TALENT management has an essential role in the growth of a business. Yet, it is not easy to master the various aspects of developing, attracting and retaining talent. Considering that Malaysia faces challenges in nurturing its human capital and at the same time, facing a brain drain problem, it is crucial that we improve our talent management capabilities.
Malaysian Institute of Management general council member Zul Baharom says talent management has to be institutionalised and it should not just be the responsibility of the Government.
He says talent has no racial, religious, gender and generational differentiation.
A. Subra ... ‘We are now talking more of multi-tasking and multi skills.’
“Talent is there and it should be identified by various institutions. We should encourage companies to develop their own while the Government is there to facilitate it,” he speaks at a recent roundtable discussion, titled Managing Talent Through Innovations in Human Capital Development.
Malaysian Institute of Human Resource Management president Ramley Razalli points out that like oil, talent has to be refined, and the refining institutions are the schools, colleges, universities and homes.
He says a common complaint among employers and chambers of commerce is on the local talent’s lack of quality, particularly in language proficiency and the seriousness in wanting to move up the ladder.
“Employers will now have to apply a conversion process for their talent. They take in management trainees for longer period so as to equip them to suit the requirements of the companies,” he explains. Ramley adds that the conversion process takes time and entails costs that not all employers can afford.
Vincent Bouw ... ‘The Government should revolutionise the education system
Vincent Bouw, managing director of Papilio Novare Sdn Bhd, which provides consulting and coaching services related to human capital performance and development, agrees that talent needs to be refined. “If we look at the education system in Malaysia and worldwide; they are very much focused on left-brain development, which emphasises science, maths and literacy kind of things.”
However, he says there is high demand for people who are more creative and innovative and who possess critical thinking skills; very much related to right-brain thinking.
Bouw adds: “There is a gap between what the education system provides and what the business world is looking for. The Government should revolutionise the education system, while the business world should prepare themselves for the coming generation and for personalising talent.”
Moderated by SMR HR Group chairman and chief executive officer R. Palan, the roundtable discussion was held in conjunction with upcoming 2010 Asia HRD Congress, which will be held at the Borneo Convention Centre in Kuching from July 6 to July 8.
Zul Baharom says talent has no racial, religious, gender and generational differentiation.
With the theme Innovation in Human Capital Development – Facing Challenges, Organising Talent, Shaping Futures, the congress is promoted by Asia HRD Congress Sdn Bhd and is jointly organised by SMR HR Group and Centre for Modern Management. Star Metro Sarawak is the official media partner.
SMR HR Group provides human resources solutions and training programmes, from technology, consulting and outsourcing, training and events to learning resources for maintaining to developing and nurturing talent.
At the roundtable discussion, SMR HR chief business operation officer A. Subra says: “The hierarchy of organisation has been dismantled. We are now talking more of multi-tasking and multi skills, whereby the talent should be able to adapt to this entire environment.”
SMR HR consulting senior manager Jimmy Ong Cheng Keat says organisations need to evaluate how they can provide the right environment for talent to grow.
Bouw says the reasons for people joining and leaving companies are very different. “From the research, the top reasons for people joining an organisation are much influenced by things like competitive packages or wages. However, for people to stay, it is very much about the opportunities for personal growth and development,” he adds.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Monday, June 21, 2010
Put your foot down
One of the skills that effective managers have is to act assertively at the appropriate time.
Being aggressive or submissive are not good options to take. Be assertive instead. Here are some tips on how to achieve this:
1 Decide when you need to be assertive
When an outcome is at stake, it may be a good time to decide to act assertively. You don’t always need to be assertive all the time. Know what outcome you are seeking and decide if the outcome is worth being assertive for.
2 Adopt a clear stand on your position
Indicate your intent and state what your views are on the situation or topic. Remain firm, but stay friendly.
3 Don’t be distracted
Refuse to be sidetracked, calmly state what you desire and repeat your position as often as you consider necessary. Don’t get drawn into an argument.
4 Be attentive and affirmative
Paying attention to what the other person is saying shows that you are listening to understand his position. Showing an appreciation of what the other person is saying makes the person feel that his opinions are valued. And giving affirmation shows the other party that you understand their viewpoint.
5 Accept criticism
When the other person attacks you, do not go on the defensive. Let him speak, but do not allow his remarks to upset you. When emotions are high, logic is low.
Listen carefully to what the other person is saying. If, for example, he says that the report you handed in had missing information, you can respond with: “I’m sorry to hear that. I tried to make it as comprehensive as possible.”
6 Examine the criticism
Ask questions to clarify what exactly the criticism is about. Ask, “what information has not been included?” Ask in a conversational tone. Do not engage in a yelling match or put down the other person. Simply say: “thanks for sharing your views, let me explain further.”
7 Self-disclosure
You have absorbed the other person’s feedback. It is now your turn to say how you feel, what you think and the way you see the situation.
For example, you can respond to a particular comment made by the other person. You can say: “when you raise your voice and make comments about my report being incomplete, it upsets me because you have made no attempt to understand why the information was not included. You assume that the omission was due to my incompetence ...”
8 Reach a compromise or agreement
Where necessary, come to an agreement on a workable compromise or solution. Make it very clear to all parties concerned what the follow-up actions should be. For example, if the criticism about your report has no basis, ask the other person to affirm this in black and white to avoid further confusion. As a gesture of goodwill, you can offer to update him on the areas not covered in your report anyway. Be gracious when you are vindicated. you want to acquire a reputation for assertiveness, not arrogance.
Article by Ricky Lien, a specialist in conflict resolution, communication and emotional intelligence.
Being aggressive or submissive are not good options to take. Be assertive instead. Here are some tips on how to achieve this:
1 Decide when you need to be assertive
When an outcome is at stake, it may be a good time to decide to act assertively. You don’t always need to be assertive all the time. Know what outcome you are seeking and decide if the outcome is worth being assertive for.
2 Adopt a clear stand on your position
Indicate your intent and state what your views are on the situation or topic. Remain firm, but stay friendly.
3 Don’t be distracted
Refuse to be sidetracked, calmly state what you desire and repeat your position as often as you consider necessary. Don’t get drawn into an argument.
4 Be attentive and affirmative
Paying attention to what the other person is saying shows that you are listening to understand his position. Showing an appreciation of what the other person is saying makes the person feel that his opinions are valued. And giving affirmation shows the other party that you understand their viewpoint.
5 Accept criticism
When the other person attacks you, do not go on the defensive. Let him speak, but do not allow his remarks to upset you. When emotions are high, logic is low.
Listen carefully to what the other person is saying. If, for example, he says that the report you handed in had missing information, you can respond with: “I’m sorry to hear that. I tried to make it as comprehensive as possible.”
6 Examine the criticism
Ask questions to clarify what exactly the criticism is about. Ask, “what information has not been included?” Ask in a conversational tone. Do not engage in a yelling match or put down the other person. Simply say: “thanks for sharing your views, let me explain further.”
7 Self-disclosure
You have absorbed the other person’s feedback. It is now your turn to say how you feel, what you think and the way you see the situation.
For example, you can respond to a particular comment made by the other person. You can say: “when you raise your voice and make comments about my report being incomplete, it upsets me because you have made no attempt to understand why the information was not included. You assume that the omission was due to my incompetence ...”
