Conference On Leadership Development March 18 to 19

Approximately 250 leaders and decision makers from the private and public sectors are expected for the Management Institute for National Development’s (MIND) inaugural ‘Leadership Development: A Vehicle for Public Sector Modernisation’ conference, which will be hosted from March 18 to 19 at the Hilton Hotel, in Kingston.
Director of Business Development and Communication at MIND, Glynis Salmon, told JIS News that while leadership development is critical at any point in time to a country’s modernisation and advancement, it is even more crucial now, given the turbulent times that leaders are facing.
“This is a real historic and ground breaking conference. It comes against the background of the need for strong leadership across all sectors and especially now, as the need for effective leadership has never been greater,” she emphasised.
She explained that the nature of leadership in the 21st century is changing, so organisations are demanding leaders who can generate trust, empower and inspire others and find innovative answers to problems and challenges and produce the required results.
One of the aims of the conference is to expose leaders to innovative strategies, best practices and a cross-fertilisation of ideas to enhance their leadership skills.
“The conference provides a forum for public sector leaders and leaders in other sectors to engage in discourse on issues pertaining to leadership development as a critical link in the process of enabling government to respond timely and effectively to the demands and dynamics of a modern and efficient public service,” Miss Salmon pointed out.
“It also provides the opportunity for them to interface with each other and engage in a dynamic exchange of ideas and connections with what we know will be far reaching and invaluable outcomes, and this is what makes the nature of this conference so ground-breaking, because it would be the first time that you would have had a gathering of such persons,” she added.
According to the Director of Business Development and Communication, if the public sector is to be modernised, then the leaders must be fully equipped to achieve that task.
“It is the first conference of its kind in Jamaica and the region that focuses on the public sector and I think it is noteworthy that the public sector is saying we need to look at ourselves. If we are going to have a modern, effective and efficient public sector, then it is one that must be led by quality professionals who, through their enlightened approaches, can engineer and lead the way forward to getting a modernised public sector, one that can respond effectively to the needs of the citizenry,” Miss Salmon said.
The Director also explained that the conference would provide the participants with a unique opportunity to have discussions on leadership issues.
The two-day conference will highlight a variety of topics, which will be presented by a number of local and international experts. These include: former Governor-General, Professor Sir Kenneth Hall; Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service, Senator Dwight Nelson; Dean Emeritus, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Dr. John Young; and President, Graduate Institute for Leadership and Professional Development (GILPD) – Namibia, Professor Earle Taylor.
Some of the topics to be addressed include: ‘What Got You Here Won’t Get You There: Beyond Successful Managerial Performance in Effective Leadership’; ‘Do the Right Thing: Rules for Leading Ethically’; and ‘Talent Management: Helping Leaders Take Effective Action’.
The conference is particularly targeted at leaders in the national and regional public and private sectors, the academic community and representatives of regional and international organisations.
Registration for both days of the conference will commence at 8:00 a.m. and the activities continue until 4:30 p.m.
MIND is the Government’s main public sector management training agency, with a crucial role in the transformation of public services, both in Jamaica and the region.