Roadtown, Tortola - The Ministry of Finance is implementing a programme in which employees will “have a say” in the strategic and operational directions of the ministry while promoting teamwork and camaraderie.
A total of 12 people have been selected to be members of the ministry’s talent team referred to as the Performance, Integrity and Teamwork (P.I.T.) Crew. The intent of the group is to develop a programme that will foster best leadership practices, inter-ministerial networking and practical training through experience.
On July 15 the group participated in a training session in the areas of leadership and innovation facilitated by the Director of Human Resources Mr. David Archer at the Public Service Training Centre.
During the introduction of the presentation Ministry of Finance’s Human Resources Manager Mr. Jeremy Hodge told the participants that the ministry’s intention is to start with the person. “Leadership is not about the position you hold but the person in that position.” Mr. Hodge stated.
He told the group he has committed himself to the team. “I have devoted and committed myself to you as a group to expose you to the best leadership practices given our internal resources,” Mr. Hodge said.
“The vision of the ministry also is that one day this will not just be the P.I.T. crew or the skills team of the Ministry of Finance, but that it will grow,” he added.
Mr. Archer told the group that when it comes to the whole idea of leadership, it is based on the confidence in an individual. “When it comes to the whole idea of leadership only people can qualify you as being a leader,” he said, adding, “when you have a confidence list of five persons who can say that you are a leader that is how you qualify yourselves as being a leader.”
The Human Resources Director told the P.I.T. crew that if they are going to be serious about the game of leadership, they must know who they are. “You must be able to quickly and firmly and with the most conviction articulate who you are. You must first know inwardly who you are and be able to progress that out as we take it a step further,” he said.
The presentation focused on a range of topics, which included the difference between leadership and management; the relationship between perception and being an effective leader; what it means to be an innovator; the relationship between innovation and effective leadership; and being a leader is not about the post you sit in but rather the person in any post.
The selected team for the P.I.T. Crew represents a cross-section of each unit and department under the Ministry of Finance. The team will meet once a month to discuss ministry matters, staff-related matters and plan team-building activities. P.I.T. Crew members are considered ‘change agents’ who are self-motivated, professional and innovative thinkers. Each member will serve a term of one year and is limited to two consecutive terms.
British Virgin Islands News