Name: John Kakandelwa

Title: Founding Director

Organisation: Powering Young Initiatives

John kakandelwa ,is Award Winner Green Education, Former 17th UN Climate Change Conference of Youth Country Contact- Point-COY17, acted as Delegates Lead in the Country , Contracted to work at Zambian Youth Platform as a Community Development Facilitator CLM Project, Member of Youngo / UN1FY and Catalyst 2030. and Founding Director at Powering Young Initiatives.

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1. As a leader, how do you build trust with employees, customers and other stakeholders?

Firstly we do not have Employees or Customers at Powering Young Initiatives but we Have Volunteers, Project Beneficiaries and Stakeholders. I build trust by being Transparent and Involving everyone to take responsibilities we all need to understand the past and Future Challenges together. solving Challenges and finding Solutions together is how a leader Can Build trust with everyone.

2. What do 'VISION' and 'MISSION' mean to you? And what does it actually look like to use them in real-world business?

Personally a Vision to Mission means a lot, I believe a Vision is born or Conceived from the brain, then you can use a mission to take your Vision to places you want. I am not Educated much but that's is my Understanding.

3. How can a leader empower the people they're leading?

I believe the best ways of empowering people is to give them a skills or somethings that can keep helping them even after you are gone or dead, I mean giving them a Life time Empowerment support. but it is not easy, I am saying so because mostly the people I lead are Young ones . Most Young People do not have time to wait. But giving people you lead a Skill or something they can do using there hands and Minds to make a living is best for me.

4. Who are some of the coaches or mentors in your life who have had a positive influence on your leadership? Can you please tell a meaningful story about one of them?

Mentors & Coaches- Brian Kayongo & Chishala Kateka these two People had a Positive Influence and still have in my life and Leadership, let me start with Chishala Kateka I meet her sometime back in 2010, by that time she was the Managing Director at Zamnet Communication systems limited Graphic in Lusaka Zambia. Chishala Kateka taught me to use my Brain to Think so I can help Make Positive Contribution to My Country by starting in the Community where I live, I learnt from her the Importance of Keeping my Heritage alive and saving my Community first. she is everything to me. she is My Mother (but not my biological Mother ) but she is the only one I have. The knowledge I got from her is very expensive to loose and Very Expensive to Purchase she sacrificed her resources to Mentor me and she is still my Mentor and Life Coach to date, Chishala Kateka (born 30 June 1956) is a Zambian Economist, Fellow Chartered Accountant, politician and leader of the New Heritage Party. In 2021, she contested for the Presidency of the Republic of Zambia. Previously, she was board chairperson of Barclays Bank and Competition Commission becoming the first female Zambian to lead the two Boards.[1] She has also represented the African Jurisdiction on the International Ethics Board of Accountants

Brain Kayongo is my lifetime Childhood friend, Mentor Coach and Brother he has been and he is always there to lead by Example, His leadership style is a big thing to me, its a lesson I learnt in my life from him, that I can work anytime and from anywhere until I get the results, we ready leadership, Motivational and self esteem books, together, His is the only Mentor who told me not to depend much on anyone in life he told me that all I needed was just a skill to make it he told me that I can make it, because he is the Evidence himself'

He was the Global Fundraising Manager for the Fight Inequality Alliance (FIA) with over 15 years’ experience in the development sector he held various portfolios within local and INGO space in Zambia and Globally, some of which include; Executive Director for Adolescent Reproductive Health Advocates (ARHA), National Coordinator for the African Youth and Adolescent Network on Population and Development (AfriYan), Policy and Partnership Lead for Marie Stopes International, Head of Fundraising and Partnerships for ActionAid in Zambia, Funding Manager for Oxfam GB in Zambia, Fund Acquisition and grants Management Advisor for the Norwegian Church Aid in Zambia. He brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise in both programming, fundraising, grants management and partnerships. Brian studied Project Management and has both a graduate and post graduate qualifications in Project Planning and Management. He has also done a number of certified courses in Executive Leadership, Monitoring Evaluation and Learning (MEL), Communication for Development (C4D), Digital Marketing, Fundraising, Marketing, Strategic Financial Management for NGOs, Leadership and Governance, Resource development and Grants management.

Brain Kayongo - is Director of Strategic Partnerships at Healthy Learners in Zambia.

5. Leadership is often more about what you DON'T do. How do you maintain focus in your role?

I am Constantly reminded by my Vision and Mission, I maintain focus in my role because this is something I told my self that I will do it up to the end and I want live my Legacy, this is what I want people to remember me of. future Generations to Come must find this and Benefit from it, I believe there is no End to things.

6. If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Everyone plans differently. How do you plan for the week, month and years ahead in your role?

Planning is Currently one of the Challenges I am still strangling with. I always want to do Multiple tasks at once, I think I need support in this field, I over work myself because I do Multitask eventually I achieve less result. I am already working on Improving this. But I feel its something I can still learn

7. What advice would you give to a young leader who is struggling to delegate effectively?

Delegation struggle is real, Among Young leaders, but I feel its important that we should learn to Prepare others, and delegate them to take responsibilities, Because no one can work alone and achieve Great things, in Everything we need each other