8 Reach a compromise or agreement
Where necessary, come to an agreement on a workable compromise or solution. Make it very clear to all parties concerned what the follow-up actions should be. For example, if the criticism about your report has no basis, ask the other person to affirm this in black and white to avoid further confusion. As a gesture of goodwill, you can offer to update him on the areas not covered in your report anyway. Be gracious when you are vindicated. you want to acquire a reputation for assertiveness, not arrogance.
Article by Ricky Lien, a specialist in conflict resolution, communication and emotional intelligence.
Engaging employees
NO matter what your business, your employees are the backbone of your company. When they’re happy and productive, sales will flourish; however, if employees don’t feel valued, respected, or listened to, their dissatisfaction will come across to your customers. As a result, your business may suffer.
To keep your organisation on track, you need to engage your employees for optimum performance and greater job satisfaction. Studies show that engaged employees:
Are more likely to stay
Are more productive
Maintain profitable customer relationships
Serve as advocates for your organisation
What exactly is employee engagement and what does it mean to engage your employees? Employee engagement is the level of commitment and involvement employees have towards their organisation or job.
According to a study by the Corporate Leadership Council, employees with the highest levels of commitment perform 20% better and are 87% less likely to leave the organisation.
Delegates enjoying themselves at a previous year’s Pre-conference Workshop.
Employee engagement means making people feel valued by involving them in decisions, asking them to participate in the planning process, praising them, and continually providing adequate training and support. It’s giving your employees the opportunity to contribute to the company’s overall success.
When you allow your employees to think independently and assist the company, they will respond with increased work effort and greater efficiency. The following are four keys to employee engagement that can help your company grow.
1 Involve your employees in the decision-making process
You can keep morale high and engage your employees by involving them in business decisions that directly relate to them. For example, if your company is considering a dress code change, allow your employees to voice their opinions on the new dress code and offer suggestions for portraying a more professional image. Encouraging their input makes them feel a part of the team and contributors to the company’s overall success.
2 Involve your employees in the planning process
Whenever possible, allow your employees to take an active role in planning the company’s future. Instead of simply declaring a new sales goal your employees need to reach, ask your sales team to come up with their own realistic monthly goals and a plan to reach that number. When employees take an active role in the planning process, they know their input matters to the company’s bottom line. Additionally, they’ll be more apt to strive to meet the goal if they set it themselves and laid out a plan to reach it.
3 Offer praise freely
When was the last time you praised an employee for a job well done? In too many companies, managers inadvertently neglect to offer praise on a regular basis. As a result, many employees are left to wonder how their performance rates. Without such guidance they can easily become uncertain about their job requirements and their ability to handle challenging situations.
When your employees know they are doing a good job, they will want to repeat the process again and again. They’ll also be more willing to try new ideas and challenges to meet your customers’ needs. The result will be motivated employees who are eager to help the company grow.
4 Provide continual training and support
If you want your employees to feel confident in their abilities, they need the proper job training and support. Many companies offer an introductory training period when a new employee comes on board, but training then stops after a certain length of time. Provide ongoing training and coaching for employees at all levels so they can gain greater competence, overcome performance barriers and be more effective in their jobs.
Enable your employees to succeed by giving them the means, opportunity and capacity they need to excel. The result is growth, innovation and satisfaction. If your employees feel important, they’ll transfer those feelings to your customers through improved service and ultimately, greater sales.
So if you want your company to grow to new heights, engage your employees by creating an environment where people are encouraged to explore, discover, take risks and think for themselves. Engaged employees will always rise to the occasion, do the best job possible, and help you compete in the global marketplace.
Article by Karen Lawson, PhD, CSP.
To keep your organisation on track, you need to engage your employees for optimum performance and greater job satisfaction. Studies show that engaged employees:
Are more likely to stay
Are more productive
Maintain profitable customer relationships
Serve as advocates for your organisation
What exactly is employee engagement and what does it mean to engage your employees? Employee engagement is the level of commitment and involvement employees have towards their organisation or job.
According to a study by the Corporate Leadership Council, employees with the highest levels of commitment perform 20% better and are 87% less likely to leave the organisation.
Delegates enjoying themselves at a previous year’s Pre-conference Workshop.
Employee engagement means making people feel valued by involving them in decisions, asking them to participate in the planning process, praising them, and continually providing adequate training and support. It’s giving your employees the opportunity to contribute to the company’s overall success.
When you allow your employees to think independently and assist the company, they will respond with increased work effort and greater efficiency. The following are four keys to employee engagement that can help your company grow.
1 Involve your employees in the decision-making process
You can keep morale high and engage your employees by involving them in business decisions that directly relate to them. For example, if your company is considering a dress code change, allow your employees to voice their opinions on the new dress code and offer suggestions for portraying a more professional image. Encouraging their input makes them feel a part of the team and contributors to the company’s overall success.
2 Involve your employees in the planning process
Whenever possible, allow your employees to take an active role in planning the company’s future. Instead of simply declaring a new sales goal your employees need to reach, ask your sales team to come up with their own realistic monthly goals and a plan to reach that number. When employees take an active role in the planning process, they know their input matters to the company’s bottom line. Additionally, they’ll be more apt to strive to meet the goal if they set it themselves and laid out a plan to reach it.
3 Offer praise freely
When was the last time you praised an employee for a job well done? In too many companies, managers inadvertently neglect to offer praise on a regular basis. As a result, many employees are left to wonder how their performance rates. Without such guidance they can easily become uncertain about their job requirements and their ability to handle challenging situations.
When your employees know they are doing a good job, they will want to repeat the process again and again. They’ll also be more willing to try new ideas and challenges to meet your customers’ needs. The result will be motivated employees who are eager to help the company grow.
4 Provide continual training and support
If you want your employees to feel confident in their abilities, they need the proper job training and support. Many companies offer an introductory training period when a new employee comes on board, but training then stops after a certain length of time. Provide ongoing training and coaching for employees at all levels so they can gain greater competence, overcome performance barriers and be more effective in their jobs.
Enable your employees to succeed by giving them the means, opportunity and capacity they need to excel. The result is growth, innovation and satisfaction. If your employees feel important, they’ll transfer those feelings to your customers through improved service and ultimately, greater sales.
So if you want your company to grow to new heights, engage your employees by creating an environment where people are encouraged to explore, discover, take risks and think for themselves. Engaged employees will always rise to the occasion, do the best job possible, and help you compete in the global marketplace.
Article by Karen Lawson, PhD, CSP.
Turn colleagues into friends
It’s not difficult to get on with your colleagues at the workplace. It just requires effort to practise the following:
1 Reach out
One of the best ways to reach out to others is to develop a genuine interest in people. Not only should you be happy to interact with others, you should also let them know that they are important to you.
Try to be agreeable so others will find it easier to interact with you.- Reuterspic
From time to time, let your colleagues know you appreciate their advice, help and company. When you see good qualities in others, do not hesitate to show your appreciation.
Let people know they are producing good work. At the appropriate time, send congratulatory messages or well wishes to your colleagues. Thank people in writing for something they have done or given you. Send cards to your colleagues.
Being gracious and using words like “please” and “thank you” will get you the support of others. It can also influence them to accept you as a credible colleague.
2 Be courteous to everyone
Be polite and courteous to everyone, be it the cleaner or the boss. People will appreciate your presence in the workplace if you communicate well with everyone.
Not only should you speak clearly, you should also express yourself well by using positive body language. Consider the tone of voice you adopt and the words you use.
When engaged in discussions, make sure you ask questions and consider the answers appropriately.
