In order to accomplish our mission at I am Guinea, we must have capable leaders in front leading the way. In addition to foundational character traits of resilience, integrity, and accountability, we need team members who are compassionate, courageous and emotionally intelligent as well.
Most importantly, in a world where extremes are becoming normalized, we must set the standard for ethical pay, and reject the notion that in order to get extreme performance, you need to pay extreme salaries.
An executive who earns over $700 per day is going to have difficulties connecting with a peasant earning less than $2 per day. In addition, it's extremely deceiving to tell others that they can have what you have if only they did the "right things".
We want staff members whose emotional commitment to our work in Guinea is not tied to how much money they make. Paying our executive team a modest salary based on the cost of living in their native country helps attract people with a passion for our purpose. If we lose a few highly qualified people because of our modest salaries, then we are okay with that.
We feel the best way to demonstrate our commitment to a more ethical and equitable future is by the example we provide in our corporate policies.
