Improvement on your performance a must, Ambode charges Directors

By Kazeem Ugbodaga

Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode on Tuesday said it is a must for directors in the state public service to improve on their performance for the purpose of boosting productivity.

Ambode spoke at a two-day training for directors in the public service held in Ikeja, Lagos, Southwest Nigeria.

According to the governor, “improvements are not only important, they are also critical and fundamental. Furthermore, individuals and organisations must always ensure that they are on the path to actualising their vision and fulfilling their stated mission.”

Ambode said at the end of any rigorous inquiry, one found that to have an effective strategy was half the battle and that to effectively manage a good strategy was everything.

The governor stated that the importance and indispensability of strategy, strategic planning, and strategic management had been proved and validated over the years and over the centuries.

The governor, who was represented by the Commissioner for Establishments, Training and Pensions, Dr. Benson Oke added that enormous value and investment had been given to the impartation of knowledge and skills by the administration.

Ambode said there was the need to understand and adherence to a well-thought out code of corporate governance, as it had been said that an effective organization was often one that had initiated programmes and services within its structure that ensured open communication, good management and effective leadership.

“Without these hallmarks of corporate governance, it is difficult to manage strategically because the basic framework of goal-setting and decision-making are missing. Setting up a control and reporting mechanism is also important to strategic management as part of a wider corporate governance push. This allows the organization to make changes when they are needed to constantly monitor its own progress,” he said.

He further said there was the need for identification of, and capitalisation of an organisation’s or department’s core competencies.

Ambode emphasized that no framework for strategic management could be effective in the absence of team work and synergy, saying this was another aspect of growth and productivity that the Ministry of Establishments, Training and Pensions had been emphasising in the different trainings and workshops organised.

In addition, Ambode explained that strategic management is a framework for creating and adhering to clearly defined set of goals for the organisation, saying that “knowing what your core competencies are is good from the standpoint of understanding your strengths in the global scheme of things, but this also helps you to identify areas for improvement and set goals and objectives based on those weaknesses.”