When I was living in Albania in 1995- 1996 one of the last activities I participated in was a training / integration task which the team had to complete. From the Rreshen Base Team, there were three of us; Rachel, Paulin and me and we had also invited Tom, Base Leader from Fushe-Arrez. It was February 1996 and the operation had been scaled back from the summer heights which often saw up to 40 volunteers working at the base and the following summer that number doubled when we did a joint project with an American organisation.

Also present was George, the organisation's director and Tim the Base leader, both of whom would observe and appraise our performance.

Before I get into the nitty-gritty of the task we were required to complete, I will give a brief overview of the different personalities that made up the team with RAH being placed in appropriate alphabetical order. In doing so I have deliberately created no prejudicial order for those of us who participated.

Rachel

Rachel, the only girl in the group, in her mid-twenties at the time was just a year older than me. She was and is an extremely hard worker. Small, but wiry in stature she had the stamina of an ox. I vividly remember on one occasion when we were unloading 30 tonnes of aid from an HGV (TIR in Europe) and we were pretty much having to do it by hand. What didn't help was that we couldn't get the truck through the gate and we had to offload across the road and then carry everything. The entire site was on an incline and it made the 50 or so metres (150+ ft) feel three times as far. We were able to use a Land Rover to some extent, but not for everything and especially the corrugated roofing panels. I remember literally standing on the roof of the Land Rover and steadying some big chunk of something (I can't remember what) as it drove through the gate and up the hill. Yes we went slow, but it was still a delicate balancing act. The point is that despite the 35c heat, when all the men ran out of steam she was still going and showed no signs of tiredness. She was (and probably is still) the kind of personality that thinks if something needs doing then just get on with it and rest later. In the end with everybody else flagging around her she relented when somebody suggested finishing off the unloading the next day.

Incredible stamina, incredible work ethic and very powerful. Her potential weaknesses seemed to be that she expected everybody else to keep up. After all she was a woman showing greater physical prowess than any of the men present and she tended to be very assertive - almost over assertive at times.

RAH

In other words me. In many ways you already know me, but at that time I was a bit insecure and lacking in confidence. Aged just 24, I already recognised and experienced what it meant to be a team player, but I also had a great sense of right and wrong, which stays with me to this day. I was often perceived as a bit of a maverick, but my strongest wish was to be heard. I didn't mind being told I was wrong or that my idea wouldn't work, just so long as I was heard. This is one of my issues with Mama_Rah. It is not about me being right, it is simply about me being able to express how I feel and for her to understand that.

Paulin

Paulin, Albanian for Paul, was our translator and you may have come across him before in previous posts. Paulin is by nature very laid back. Originally from Fushe-Arrez he wasn't particularly tall, but very strong. He was very compliant and always willing to play his part in anything and everything that was going on. One last relevant fact that matters is that at the time he had a major crush on Rachel.

Tom

The final member of the team, probably aged about 30 and therefore a bit older than the rest of us, was the stereotypical Irishman. Very laid back, very relaxed and easy going and would always do his best to be supportive and engaged in whatever was going on. Not a natural leader, people in Fushe_Arrez followed his instructions because he was so genuine and likeable.

THE TASK

George had prepared two Land Rover Defender 110s for us. One of the Land Rovers was attached to a trailer and the second, with a flat rear tyre was mounted on the the trailer. We were told that the engine wasn't working on the front Land Rover and that we would have to change the wheel on the Land Rover on the trailer and then swap them around to complete the task. We would then drive off just a few yards to show that we had done it.

Once George had explained what was required he joined Tim and sat back an watched.

The four of us immediately went to work, looking round the vehicles trying to figure out what to do. I tried a wheel wrench on the wheel nuts and quickly realised that they were very tight.

George stopped us within 30 seconds and called us together and asked us what we were doing. We all started speaking at once, each with a different idea. I can almost see him rolling is eyes - I don't think he actually did - but he definitely said we need to come up with an agreed plan which meant talking to each other. He then left it at that and said that we should resume the task.

We then gathered and a little pow-wow and unsurprisingly, despite Tom having the higher position in the organisation, it was Rachel who took the lead and without necessarily telling the rest of us what she had in mind (or even including us in the discussion) she started delegating tasks. Meanwhile, having recognised how tight the wheel nuts were I tried to suggest that we should find some kind of a pipe to use as an extension on the wrench to give a bit more leverage. Rachel didn't respond to or acknowledge my suggestion.

So when we went back to work the others followed what Rachel had outlined and I went off searching for a pipe.

Again after a couple of minutes George called us back together and asked what we were doing. Rachel started to explain and George quickly asked Rachel what I was doing. She said "I don't know. [Rah] is [Rah]. George then said to her that because she had taken on the leadership of the task that it was her responsibility to know what her team members were doing and why they were doing it. Rachel tried to disagree and say that I was simply not following her instructions and at that point George asked her why. She again said that she didn't know.

Then to my surprise, George said that I had actually come up with a good suggestion and he asked her what it was. She shrugged as she didn't know. He then asked me to repeat what it was. George then re-emphasised that a good leader needs to take on the view of the team and be open to suggestions as well as providing a good lead. He added that it doesn't matter if each idea is not implemented (contrary ideas obviously cannot be), but while team leadership is not a consensus it is still important to recognise that communication is a two way process.

We were soon set back to work and completed the task not long after. I do recall that we did have a problem with those pesky wheel nuts and so as a concession George did loosen them off for us a bit just to help us on our way. 

In the debrief afterwards, with some input from Tim, George provided us with the key takeaways:

• Communication throughout is the key to success
• Team is about doing things together and without communication it just isn't possible.
• Communication is a two-way process.
• The task should be understood clearly by everybody and roles delegated with team members having an understanding on what part they are playing.
• If you lead you take responsibility - the outcome is on your shoulders and you should know what your team are doing.

Then it was done, we were finished. 

I later learned that George and Tim had expected Rachel to take a lead as it was within her personality to do so and that the whole task had been set up to show her directly what leadership entailed and in particular concerning engagement and taking responsibility. He literally said that at that point Rachel had "bottle shoulders" in that responsibility just sloped of them. It was a hard lesson.

Looking back now, I am not entirely sure that it was fair on Rachel. She was in her mid-twenties with little relevant leadership experience and it was a very harsh way to teach her and especially in front of the rest of us. Fortunately she took it in good grace and I would say that she is still one of the most remarkable and hardworking people I have ever met and a true inspiration.

As always stay safe and well my friends.