Lagos empowers 200 public servants with communication skills to resolve conflict

The Lagos State Government has empowered 200 public servants with communication skills for conflict resolution in governance.

Commissioner for Establishments, Training and Pension, Dr. Benson Oke said acquiring proper communication skills could help in conflict resolution and negotiation for accountable governance.

Oke spoke when he declared open a three-day training on ‘Leadership and Business Communication Training,’ organized by the Lagos State Government in conjunction with Messrs. Proswiftcare Nigeria Limited at the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, LCCI Training Centre, Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos, Southwest Nigeria.

According to him, “the benefits that leadership skills can bring include the ability to resolve conflict, the ability to negotiate effectively for the benefit of the organisation, the aptitude to innovate and the skill to communicate quickly and effectively.”

Oke said the need for ensuring and assuring the efficiency and effectiveness of public institutions had never been greater than now and that in a dynamic age of constant changes, it was widely agreed that institutions must have clearly-defined missions that were relevant to the needs and aspirations of its stakeholders.

“Following this, the human capital at the helm of leadership in these institutions must have the courage to envision a future that realizes the attainment of the defined mission of the institutions. In order to actualize the vision, however, leaders must be trained to possess both the hard and soft skills that are fundamental for success. This is where this training programme becomes relevant,” he said.

The commissioner stressed that only strong and trained leaders could envision the right and appropriate future for organisations, saying that where leaders did not possess the attitude, aptitude and skills that were relevant for the times, they become fundamentally flawed in any attempt to craft a beneficial and compelling vision for their organizations.

Oke added that trained, visionary and strong leaders would also beneficially impact their organisations by being able to inspire the people in the organization to enthusiastically buy into the vision crafted by the leadership.

“There is no effective leadership without a mobilised and enthused followership. A strong leader who resolutely believes in the vision of the organisation will magnetically attract followers who will join the movement to fulfill the mission and realise the vision. This calls for the presence of excellent communications and relational skills in the leaders of organisations.

The commissioner also said that an effective leader must be able to act as a communication champion and a sense giver rather than just as an information processor, saying that he or she must be able to use key elements of effective listening and understand why listening was important to communication, among others.

“Trained leaders also know how to manage their own and other people’s time effectively. Being able to do so is critical when it comes to making the most of the leader’s time in the office and not becoming overwhelmed. Furthermore, it also ensures that the trained leader’s team completes everything it is supposed to do,” he said.

-Kazeem Ugbodaga