Success as a leader does not depend on what you can do says Minister for Employment, Productivity and Industrial Relations, Jone Usamate.

Mr Usamate spoke at the opening of the two-day Fiji Corrections Service Leadership Workshop at the Novotel Convention Centre in Lami yesterday.

A total of 84 senior officers from 13 Correction institutions around the country and national headquarters are participating in the workshop.

There are six women officers and four civilian staff members out of the 84 in attendance.

Mr Usamate said leadership is not something that one is born with.

“I have seen people that are born in difficult circumstances and did not have the chiefly right, but are able to lead well because they have developed their leadership roles.

“As you build your career as a prison officer, you try to be the best officer but once you become the leaders, your success does not depend on how well you can act as a prison officer but then how well the people under you can be better prison officers.

“An organisation grows or dies depending on leadership.

“There is one important thing that all organisations need to do is raise the calibre and the focus level of all leaders making everybody under you a strong, independent and responsible leader,” Mr Usamate said.

He said every individual must have a perception of growing every one working under them as leaders of tomorrow.

“You should prepare people working under you to do better work and grow.

“The success of productivity in an organisation and as an individual depends not just the quality of the leaders on top position, but the quality of leadership from the top to the roots,” Mr Usamate said.

Corrections Commissioner, Commander Francis Kean said the honours fall on the shoulders of each officer and the respective roles that they play in their respective institutions.

“It is the time to look back where we come from and where we want to join in the future.

“We hope that this becomes an investment in their lives and in personal journey as a leader and as an officer in Fiji Corrections Service.

“By holding hands together, we build a stronger institution and a stronger FCS,” Mr Kean said.

Edited by Caroline Ratucadra

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