December 26, 2023
By Sylvan Thompson
A Nigerian firm, Star Sapphire Training Academy and Digital Solutions, on December 19th, organised the first series of a Career Progression Conference where stakeholders in the public and private sectors shared insights into building productivity at the workplace.
The conference which was held in Abuja with the theme; “Decoding Office Dynamics’’, offered a strategic approach to mastering office dynamics with the target of building transformational leaders.
The Director General of the National Centre for Technology Management, Dr. Olushola Odunsanya, the keynote speaker, spoke on “Strategic Approaches to Mastering Office Dynamics.’’
Fielding answers to questions from the media, Odusanya told Mainstream news that one of the highpoints of the conference was to teach people to think strategically.
He said when people deploy strategic thinking, they would be able to bring about better results in any organization they were working.
“A strategic thinker operates differently from what is on his strategic plan, but he has the end in mind and uses that end to develop better outcomes,’’ he said.
The D-G advised that on every job and meetings, people should keep the end in mind since there would always be a better future.
He pointed out that the workplace was not a place of strife but rather, a place where the benefits of working together should be enjoyed.
He said the workplace was where people learn from one another, where discipline is enforced, hierarchy understood and respected, and that all these attributes were essential ingredients for productivity.
Mr Amu Ogbeide, Chairman of Sapphire Group, also speaking in an interview, said the conference was necessary to enable people comprehend what it took to progress in a career and rise through the ladder.
“During my talk, I mentioned the three Vs, vision, value and vibrancy. We need leaders who are very transformational, leaders who understand strategic thinking.
“The way this country is going now, we need leaders who can navigate our young people in the workplace and teach them, and share that vision in a way that make sense.
“When they are taken through the right path, ultimately, we will have our private and public organizations being more productive. Transformational leaders are what we need right now,’’ Ogbeide said.
Responding to what is hope to be achieved in strategic approach, the Chairman said the productivity of the country was mandatory, meaning that the private and public sector needed to be more productive.
He explained that productivity was required at the national level as well as the organizational level, which required that the public and private sectors must be improved with individuals committing their best.
“The biggest take away here is for everybody to go back and rethink for 2024 how they plan to navigate the office dynamics,’’ he said.
Ambassador Ego Philips, Managing Director, Star Sapphire Resources and Convener of the Career Progression Conference, told Mainstream media that commitment and hard work by employees was rewarding.
“If we do our tasks as individuals, at the end of the day visibility will go to us.
“Many times you see people organizing conferences with a focus on the leaders but nobody talks about the employees who are the engine room making sure that the organization works,’’ she said.
Philips corroborated the Chairman’s statements that the conference was about how to climb the corporate ladder, and the strategies to become more productive as individuals in order to impact the organization.
She said the conference paraded professionals from different fields who climbed the corporate ladders in their endeavors and were open to share their insights.
She said: It’s the strategies, visibility, interpersonal relationships, understanding the vision of your organisation, aligning with management, understanding how to work and manage your boss among others.’’
Highlight of the conference was a short talk on career progression by Major General Garba Wahab(rtd), Director General, Nigerian Army Resource Centre (NARC).
Other speakers were; Sa’adatu Faruk, Assistant Director, Learning and Career Development, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), who spoke on Emotional Intelligence and Conflict Resolution in the Workplace.
Dr Naomi Osemedua, CEO OF Centerstage Company spoke on Building Strong Interpersonal Relationships/ Networking for Career Progression in the Workplace among other speakers. (MAINSTREAMng)