MASTER for LA21

Anyone aspires to effectively implement the Local Agenda 21 has to acquire the MASTER skill. MASTER means

1. Meeting the stakeholders. Efforts to identify and engage relevant people is important as human is the main contributing factor towards the success of sustainable development programmes.
2. Asking questions in which analysing the SWOT of stakeholders and issues will ensure that strategic actions taken are of bottom line basis. Followed by searching for pragmatic and workable solutions together with the stakeholders. Strategic actions encompass the programs, implementers, time frame, indicators and allocation of resources should be in place.
3. Selling the strategic plan is contributing to the success of Local Agenda 21. Communicating and marketing actions or programmes that flavour to the desire of target groups will ensure that planned actions have better chances for implementation. Thereby, creative selling and marketing via innovative communication, publicity, promotion and marketing strategies are essential.
4. Tackle objections, if any from other stakeholders. No plan is perfect and no plan is agreeable to everyone. LA 21 process tends to have objections from quarters who are not happy. For implementation to cover wider groups of people and area, it is good to have marketing and communication strategies to get rid, if not to minimise the chances of objections.
5. Empower the stakeholders especially the key personnel to act proactively. At time supports in the form of resources can be of help to motivate stakeholders to implement initiatives closer to their heart.
6. Reward the outstanding initiatives and leaders with excellent performance. Never stingy of recognising and reward the stakeholders appropriately who have helped in the sustainable development process, big or small. If a person who have done well but not to be rewarded, it is tantamount to marginalisation and biasness. Once, this perception is formed, it is killing the spirit of Local Agenda 21.

To me, if a Local Agenda 21 Officer or those in the sustainable development fraternity is equipped with MASTER skill, the prospect for the effective implementation of Local Agenda 21 is brighter. Perhaps it is time to send them for MASTER course now.