A journey of rethinking leadership
25-11-25
Reagan Muyinda had already achieved a lot as a young leader, passionate about collaboration and change. Still, he found himself questioning what real leadership looks like. At Danida Fellowship Centre’s Network Leaders Convening in Arusha in 2024, four days of shared learning set him off on a new journey that transformed his view and practice of leadership and growth.
By Vibeke Quaade
In February 2024, Reagan Muyinda, who works as Partnerships and Fundraising Coordinator at YouLead Africa and as a Learning Consultant for ActionAid Uganda, travelled to MS TCDC in Arusha, Tanzania, to take part in the Danida Fellows Network annual convening. The event brought together 29 network leaders from across the globe for an intensive four-day programme focused on collaborative learning approaches and communities of practice.
Read about the networking convening here
The convening was led by social learning theorists Beverly and Etienne Wenger-Trayner, who are known internationally for their work on communities of practice. Through an engaging, hands-on programme, they encouraged participants to explore how member-driven networks can grow stronger through shared learning and collaboration.
When Reagan returned home to Uganda, he immediately began to put his new insights into action. He shared his experiences with colleagues at ActionAid Uganda and began experimenting with the facilitation formats and techniques he had been introduced to in Arusha.
It did not take long for him to realise he was onto something. The new way of approaching learning, an alternative to the traditional classroom model, created opportunities for open, inclusive and participatory conversations. Instead of focusing on an expert transferring knowledge to others, the emphasis moved towards a shared exploration of ideas.
As Beverly and Etienne Wenger-Trayner describe it, this approach moves from “the transmission of certainty from someone who knows to others who don’t” to a process where people engage their uncertainty together to uncover something new.
For Reagan, the change has been transformative. By using the Wenger-Trayners’ theories and techniques he is now creating spaces where everyone’s experience counts, and he has seen how people become more confident, more curious, and more willing to take initiative, just like he did himself.
What began as one person’s search to become a better leader is evolving into a ripple effect of change, demonstrating that the most powerful form of leadership is not about control – it is about enabling others to discover their own power to lead. His role as a facilitator has evolved from teaching to guiding. He is now helping groups find their own answers rather than providing them with his. Both at ActionAid Uganda and at YouLead, he is instrumental in transforming traditional gatherings into spaces where people learn from and with each other by engaging and caring about the difference their collective actions can make.
Read the Newsletter Learning and Leading Together.
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