Sixty senior managers and senior supervisors in government, paratatal agencies and from the private sector are attending a three-day leadership workshop to boost their capacity to better deliver as leaders in their respective organisations.

The ‘Executive Leadership Workshop’ has been organised by the Productivity Unit within the employment department in collaboration with The Guy Morel Institute (TGMI) with the aim of empowering the participants at the level of principal secretaries, chief executives, deputy chief executive officers, directors, down to line managers, with knowledge and skills on how discover and manage their personal leadership with a view to enhance their ability to lead. The three-day training sessions are being facilitated by lecturer Timothe Sinon.

The workshop was launched by Mary-Vonne Francis, head of the productivity unit. She said the executive leadership programme is calling for a positive change in the way leaders manage their organisations, in employer’s attitudes and behaviour at work, including endless commitment by employers to foster smarter productivity approaches to create sustainable organisational performance, especially during the difficult times.

“We want leaders to run their organisations in a strategic direction to obtain the desired results and to inculcate a positive mindset in individuals to ensure that we have a workforce that is attuned to the national objectives of economic prosperity and self sufficiency with a paradigm shift towards work as the main source of livelihood,” Ms Francis added.

Ms Francis also took the opportunity to ponder on work smarter, have a more leadership approach, work faster, prioritise work, improve on communication, better team work, work longer but reasonable hours to complete task and to focus on results and impact instead of on inputs only, as tips to increase on their productivity at work.  

The director of TGMI, Shella Mohideen, said the three-day workshop will be more of a reflection and discussion style with less theory.

Yesterday at the first session, three participants took the option to follow the workshop online. The main focus was on their personal leadership with regard to taking responsibility for the decisions one makes in all areas in life and in the latter’s best interest for a better positive and inspiring impact on others.

Today the training will focus on organisational leadership with regard to auditing their leadership style to do things differently and tomorrow the participants will reflect and discuss on opportunities and challenges to bring positive change to impact the society.

“The three days of reflection will be a lot about we should not go back and keep it business usual, meaning doing the same thing again and again and expecting that results will be different. We can always keep the things that we are doing well but through reflection I am sure there will be a number of things that we can do differently so that we get different innovative and creative results,” Mrs Mohideen said, urging the participants to reflect and discuss with open minds as they are the only ones that can bring about the change.

Mrs Mohideen also reminded the participants that a leader has to take time to grow and build before she or he could be able to lead others. She noted that leadership is a journey and learning process.

The training forms part of a series of training by the Productivity Unit to enhance productivity at work places.

The next Executive Leadership workshop will be held from September 6 to September 8, 2021.   

Patrick Joubert