Chhimi Dema 

To strengthen management, leadership and personal excellence skills, Royal Civil Service Commission (RCSC) launched Mind Tools, an international online learning and professional development platform on October 2.

Mind Tools provides participants with a platform to assess themselves, seek feedback, experience, reflect, choose and apply a set of personal development interventions. The platform would provide opportunities for bite-size training, books reviews, webinars, and expert coaching, etc.

There are five thematic areas, Right-sizing the Civil Service, Enhancing Service Delivery, Strengthening Civil Service Systems, Civil Service Wellbeing and Leadership Development and Management, identified by the RCSC to pursue a vision of “Excellence in Service”.

RCSC commissioner, Dhanapati Mishra, said that the launch of Mind Tools was initiated under the theme of leadership development and management.

The pool identified for the access to the Mind Tools were civil servants above P2, P1 management, Executives at EX3 and dzongdags, and key staff of the two training institutes; Royal Institute for Governance and Strategic Studies and Royal Institute of Management.

Commissioner Dhanapati Mishra said that considering the financial constraints only 1000 civil servants beginning P2 level was provided with the opportunity to access the Mind Tools.

“P2 level was a critical pool since the levels above P2 held posts of chiefs, executives and managers.  The civil servants promoting from P2 would have already developed the leadership and management competencies and skills,” he said.

This is an opportunity for registered civil servants to hone their skills, become proficient and more professional in approach to ensure quality service delivery through the public service agencies, Dhanapati Mishra said.

He said that considering the current situation, travelling abroad for institution-based learning was difficult.

“If civil servants were limited to institution-based learning, they would be devoid of topping their skills, sharpening their knowledge and broadening their job proficiencies,” he said.

This virtual platform was affordable as the cost for one subscriber was USD 35, he added.

The platform was accessible to registered subscribers from October 2 until September 2021.