LEAD ALBANIA PROGRAM MANAGER

LEAD PROGRAM INSPIRED me to Work Harder

By Rudina Hoxha & Jose Pinto

Alda Shabani was recently assigned to manage LEAD Program Albania, part of Albanian American Development Fund (AADF).. Following some job positions in great institutions in Albania and abroad, she became part of LEAD Albania Program demonstrating a lot of enthusiasm, motivation and dedication.

“This program requires a lot of engagement in order to provide a positive and successful output which should be in the standard of the organization I am part of, and this is the reason why I should give the best of my knowledge and my work experience which is specifically 11 years of experience in Tirana, recently working for United Nations and London where I worked as a Consultant for Government sector such as Home Office or the Passport Office,” Shabani told TRAILBLAZING MAGAZINE.

According to her, the LEAD Fellows network and their enthusiasm inspires her to enhance the program and continue at her best to contribute to Albania with professionalism and knowhow. “This is the philosophy of AADF as well focused on the development of a sustainable economy and a democratic society in Albania,” she said.

The LEAD Albania Program has hit 100 fellows so far. “The network of 100 alumni is a treasure for the program because as you said they are the future leaders of this country, who are equipped with the experience, know-how and personal value, able to advocate the best for our country,” Shabani concluded.

Full interview below:

How engaging, inspiring and influencing is this position for you at this point of your career?

Thank you so much for inviting me to this interview. I’m glad to have this conversation with you about LEAD program and share my perspective as the Manager of LEAD Albania Program.

“As part of the Program LEAD Albania in the component of Leadership skills Development this year we have started a new initiative with Podcasts episodes. A podcast dedicated to the voice of young professionals aiming to contribute to a better tomorrow. An initiative of LEAD Albania fellows and alumni supported by the Albanian-American Development Foundation.

LEAD Up Podcast is how we named it and reflects the dynamics of the reality we are living in and convey values of our community. We are grateful to all those who support this initiative and try to contribute to an enhanced future.

Lead Podcast is now available in to channels, You Tube as LEAD Up Podcast and Spotify under the same title.” with professionalism and know-how. This is the philosophy of AADF as well focused on the development of a sustainable economy and a democratic society in Albania. Working together as a team with the same goal leads us to get motivated and inspired by each other by example. Leadership itself is about collaboration and inspiring others to do their best work and this relates to me with collaborating with all the stakeholders of the program and make sure they know I care about them.

Let’s talk about the 2022 Cohort of the LEAD Albania Program. In your view, how well are they embracing the Program showcasing their skills and mindsets?

The Cohort of 2022 of LEAD Albania is a success story even though the fellows are half way of their pathway; most of them are very well positioned in the Cabinet and are responsible for the most important part of the core functions in the institutions. I would say that the elements of the program have made the greatest impression on the participants not only this year but throughout the years. I can mention the trust the institutions have given to AADF to assign our fellows in such important positions, in the highest levels of leadership and to believe that they will be successful. One of our fellows is part of the working group in the screening process for the Albania Access in the EU. Another one is a key point for delivering the image of Albania in the international area or to mention another fellow from this cohort who is the main person for the public communication and for the press for the Leader of the institution he is assigned.

In their success, I believe the mentors component LEAD program has directly

I know LEAD Program since it was created and I’m confident that now, on its 10th anniversary, everyone knows or have heard about this program. I love the mission this program has, to provide gifted young professionals with the experience in the process of governing Albania. Fellows of each cohort are assigned to senior positions withing the Prime Minister Offices, Municipality of Tirana, The office of the President of Albania and the Ministries and the Justice Institutions.

This program requires a lot of engagement in order to provide a positive and successful output which should be in the standard of the organization I am part of, and this is the reason why I should give the best of my knowledge and my work experience which is specifically 11 years of experience in Tirana, recently working for United Nations and London where I worked as a Consultant for Government sector such as Home Office or the Passport Office.

Working for LEAD Program is so inspiring to me and this motivates me to work harder and to be there for all the Fellows and Alumni who shares their experiences. The beautiful network we have and their enthusiasm inspires me to enhance the program and continue at my best to contribute in our country affected the fellows’ success through their guidance based on the previous experience the mentors have within the institutions. I can confirm that within this journey they have improved their leadership skills through the process of working in this demanding environment, education component the program has which emerge better know how and demonstrate their development professionally and personally.

