This sounds like a great idea, especially as you employ scores of people from your surrounding community. What are the greatest challenges that you have faced in building this team?
Thanks for the post and the question, Jenna. There are a lot of challenges with building a great at PEPY, some of them unique to Cambodia and others likely more universal.
In Cambodia, as the legacy of the Khmer Rouge left a generation with limited schooling and a lack of educated people as they mostly were killed or relocation, human resources are often the most difficult to find. When seeking out an expert in early literacy, for example, our barrier to success in the US might have been funding: not having enough money to hire the people we wanted. In Cambodia, finding people with those skills is nearly impossible, no matter what budget you might have.
A more universal lesson we have learned is, when hiring staff, skills are not the most important deciding factor for success. If and when we do find people with the right skills for the job we are looking to fill, their success is going to be more dependent on their passion for the outcomes of the work we are doing and their motivation to apply those skills than just skills they possess. We used to hire based on resumes and skills and how someone fit "on paper" into our organization. Now we hire based on someone's goals, dreams, and passions fitting in with the changes we want to see in the world.
I can make a plan and set out goals for PEPY and hire someone to try to achieve them. Or, I can hire a great team of motivated people who believe in education as a key to advancement in rural Cambodia and them THEM drive the ship and steer us where we need to go. By hiring a team who believe in our work we can create more effective programs and thrive on their motivation to achieve the goals THEY set out.
Sustainable work from a passionate team, making a real difference to the communities they work in and to the volunteers who contribute. What a combination. Awesome.
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http://www.changemakers.net/en-us/node/21932
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Daniela Papi
PEPY Founder
www.pepyride.org
This sounds like a great idea, especially as you employ scores of people from your surrounding community. What are the greatest challenges that you have faced in building this team?
Thanks!
Jenna
Thanks for the post and the question, Jenna. There are a lot of challenges with building a great at PEPY, some of them unique to Cambodia and others likely more universal.
In Cambodia, as the legacy of the Khmer Rouge left a generation with limited schooling and a lack of educated people as they mostly were killed or relocation, human resources are often the most difficult to find. When seeking out an expert in early literacy, for example, our barrier to success in the US might have been funding: not having enough money to hire the people we wanted. In Cambodia, finding people with those skills is nearly impossible, no matter what budget you might have.
A more universal lesson we have learned is, when hiring staff, skills are not the most important deciding factor for success. If and when we do find people with the right skills for the job we are looking to fill, their success is going to be more dependent on their passion for the outcomes of the work we are doing and their motivation to apply those skills than just skills they possess. We used to hire based on resumes and skills and how someone fit "on paper" into our organization. Now we hire based on someone's goals, dreams, and passions fitting in with the changes we want to see in the world.
I can make a plan and set out goals for PEPY and hire someone to try to achieve them. Or, I can hire a great team of motivated people who believe in education as a key to advancement in rural Cambodia and them THEM drive the ship and steer us where we need to go. By hiring a team who believe in our work we can create more effective programs and thrive on their motivation to achieve the goals THEY set out.
More of my thoughts on the topic here:
http://pepyride.ning.com/profiles/blogs/lessons-learned
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Daniela Papi
PEPY Founder
www.pepyride.org
Keep up the great work!
Sustainable work from a passionate team, making a real difference to the communities they work in and to the volunteers who contribute. What a combination. Awesome.
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