10 sessions with a Mentor who will support your leadership journey. The first learning workshop concentrates on the personal transformation, the second on organizational transformation and the last workshop on social transformation (each of these workshops are spread into five days).
The Mentors expressed being greatly touched by the openness and growth that the Mentees displayed over the short time they had interacted. There was marked growth and greater confidence displayed by the Mentees at each subsequent session of coaching. Some of these growth areas as cited by the Mentees themselves include; being better able to express oneself, better planning and prioritization, better presentation, clearer career definition and greater awareness of their motivation for what they do.
Mentors’ lauded the Mentees commitment, even sometimes travelling long distances to honor a session that had been planned and overall putting in a lot of effort in the program. Some Mentors said this was a check point for them as well to see if they were applying the principles and knowledge/skills they were sharing with their Mentees.
In conclusion, the sessions that most participants cited to have touched them the most were in the first module on personal transformation which disturbed them enough to demand movement from them. It was, for example, the start of a new trajectory for Jean and James(see detailed testimony in the attached Mentorship report) who realized that they didn’t belong where they were at the moment, and by the end of the third workshop, they had managed to move to top leadership positions in other organizations. Both said the Mentors were instrumental in carrying the momentum of movement (change) through.
We at CBLI are excited to be part of the whole program and applaud the fact that the Mentors volunteered to continue with the mentorship program till the end of the year, or for as long as needed with or without payment. As a pilot program, we felt it surpassed our expectations.
