The WCO Capacity Building organized a Leadership and Management Top Executive Retreat (TER) for the Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) from 1 to 4 December 2019 near Chisamba, Zambia. The objective of the four-day interactive retreat was to support the team of senior managers in their further development as leaders and strategically operating managers.  The TER was funded by the HMRC-WCO-UNCTAD Trade Facilitation Agreement Capacity Building Program. This Program delivers multiyear support to select WCO members. LMD support to this important program aims to strengthen management and organizational development capacity at the strategic level.

Fourteen executive managers from the Customs Division of ZRA participated in the very intense program of the TER, working until late in the evening. The agenda for the four days was shaped based on the needs of the ZRA and the participants. A special focus was given to personal development of each individual manager with the concepts of knowing oneself, managing oneself and really understanding others as crucial elements for the modern leader-manager. The evening sessions focused on building trust at the personal, relational and organizational level. During the four days, tangible progress was made in becoming a stronger and more open executive team, with increased levels of trust, courage and curiosity.  This was a personal objective of the Commissioner of Customs, Mr. Sydney Chibbabbuka, to extend this important foundation of modern management to other levels in the Customs division and other divisions of the ZRA.

The program also consisted of various topics that were strongly related to the actual situation of ZRA.  Topics such as political influence, integrity issues within ZRA, cooperation with other ZRA divisions and the ‘how to engage’ all customs officers, were approached from different angles, transferring modern leadership theories into practical insights.  In addition, topics such as people management, strategic management, communication, influencing and time management were presented, discussed and exercised during the four days.  The sessions were intensive, personal and critical feedback was shared. At the end of the retreat, concrete approaches, strategies and actions were defined.

The participants described the retreat and its in-depth, interactive and learning-by-doing method as a real breakthrough for themselves and the team. They shared their intentions to take the lessons learned and to start using them in their own departments, the Customs division and the ZRA as a whole. Overall the TER was characterized by the participants as a new start for ZRA Customs, with a common feeling of hope, trust and belief in a powerful future. 

For more information on the WCO Leadership and Management Development Program, please contact capacity.building@wcoomd.org.