The age-old saying ‘time flies when you’re having fun’ couldn’t be more appropriate for my first 100 days at Djembe Consultants.
Coming from a psychology background, public relations and communications was a new venture for me – but I recognized that these two fields seem to come together at an interesting juncture: people. I have been known by friends, family and former colleagues to be a very outgoing person with a personable character – I like people. Public relations therefore came as an opportune adventure that would allow me to discover a new passion and embark on a new phase of learning.
As soon as I joined Djembe, I was a part of the team that worked on the Zayed Sustainability Prize. Right away, I dived into a research and stakeholder outreach project across Africa that was crucial to the project’s success. With this, I quickly gained a reputation for building effective relationships, grabbing opportunities to roll up my sleeves, get stuck in and make a visible difference.
Further, I’ve had the opportunity to work on client accounts such as ECOLOG, Mastercard Foundation, Vlisco, Honoris United Universities and ITFC. With these accounts, I have been able to grow in areas such as setting goals, building efficient internal processes, mastering my communication style and understanding the rules of engagement with stakeholders. This is my personal and professional journey – and I love it.
I have also learned to balance the need to be strategic with actually hitting the ground to get things done. Having a good understanding of the clients and their audience is one of the vital components of communications as it is the key to unlocking creativity. Being in this new sector, I have gained fast, focused training with coaching support and this has made me realize that I am more resourceful than I think.
It wasn’t just the amazing experience of working with exciting clients and making a mark in the public relations sector that drew me into the job, but also, the incredible warmth of the people I work with. We are situated in multiple countries, but it honestly feels like we are working in one space. I am constantly inspired by the incredible work ethics and knowledge of the Djembe team, who are so diverse.
My first 100 days was both amazing and fast-paced – a time of discovery, a time where I was in the spotlight and a time where reputations were built.
Dinah Nai, Account Coordinator, Ghana
