My Assignment...Tine

I am deployed to the Regional Human Security Centre (RHSC) at the Royal Scientific Society in Amman. The RHSC is a research institute that engages with the emerging paradigm of “human security” in the Middle Eastern region. I wear many hats but if I were to distill it, I’d say my role is essentially 3 pronged; I am a research fellow, a trainer and a supervisor. As a fellow, I lead a research cluster and I am responsible for the dry but obligatory minutiae of research work (literature surveys, agenda building etc) I also have publishing and conference commitments. As a trainer, my role is more dynamic. I will co-teach a training course aimed at introducing Jordanian government officials to the concept of human security. I am also in the process of designing a course-“the philosophical underpinnings of human security”, which I plan to teach as an elective at the University of Jordan next semester. As a supervisor, I have 2 research assistants and oversee the center’s interns, assigning and evaluating their tasks. This triple combo works well for me because the research component gives an outlet to my nerdy and technical side, while the training and supervising aspects feed the more sociable part of me that loves working with people. Life at the centre is not as precise as my description may lead you to believe. Some days things can be rather sporadic; I may be called away to an unanticipated meeting or have to host an unexpected “guest” ( a little intrigue for your enjoyment dear reader…) I also find myself doing things that do not fall within (um how shall I say this?)…my precise purview of expertise (like looking at budgets…and trying to interpret those annoying little symbols). However because the centre needs to run on the backs of a relatively small team, I have quickly had to become au fait with a plethora of tasks.

Even though my assignment is somewhat atypical,the point is not so much what we do but how we do it. Do we serve with character and industry? Are we setting a superior example in how we handle conflict and disagreements? Are our lights extinguished under stress and duress? Are we really invested in what we are doing, or are these just day jobs? Do we treat people with outgoing concern, using the way we would like to be treated as the appropriate benchmark? I find it revealing that whenever I am unsure about how to handle a challenging individual, mentally substituting that person with myself almost always yields clarity(…“Self’ is never unsure about how it wants to be handled).

Knowing the standard does not mean we always meet it. I know I certainly fall short in a myriad of ways. This does not mean we quit striving for the gold. Being here is a big enough responsibility, but when you compound that with all the responsibilities we have on the job, it can get a bit overwhelming at times. In many ways, this is a 10 month leadership training course; we serve to today to lead tomorrow.