Do not be too hasty to disagree with what you hear. Avoid dominating any discussion or conversation.
Try to be agreeable so others will find it easier to interact with you. When someone makes a critical comment or an angry remark, do not answer immediately. Pause before you make a response. A good guide is to count up to 10 before you answer the person.
3 Smile
Smile more often. This encourages people to feel happy and good towards you. Your colleagues will also react well to you.
When you smile, you look more pleasant and attractive. Your smile is inviting and attracts attention, and can also change your mood and attitude. You will be inspired to be happy. This in turn will help improve your relationships with others.
4 Use humour
Cultivate a sense of humour and be a fun person. Humour will help to make awkward situations seem bearable. It will make a miserable outlook cheerful. Humour will help to improve situations at the workplace and make relationships fun and enjoyable. Don’t take yourself too seriously. Learn to laugh at yourself.
5 Be energised
Be excited about your work and your life. Be a stimulant. Your colleagues will then find you inviting, interesting, open and expansive. They will want to work with you on projects and have you as a friend.
6 Respect your colleagues
If you are new to an organisation, try to remember the names of your colleagues. Learn how to pronounce their names properly. The key to getting on with others is to make them feel important.
Try to understand the views, feelings and experiences of your colleagues. Be sensitive to their feelings, moods, needs and wants. Ask them for their opinions, ideas and suggestions.
Respect their views, values and lifestyles, as everyone is different in the way they live their lives. Always make others feel comfortable and relaxed.
Be discreet, maintain integrity and keep private information confidential. Let others see through your actions that you keep all promises. Your colleagues will then trust, respect and admire you.
7 Like yourself
To reach out to your colleagues, it is essential that you have high self-esteem. You need to like yourself, have self-respect and accept yourself as a person.
Be kind and patient with yourself. Make friends with yourself. If you treat yourself well, everyone else will treat you well.
Article by Zaibun Siraj, an established speaker and corporate trainer as well as the author of two self-help books on management and happiness.
1 Reach out
One of the best ways to reach out to others is to develop a genuine interest in people. Not only should you be happy to interact with others, you should also let them know that they are important to you.
Try to be agreeable so others will find it easier to interact with you.- Reuterspic
From time to time, let your colleagues know you appreciate their advice, help and company. When you see good qualities in others, do not hesitate to show your appreciation.
Let people know they are producing good work. At the appropriate time, send congratulatory messages or well wishes to your colleagues. Thank people in writing for something they have done or given you. Send cards to your colleagues.
Being gracious and using words like “please” and “thank you” will get you the support of others. It can also influence them to accept you as a credible colleague.
2 Be courteous to everyone
Be polite and courteous to everyone, be it the cleaner or the boss. People will appreciate your presence in the workplace if you communicate well with everyone.
Not only should you speak clearly, you should also express yourself well by using positive body language. Consider the tone of voice you adopt and the words you use.
When engaged in discussions, make sure you ask questions and consider the answers appropriately.
Do not be too hasty to disagree with what you hear. Avoid dominating any discussion or conversation.
Try to be agreeable so others will find it easier to interact with you. When someone makes a critical comment or an angry remark, do not answer immediately. Pause before you make a response. A good guide is to count up to 10 before you answer the person.
3 Smile
Smile more often. This encourages people to feel happy and good towards you. Your colleagues will also react well to you.
When you smile, you look more pleasant and attractive. Your smile is inviting and attracts attention, and can also change your mood and attitude. You will be inspired to be happy. This in turn will help improve your relationships with others.
4 Use humour
Cultivate a sense of humour and be a fun person. Humour will help to make awkward situations seem bearable. It will make a miserable outlook cheerful. Humour will help to improve situations at the workplace and make relationships fun and enjoyable. Don’t take yourself too seriously. Learn to laugh at yourself.
5 Be energised
Be excited about your work and your life. Be a stimulant. Your colleagues will then find you inviting, interesting, open and expansive. They will want to work with you on projects and have you as a friend.
6 Respect your colleagues
If you are new to an organisation, try to remember the names of your colleagues. Learn how to pronounce their names properly. The key to getting on with others is to make them feel important.
Try to understand the views, feelings and experiences of your colleagues. Be sensitive to their feelings, moods, needs and wants. Ask them for their opinions, ideas and suggestions.
Respect their views, values and lifestyles, as everyone is different in the way they live their lives. Always make others feel comfortable and relaxed.
Be discreet, maintain integrity and keep private information confidential. Let others see through your actions that you keep all promises. Your colleagues will then trust, respect and admire you.
7 Like yourself
To reach out to your colleagues, it is essential that you have high self-esteem. You need to like yourself, have self-respect and accept yourself as a person.
Be kind and patient with yourself. Make friends with yourself. If you treat yourself well, everyone else will treat you well.
Article by Zaibun Siraj, an established speaker and corporate trainer as well as the author of two self-help books on management and happiness.
Negotiating for more pay
You have been assigned challenging new projects over the past year. Though your workload is heavy, you are coping well. However, you feel you are not being rewarded adequately for your contributions to the company.
You don’t have to quit your job to find one that pays better, but you do need to speak up. Here’s how you can negotiate successfully for a pay raise:
Do your homework
# Get an idea of your worth. It is important to find out the average salary for the role that you do. Talk to people in your industry and use salary surveys that can be found on job recruitment websites.
Never use personal reasons such as ‘I want to buy a brand new car’ to justify your request for a pay raise. - AFPpic
However, you also need to keep in mind your performance, level of experience, length of time in your company and the frequency with which you go the extra mile to perform tasks outside your standard job scope.
# Make a list of accomplishments. Remember that the people who decide your salary are concerned with the company’s budget, not your personal budget. They are looking for proven results from you.
Keep a scoreboard that keeps track of the high-value projects you have completed and the results achieved. Or gather sales reports or copies of client testimonials that highlight your outstanding service.
Decide what you want
# Be open about your desired salary. While you can give your boss a number first or let him initiate the salary negotiation, you should have a specific figure in mind. Whether that figure is a 10 per cent increment or an extra week of leave will depend on your boss’ assessment of your performance and current situation.
- Propose alternatives. If your boss or company is unable to meet your desired salary request, prepare an alternative means of compensation. It could be a work-from-home privilege or even a bigger performance-based bonus.
Ask for a meeting
# Time it right. No boss has to give you a raise simply because you want one. A good time to approach your manager is if you have been with the company for a period of time and have not had a raise, your research shows that you are not compensated at a level on par with your colleagues, or if your responsibilities have significantly increased.
Tell your boss you have something important to discuss. Be sensitive to his stress levels and workload, or your requests will be seen as an unwelcome distraction. Arrange a meeting that will enable you to make your case and sell your argument.
Practise
# Practise with a friend. Rehearse your meeting with a friend. Make your case and play out all the possible outcomes.
# Anticipate objections. Think of everything your boss may bring up as a reason not to give you a raise. For instance, this is not the right time or the budget is insufficient. Prepare responses to every possible objection.
Make your pitch
# When to ask. Friday afternoon is normally a good time to ask for a pay rise because it gives your boss time over the weekend to go over your pitch, and to work out how he will justify your salary increment to higher management.
# Stay calm. Do not be emotional in the negotiation. This is a conversation between you and your superior about your proven value to the company. Do not become defensive, get angry, beg or cry.
