Where the Rubber Meets the Road

I've now been studying management and leadership issues for the last three years. My focus has been primarily around creating organizational change. Now is the moment when the rubber meets the road to test my skills. Afghanistan was merely a test run for what I have on the horizon now.

Today I leave to the DR Congo to sort out a whole host of programmatic, management and leadership issues. I managed to land both the largest and the most messed up country in the organization. It is widely known that we are facing problems in just about every area you can imagine. We have issues with turnover, bad management, lack of leadership, lack of organization, lack of financial management, all in addition to the general chaos of the DRC.

My job is now to go out and fix it. They've had a whole host of people go out and report on how messed up the project is in every way. The evidence is well documented. My mission now is to go out and implement change and get the project headed back in the right direction. Right now I'm scheduled for a month, but I've been told that they don't care how long it take, it just needs to be done.

It's exciting. It's daunting. An increase in arm militia combat while I'm there is almost assured. I thrive on this stuff. I can't say how exactly I landed where I am, but I know down to my socks that I am where I am supposed to be and doing what I am meant to do. It feels good. Wish me luck.

Miel