This is a question I have been asked multiple times,
especially since moving here. And I guess the answer to that question would be
Yes. And No. Yes in the sense that I do have a full-time job and actually make
a salary. No in the sense that I don’t view it as work and would likely do the
same thing if I wasn’t paid for it, something I would encourage anyone to
strive for. With that being said, since moving to Doha I have been given an
incredible amount of paid leave (evidently the US standard of 2 weeks isn’t shared
globally), a salary that allows me funds to travel with, and a location that is
globally central. All of those things contribute to the image of me not having
a job.
The last two weeks for me have been by far the hardest
working two weeks I have had since moving to
Doha. There have been late night events and training, taking students on a
variety of trips, and coaching the basketball team to name a few. I have been
working 70-80 hour weeks and have worked straight through the last two
weekends. Now this may sound like the place where a complaining rant comes in
about how I am underappreciate, working too hard, and want someone to tell me
it’s all going to be ok!!! But quite the opposite. It has been hard work but
incredibly rewarding as well. I want to share just a few thoughts on the latest
leadership program I planned, the Maersk and HBKU Leadership Challenge.
Over the summer a representative from a group called Red
Rock International approached the Student Center and asked if we wanted to
offer an overnight desert camping experience for 50 students to do a challenge
course focusing on leadership development. Easy answer…DUH!!!! This sounded
amazing and the more I learned about it the more I liked it. We were going to
offer 3 training sessions leading up to the program and teams of 6 would
compete in a business simulation challenge. We did tons of preparation for the
program and then the first session arrived! 50 students had registered from
HBKU and 10 from Qatar University, another local institution. On the night of
the first training only 40 showed up. Robert (from Red Rock International) and
myself were very disappointed but hopeful this would not be a trend.
Unfortunately the next two trainings were the same and we never had a
consistent student body show up. Even leading up to the morning of the actual
challenge we had students canceling for a variety of reasons. Truth be told
this process of getting students to participate in the program was frustrating
and stressful. We had received full funding from Maersk Oil for the program and
the least we could do was have a full program. In the end only 40 students attended
but then it became our responsibility to offer them the best program possible!
The goal of the challenge was to make the most money by
selling “oil”. It was a simulation so we had 8 teams of 5 compete against each
other. The challenge was broken down into 4 phases. Phase 1 was a physical
challenge where they had to run through the desert and complete challenges to
get tokens to buy parts and information in stage 2. Stage 2 they bought
information about where the best oil was and bought parts for an oil pump.
Stage 3 they extracted oil from their sites. And finally in Stage 4 they sold
the oil to make profits. It was incredible seeing the students dedication to
the challenge and teamwork throughout. We had students with scrapped knees, physically
exhausted, and having conflicts in their teams. But when I asked how they were
doing…”this is one of the greatest things I have ever done!”. It was that
spirit that motivated me and in the end this program was one of the best I have
been involved with.
As I arrived home at 10:30pm on Saturday night (keep in mind
I work Sunday) I couldn’t help but be thankful to have a job that I love so
much and that makes such an impact. So next time someone asks me if I have a
job, I will tell them no. I don’t remember the last day that I actually worked.
There are so many aspects I love about being here in Doha, and the job is
definitely one of them.
Next things coming up? Brennan and I are taking a trip to
the Golden Triangle in India at the end of November. Working on another
leadership program called LeaderShape for January. CANNOT WAIT for my parents
to visit after LeaderShape. And Kristal and I are counting down the days until
we see each other in Bali for Christmas. Doesn’t get much better than all of
that! Will keep everyone posted!
Luckily Movember is not over!!! You still have the chance to donate to the cause and support 100 Mustaches Strong for 2013 as our team is now in the top 25 for fundraising teams in the entire US!!! If you would like to donate to my page visit mobro.co/EvanWitt!!
