Lagos State Deputy Governor, Dr. Kadri Obafemi Hamzat, has charged the staff of the State’s Local Government Commission on the importance of teamwork and empathy to enhance effective delivery of service in the local government.
The Deputy Governor made this call today while speaking at an Inaugural Webinar, tagged OLGE&T Leadership Series, organized by the Office of Local Government Establishments and Training for the staff, noting that teamwork is an essential element to any organization’s development and its success.
According to Hamzat, “For an organization to be successful, it is teamwork that is important, not necessarily finance. Not strategy and certainly not technology, but the teamwork that remains the competitive advantage because it is so powerful and relevant in all areas. Teamwork will make their daily activities successful, which will extend to the state and country at large.”
He stated further that the importance of every position is tied to the office occupied, and to the accomplishment recorded, stressing that the ability to work together as a team is the first step to the success of any organisation.
The Deputy Governor underscored that it is commonly assumed that one of the challenges the nation faces is leadership, adding that great leadership starts with empathy, the ability to listen, and patience.
“Leadership must be purposeful. A good leader must be able to win the people’s hearts and not their minds, and must have goals that align with the emotions of the people; successful leaders are very curious. Leaders are made, not born. So what that means is that. Any one of us can be a great leader, it depends on how we compare ourselves and what we have done,” Hamzat said.
He questioned that for leaders to be successful in life, they must be able to ask the question of why they are doing this and why it is at this particular period of time, emphasizing the importance of collecting information to determine emotional responses in their domain.
While reflecting on the importance of speaking a single language in the country, which will bring about trust among the people and can help promote national development, Hamzat cited that the Indians, both Hindus and non-Hindus, speak the same language, adding that “one of the prerequisites for national development is the ability to speak in a single language.”
Besides, he noted that every nation must be able to plan its land use in order to be prosperous, though it may be difficult for Nigerians because of their lifestyle, but if the nation is ready to end the hunger in the country, it must take its land use seriously.
Earlier in his remarks, the Chairman, Local Government Establishments & Training, Hon. Kamal Ayinde Bayewu, noted that the importance of the leadership series is to improve the capacity building skills and development of staff in the Local Government Commission.
The Chairman advised the staff of the commission to be attentive and to imbibe whatever lecture was delivered by the Deputy Governor. He commended the Government, Permanent Secretary, Office of the Local Government Establishment and Training, for the innovation, opining that the lecture series benefits every participant.