# Don’t issue an ultimatum. No manager likes to be threatened by “more pay or I quit”. Remember that your goal is to get the raise, not annoy your boss.
# Be professional. Never use personal reasons to justify your request for a pay raise. “I want to buy a brand new car” is not a valid reason. Focus on your professional achievements, and discuss how you can contribute more to your company.
Evaluate the outcome
# Make it official. If you get a pay rise, congratulations! But remember to have your boss or the HR department put it in writing. When does it go into effect? Is it retroactive? If you were given additional benefits or privileges, ensure that they are documented as well.
# Prepare a back-up plan. If a pay rise is not in your company’s budget, consider negotiating other benefits, such as a flexible schedule or a bigger performance-based bonus. If these requests are denied, ask your boss what goals need to be achieved to get a future pay raise. Arrange a date for a follow-up meeting to discuss your progress towards these goals.
# Be polite. Remember to be courteous and professional. It always helps to emphasise that you want to stay long-term with a company that supports your professional and financial goals.
Article by Terence Tan, general manager with SkyQuestCom
You don’t have to quit your job to find one that pays better, but you do need to speak up. Here’s how you can negotiate successfully for a pay raise:
Do your homework
# Get an idea of your worth. It is important to find out the average salary for the role that you do. Talk to people in your industry and use salary surveys that can be found on job recruitment websites.
Never use personal reasons such as ‘I want to buy a brand new car’ to justify your request for a pay raise. - AFPpic
However, you also need to keep in mind your performance, level of experience, length of time in your company and the frequency with which you go the extra mile to perform tasks outside your standard job scope.
# Make a list of accomplishments. Remember that the people who decide your salary are concerned with the company’s budget, not your personal budget. They are looking for proven results from you.
Keep a scoreboard that keeps track of the high-value projects you have completed and the results achieved. Or gather sales reports or copies of client testimonials that highlight your outstanding service.
Decide what you want
# Be open about your desired salary. While you can give your boss a number first or let him initiate the salary negotiation, you should have a specific figure in mind. Whether that figure is a 10 per cent increment or an extra week of leave will depend on your boss’ assessment of your performance and current situation.
- Propose alternatives. If your boss or company is unable to meet your desired salary request, prepare an alternative means of compensation. It could be a work-from-home privilege or even a bigger performance-based bonus.
Ask for a meeting
# Time it right. No boss has to give you a raise simply because you want one. A good time to approach your manager is if you have been with the company for a period of time and have not had a raise, your research shows that you are not compensated at a level on par with your colleagues, or if your responsibilities have significantly increased.
Tell your boss you have something important to discuss. Be sensitive to his stress levels and workload, or your requests will be seen as an unwelcome distraction. Arrange a meeting that will enable you to make your case and sell your argument.
Practise
# Practise with a friend. Rehearse your meeting with a friend. Make your case and play out all the possible outcomes.
# Anticipate objections. Think of everything your boss may bring up as a reason not to give you a raise. For instance, this is not the right time or the budget is insufficient. Prepare responses to every possible objection.
Make your pitch
# When to ask. Friday afternoon is normally a good time to ask for a pay rise because it gives your boss time over the weekend to go over your pitch, and to work out how he will justify your salary increment to higher management.
# Stay calm. Do not be emotional in the negotiation. This is a conversation between you and your superior about your proven value to the company. Do not become defensive, get angry, beg or cry.
# Don’t issue an ultimatum. No manager likes to be threatened by “more pay or I quit”. Remember that your goal is to get the raise, not annoy your boss.
# Be professional. Never use personal reasons to justify your request for a pay raise. “I want to buy a brand new car” is not a valid reason. Focus on your professional achievements, and discuss how you can contribute more to your company.
Evaluate the outcome
# Make it official. If you get a pay rise, congratulations! But remember to have your boss or the HR department put it in writing. When does it go into effect? Is it retroactive? If you were given additional benefits or privileges, ensure that they are documented as well.
# Prepare a back-up plan. If a pay rise is not in your company’s budget, consider negotiating other benefits, such as a flexible schedule or a bigger performance-based bonus. If these requests are denied, ask your boss what goals need to be achieved to get a future pay raise. Arrange a date for a follow-up meeting to discuss your progress towards these goals.
# Be polite. Remember to be courteous and professional. It always helps to emphasise that you want to stay long-term with a company that supports your professional and financial goals.
Article by Terence Tan, general manager with SkyQuestCom
Motivate your team
DURING a recession, most people start thinking about their career. If you’re like most people, you will give some thought as to what the year might hold for you. Will you lose your job? Will you get promoted? Will you get a pay rise? Should you start looking around for something else?
If you think like this, the chances are the members of your team do so as well.
And if senior management sends you messages like “profits are down”, “we need to increase sales” or “we might have to rationalise or restructure”, you have your work cut out when it comes to keeping your team productive and motivated.
When people are distracted and stressed, they make mistakes, get into petty arguments and generally can make life in the office a living hell! This is not something that’s going to show you in the best light at the management meetings.
As their manager or team leader, what can you do to help the situation? Here are five ways to keep your staff motivated during a recession.
1 Communicate
Nothing stresses people out more than not knowing what’s going on. People are always willing to think the worst. Make sure that your team can come to you and get answers.
Equally when you have information that’s relevant to them, make sure you keep them all in the loop.
Don’t make the mistake of assuming that because someone was in the office when you were telling someone else about it that they were listening or even realised that what you were talking about was relevant to them. Have frank discussions and include all the people who are involved.
2 Be honest
You need to be as honest as possible with your team. Of course, this doesn’t mean that you divulge confidential information or discuss sensitive information inappropriately.
Being honest with them means explaining the reasons why things are happening. If priorities have changed, your team needs to know about it and when they understand the reasons why, they are generally a lot more co-operative than you might give them credit for.
They may not like what they’re being asked to do — take a pay cut or forgo a promotion — but if they understand why it’s important, you’ll get a much higher level of buy-in from them.
3 Lead by example
It’s your duty as a manager to act as a buffer between your team and the management tier above you.
To keep your team motivated and productive, you may need to shield them from any politics, panic or doom and gloom, but more than that, you must lead by example.
Even when things are tough, you’ve got to hold it together, be confident and be decisive — this is not a time for dithering or procrastinating. As far as getting the job done is concerned, it’s business as usual.
4 Be more strategic
At times like these, you need to be thinking ahead. Let your team deal with the minutiae and details.
If you allow yourself to get buried in day-to-day activities, you may find that all inspiration or creativity has been sapped from you.
When times are tough, the whole organisation is relying on its managers to spot opportunities, improve processes and find ways to get customers buying again.
You must keep yourself free to concentrate on the big picture.
5 Put a lid on gossip
Gossip has the potential to either damage someone’s reputation or cause widespread panic around the office, particularly if people are gossiping about looming redundancies, so the moment you find out about any gossip, deal with it.
The last thing you want is your best staff member to go and find another job because he thought, incorrectly, that he might be made redundant.
Listen, by all means, to find out what’s going on, but don’t start rumours or get caught up spreading them.
Your team needs you now more than they have ever needed you before. They need you to be strong and to lead them through the period of uncertainty.
Article by Hannah McNamara, the managing director of HRM Coaching Ltd in London, UK.
If you think like this, the chances are the members of your team do so as well.
And if senior management sends you messages like “profits are down”, “we need to increase sales” or “we might have to rationalise or restructure”, you have your work cut out when it comes to keeping your team productive and motivated.
