The Squad Leader

My week has been interesting.. I boarded a dhow for the first time eva.. and I tasted shark (meat?) for the first time as well.. It was an interesting experience though dhows are very dirty and stinky.. the crew members are very rough people and they are run by shrewd business men... all the same.. it was an interesting experience. I was at old Town of Mombasa.. the place is good and I will tell you about it later.. for now.. let me share with you some experience... Things I had to go through and why I am a Squad Leader

This is the story of the Squad Leader. The tribulations, the joys, the dark days, the bright days, the long walks, the cold water dips, the chilly nights, the early morning runs, the excitement, the achievements, the growth, the resistance, the thrills, the hurdles and the occupational risks of being a Squad Leader.

The survival tactics and survival instincts: the experience of leading a group of intelligent, energetic, innovative and diverse young men and women. This is the story of a SQUAD, from a Squad Leaders perspective.

The day is 17th July 06, the room is packed with well dressed young men and women, the venue is PanAfric hotel and the occasion is opening ceremony, Management Trainees (MT’s) for a Kenyan organization (referred to herein as The Organization). I look around sizing everyone and trying to read their characters. Everyone looks confined though composed, the first impressions are impressive. I warm up to my seat mate and squeeze out her name and her occupation. She is a lawyer! I’m impressed. Lawyers fascinate me (I’m a Computer Scientist), and now that I will be working with one, it will be an interesting experience.

The opening ceremony is presided over by head of HR, coordinated by two HR officers. The Head of HR articulated the Vision of The organization and the fact that we were the first MT’s to be recruited in this particular section. We were to go through a specialized training. First, para-military training and then a leadership and experiential training in Mt. Kenya. After which, we would go thru a thorough training in The organizations college. (That sounded easy, but events that happened between then and today, still amaze me!!)

At the end of the induction course, we had to choose the leader of the group. I must confess I love challenges and I’m not a spectator. I love being part of the action, if not action itself! I offered my candidature and so did a colleague. I was voted in as the leader (in the military arena, the leader of a squadron is called a Squad Leader) and my colleague as the deputy. The group elected the lady’s leader as well. With the induction course over, it was time to get into real action… it was time, as a group, to begin our first test of endurance, teamwork, physical, psychological and inborn strengths. A week later we all packed our bags and headed for the Paramilitary training and this was the beginning of the making of sharp, intelligent and analytical young leaders……

The second part coming soon….