The WAF management team consisting of Managers and Team Leaders underwent a 3-day workshop this week, facilitated by Former Chief of the New Zealand Army, Major General Peter Kelly (Retired) who is currently the CEO of the Upper Hut City Council in New Zealand.
WAF CEO, Dr Amit Chanan thanked Major General Kelly (Ret) for facilitating the training and sharing his experiences with the WAF management team, which he said was a great example of Pacific Vuvale in action.
“This has been a very valuable opportunity for us, as we continue to seek ways in which we can improve service delivery at all levels, from infrastructure development to in-house upskilling of our team,” he said.“These information sharing exercises are a wonderful way in which we can enrich our collective knowledge base, and take both the inspiration and lessons learnt to see ways in which we can be better.”
Other WAF team members also expressed their appreciation for the workshop.
Manasa Tusulu – Manager Strategic Planning said the training had come at the right time for them, with the current work on identification of key focus areas for the next 3 years.
“This training has been very, very helpful for us – we learnt about the tools, methodologies that we need to use to ensure that we are leading by example and ensure that we are managing goals and priorities in the right manner,” he said.
“Also just sharing experience and knowledge with our colleagues from the different business units has been very beneficial. We got to learn a bit more about what they do in their areas of work and how we can align ourselves to their work to ensure we achieve our common goals.”
Thomas Hughes, Acting Manager Mechanical Electrical and Technology, said, “It was a very good training, especially when it came to S.M.A.R.T – Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Frame.”
“Learning from someone like Major General Peter Kelly (Retired) is very inspiring and I understand why our CEO recommended it.”Peter Qalilawa – Acting Engineer Non-Revenue Water thanked management for allowing them to be part of the training.
“It was very fruitful, it was very enlightening for us as new leaders of the organisation coming up through the ranks,” he said.
“I got to find new strategies and new methodologies on how we can lead the transition we are going through, and it gave us a new perspective on how we can lead, and how we can improve our management and leadership skills.”
Senior Accountant Projects, Joana Kaloucava, had this to say, “These were really inspiring sessions that we had – very constructive for us leaders and middle-management level.”
“It interested me to find out that some of the issues that I as a leader faced are also being faced by other middle managers. What I take back from this training will help me analyze and put together a structure that will enable my team to work together and achieve the common goal of the Water Authority of Fiji.”
The leadership training took place at the FRCS training facility and is supported by Local Government New Zealand and the Government of NZ.