When people are distracted and stressed, they make mistakes, get into petty arguments and generally can make life in the office a living hell! This is not something that’s going to show you in the best light at the management meetings.
As their manager or team leader, what can you do to help the situation? Here are five ways to keep your staff motivated during a recession.
1 Communicate
Nothing stresses people out more than not knowing what’s going on. People are always willing to think the worst. Make sure that your team can come to you and get answers.
Equally when you have information that’s relevant to them, make sure you keep them all in the loop.
Don’t make the mistake of assuming that because someone was in the office when you were telling someone else about it that they were listening or even realised that what you were talking about was relevant to them. Have frank discussions and include all the people who are involved.
2 Be honest
You need to be as honest as possible with your team. Of course, this doesn’t mean that you divulge confidential information or discuss sensitive information inappropriately.
Being honest with them means explaining the reasons why things are happening. If priorities have changed, your team needs to know about it and when they understand the reasons why, they are generally a lot more co-operative than you might give them credit for.
They may not like what they’re being asked to do — take a pay cut or forgo a promotion — but if they understand why it’s important, you’ll get a much higher level of buy-in from them.
3 Lead by example
It’s your duty as a manager to act as a buffer between your team and the management tier above you.
To keep your team motivated and productive, you may need to shield them from any politics, panic or doom and gloom, but more than that, you must lead by example.
Even when things are tough, you’ve got to hold it together, be confident and be decisive — this is not a time for dithering or procrastinating. As far as getting the job done is concerned, it’s business as usual.
4 Be more strategic
At times like these, you need to be thinking ahead. Let your team deal with the minutiae and details.
If you allow yourself to get buried in day-to-day activities, you may find that all inspiration or creativity has been sapped from you.
When times are tough, the whole organisation is relying on its managers to spot opportunities, improve processes and find ways to get customers buying again.
You must keep yourself free to concentrate on the big picture.
5 Put a lid on gossip
Gossip has the potential to either damage someone’s reputation or cause widespread panic around the office, particularly if people are gossiping about looming redundancies, so the moment you find out about any gossip, deal with it.
The last thing you want is your best staff member to go and find another job because he thought, incorrectly, that he might be made redundant.
Listen, by all means, to find out what’s going on, but don’t start rumours or get caught up spreading them.
Your team needs you now more than they have ever needed you before. They need you to be strong and to lead them through the period of uncertainty.
Article by Hannah McNamara, the managing director of HRM Coaching Ltd in London, UK.
21 Things Hiring Managers Wish You Knew
We actually want you to be honest.
I see too many job applicants who approach the interview as if their only goal is to win a job offer, losing sight of the fact that this can land them in the wrong job. Think of it like dating. This means being honest about your strengths and weaknesses and giving the hiring manager a glimpse of the real you, so he or she can make an informed decision about how well you'd do in the job.
We pay attention to the small stuff.
Frequently, I see candidates act as if only “official” contacts—like interviews and formal writing samples—count during the hiring process. They'll send flawless cover letters and then check up on their applications with sloppily written E-mails with spelling errors. Or they'll be charming and polite to me but rude to an assistant. I pay attention to how quickly a candidate responds to requests for writing samples and references, and even how fast he or she returns phone calls.
We want you to ask questions.
I encounter many candidates who don't have many—or even any—questions when I ask what I can answer for them. Your interviewer wants to know that you're interested in the details of the job, the department, your prospective supervisor's management style, and the culture of the organization. Otherwise, you risk signaling that you're either not that interested or just haven't thought very much about it.
We'd like a thank-you note right away.
E-mail is fine for this and has the advantage of arriving faster, but handwritten notes are still appreciated (and are increasingly unusual so will stand out). And if there are multiple interviews, send a thank-you note each time.
We're hoping for some enthusiasm.
Commonly, job seekers are too worried about looking desperate. It doesn't look desperate to express your interest in the job or check in to ask about the hiring timeline. However, enthusiasm does cross the line if you are calling more than once a week, calling earlier than the date they said they'd get back to you, sounding like you're eager to take any job as opposed to this one in particular, or appearing as if this is the only option you have.
We need to know your real weaknesses.
Claiming that your biggest weakness is perfectionism and you work too hard is disingenuous. It looks like you're avoiding the question. Candidates who can't or won't come up with a realistic assessment of areas where they could improve make me think they're lacking in insight and self-awareness—or, at a minimum, just making it impossible to have a real discussion of their potential fitness for the job. I want to know about your weaknesses not because I'm trying to trip you up, but because I genuinely care about making sure you're a good fit for the job.
You should address being overqualified in your cover letter.
If you don't acknowledge it, we're afraid that you'll be bored, that you don't understand the position, that the salary will be too low for you. We need to hear things like: “At this stage in my career, having a job I enjoy is more important to me than salary. I have no problem earning less than I have in the past.” Or, “I want to move into this field, and I know that I need to start at a lower level in order to do that.” Or, “I wouldn't take a job I'm not excited about.”
Your resume objective usually hurts you.
Your resume gets tossed when it lists an objective totally unrelated to the position I have open. Really, just get rid of the objective altogether. It rarely helps, often hurts, and always takes up valuable real estate that could be better used to showcase your accomplishments. If you want to talk about your career objective and how this position fits it, use the cover letter for that.
The phone interview is not a casual chat.
While the interviewer wants to get a sense of your personality, a phone interview is still an interview, not an informal phone call with a friend. Don't sound stiff, but don't use the same tone you'd use to talk about your date last night. I've phone-interviewed candidates who I'm pretty sure were lounging on the couch, watching the game with the sound down, and snacking while we talked.
You shouldn't count on our job offer.
Whatever you do, don't let up on your job search, no matter how confident you are that an offer is coming. Things change; other candidates come along; plans for the position evolve or even get canceled. Until you have a firm offer in hand, you have to proceed as if you don't, since ultimately you can control only your side of the process—so keep setting up those other interviews.
We may check references beyond your list.
Simply not listing that person as a reference isn't enough; Reference-checkers can call anyone you've worked for or who might know you, even if they aren't on the list you provide. In fact, smart reference-checkers will make a point of calling people not on your list, because presumably you've only listed the people most likely to present you in the best light.
We don't like being stalked.
When you're searching for a job, enthusiasm is a good thing. But some job applicants cross the line from enthusiastic and proactive to obnoxiously aggressive—and, in doing so, kill their chances at a job offer. You have crossed the line if you are doing any of the following: Checking on the status of your application daily; calling and hanging up when you get voice mail, over and over; cold-calling numerous employees in the same company.
Some of us actually care about candidates.
One of the biggest complaints I hear from job seekers who write to me at Ask a Manager is about companies that don't respond to job applicants: no rejection, nothing. Personally, I think it's inexcusable—throughout the hiring process, but particularly after a company has engaged with an applicant in some way, like a phone interview or an in-person interview. It's callous and dismissive and lacks any appreciation for the fact that the candidate is anxiously waiting to hear an answer—any answer—and keeps waiting and waiting, long after a decision has been made.
You can gain an edge with your cover letter.
Individualize. Yes, it takes a lot longer than sending out the same form letter over and over, but a well-written cover letter that's obviously individualized to a specific opening is going to open doors when your resume alone might not have. These account for such a tiny fraction of applications that you'll stand out and immediately go to the top of my pile. And I'll give you an extra look, even if your resume isn't stellar.
You can be too early to the interview.
