By: ABC Communications Unit :
The Attitudinal and Behavioural Change (ABC) Secretariat has on Friday 26th June, 2015 ended a four day intensive training programme for staff of the Sierra Leone Road Transport Corporation (SLRTC) on attitude, behaviour and change rebranding at their headquarters in Freetown.
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Madam Nanette Thomas and a cross section of the bus drivers
Addressing the participants, the National Coordinator and Second-in-Command of the ABC Secretariat, Madam Nanette Thomas spoke on key areas such as the attitude and behaviour change concept, nationalism and patriotism, staff retention, organisational problems, work ethics, basic facts of life and the basic principles of management. Madam Thomas said these areas would help the corporation realise its mission, vision and full potential in society as a public service entity. She encouraged the staff to demonstrate positive attitude and behaviour by changing their thoughts about their personal lives and the country.
“Every time you break the law and procedure governing your department you are disrupting the smooth running of government. As Public Servants we can set the pace by changing our attitudes. Let us dare to listen to the dictates of our conscience. No conscience tells you to do wrong. Dare to take the challenge for positive change. I want to encourage each of you to change that inner monologue so that your beliefs will support your goals,” she stated.
SLRTC training participants and staff of the ABC Secretariat in the management training session
She further appealed to the general body especially the newly recruited bus drivers to demonstrate utmost professionalism in the dispensation of their duties as they are the “mirror of SLTRC.” She said customer service, routine check of the vehicles and dress code are acceptable ethics of a public service deliverer as that would make the corporation an enviable entity in the eyes of their competitors and the general public. She reiterated that nationalism, patriotism and integrity should be their watch words so that this young generation would inherit a descent and prosperous nation.
“Changes make life challenging and without a challenge life is boring. It is also very important to notice small changes early so that you can adapt to bigger changes easily. The only thing making you unhappy are your thoughts – CHANGE THEM!” she added.
The Programme Manager of the ABC Secretariat, Ishmael Cole advised the general staff to fulfill their obligations by constantly adopting the ‘theory Y’ concept that principally deal with positive performance indicators of an employee.
Mr. Cole said staff should be committed to achieving high quality result, improving quality service standards, showing commitment and taking ownership for things to be done on time. He continued that their actions should match their words by completing work on time so as to ensure productivity and quality delivery.
“Don’t let procrastination slow down the rate of your success… In today’s techno-commercial set-up, individual’s health is put under a lot of strain. A sound mind and a sound body is required to work effectively and consistently to produce result.” he advised.
He warned staff of the Corporation that if they are not committed to winning and conquering all odds, they will be brushed aside and passed over by people and companies more determined to win.
ABC Senior Education and Outreach Officer, Solomon Edwin stated that it is the responsibility of the technical staff to keep the buses up and running as they should be able to diagnose any fault in a defected bus thus ensuring that they are worthy for public consumption. Mr. Edwin
cautioned the technical staff to refrain from delaying strategy, conspiracy tactics and other negative practices that have the potential to hinder the smooth running of the corporation.
He added that for the corporation to achieve its mandate, sustainable development is a prerequisite. “Shed-off all negative attitudes, adopt best practices, conduct periodical capacity training, be patriotic and nationalistic, be honest, and strive towards upholding the codes of conduct of the SLRTC,” he emphasised.
The general manager of the Sierra Leone Road Transport Corporation (SLRTC), Bockarie Lewis-Kamara commended Madam Thomas and her team for the powerful exposition on the subject matter stating that the training has broadens their horizons as public servants.
He further said that the one hundred (100) public buses which are expected sometime in July this year would help to mitigate the constraint of transportation in the country specifically in the capital city. He appealed to colleagues to take personal responsibility and ownership of the corporation by ensuring that the buses are well taken care of. He assured the people of Sierra Leone that the buses will be judiciously distributed and utilised to ensure sustainability and productivity. He concluded that though the Corporation is faced with challenges yet they would strive to overcome.
