Cabinet retreat — Ministers taught meaning of life

The seminar was conducted by Dr Theodore Ferguson, an agronomist and founder of the Global Leadership Development Foundation. Sources said there were no discussions on the performance of the Government. Instead Ferguson lectured on issues such as comparative religion, humanity, creation, evolution and the meaning of life. Trade Minister Ken Valley yesterday described the retreat as “excellent.”

“I have to practise some of the things that I have learnt,” he said. Valley said even more valuable than the content of the Leadership Training seminar was the “camaraderie” and “bonding” between members of the Cabinet.

“As Christine Kangaloo (Legal Affairs Minister) stated, we went down there as colleagues and left as friends. There was much bonding in the team and that was a critical part of what I got out of it,” he said.

Labour Minister Danny Montano also agreed the retreat was very beneficial. In fact Montano was one of the first ministers to use the services of Ferguson’s firm in his ministry. Other ministers who used the firm were National Security Minister Martin Joseph and Education Minister Hazel Manning.

A source stated the population tends to assume because ministers are in a Cabinet, they know each other. “But in fact, they meet once, maybe twice a week and you may have a Cabinet colleague and not really know the person,” a source noted.

Manning who described the retreat as “very successful,” stated that more seminars were being planned to facilitate the personal and professional development of his Cabinet members. “The retreat has now come to an end and was very successful. It concentrated on self-examination.

“You examine yourself and commit yourself to make certain changes to your own life so that you can become an exemplar in leadership and use that to change those around you and those in society,” he said.