Many interviewers are annoyed when candidates show up more than five or ten minutes early, since they may feel obligated to interrupt what they're doing and go out to greet the person, and some (like me) feel vaguely guilty leaving someone sitting in their reception area that long. Aim to walk in five minutes early, but no more than that.
You can leave the subjective descriptions off the resume.
Your resume is for experience and accomplishments only. It's not the place for subjective traits, like “great leadership skills” or “creative innovator.” I ignore anything subjective that an applicant writes about herself, because so many people's self-assessments are wildly inaccurate and I don't yet know enough about the candidate to have any idea if hers is reliable or not.
Your resume should answer one key question.
The vast majority of resumes I see read like a series of job descriptions, listing duties and responsibilities at each position the job applicant has held. But resumes that stand out do something very different. For each position, they answer the question: What did you accomplish in this job that someone else wouldn't have?
New grads need work experience.
I receive all too many resumes from recent grads who have literally no work experience: nothing, not internships, not temp jobs, nothing at all. Find a way to get actual work experience before you leave school. Do internships every semester you are able, so that you have experience on your resume. Paid, unpaid, whatever it takes. If a part-time job of a few hours a week is all you have time for outside of your classes, that's fine. Do that. No one will hire you? Find work experience as a volunteer—that counts too.
We think a lot about your personality.
You might not get hired because your working style would clash with the people you'd be working with. Often, one personality type will simply fit better into a department than another will, and that's the kind of thing that's very difficult (if not impossible) for a candidate to know. Remember, it's not just a question of whether you have the skills to do the job, it's also a question of fit for this particular position, with this particular boss, in this particular culture, in this particular company.
We want you to talk in interviews, but be concise.
There's always at least one otherwise-qualified candidate in any hiring round who kills their chances by being too long-winded. You might think, “Well, some people are long-winded, but it doesn't mean he wouldn't do a good job.” The problem is that, at a minimum, it signals that you're not good at picking up on conversational cues, and raises doubts about your ability to organize your thoughts and convey needed information quickly.
Be honest in interviews, but don't spill about a bad boss.
You're far better off explaining that you're looking for new challenges, excited about this particular opportunity, taking the time to find something right, and so forth. I'm not crazy about advising someone to be anything less than forthright, and I don't normally recommend it, but in this area, the potential for giving an employer an bad impression is just too great to do it safely.
by Alison Green, U.S.News & World Report, L.P.
I see too many job applicants who approach the interview as if their only goal is to win a job offer, losing sight of the fact that this can land them in the wrong job. Think of it like dating. This means being honest about your strengths and weaknesses and giving the hiring manager a glimpse of the real you, so he or she can make an informed decision about how well you'd do in the job.
We pay attention to the small stuff.
Frequently, I see candidates act as if only “official” contacts—like interviews and formal writing samples—count during the hiring process. They'll send flawless cover letters and then check up on their applications with sloppily written E-mails with spelling errors. Or they'll be charming and polite to me but rude to an assistant. I pay attention to how quickly a candidate responds to requests for writing samples and references, and even how fast he or she returns phone calls.
We want you to ask questions.
I encounter many candidates who don't have many—or even any—questions when I ask what I can answer for them. Your interviewer wants to know that you're interested in the details of the job, the department, your prospective supervisor's management style, and the culture of the organization. Otherwise, you risk signaling that you're either not that interested or just haven't thought very much about it.
We'd like a thank-you note right away.
E-mail is fine for this and has the advantage of arriving faster, but handwritten notes are still appreciated (and are increasingly unusual so will stand out). And if there are multiple interviews, send a thank-you note each time.
We're hoping for some enthusiasm.
Commonly, job seekers are too worried about looking desperate. It doesn't look desperate to express your interest in the job or check in to ask about the hiring timeline. However, enthusiasm does cross the line if you are calling more than once a week, calling earlier than the date they said they'd get back to you, sounding like you're eager to take any job as opposed to this one in particular, or appearing as if this is the only option you have.
We need to know your real weaknesses.
Claiming that your biggest weakness is perfectionism and you work too hard is disingenuous. It looks like you're avoiding the question. Candidates who can't or won't come up with a realistic assessment of areas where they could improve make me think they're lacking in insight and self-awareness—or, at a minimum, just making it impossible to have a real discussion of their potential fitness for the job. I want to know about your weaknesses not because I'm trying to trip you up, but because I genuinely care about making sure you're a good fit for the job.
You should address being overqualified in your cover letter.
If you don't acknowledge it, we're afraid that you'll be bored, that you don't understand the position, that the salary will be too low for you. We need to hear things like: “At this stage in my career, having a job I enjoy is more important to me than salary. I have no problem earning less than I have in the past.” Or, “I want to move into this field, and I know that I need to start at a lower level in order to do that.” Or, “I wouldn't take a job I'm not excited about.”
Your resume objective usually hurts you.
Your resume gets tossed when it lists an objective totally unrelated to the position I have open. Really, just get rid of the objective altogether. It rarely helps, often hurts, and always takes up valuable real estate that could be better used to showcase your accomplishments. If you want to talk about your career objective and how this position fits it, use the cover letter for that.
The phone interview is not a casual chat.
While the interviewer wants to get a sense of your personality, a phone interview is still an interview, not an informal phone call with a friend. Don't sound stiff, but don't use the same tone you'd use to talk about your date last night. I've phone-interviewed candidates who I'm pretty sure were lounging on the couch, watching the game with the sound down, and snacking while we talked.
You shouldn't count on our job offer.
Whatever you do, don't let up on your job search, no matter how confident you are that an offer is coming. Things change; other candidates come along; plans for the position evolve or even get canceled. Until you have a firm offer in hand, you have to proceed as if you don't, since ultimately you can control only your side of the process—so keep setting up those other interviews.
We may check references beyond your list.
Simply not listing that person as a reference isn't enough; Reference-checkers can call anyone you've worked for or who might know you, even if they aren't on the list you provide. In fact, smart reference-checkers will make a point of calling people not on your list, because presumably you've only listed the people most likely to present you in the best light.
We don't like being stalked.
When you're searching for a job, enthusiasm is a good thing. But some job applicants cross the line from enthusiastic and proactive to obnoxiously aggressive—and, in doing so, kill their chances at a job offer. You have crossed the line if you are doing any of the following: Checking on the status of your application daily; calling and hanging up when you get voice mail, over and over; cold-calling numerous employees in the same company.
Some of us actually care about candidates.
One of the biggest complaints I hear from job seekers who write to me at Ask a Manager is about companies that don't respond to job applicants: no rejection, nothing. Personally, I think it's inexcusable—throughout the hiring process, but particularly after a company has engaged with an applicant in some way, like a phone interview or an in-person interview. It's callous and dismissive and lacks any appreciation for the fact that the candidate is anxiously waiting to hear an answer—any answer—and keeps waiting and waiting, long after a decision has been made.
You can gain an edge with your cover letter.
Individualize. Yes, it takes a lot longer than sending out the same form letter over and over, but a well-written cover letter that's obviously individualized to a specific opening is going to open doors when your resume alone might not have. These account for such a tiny fraction of applications that you'll stand out and immediately go to the top of my pile. And I'll give you an extra look, even if your resume isn't stellar.
You can be too early to the interview.
Many interviewers are annoyed when candidates show up more than five or ten minutes early, since they may feel obligated to interrupt what they're doing and go out to greet the person, and some (like me) feel vaguely guilty leaving someone sitting in their reception area that long. Aim to walk in five minutes early, but no more than that.
