My Nine-Month Journey with the Collective Rising Leadership Initiative

Nine months ago, I stepped into the Rising Leaders Institute under the Collective Rising Leadership Initiative—not just a program, but a living workshop, a humming kitchen where ideas simmer, identities are kneaded, and futures rise. Alongside five other organizations from across East Africa, we sat with the hard questions of transformative leadership and what it means to shape the destiny of small and growing enterprises in our region—and, by extension, our continent.

We began with the self. The Enneagram was not a mere assessment; it was a mirror, a language for our patterns, a map for understanding why we show up the way we do. One-on-one coaching offered a quiet, safe room for truth. Team sessions became laboratories, where we diagnosed organizational habits, clarified the way we are, and designed the way we hope to be. Together, we crafted visions—not only for our organizations, but for the communities we serve. The learning was both cerebral and embodied: rigorous diagnostics, bold strategy, and joyful cultural celebrations that grounded the theory in lived reality. We listened to each other’s stories, tasted each other’s traditions, and—amid the color and cadence of East Africa—reimagined what leadership could feel like in practice.

Now, each organization leaves with a living playbook: development practices we co-created with our coaches, and transformation action plans at both organizational and individual levels. The work doesn’t end here; it begins anew in daily commitment, iteration, and courageous follow-through.

Gratitude hardly captures it. These months of learning, unlearning, and re-learning—across screens and shared rooms—have reshaped us. To Dr. Joyce Malombe, the visionary behind this initiative: may your light continue to guide many. To every coach, and to Peter Magara, our steadfast Reflection Specialist: thank you. From all of us at FICH, we feel fully baked—warm from the oven—ready to serve the journey ahead.

By Victoria Harriet Anyango-PM Education at FICH(The writer is a graduate of the leadership program)