What are the key learning outcomes for this program, and how does it prepare students to assume leadership positions across a diversity of contexts?

This is a Leadership program and as such I can mention as learning outcomes a strong sense of identity, connections and contributions with their working environment and their world, their high level of confidence and the ability to involve learners followed by an effective communication. All these learning outcomes will be part of fellows upon the completion of the LEAD program. Also this unique experience they have been through will be reflected into their future goals and determine further actions for personal growth. To assume leadership positions means to be able to collaborate, actively participate in planned objectives and sustains projects in diversity of contexts. Where they already have done so within the program, through their interaction with their cohort peers but as well with LEAD Alumni which as mentioned earlier have reached 100 this year.

What advice do you have in terms of submitting a competitive application?

LEAD Application is engaging and requires dedication, focus and time. Based on our estimation to finalize this application properly, it is needed 20 business hours. Having said that, it means that in order to be successful, applicants should be committed. Besides the general information required in the first steps of the application, where you have to add your generalities, education and work experience within the last 5 years, the applicant should focus on the required personal project.

This is the highlight of this application and has a direct connection with the institution the applicant aspires to work in and contribute to develop further through a new proposal, idea or objective. I would highly suggest everyone who is interested to be part of this important program to scrutinize the institution, identify what is needed, analyzes the sector he /she is interested in, what are the objectives, how do they implement the policies.

After doing so, the applicant must come with a specific proposal that relates to the institutions, to improve it and make sure to personally contribute to this change. As the competition is really high, we receive around 350 applications every year and we select around 10 fellows per year even though this number may change even in 12 or 9 based on the quality of the applications. Said that the proposal is important to be innovative and to be practical in order to be implemented.

LEAD Albania Program numbers more than 100 fellows by now. How is this Program helping in the creation of the new generation of leaders in Albania? What makes this Program so much in demand? The success of LEAD Albania is now very visible and our 100 fellows and alumni together, make this success even more touchable. We, at AADF, measure success based on each member of the project and identify it not only during the program but as well after the program. The high level of professionalism, determination, ability, consistency and personal integrity make fellows to be identified among others in their working environment. The selection process we operate is really strict and the selection committee encompasses professionals who are able through several tasks taken by the applicants to identify the brightest ones in accordance with the program needs and mission.

The network of 100 alumni is a treasure for the program because as you said they are the future leaders of this country, who are equipped with the experience, know-how and personal value, able to advocate the best for our country. We consider our alumni community as success as most of them are positioned in high positions in the Albanian government such as General Secretariat in the Ministries, Justice system but as well in NGO-s, private sector or academia as CEO’s or Directors. This is probably the reason behind the high demand for the program. At the same time, this high demand gives us the responsibility to provide the best of the best from this project and come with new ideas on how to improve the program and put it in a higher level. As per our expectations we set higher goals every day grateful and proud, we have archived but eager to reach higher peaks.

Dorina Patuzi is an experienced professional with in-depth knowledge and skills both in public and private entities. Along her professional experience, she demonstrated the capacity to drive change within organizations, and influence public policies with the main scope of enhancing private sector development and improving the business climate.

Dorina concluded her studies in Florence, Italy. She holds an MSC Degree in International Relations and European Studies, in Political Science. She also holds a Master in Digital Marketing in Tourism, from the European University in Rome.

During her career, she has been hosted at Women Venture Fund, in New York City for conducting a professional internship in Business & Finance, as part of AADF MIP Professional Fellowship Program.

She worked as an external lecturer on Human Rights, International Organizations, and Philosophy of Rights in different private faculties, like “Zoja e Keshillit te Mire” and Wisdom University in Tirana.

After 10 years of professional experience in the public sector, and concluding an Executive Master’s at Harvard Business School, on “How to drive Profitable Growth”, Dorina experienced broadening her skills in finance, as a Chief Financial Officer in the private sector.

Host institution: Ministry of Tourism and Environment