Social Initiative Department, Essay Example

The Situation

I was the manager of a social initiative department. One of my tasks involved overseeing an exhibition for the National Productive women. The exhibition was five days long.

The organization decided to implement the exhibition through a third party organization which was to facilitate all the components of the exhibition. My organization was to provide only financial support. The company that was chosen to provide this service was Robinson Inc. It was supposed to handle all the observatory and logistic services during the exhibition. Being the project manager, I was the highest authority in the project. I was squarely responsibly for the success or failure of the project. Seven day to the exhibition Robinson Inc. withdrew from the project sitting technical difficulties. In my department were only three employees who were not in position to do the job. This was not the best time to call off the exhibition given that the women had been communicated to, 50 per cent of the budget had been paid, attending celebrities had been informed, and all invitation cards sent. However, we managed to hold a successful exhibition at the end.

Opportunities and Challenges

If I was the one initiating the project, I would have simply called it off. But this is part of my job specification. The changes I made were to write a letter to the appointing authority presenting to them the situation and the need not to call off the project. I suggested requesting university students to volunteer and assist in the situation under my supervision. Zayed University approved my request and I received 50 students and my staff informed them about the project and their role in it. We had to work extra hours form 8:00 AM to 9:00PM for six days before the exhibition, and from3:00PM to 10:00PM during the five days of exhibition. The students were motivated to work because I assure them of gifts and appreciation certificates.

Destination

With a view of initiating productivity in women and with full cooperation from all stakeholders involved, the project was to provide comprehensive productivity tools for women meant to guide and inform policy decisions relating to women.

Immediately after the withdrawal of the Robinson Inc., I approached the national women’s organizations to have a presentation during the exhibition. This is an organization that is highly popular with women and most sponsors like to associate with it for any matters pertaining to women. Basically I employed the tactic of the law of association to persuade people to come to the exhibition. I did not have to pay an expensive price to associate the exhibition with the trends. During the first day of the exhibition I made sure that the presence of the national women’s organization could be felt, even though they did not have a presentation on the first day. This allowed me to create the much needed enthusiasm during the first day.

Involvement

Since most of the volunteer students were not well informed about the project, I organized for a short presentation to train the on the specifics of the exhibition. This involved face-to-face interviews and brief video presentations. I clearly stressed the need of all stakeholders to participate and work as a team. In my approach, I invited people to participate; I did not demand participation from them. As a facilitator, I was flexible enough to move together with the interest of the group without getting disrupted by side shows. My main aim was to build trust with all the group members and to create a sense of togetherness where everybody was equal.

Leadership actions

As a leader I was aware that I could not do everything by myself. Consequently I delegated duties to other members of the group. This not only helped in reducing my work load but also helped to create a sense of trust because I was willing to trust my subordinates with certain tasks.  To demonstrate my seriousness during the entire project, I made sure that I acted as a role model in every aspect of the project. I made sure that I demonstrated how things are done and allowed the group members to ask questions where necessary.

Leadership lessons

The moment I head about the withdrawal of Robinson Inc. I was immediately ready to do everything to make sure that the exhibition succeeds. The reigning goal was clearly spelt; the need was compelling and immediate that I was readily willing to do anything to help. I believe the best lesson that I have learned form this project is that everything is possible if you have the right attitude. In my case it would have been easy to call off the exhibition but my desire to defy all odds and overturn a crisis into a managerial opportunity was overwhelming. I believe attitude is the greatest managerial virtue.