5th June, 2018
Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode on Tuesday charged civil servants in the state to be passionately committed to the pursuit of excellence and quality delivery of service to the public.
The governor spoke at a two-day training, with the theme: “Re-Charting the Path to Quality: The Sustainable Road to the Change Mantra,” held in Ikeja, Lagos, Southwest Nigeria.
According to Ambode, a passionate commitment to the mission of the Lagos State Civil Service is a sine qua non in the pursuit of quality offerings and concretisation of change.
“When civil servants are enthused about the organization and its mission, the services rendered will mirror this enthusiasm. Furthermore, such enthusiasm will stimulate a passionate commitment to the pursuit of excellence and quality,” said Ambode, who was represented by the Commissioner for Establishments, Training and Pensions, Dr. Benson Oke.
The governor also said that knowledge of the organisation’s strategic vision was also important to the attainment of qualitative output in the civil service, stressing that civil servants must always remain focused on the strategic vision and the long-term mission of the organisation.
He said staff members could become narrowly obsessed with the day-to-day operations of the service, but that it was important for all stakeholders to understand the 5, 10, and 20-year plans, adding that it was also important to remember that the organisation was in existence long before officers arrived and would remain in existence long after they leave.
Ambode further urged civil servants to possess conceptualisation skills in the attainment and sustenance of the pursuit of quality offerings in the civil service, adding that paying attention to detail was an important skill expected of civil servants who would pursue and deliver quality services.
“As important as it is for officers to see the big picture and think strategically, it is equally important for them to pay attention to the details. This does not mean that officers have to be involved in every minor decision, or undermine the decisions of subordinates and colleagues; rather, every officer must remain aware of the activities of the other officers and the status of projects, thus allowing autonomy whenever possible,” he explained.
The governor also stressed the need for civil servants to acquire and master the art and skill of effective delegation of responsibilities and duties as there is a thin line between delegating tasks to staff and shirking from responsibilities, knowing subordinates and colleagues would take up the slack.
“The Lagos State Civil Service must navigate this distinction by assigning not just tasks, but clearly defined spheres of influence where officers have authority to make decisions. Delegating tasks and responsibilities in this manner empowers officers to grow in their positions, preparing them for future leadership positions,” he said.
More so, Ambode stated that an in-built capacity to identify and grow talent was an important capacity that the civil service must acquire and cultivate, saying that the Lagos State Civil Service, if it must deliver quality, must be able to take existing talents within the organization, nurture it, and placed officers in positions where they could be most successful, noting that the processes and style of the civil service must be careful not to stifle staff growth by becoming overbearing or forcing officers into positions for which they were ill-suited.