The following article appeared in the magazine Success and Career and is reproduced with the kind permission of the publisher.

Undeniable personal qualities ...

Working for the ICRC in the field is a terrific way to learn fast about life, human behaviour and what is rational and irrational in our world. ICRC delegates learn to listen, to talk, to agree to compromises while working steadily towards their goals, to anticipate problems, to set priorities, to be practical and effective, to take decisions quickly, to bear up under stress, to see things in perspective. They are very independent, and must be able to take the initiative, to work as a team, to demonstrate tenacity and perseverance. (...)

... coupled with solid professional skills

The ICRC's delegates are recruited at the end of a rigorous procedure because they have a solid and adaptable personality, but they all have previous training in another field. Once at the ICRC, they develop other skills:

• project management, from concept to implementation;

• financial management, including the management of funds and spending, bringing strategy in line with the means available, and the establishment of operating / management reports;

• supervision of multicultural staff, whether as direct or functional subordinates, from a distance or on the spot, including the management of salaries, contracts, insurance, setting objectives and arranging for training;

• verbal and written communication, in that they present the organization, its objectives and its operations to a variety of target groups, and draft reports;

• strategic analysis, in order to understand the balance of power in a situation, to assess it and to turn it to good account;

• logistics, the management of stock, transport and buildings, and the procurement and sale of goods;

• network management, in computer terms, to circulate information or collect data, and in relational terms, to forge ties, organize operations and obtain guarantees;

• interpersonal skills, such as the ability to negotiate with people at all levels and in difficult contexts in order to obtain a result and the ability to work as a team member towards achieving a shared objective;

• openness to the international world, by developing the capacity to integrate into widely varying cultural and socio-professional settings;

• language skills, sometimes in rare languages. (...)
  
  
  
  

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