ZOA Colombia hosts first leadership week

In August's third week, ZOA Colombia held its first Leadership Week. The event brought together 27 leaders from 7 departments where ZOA operates, marking a notable moment for ZOA Colombia.

26 September 2023

Investing in people

Milestone

From its humble beginnings in 2019, starting with a single office in one department, a team of 5, and one project, ZOA Colombia has experienced exponential growth. Today, the organization boasts 13 offices spread across 10 departments, managing 6 active projects with a dedicated team of 156 staff members.

Many of the leaders at the leadership week started with ZOA years ago as project assistants, and have now become senior officers and project managers. This making the leadership week a hugely proud moment for all in ZOA as we saw all our investment in people together in one place.

The Leadership Week included various workshops led by both internal and external trainers. Topics covered ranged from conflict resolution and leadership skills to administrative tasks like effective meeting management, negotiations, and decision-making. The week also touched on ZOA's vision, strategy, and sessions by departments such as operations, programs, and quality.

Yosbelly Chaparro, Coordinador del region de Los Llanos, COL25, said, “Participating in the leadership workshop in Guajira allowed me not only to strengthen the staff in leadership but also to touch the fibers of its employees and their soft skills to continue serving our beneficiaries in a warm, empathetic way, especially in this world where currently indifference and understanding have taken a back seat.”

Jose Jimenez, Coordinator of COL28, mentioned, “I'm thankful for what I learned. I have started to replicate some of the activities on teamwork, emotion management and definition of humanitarian work with my team”.

As the week wrapped up, discussions centered on the future of ZOA Colombia and its leaders, their goals, and how these align with ZOA's broader global strategy.