I am Happy and Proud to be The Regional Director of East Asia

October 25, 2007 in Uncategorized

As a new leader to the region, you spend time thinking about what you want to be known for, what kind of leader you want to be and at some point in your first six months you then have to start to articulate this to your senior managers who then have to explain this to you!

So here are extracts from a speech (which is probably too grand a label!) which I delivered at the Regional Management Team meeting in September 2007 – it looks a little bland on paper so please imagine me pacing the room and photos being flashed up on the wall……..this is the story of my personal journey over the past 6 months

‘This morning I am going to talk about 3 things  – where am I in terms of this post, what do I want from the region and what do I want from you?

It was almost a year ago today when I wore this suit to the interview for this job, and I was asked to do a presentation on the role of INGOs in East Asia – what I said then and what I want to lay out today are not too different, although as my understanding of the region grows my understanding does too!

So over the last year I have been looking forward and waiting and since my arrival I have been listening, trying to understand the context and searching for ‘my passion’

Of what I have seen in our programmes over the past few months, some have been inspiring, uplifting, some confusing and some less than good!

I am a jazz fan and if you know anything about jazz singers voices, they take time to warm up ….

And so in the best jazz style the last 6 months have been my warm up – I am happy to be your Regional Director, but it takes time to get to know you, trust is earnt over time and initial expectations can often be difficult to meet.

Tim said in a recent workshop ‘people in East Asia should not be poor’ and I struggled at the beginning, I looked around and poor people are not as obvious as in say, South Asia, I tried to understand where we as OGB have a role in this region – where we had value as an INGO, where is the space for us to operate.

The regional vision is inspiring – it has all the right words – inequality, social exclusion, vulnerability – and yet I find myself asking where is the alignment with country programmes, where is the ownership, the common understanding – where is the shared agreement on how to get there and how to measure our success…….

What I want for the region is –

• Clarity of that vision and how to deliver on it – a real vision with the drive to deliver

• I want a region which is confident in its own analysis – clear about its added value, its positioning – a region that challenges its approach to programming, which brings robust scrutiny to its potential impact and really knows how change happens

• I see country programmes which are responsive, innovative and empowered and are accountable to staff and poor people. Country programmes which celebrate their successes and open to learning from failures – building on what we already do

• I want a Regional Centre which is able to support the country programmes- which adds to rather than detracts from our delivery, which listens to CPMs and programme staff and values that feedback. A Regional Centre which is accountable to country programmes – and is less reliant on a compliance model of operation.

• I want an externally facing region, which works successfully in alliances, with others, develops non traditional relationships – so that we are the first port of call for anyone when they want to know about inequality and poverty in East Asia – which levers in resources and is imaginative in its source and use

• I want an organisation that takes management seriously, supports and challenges staff to realise their potential that creates opportunities and sees them through – believes in transparency, open and clear decision making and provides direction at all levels.

• One where there is more effective planning, monitoring and review processes. An organisation which has a portfolio of partnerships, which includes the private sector. An organisation where gender and diversity are really valued as strategic.

• Over time this means, in very top level terms, less operational programming – according to context – emergency responses still will go on – size and shape to be determined by the agreed revisioning process – focused on impact and the measurement of that impact.

• More policy work, more campaigning, better research, more analysis, more external engagement

• Less compliance and more trust – better alignment (at corporate, OI, regional and country levels)

• I want an organisation where there is less top down management, more involvement in key decision making, one that is responsive.

As I said what I see is good quality work – we are doing a good job, but dare I say it – yes – underperforming in some key areas. We have the capabilities to be at the cutting edge of development thinking in the region – we need to step out of our comfort zones – focus, channel our energy into what is important.

I am happy and proud to be the Regional Director of East Asia – I promise I will work hard with you to achieve this vision. I want you to feel empowered, excited to work for Oxfam

So what do I want from you….

Leadership of the region, support to me, the regional centre and others, advice and guidance, constructive challenge, ownership and a shared responsibility.

Work with me and we can step off the cliff together……’

I would welcome feedback, questions or comments, this blog is meant to be an opportunity for us to have a dialogue about the future of OGB in the region and to help me think about how we can move forward together.