As part of its Capacity Building programme, the WCO organized a Leadership and Management Development (LMD) workshop from 21 March until 1 April 2016 in Belgrade, Serbia. Eleven middle managers of the Customs Administration of the Republic of Serbia (CAS) were inspired to strengthen their leadership and management capacities, as well as their personal effectiveness to drive reforms within their organisation.

During a meeting with a delegation of executive management at the end of the LMD workshop, participants were invited to not only implement their newly acquired skills and insights in their own units, but to also challenge and inspire division heads of CAS. This invitation can be seen as a breakthrough for Serbian Customs, where important efforts for modernization, with harmonisation to EU standards as general umbrella, are made. With personal testimonies at the end of the workshop participants demonstrated their motivation to bridge the gap between policy making and organisation-wide implementation of changes.

In the LMD workshop participants learned that knowing yourself and self-awareness, managing strategically, people management, outstanding communication skills and change management are very important to address CAS’ future challenges. The participating managers were extremely participative and showed a strong motivation and commitment to know, improve and manage themselves, in order to have a great and positive impact on others, as well as on the organisation.

With the right support to further develop and demonstrate their leadership and strategic management skills, this small group of potential leaders are ready to change and lead the Customs Administration of the Republic of Serbia towards full-fledged European and international standards.

For more information on the WCO Leadership and Management Development Programme, please contact Capacity.Building@wcoomd.org