Section 09: Conclusion - you are your best tool!
How effective you will be in catalysing positive change in partners will depend first and foremost on how much they trust you.
According to Rick James, trust comes from four things:
Competence – we trust people who know their stuff and are good at what they do. The activities on the next few pages are designed to help you identify and develop your competencies.
On my side – partners need to feel you are ‘on their side’ and have their best interests at heart (and those of the people they serve). Some call this benevolence.
Integrity – to be trusted our actions have to live up to our words. It is all about character. As leadership author, Walter Wright says ‘It all starts with character – who we are – because who we are, shapes everything we do and everyone we touch’. This means being honest and admitting mistakes.
Reliability or predictability – we trust people who are predictable and not different each time we meet them, depending on how they happen to feel that day.
“If we aspire to both the labels and the roles of helper, counsellor, adviser and supporter, using ourselves as key instruments, we must undertake a process of life-long discovery and of owning and refining our instrumentality”
Mee-Yan Cheung-Judge
9.1: Sample list of competencies and skills for effectively supporting CS
Use this list as a starting point for reflecting on what you need to develop in your own practice supporting capacity strengthening with partners.
Consider:
What are the core competencies you need in your job? What is important in the context you work in?
What future direction do you see your career taking you?
What will you need to develop for what you hope will be your next role or job?
What are your strengths and weaknesses?
Who could give you feedback to help you see your capacities more clearly?
Then…
Give yourself credit for your strengths and make a plan to address areas you want to develop.
9.2: Some resources for developing practical skills
Here are some videos and guides which demonstrate and explain some of the skills that you might want to develop to be an effective partner for capacity development:
Active Listening (up to 1:40 mins)
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