9 By Petra Emmanuel, Tutor, Barbados Community College I Continued from previous page a posture of flexibility Bring others along — I can’t do it on my own (it takes a village… all of us have a role to play). There is a famous quote which says, “if you want to go fast go alone…but if you want to go far…go together!” On behalf of my colleagues and I, let me extend a huge thank you to CARICAD for partnering with the Bank to facilitate this first cohort of the Emerging Leaders’ Development programme. Special thanks to our Facilitators Dr. Lois Parks and Ms. Trudy Waterman who were the absolute best! For 12 weeks these ladies showed up and served us with high energy, endless content and loads of engagement. The synergy and exchange that was consistently displayed by Dr. Parkes and Trudy tells me that that these ladies live and practice what they teach! Special thanks to Governor Haynes and the team in HR for recognising that this level of training and exposure is critical for the growth and development of our senior supervisors whose supportive role is paramount in helping our leaders inspire and motivate our colleagues to continue to pursue the Bank’s vision of creating and maintaining a centre of excellence. n December 2021, I successfully completed the three-month CARICAD Mid-Level Leadership Development programme. Going into the programme I did not even see myself as a traditional “leader” – I had figured the course would get me closer to acquiring some leadership skills, but I did not expect such a life-changing experience. I was placed in groups from day one of each of the weekly sessions, with people I had never met before. This reminded me of the many times I placed my students in groups to complete projects, and expected them to get the job done. Like my students, I had to be able to interact with strangers, and fortunately for me, I have since forged great connections with those brilliant civil servants. I was always a good listener but I have learned that just listening is not enough, especially when addressing student, staff and even family concerns. I learned to slow down, show genuine interest, and focus on one thing at a time to make my family, work and social relationships better. In the CARICAD group sessions, this type of communication was key as we were all able to share our project ideas and we gained feedback, which highlighted the importance of consultation. It was during the breakout sessions that I was most honest with myself and for example, was able to identify my own anger issues and to identify and address my triggers – the things that made me angry – and I have learned to strive to keep myself above the line. This knowledge was applied to my students. In the remote learning environment, some students also faced significant problems coping with their workload due to stress, anger and other personal issues. When dealing with my students, I learned to approach each one with greater sensitivity and a more open mind. I was able to better recognise that all relevant information may not be forthcoming, and careful analysis may be needed, as well as further research into the specific issues that individual students face. This brings me to another component of communication. Building a remote work culture in teaching was essential as new COVID-19 variants came to our island and we had to adapt. I was sure to provide clear communication of student assignments, as well as address possible limitations due to working in the online environment. I was able to develop a virtual opendoor policy for the remote environment with precise guidelines – leaving clear communication channels such as Whatsapp and email where my students were able to ask me questions at any point, and I always responded within a reasonable time-frame. This all assisted me in becoming an even better educator, and communicator on the whole. Employers, whether public or private sector, I am making a recommendation that you allow your employees to have their chance to achieve this level of personal reflection and development. Provide them with the tools that will better allow them to handle interactions with each other more effectively. Let my experience be your encouragement to place your employees in the CARICAD Mid-Level Leadership Development programme.
10 Publizr Home