By Etop Ekanem

The Association of Women Town Planners in Nigeria, AWTPN, Lagos State Chapter recently held a retreat for its newly elected executive committee members, in Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos.

Speaking at the event, Chairperson of the association, Victoria Taiwo Ajose, said the purpose of the retreat was to equip the new executive committee members with the  knowledge to take the association to a greater level as “retreats are crucial to maintaining a positive workforce and turning things around. It brings leaders together to foster and strengthen the strategic leadership as a highly performing team.”

The chairperson admonished members to effectively utilise the knowledge gained and ensure the goals set are achieved and promised to put in her best in ensuring the success of the association.

At the one-day retreat, three papers were presented, including, “Leadership Ethics and Corporate Responsibility”  by Lion Folasade Shotomide, Director of Operations. The Right Choice School,  who, said “effective leader is that person who operates on certain principles such as integrity, trust, accountability, honesty, transparency, adding that an effective leader must have the capacity to carry along her team with clear goals and objectives.

Also in her presentation tagged “Importance of Goal Setting,” Ruth Appiah Idowu, Chief Operating Officer, Singlestone Nigeria Ltd, explained the different types of goal-setting and encouraged the executive committee members to set their goals for the tenure, stressing that the goals must be SMART, that is “Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely.”

In his paper captioned  “Effective Time Management,” Bashiru Oseni-Ope, Head, Lagos Bureau of Statistics, discussed key elements of time management, which include “setting reminder for all your tasks, creating a daily planner, giving each task a time limit, blocking out distractions and establishing routine.

At the end of the retreat the executive committee members set goals for the association, including “to promote growth through commitment and collaboration; to create awareness through publicity on print, electronic and social media; to collaborate with stakeholders such as Nigeria Institute of Town Planners, NITP, other women professional bodies, international and local women forum etc and to foster educational advancement and capacity building.