My supervisors came for a brief visit the last few days. I learnt a few lessons:

1. Always be clear of the boundaries of what is our responsibility and what are the responsibilities of others. Be very clear and sign MOUs.

2. We are similar to a consultant that works for the farmers. They are our clients and always will be. We need to ‘manage’ the other stakeholders to make sure the farmers get a fair deal.

3. Never lose your temper. In different cultures, people need different levels of (perceived) respect. Shouting may be OK in one culture between work colleagues, but it is not in other cultures. Sometimes the harm done by temporary lost of temper can be hard to erase. Skilled and competent staff are hard to come by.

5. Criticisms aren’t personal. For any project/organization to work, there needs to be continual improvements. Even if the criticisms aren’t initially palatable, they aren’t personal and are only for the betterment of the project/organization.

4. Honesty is the way forward. Covering up problems never gets any organization any where. Be accepting of failures and together a solution can be found. Be open to hearing anything and everything and then make your judgments. Don’t hesitate to use resources for reflections and evaluations.