As part of the Power and Electricity World Africa 2019, held in Johannesburg this week, a skills development seminar explored the need for cultivating leadership skills, and how to conduct training to meet industry needs.
In terms of skills and professional development for energy practitioners, a number of key management skills were cited as priorities.
These include, but are not limited to, innovation and knowledge management, change management, financial management, performance management and effective communication.
However, it was noted that engendering these can sometimes be a problem – employees in an organisation have the raw potential, but there is often no way to harness their skills.
As such, there is a need for training and developing new leaders.
Firstly, this entails training, through arming employees with the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in the organisation.
That should be followed by coaching and the provision of on-the-job training that is refined and aimed at a particular job.
Following this, there is a need to review, evaluate and address development areas to ensure success and that the individual can grow within an organisation.