You can leave the subjective descriptions off the resume.
Your resume is for experience and accomplishments only. It's not the place for subjective traits, like “great leadership skills” or “creative innovator.” I ignore anything subjective that an applicant writes about herself, because so many people's self-assessments are wildly inaccurate and I don't yet know enough about the candidate to have any idea if hers is reliable or not.
Your resume should answer one key question.
The vast majority of resumes I see read like a series of job descriptions, listing duties and responsibilities at each position the job applicant has held. But resumes that stand out do something very different. For each position, they answer the question: What did you accomplish in this job that someone else wouldn't have?
New grads need work experience.
I receive all too many resumes from recent grads who have literally no work experience: nothing, not internships, not temp jobs, nothing at all. Find a way to get actual work experience before you leave school. Do internships every semester you are able, so that you have experience on your resume. Paid, unpaid, whatever it takes. If a part-time job of a few hours a week is all you have time for outside of your classes, that's fine. Do that. No one will hire you? Find work experience as a volunteer—that counts too.
We think a lot about your personality.
You might not get hired because your working style would clash with the people you'd be working with. Often, one personality type will simply fit better into a department than another will, and that's the kind of thing that's very difficult (if not impossible) for a candidate to know. Remember, it's not just a question of whether you have the skills to do the job, it's also a question of fit for this particular position, with this particular boss, in this particular culture, in this particular company.
We want you to talk in interviews, but be concise.
There's always at least one otherwise-qualified candidate in any hiring round who kills their chances by being too long-winded. You might think, “Well, some people are long-winded, but it doesn't mean he wouldn't do a good job.” The problem is that, at a minimum, it signals that you're not good at picking up on conversational cues, and raises doubts about your ability to organize your thoughts and convey needed information quickly.
Be honest in interviews, but don't spill about a bad boss.
You're far better off explaining that you're looking for new challenges, excited about this particular opportunity, taking the time to find something right, and so forth. I'm not crazy about advising someone to be anything less than forthright, and I don't normally recommend it, but in this area, the potential for giving an employer an bad impression is just too great to do it safely.
by Alison Green, U.S.News & World Report, L.P.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
10 myths about creativity
Many myths have developed around the creative process. Here are some common ones:
1 Creativity is inborn
Everyone is born creative. In the process of growing up, getting an education and adapting to the environment, you slowly put up blocks to your creativity and forget you had it in the first place.
A common myth is that creativity applies to science and fine arts only. - AFPpic
The difference between a creative person and a person who is not is that the latter has lost his creativity.
2 Creativity can be developed
Methods are useful as stepping stones to becoming more creative, but eventually they act as mental straitjackets. They hinder creativity for the simple reason that creativity is not a predetermined path. It is about laying out your own path.
While methods come from experience, creativity is a foray into the unknown. There can therefore be no formulas or recipes for being creative.
3 Creative people are weird
Well, some of them may come across as weird, but most are regular people who wear a tie and have bosses to report to. The truth is everyone is creative in their own way.
It may be a hard pill to swallow, but even the stuffiest, most straight-laced person can be as creative as anyone else. It’s how and how much you use your capacity for creativity that counts.
Many of us have a stereotyped image of “creative” people — they invariably wear unconventional clothes and have untamed hair and a variety of body piercings. Well, these “creative types” in most cases are creative, but research in this field also shows that anyone with normal intelligence is capable of doing some degree of creative work.
Creativity depends on experience, knowledge, technical skills, talent, the ability to think in new ways and the capacity to push through uncreative dry spells.
5 Creativity is spontaneous
Everyone has experienced that moment, when seemingly out of nowhere, a brilliant idea is born. It can happen anytime and anywhere. But the opposite is not necessarily untrue.
Scientists have discovered that creativity is mostly conscious, hard work. Mozart’s “spontaneous inspirations” were no accident. The composer worked incredibly hard and was enormously productive.
6 Creativity applies to science and fine arts only
Creativity can enhance and enrich every experience, whether it involves work, relationships, investing, sports and even accounting.
7 Pressure situations spark creativity
High-pressure situations work for many people. Some people come up with wonderful ideas when their backs are up against the wall. at the same time, relaxed situations and environments also tend to spur ideas in a lot of people. The key is to identify what works best for you.
8 Competitive situations foster creativity
Competition pushes people to generate many ideas. Sometimes, companies create an environment where the employee with the best idea is rewarded. While this method does work, it works for all the wrong reasons. By keeping ideas to themselves, employees don’t allow their ideas to be refined by someone else’s input.
Collaboration gives an extra fillip to even the best ideas. Without it, the idea is limited by just one person’s perspective.
9 Creativity is a specialist’s job
It’s amazing how many people discount “professional” creativity as something reserved for people such as designers and writers.
Just about any job can be helped by a healthy dose of creative thinking. Many innovative improvements in a company’s work processes have their origin on the factory floor.
10 Creative people always have great ideas
What is closer to the truth is that most creative people have a few great ideas that stand out from a barrel of average ones. Creative people encounter failure like anyone else, but it drives them to try even harder.
Article by Shalu Wasu, a Singapore-based trainer and consultant.
1 Creativity is inborn
Everyone is born creative. In the process of growing up, getting an education and adapting to the environment, you slowly put up blocks to your creativity and forget you had it in the first place.
A common myth is that creativity applies to science and fine arts only. - AFPpic
The difference between a creative person and a person who is not is that the latter has lost his creativity.
2 Creativity can be developed
Methods are useful as stepping stones to becoming more creative, but eventually they act as mental straitjackets. They hinder creativity for the simple reason that creativity is not a predetermined path. It is about laying out your own path.
While methods come from experience, creativity is a foray into the unknown. There can therefore be no formulas or recipes for being creative.
3 Creative people are weird
Well, some of them may come across as weird, but most are regular people who wear a tie and have bosses to report to. The truth is everyone is creative in their own way.
It may be a hard pill to swallow, but even the stuffiest, most straight-laced person can be as creative as anyone else. It’s how and how much you use your capacity for creativity that counts.
Many of us have a stereotyped image of “creative” people — they invariably wear unconventional clothes and have untamed hair and a variety of body piercings. Well, these “creative types” in most cases are creative, but research in this field also shows that anyone with normal intelligence is capable of doing some degree of creative work.
Creativity depends on experience, knowledge, technical skills, talent, the ability to think in new ways and the capacity to push through uncreative dry spells.
5 Creativity is spontaneous
Everyone has experienced that moment, when seemingly out of nowhere, a brilliant idea is born. It can happen anytime and anywhere. But the opposite is not necessarily untrue.
Scientists have discovered that creativity is mostly conscious, hard work. Mozart’s “spontaneous inspirations” were no accident. The composer worked incredibly hard and was enormously productive.
6 Creativity applies to science and fine arts only
Creativity can enhance and enrich every experience, whether it involves work, relationships, investing, sports and even accounting.
7 Pressure situations spark creativity
High-pressure situations work for many people. Some people come up with wonderful ideas when their backs are up against the wall. at the same time, relaxed situations and environments also tend to spur ideas in a lot of people. The key is to identify what works best for you.
8 Competitive situations foster creativity
Competition pushes people to generate many ideas. Sometimes, companies create an environment where the employee with the best idea is rewarded. While this method does work, it works for all the wrong reasons. By keeping ideas to themselves, employees don’t allow their ideas to be refined by someone else’s input.
