THAT Lagos State has continued to lead every other state in the country in many areas of human and social development is never in doubt. In the last three year and particularly since the inception of administration led by Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, every resident of Lagos has been impacted one way or the other, but the story has been more on the positive side all through.
In particular, Governor Ambode had from inception shown commitment in moving the state forward starting with the workers. This informed the heavy spending he has so far been channelling into the transformation of the public service through trainings and workshops designed to bring about improved productivity, deepen knowledge, expand horizon, as well as re-evaluate and sharpen the vision and focus of public servants in the state.
Determined to accelerate development in the state, which has now become quite evident, Ambode, having realised the unique and critical role of public servants, launched the campaign tagged, The “Growth Mindset” to ensure that all public servants are equipped for the challenges of the modern world. The special advocacy campaign was inaugurated a few days ago to engender growth mindset and imbue among civil servants the right skills and attitude that will contribute to the efforts of fast-tracking development and set the state on the path of sustainable and inclusive growth.
Developing growth mindset, has no doubt, become a task to be accomplished based on development plans that Ambode has for the state and the people based on the campaign promises he made to them; it has become a challenge that needed to be addressed and accomplished.
The following elements have been identified to represents “Growth Mindset, which goes thus: “Failure is an opportunity to grow; I can learn to do anything I want; challenges help me to grow; My efforts and attitude determines my abilities; I like to try new things. I am inspired by success of others. Feedback is constructive.”
Whereas the following represents fixed mindset as quoted; “I don’t like to be challenged, am either good at it or I am not; failure is the limit of my abilities; when I am frustrated I give up, my potential is predetermined,’ my abilities are unchanging,’ I stick to what I want. Feedback and criticism are personal.”
With the idea of smart city status for the state, government has seen the need to cultivate in public servants, the right culture and mindset for its attainment.
To engender this goal, therefore, the Office of Transformation, Creativity and Innovation (OTCI) and Ministry of Information and Strategy, recently, organised a training programme for permanent secretaries, heads of agencies and parastatal in the state. The training was held at the Folarin Coker Staff Clinic’s Conference Room, Alausa, Ikeja.
The Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Kehinde Bamigbetan, while speaking during the training, said the state government realised the importance of changing the mindset of public servants to align with the ever changing time.
“We have 24 million residents. Many of them travel a lot and are exposed to international standards, while some have become sophisticated. Therefore, the benchmark for services has increased, and people can compare how they are served in public service in Lagos with the private sector,” Bamigbetan said. He urged residents to embrace customer-centered initiative put together by government to enable civil servants proffer solutions to whatever challenges brought to Ministries, Departments and Agencies, MDAs, by the citizens.
While commending the permanent secretaries, heads of agencies and parastatals for turning out for the sensitization, the commissioner noted that the training would be extended to other cadres.
Launching the “Growth Mindset” initiative at Alausa, Ikeja, Commissioner for Establishment, Training and Pension, Dr. Akintola Oke, and his Information and Strategy counterpart, Mr Bamigbetan both disclosed that an online platform tagged, “Citizen’s Gate,” had been created for complaints.
The launching incorporated a capacity development programme with focus on advocacy communication, sensitisation of senior management, train the trainers for Gl10- 14, re-orientation workshop for Grade Levels 10-14, impact assessment and sustainability, among others.
According to Bamigbetan, the advocacy would majorly focus on two tracks of training and communication, and also make civil servants to see the people as customers that must be treated with respect and dignity.
“Basically, what we are saying is that government is a service centre and the customer they say is the king. So, for Lagos State, a very industrial environment, a very commercial environment, the most advanced cosmopolitan city in this country, we also have highly sophisticated citizens who deserve services at optimal level.
“This, we hope and believe, will enable us to change the attitude so that every civil servant sees the man on the street as his customer and with this, we would have also recorded major landmark in organisational behaviour which will be something for people to come and study in years to come,” he said.
Also Oke, in his remarks, stressed that in government, the citizens are customers who must be treated fairly to prevent wasting public funds, adding that, “Poor experience leads to complaints, which in turn, ultimately affects votes for public officials if service is constantly bad.”
Oke said the advocacy, which would initially last between three to six months, would be deployed to fight red-tapism, complacency and all forms of attitudes that tend to delay progress and development in the civil service.
Speaking earlier, the Director-General, Office of Transformation, Creativity and Innovation, Mr. Toba Otusanya, said expected outcome of the training and the sensitisation are civil servants who are competent, knowledgeable, creative, innovative and can challenge the status quo that would embrace new ways of doing things as well as deliver services in better ways.
Otusanya, while outlining that the leadership quality that is needed to drive the change has to be innovative, and such that subordinates would be able to discuss freely with their leaders, noted that the world is changing, and as public servants, they needed to be able to connect with the past, relate with the present, and project what the future would be.
According to him, the growth mindset would help in achieving this, even as he recalled the words of great Indian leader, Mahatma Gandhi, who said among others that “Your beliefs become your thoughts; your thoughts become your words; your words become your action; your actions become your habits; your habits become your values, and your values become your destiny.”
The training consultant, Mrs. Regina Olubunmi Fabamwo, who is a former Director-General, Public Service Staff Development Centre (PSSDC), commended Governor Ambode for supporting the programme.
Fabamwo described the programme as a landmark being the first of its kind in Nigeria, just as she enjoined participants to embrace the “Growth Mindset,” as a personal way or habit of thinking.”
According to her, “The ‘Growth Mindset’ is a habitual mental attitude that determines how one would interpret and respond to situations; the belief that a person’s skills, intellect and talent could be developed through practice and perseverance.”
On the other hand, she said the “Fixed Mindset” is the belief that a person’s skill, intellect and talent are set and unchangeable.
Fabamwo, therefore, urged participants to be prepared for a great future, stating that “mindsets are powerful beliefs, and all have the power to choose either a ‘Fixed Mindset’ or a ‘Growth Mindset.’”
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