Development and Leadership

I’m taking a class of introduction to development studies. In the last class, we had a guest speaker who participated in Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (青年海外協力隊). She told us her activity in Panama. Her lecture was so exciting! I thought it was related to leadership lessons.

She explained 3 important things she has learned in Panama: communication skill, flexibility and planning skill. Especially, I was so influenced by the last one “planning skill”.

She said that it is important to involve others and motivate them as a leader. For example in Panama, she worked with a colleague who has no motivation. He was a driver, but clearly he was reluctant to work. He was often late for the time to pick her. To motivate him, she suggested painting pictures on his truck with children. At first, he was not willing. However as he saw children painting pictures happily, he got to be motivated. Her planning succeeded to motivate him.

She also said that the key to motivate others is making them fun! By the example, she showed that “fun is the motivation of motivation”.

I learned how important to motivate others and to make others fun from her. It was very pleasure to take her lecture.