Ambode: How possession of poor human skills by directors’ll impede productivity

By Kazeem Ugbodaga

Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode on Thursday lamented that directors in the civil service with poor human skills will impede productivity in the system.

The governor, who spoke at a two-day training workshop for directors in Ikeja, Lagos, Southwest Nigeria, emphasized the need for managers to possess human skills so that they would be able to communicate effectively with their subordinates in order to increase production.

“These interpersonal skills are what a manager will use to work with his or her employees. Some people are born with good human skills; others must work much harder at it. Human skills are critical for all managers because they work with people.

“Managers with good human skills understand their role inside the manager/employee relationship and how important things, like trust, cohesion, fairness, empathy, and good will, are to the overall success of the organization. Human skills help the manager to communicate, lead, and motivate an employee to work towards a higher level of productivity,” Ambode, who was represented by the Commissioner for Establishments, training and Pensions, Dr. Benson Oke said.

The governor also harped on directors possessing technical skills, which he said, were needed to accomplish a specific task.

“It is the ‘how to’ skill set that allows a manager to complete his or her job. These skills are the combination of formal education, training, and on-the-job experience. Most employees expect their managers to have a technical skill set above their own so that, when needed, an employee can come to their manager to find out how to do something specific to their individual job,” he added.

According to Ambode, possession of technical and managerial skills would lead to increase in productivity, stressing that the right, consistent managerial leadership could increase the productivity of the people in an organisation.

The governor also said managerial training would help to retain people, explaining that employees leave their jobs because of ineffective managers and managers with poor managerial skills, adding that by investing in managerial leadership training, an organisation could retain its people and reduce costly recruitment expenses.

“Organisations need to be strategic about developing and nurturing future managers. Without strategy, managerial leadership roles are often given to the most forward candidates with dominant personalities. Quality managerial leadership is a combination of the right qualities and the right training. Nurturing future managers supports succession planning and offers career pathways to employees, further increasing retention.

“Managerial leadership training can assist in implementing the most appropriate managerial style for organisations and the work they do. There are several managerial styles, all with their own advantages and disadvantages. Managerial leadership training can also help individual leaders develop their own personal leadership style that their team members will best respond to,” the governor said.