Andrew Wynter could be described as a man prepared for any eventuality. With over 30 years of experience in the fields of security, risk and general management, his wealth of experience earned him the critical skills required by senior leaders in today’s challenging environment.

Indeed, his military training in the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) predisposes him to a constant state of readiness. In the military there is a term which is used to describe an operational environment, ‘VUCA’ — volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous — an adequate description for the world we operate in today as a result of the novel coronavirus pandemic.

But what are the skills and attitude that we would need as leaders to be able to work in this new environment? Understanding and appreciating this is very important.

Wynter describes leadership as evolving, and says we must be prepared to be positive, innovative, creative, and dynamic if we are to lead in this new normal, as, in addition to COVID 19, technology is changing the world in a significant way.

This knowledge has served him well as CEO of the Passport, Immigration and Citizenship Agency (PICA). With a keen eye for detail, Wynter has had to navigate significant challenges at the agency. He recommends being calm in a crisis is a necessary trait of truly transformational leaders. He recalls, in 2015, for instance, when the prices of passports were about to be increased, “All of us had to go above and beyond the call of duty to meet that demand.”

More recently, his transformational leadership resulted in the agency achieving the coveted ISO 9000 international standards certification during the pandemic. Quality is important in the both public and private sector. To lead a government service entity to ISO 9000 certified speaks volumes.

Wynter suggests that this success was bolstered from having spent 20 years in the private sector before transitioning to PICA.

“What was missing [from PICA] was the private sector efficiency, the kind of business-like process which are critical for any organisation to be successful… I wanted to make a difference to show that there was no reason why a government agency can’t be as good as, or better than a private company.”

A good example of his transformational leadership approach is in the recent relocation of their offices in Montego Bay. In this exercise several units would have been impacted by this change, but with an extraordinary display of synergy and teamwork everyone was involved in designing the place and determining the work flow which helped to execute and deliver the facility fully functional, on-time, and within budget.

“I always think about the team and the agency. When you put in systems and procedures in place that will create an environment and an operating system that will foster teamwork… this will enable the entity to grow and develop in this type of environment.”

Strategy is very important in this environment and know and understanding the strategy that best suits your organisation is critical.

Wynter is a man who knows all about strategy. He spends his spare time reading and acquainting himself with the modern approaches to strategy. This approach led to the establishment of the Transformation and Projects Unit in the agency. “People questioned it at first,” he admits, “but that is the kind of out-of-the-box thinking that was required to create a new approach to projects and how they were executed by the agency.” Since its establishment, the unit has been responsible for the execution of a number of critical projects with success.

Additionally, PICA took a new and innovative approach to customer service. Under Wynter the agency decided to develop a holistic approach to how it approaches customers, and to create an experience for them. This led to the development of a number of customer-centric initiatives, such as the customer experience charter and quality statement, in furtherance of the wider vision of creating a “customer experience model”.

“I would wanted to create value from end to end, so customers will have a better appreciation and value the things, both from internal and external perspectives. If you don’t value a passport, you won’t see the need to get one, and if I don’t create the environment where you will value when you come here to get it, you won’t apply for it,” he shared.

Since assuming responsibility of the agency Wynter has not only made changes in the area of customer service. The agency has implemented a number upgrades to its border security and travel facilitation systems. The agency has also installed additional kiosks at airports, which has led to faster processing of passenger; the online passenger declaration form; and the online passport renewal facility are just some of the additional things that the agency has done to improve interaction with the nation and the security of the island’s borders.

Additionally, PICA was one of the first to have the MYHRPLUS system that the Government has adopted as part of its efforts to centralise shared services. It has restricted a number of units to bring them into alignment with operations. The agency is currently working on a number of other technological initiatives that will improve the quality of the services and products it offers.

Said Wynter: “One of the things we are doing is laying the foundation for the agency to continue to be a leading example of a very well-run government organisation. This will be accomplished through the appropriate technology, people, processes, and strategies, being adopted. When we look back we must be proud of what we have done. It would be one of the greatest achievement if the agency would be seen as a ‘centre of excellence’ that people can refer to when it comes to leadership and innovation.”

Can there be greater adoption of this type of leadership? Wynter believes that it can be achieved in the wider Jamaica. However, the society suffers from a dearth of what he calls “iconic leadership”.

“I think the leadership challenge in Jamaica is that there are not enough outstanding leaders for people to look up to. The icons are dying out; persons like Oliver Clarke, Gordon “Butch” Stewart, Ray Hadeed, Mayer Matalon, and Carlton Alexander, are just some of the persons who come to mind,” he said.

“I think our society needs to groom and better recognise true, innovative leaders; persons who can and are making a difference… When people hear these leaders’ names, people are inspired, because they had breakthrough thinking.”

Overall, Wynter sees his mission as head of PICA as helping people: “Understanding how you engage your people, both internally and externally, is a critical success factor. As a leader you have to recognise that people are one of the most important assets in your organisation. The ability to inspire, guide, mentor, encourage, and persuade people to follow you and share your vision is important, particularly during difficult times… If you haven’t created value for your people and the organisation then you have missed the mark.”

Jacqueline Coke Lloyd is founder and managing director of Make Your Mark Consultants. She is a transformational leader, coach, organisation and people development specialist, and national productivity ambassador. Send comments to the Jamaica Observer or jackiecokelloyd@gmail.com.