We Shall Turn Kaduna Electric to
Global Reference Point for Outstanding Performance_ Mrs. Adeola
The
current re-structuring and aggressive manpower development programmes going on
in the Company could not have come at a better time. The Company need to be
placed on solid footing to meet its obligations to both internal and external
stakeholders. Mrs. Adeola Akanni, the Head of Unit, Organizational Development
and Design, in this interview explained the manpower ‘revolutions’ embarked
upon by the Management. The interview is as thought provoking as it is highly
educative. Excepts...
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| Mrs. Adeola Akanni Head of Unit, Organisational Development and Design |
CCD: Let’s begin by sharing your thoughts on the general
state of the Company's human resources; have we enough? Have the workforce the
requisite skills and talents? What is the level of discipline among the
workers, etc?
Mrs. Adeola: First and foremost, we must understand that human resource
accuracy and adequacy are some of the most crucial factors in achieving
organizational goals. They are no doubt, the most valuable factors required in
the production and delivering of efficient services. It is therefore very
important, especially for us in HR, that we pay critical attention to the
quality and quantity of our manpower at all times. In specific terms, Kaduna
Electric currently has a promising crop of employees that can deliver on both
short term and long term goals if they are properly harnessed and strategically
positioned. Of course, as long as we are determined to record quantum leap in
our performance as a company, we will need to continue to hire skillful and talented
individuals that can add significant value to the bottom line.
Having interacted with a good number of staff in the past
three months, I can confidently say that Kaduna Electric has great talents on
board. But it’s one thing to be talented and another to be skillful. Tim Notke
once said “hard work will beat talent when talent doesn’t work hard”. In the
same vein, John C. Maxwell will always say “Talent is never enough”. This implies
that diligence and discipline are required to transform talent to productivity.
We, at OD & D shall continue to create the platform and enabling
environment for staff to develop their talents and sharpen their skills.
Talking about level of discipline among staff, I want to use
this opportunity to commend those who have shown remarkable level of discipline
and call to order those that are found wanting in this area. I have observed
various forms of indiscipline like lateness, abscondment, closing before
official closing time, negligence of duty among others. On a general note, the
level of discipline is commendable.
CCD: Having
been on the saddled as the HOU, OD&D for over three months, what are the
key area(s) the Unit is going to pay urgent and serious attention to?
Mrs. Adeola: Generally, we are focusing on building and developing
the capacity of each and every staff to efficiently and effectively deliver on
his/her assigned task(s). This will invariably galvanize the workforce to work
in synergy towards achieving the overall organizational goal. In this regard,
certain key priority areas have been identified are being worked on.
(a) We have
identified some gaps in training, we have started working on that both at the
Head Office and at the Area Offices level, we have introduced what is called
Learning Nugget, this is done at Area Offices level every Friday morning where
we share knowledge and best practices with both the Technical and Commercial
staff at no cost as we need not bring them to the head office. We have trained
over 100 frontline officers on developing excellent customer services. While
the training is still ongoing, our plan is to train every frontline staff. Come first week of August, we shall release
the schedule for training all staff on understanding ATC & C Losses.
(b) The Unit
has started restructuring/reassignments to put the right people in the right
place as this will greatly enhance productivity in our dear company.
(c)The Unit is of the opinion that a well spelt out Job
descriptions for every one staff is needed and this has been developed with the
assistance of strategy department and input from each unit heads, this will be
issued to employees with their new letters
(d)Individual Employees’ job grade has also been captured and
this will also reflect in their new letters.
(e)Organogram for every one unit in Kaduna Electric is ongoing
and is at about 90% completion.
In addition to all these, we have done and are still doing
other things such as establishment of Leaning Nuggets in all our Area Offices
where our Field staff (Technical Staff) and Sales Reps can be trained on a
weekly basis and at no any cost incurred, we have also developed Employee
Confirmation Performance Appraisal, we have developed Training Policies and
Processes (Awaiting MD/CEO Approval), we are working on a more robust
performance appraisal system, and a more robust reward and recognition policies
and processes for high performers as well as staff motivation and welfare
packages.
CCD: There is a school of thought which believed
that the commitment of the staff to "Project Kaduna Electric" is
barely above average, in your assessment, what do you think is responsible for
the lukewarm attitude by a cross section of the workers?
