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| GIVE Speaker and Cultural Development Coordinator of the Pinelands Creative Workshop, Curtis Gittens, urged workers to develop their personal brand. The Ministry of Labour hosts a series of GIVE workshops each year in an effort to enhance professional conduct and productivity within the workforce. |
Your attitude is your personal brand; enhancing that attitude will improve your interactions with others and your ability to excel in all facets of life.
This was the message given to public sector workers who recently participated in the Ministry of Labour’s GIVE workshop at the Accra Beach Resort and Spa, Rockley, Christ Church.
GIVE, which is an acronym for Great attitudes, Initiative, Values, and Excellence, is a programme designed to improve productivity, and promote appropriate behaviour within the workplace.
According to Programme Coordinator, Cheryl Grogan: "We hope to impart ???GIVE’ qualities within the labour force. With these workshops, we strive to help persons achieve professional conduct by showing them how they could improve their attitude, attendance, conduct, appearance, performance, communication and customer service.?? We do this through interactive lecture sessions, dramatic presentations and role play."
At the last workshop held for this financial year, featured GIVE Speaker and Cultural Development Coordinator of the Pinelands Creative Workshop, Curtis Gittens, encouraged participants to find ways to develop their attitudes or what he specifically referred to as their "personal brands."
Noting that the personal brand was "all about the individual", Mr. Gittens explained that, while one might think someone else was the cause of the problem, it was important for persons to look within to examine how they might or might not be contributing to problems and solutions at work.
"Often times, we usually blame others, nothing is ever our fault.?? But, a great way for us to improve our relationships with others within the workplace is to take responsibility for our actions," he stressed.
He further noted: "We choose how to react to situations"; and told the participants that it was critical to adapt to an organisation’s culture and not necessarily seek to change it.?? According to him, it was better to focus on self-development as "the only person you could change is yourself; you can only influence or try to persuade others".??
GIVE also focuses on the development of managerial skills and enhancing the relationship between management and employees.?? Mr. Gittens outlined that this area was critical because "there is an impression that mangers don not care about employees."
Observing that the behaviour of management determines how workers feel about coming to work, he praised the supervisors and managers who made an effort to attend the workshop.
The Cultural Development Coordinator illustrated the need for managers to consider the most important feature in labour, which he pointed out was "the human factor".??
"Sometimes you have to give to get," he remarked, adding that managers should exercise compassion and flexibility when dealing with staff.
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| These workers paid close attention so they could find ways to enhance their attitudes and workplace relationships. |
Over the two days of the workshop, attendees also learnt effective ways to improve their productivity and communication.
Participants indicated various reasons for attending the session and voiced their satisfaction with the knowledge they had acquired.??
Superintendent of the National Conservation Commission (NCC), Melvin Bennett, said he had gained a better understanding on how to deal with other workers, top-level management and people, in general. He was one of the more expressive participants, actively asking questions and making workable suggestions.
Supervisor and training officer at Her Majesty’s Prison Dodds, Graville Drakes, said the GIVE workshop was helpful "since I wanted to explore ways to assist my organisation in streamlining training programmes especially in the area of customer relations."
Other participants were drawn from the NCC, the Welfare Department, Randal Philips Polyclinic, the Psychiatric Hospital, The Rural Development Commission, Ministry of Transport and Works, and the Ministry of Labour.