Team-building in an organization helps to form key relationships, increase trust, encourage communication and strengthen collaboration. After welcoming two new senior managers into Adams Thermal Foundation Ethiopia over the past 8 months, our US team decided to invest in our management group through team-building meetings conducted in Addis Ababa this past February. Leaders from Adams Thermal Academies in Hosanna and Ottoro attended along with senior staff from our administration office in Addis Ababa. The group participated in classroom activities, meals, social outings and practical, team-based exercises. 

 

Much of the group classroom time was devoted to understanding and applying the mission, vision and values of Adams Thermal Foundation. Using a "travel" metaphor, the vision was identified as a description of our ultimate destination. Our mission was labeled as the route that we take to arrive at our destination or vision. The values of the organization were described as the way we behave and treat each other during our journey. Adams Thermal Foundation Ethiopia shares the mission statement of the US-based foundation, "to alleviate the suffering of the most vulnerable - confronting all forms of human poverty in our community, our nation and our world". 

 

(To learn more about our mission, vision and values, CLICK HERE)

 

The group classroom time was also used for planning - to discuss some of the local issues facing the organization and how to address them. A special emphasis was placed upon serving our students and their families along with ways to integrate this focus into all that we do. 

 

While the mornings were devoted to classroom and meeting time, the afternoons were devoted to visiting some new local attractions in Addis Ababa. Entoto Park was the destination one afternoon where the group did some hiking and sightseeing along with some team-building exercises. In one exercise, two separate teams had to create a human chain that was as long as possible using only the resources they had at their immediate disposal. On another afternoon, the group visited Unity Park in Addis Ababa and enjoyed displays featuring Ethiopian heritage as well as zoo animals including the rare black lion. 

 

We are grateful for our Ethiopia management team and their dedication to our students and families. Please keep them in your prayers as they do the daily work on the front lines of our ministry!