Mrs. Adeola: Negative mindset can make any employee become
lukewarm. Two kinds of mindsets are needed here. First, employees need to
develop ownership mindset. See the Company as though it is your company, Put in
your best like you would for your own company. Secondly, staff need to develop
a contributor’s mindset which means we must be determined to make positive
contribution to the company at all times. We should see our working here today
as an opportunity to make positive impact. That way, we are able to grow with
the Company, when we grow the company, we grow too. Negative mindsets emanate from the feeling
that one is not being appreciated by the employer. A person who feels
appreciated will always do more than what is expected. I want to let all employees
know that management truly appreciates you all for your contributions towards the
growth of this great company and is committed to ensuring that staff are happy
and motivated.
CCD: The failure of the Management to release letters of re-engagement and
placing some staff at the appropriate level despite repeated promises has
greatly affected the morale of the affected staff, what is responsible for the
delay and what assurance do you have for the staff that all shall be treated
fairly?
Mrs. Adeola: Management is fully aware of the need to release letters of
re-engagement and to do proper placement as promised. You must agree with me
that the process is quiet cumbersome and it requires carefulness in order to
ensure fairness to affected staff and to the Company. As I speak, we are seriously
working on that and letters will be served soon. There is absolutely no reason
for the staff to despair or be de-motivated because of the brief delay;
everything is on course. What is needed now is for us to roll up our sleeves
and renewed our commitment to our respective duties.
CCD: Lets talk about staff training and capacity building, we
can see that your unit has been very busy lately in this regard, can we hear
from the horse's mouth, what is really happening in the area of staff training
and capacity building?
Mrs. Adeola: Capacity building is the bedrock of employee performance.
The OD & D is passionate about building the capacity of staff through
functional and on-the-job trainings. We have carefully identified knowledge gaps
among staff and we are determined to close these gaps as soon as possible. In
the immediate, we have commenced extensive staff trainings using our internal
faculties as facilitators. This will enable us benefit from the wealth of
experience of our internal facilitators before we begin to source for more
external facilitators which will require substantial funding. Capacity building
is a major priority for us and we shall continue to provide the required
trainings to ensure optimal performance of Kaduna Electric employees. For
example, all employees at the Head Office are currently undergoing training on
emotional intelligence which is being facilitated by internal faculties; this
and many more to come are geared towards placing the workforce on strong
footing and keep them abreast of the latest development in the electricity
industry in particular and strategic business development skills in general.
CCD: How
do we ensure the motivation of the workforce so that every member of staff
shall be operating at his or her optimal performance level?
Mrs. Adeola: Every good
manager knows that employees need to be motivated to stay productive.
Motivation comes in diverse forms. Pay
rise is a good motivation and nobody is going to turn it down. But the question
is does it really solve all the problems? Does it make employees permanently happy?
Will it be enough to make them stay with our company? All other things being
equal, the answer to all these questions is NO. The truth is we all want to feel
valuable and recognized. For instance,
when line managers show their subordinates that they are valuable, they will
work harder and they will always stick around to get the job done. The point I am making here is that we will
explore every avenue to keep our people motivated including, but not limited to
the following:
((a)
Commendations: Sometimes all that the employee needs is an
encouraging word. This can be a quick note saying how much their work are
appreciated, or simply telling them how great of a job they have been doing, it
has been said that employees don’t leave bad company, they leave bad manager
(b) Acknowledgement of Employees Contributions and
Responsibilities
(c)
Recognition and Reward.
(d) Opportunities
for Career Progression and Professional development opportunities
(e)
Pleasant
Working Environment: creating a workplace environment where
people enjoy spending time also goes a long way towards keeping employees
happy.
CCD:
Lastly, we will like you to talk directly to the staff; what are your
suggestions, appeals, counsels and words of caution to the staff?
Mrs. Adeola: I will like to
use this medium to appreciate all staff for their unwavering commitment and
dedication to work. Project Kaduna Electric is our project, we are all
stakeholders in this project and we all have a vital role to play in moving
this company to greater heights. Let us not relent in putting in our best, I
see Kaduna Electric becoming a global reference point for outstanding performance
in the nearest future. The journey starts now. It is also important that I
mention to you that management is not in denial of your yearnings and
aspirations. We are optimistic that better days are ahead of us and every issue
of concern today will soon be a thing of the past even as we navigate through these
challenging waters together. Always remember that tough time never last; tough
people do.
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