GNT’s Patrick Monkoe is no spin doctor
For Patrick Monkoe of Great North Transport (GNT), transparency is the core of his approach to his profession.
POLOKWANE – The Marketing and Communications Manager of GNT enjoys keeping up to date with the latest business news and holds the things the late Minister of Public Service and Administration, Collins Chabane, taught him dear.
“He taught me the importance of being transparent and said the best course to take if you have made a mistake or find yourself in a difficult position is to explain what went wrong and to be as transparent as possible,” he said.
“I do not like to ‘spin’ anything but it has proven to be a challenge in my line of business. It is, however, a challenge I am not scared of and willing to take on.”
Patrick joined GNT as Marketing and Communications Manager in 2016 and said it is a position he holds dear.
One of his aspirations is to see GNT diversifying into long distance transport as is seen in other metros in South Africa.
“Economic integration, be it in the form of trade, tourism, nationally or other areas, can only be made possible through instruments that facilitate the mobility of commuters and passengers and GNT is well positioned to do exactly this,” he explained.
Being the voice of the company isn’t something he sees as a challenge, rather it as a platform for continued learning.
“In this type of position one needs to be able to contextualise the business environment within which we operate, be able to understand the mandate of the company, and be available to take calls and provide inputs to information dissemination.”
The way he approaches his work and dealing with the media, he explained, comes from his background growing up in a rural community.
“In the city, people buy a newspaper, read it and discard it. In a rural area, however, one person will bring a newspaper and it will be passed from one resident to another who will read it and believe it as if it was the spoken word. This is why I believe in talking when it is needed because we are a company that serves the rural communities and we need to answer to them. We are the poorest of the poor’s transport and they need to know what is happening in the company they trust,” he explained.
Patrick described himself as someone who is down to earth.
“I consider myself a developmental economist as I have worked within business development for the past 12 years. I use communication for development and always try to reflect elements for societal development through communication, whether spoken or written. I try to motivate people, more especially aspirant entrepreneurs, and I assist as far as I can those who have bankable ideas through networking and the facilitation of resources and market networks. I am a hard worker and believe I need to move something every day of my life. My philosophy in life is Hold the Vision – Trust the Process.”
His advice to those interested in venturing into communications is that the field is highly dynamic. One of the most critical components which determines success or failure in this field, he said, is an individual’s writing skills.
“In my view, if you cannot articulate yourself on paper first, it will be difficult to grow in this field.”
“Writing is a skill which can be developed over time and therefore calls for communication practitioners to continuously write to perfect their skills and articulation,” he concluded.
