Flying in a V: Talking everyday leadership with SURGE Advisors
Everyday leadership is taking initiative, making decisions, and motivating others for positive change. Whether in the field or in their everyday lives, UNDP’s crisis ready staff, known as SURGE Advisors, make decisions that impact others’ lives. In this blog, we share some of their everyday leadership stories and the traits that made it possible.
Empathy: During a SURGE mission in the aftermath of a crisis, we learned that national staff’s morale was low due to changes in the country office. Local staff thought SURGE was a continuation of that change. It was important to dispel that notion. Leadership, in this case, was to be good and empathetic listeners. We acknowledged and addressed their concerns with clear communication. This helped change the perception about our mission and resulted in a high degree of national staff ownership of the SURGE plan. It was a humbling experience!
Fabrizio Andreuzzi, Rapid Response Specialist, UNDP Crisis Bureau
Courage: Thirty year ago, I took a bold step as a young woman by starting a job in a part of India that was still patriarchal. Here, I confronted a man who regularly abused his wife for giving birth to a daughter. I spoke up for the young mother, inspiring other women to come forward to give support as well. With one small action of courage, I became a leader. Later, we started a small project for empowering women and educating and sensitizing men on these issues. I found my voice that day!
Abha Mishra, Head of Office - Odisha, UNDP India
Finding a role model: I worked for a manager who demonstrated vision, integrity, trust, empowerment, and a systems-thinking approach. He had a vision of what to achieve and worked towards goals with integrity. Decisions were not always easy, but he was always honest and communicative. He trusted and empowered the team, which gave us confidence to achieve more than we thought was possible. Lastly, he relied on the use of systems to bring efficiency to our work. His leadership remains an inspiration to me and is someone I consider a role model.
Zubair Ezzat, Team Leader, Management Support Unit, UNDP Syria
Disrupting daily patterns: Everyday leadership can also be about small changes to the daily routine that bring a positive change. During a mission to a UNDP Country Office, I saw that people use to have lunch at their desks. I proposed to break this habit and have lunch together so we could use this time to connect with one another. They all agreed! Food was the real star that helped us connect and break the ice. We all got to know each other as people beyond the professional barriers of positions and roles. It’s important to disrupt daily patterns sometimes to build natural connections.
Shivani Khanna, Learning Advisor, UNDP Crisis Bureau
Sharing responsibility: Geese fly south in a V-formation. The “leader” moves out of the point position because it is too tiring to always be the one flying into the wind. The “leader” rotates, and “leadership” is shared. In the Stabilization Facility project in Libya, our donors requested financial information that was difficult to produce. My colleague took on this challenge because of his experience in the banking sector. He developed an account coding system that provided a way for us to respond to the request by reaching out to financial assistants and other stakeholders. He took on this challenge even though it was out of his ToR. He flexed at the point of the V for this challenge and then “rotated out” once the task was complete.
Craig Castro, Stabilization Project Manager, UNDP Libya
Letting others shine: It is important to realize your limitations. Sometimes, the most important thing you can do as a leader is get out of the way. A recent example is the US gymnast Simone Biles. Known as the greatest gymnast in the world, she pulled out of the team competition to take care of her mental health. She acknowledged that it is important to give others time to shine. Many leaders are on the verge of burnout do not think they have the option to step aside. Simone Biles is a trailblazer in this context.
Polixenia Calagi, SURGE Academy Manager, UNDP Crisis Bureau