Collaboration gives an extra fillip to even the best ideas. Without it, the idea is limited by just one person’s perspective.
9 Creativity is a specialist’s job
It’s amazing how many people discount “professional” creativity as something reserved for people such as designers and writers.
Just about any job can be helped by a healthy dose of creative thinking. Many innovative improvements in a company’s work processes have their origin on the factory floor.
10 Creative people always have great ideas
What is closer to the truth is that most creative people have a few great ideas that stand out from a barrel of average ones. Creative people encounter failure like anyone else, but it drives them to try even harder.
Article by Shalu Wasu, a Singapore-based trainer and consultant.
Hiring women in the workplace
Women today have been described as the main driving force behind decades of growth.
With technology and education within reach, women have infiltrated the gender barrier over the decades, and are now able to ascend the corporate ladder and start their own business ventures, which were previously dominated by men.
It is estimated that women account for more than half of the world’s output. By 2025, the number of women in the workforce is expected to surpass men by 2 to 11. In the United States alone, women hold 49.1 per cent of the nation’s jobs, while in Asia, the female labour force participation has been growing steadily over the last five years. Nonetheless, more can be done to encourage women, particularly those who have been out of the workforce, to come back to work.
Workplace diversity
Diversity in the workplace is key to maintaining an organisation’s competitive advantage. Research has shown that a diverse workforce not only promotes creativity, but also encourages critical analysis. This is helpful in improving company practices and services. The positive vibe will help to attract the best talents and develop the company’s brand as an employer of choice.
Talent comes in all shapes and sizes and from various backgrounds and lifestyles — new mothers and mature women with grown children included. Such diversity can bring positive change to the organisation. For example, in a traditionally male-dominated industry, women can not only bring a refreshing change to the workplace but also present alternative perspectives.
With the current economic climate and widespread retrenchments, skill shortages are prevalent in some industries while those who were spared the axe are faced with greatly increased workloads. Women rejoining or entering the workforce, especially trained professionals who have been upgrading themselves, can help to bridge skills gaps.
However, while many women are keen to enter or re-join the workforce, they face unique challenges such as the fear of prejudice from employers or the difficulty of translating their skills in raising children and managing the household to the corporate world.
The glass ceiling
According to a study by the University of Texas in the United States, the top three reasons why women exit the workforce are family-centric — personal or familial obligations, excessive work hours that prevented them from meeting familial obligations and the personal choice to be a stay-at-home wife or mother.
Recessions will compel many women to enter or rejoin the workforce to supplement the household income. However, many of them will find themselves disadvantaged primarily because they have been out of the workplace for some time and their skills are no longer relevant.
Furthermore, with employers’ more stringent hiring requirements, these women face fierce competition from the retrenched, fresh graduates and mid-career switchers.
Additionally, women’s obligations to family are also seen negatively by some employers who equate family priorities to lack of commitment. Such perceptions also hamper women’s opportunities to advance their careers.
Paradigm shift
To attract and retain valuable women staff, there must be a paradigm shift where mindsets are concerned. Working mothers and older women can still contribute to the organisation, given a supportive work environment to help them balance work and family commitments.
During tough economic times, flexibility can bring some of the best talent to fill in the gaps, especially if hiring permanent employees is not an option. Studies have shown that organisations with high levels of flexibility reported strong job satisfaction.
For women who are keen on returning to the workforce full-time, part-time or flexi-work can also be implemented as a gradual transition to full-time work. For working mothers, flexible working arrangements can help them manage their familial obligations without compromising their responsibilities at work.
Additionally, career development or leadership programmes not only motivate working mothers, but also demonstrate how they are valued by their employers. Such practices will promote loyal staff while building up the employer brand.
With a supportive network and family-friendly environment, working women can more easily attend to their personal lives and individual career goals. Being more focused and committed at work would mean they are able to contribute to the organisation to the best of their abilities.
Article by Josh Goh, senior corporate services manager of The GMP Group, a staffing and human resource consultancy
With technology and education within reach, women have infiltrated the gender barrier over the decades, and are now able to ascend the corporate ladder and start their own business ventures, which were previously dominated by men.
It is estimated that women account for more than half of the world’s output. By 2025, the number of women in the workforce is expected to surpass men by 2 to 11. In the United States alone, women hold 49.1 per cent of the nation’s jobs, while in Asia, the female labour force participation has been growing steadily over the last five years. Nonetheless, more can be done to encourage women, particularly those who have been out of the workforce, to come back to work.
Workplace diversity
Diversity in the workplace is key to maintaining an organisation’s competitive advantage. Research has shown that a diverse workforce not only promotes creativity, but also encourages critical analysis. This is helpful in improving company practices and services. The positive vibe will help to attract the best talents and develop the company’s brand as an employer of choice.
Talent comes in all shapes and sizes and from various backgrounds and lifestyles — new mothers and mature women with grown children included. Such diversity can bring positive change to the organisation. For example, in a traditionally male-dominated industry, women can not only bring a refreshing change to the workplace but also present alternative perspectives.
With the current economic climate and widespread retrenchments, skill shortages are prevalent in some industries while those who were spared the axe are faced with greatly increased workloads. Women rejoining or entering the workforce, especially trained professionals who have been upgrading themselves, can help to bridge skills gaps.
However, while many women are keen to enter or re-join the workforce, they face unique challenges such as the fear of prejudice from employers or the difficulty of translating their skills in raising children and managing the household to the corporate world.
The glass ceiling
According to a study by the University of Texas in the United States, the top three reasons why women exit the workforce are family-centric — personal or familial obligations, excessive work hours that prevented them from meeting familial obligations and the personal choice to be a stay-at-home wife or mother.
Recessions will compel many women to enter or rejoin the workforce to supplement the household income. However, many of them will find themselves disadvantaged primarily because they have been out of the workplace for some time and their skills are no longer relevant.
Furthermore, with employers’ more stringent hiring requirements, these women face fierce competition from the retrenched, fresh graduates and mid-career switchers.
Additionally, women’s obligations to family are also seen negatively by some employers who equate family priorities to lack of commitment. Such perceptions also hamper women’s opportunities to advance their careers.
Paradigm shift
To attract and retain valuable women staff, there must be a paradigm shift where mindsets are concerned. Working mothers and older women can still contribute to the organisation, given a supportive work environment to help them balance work and family commitments.
During tough economic times, flexibility can bring some of the best talent to fill in the gaps, especially if hiring permanent employees is not an option. Studies have shown that organisations with high levels of flexibility reported strong job satisfaction.
For women who are keen on returning to the workforce full-time, part-time or flexi-work can also be implemented as a gradual transition to full-time work. For working mothers, flexible working arrangements can help them manage their familial obligations without compromising their responsibilities at work.
Additionally, career development or leadership programmes not only motivate working mothers, but also demonstrate how they are valued by their employers. Such practices will promote loyal staff while building up the employer brand.
With a supportive network and family-friendly environment, working women can more easily attend to their personal lives and individual career goals. Being more focused and committed at work would mean they are able to contribute to the organisation to the best of their abilities.
Article by Josh Goh, senior corporate services manager of The GMP Group, a staffing and human resource consultancy
Stress 101
Stress can affect us in many different ways, and we need to learn to cope with it effectively.
TO have some pressure in our lives is normal and, indeed, unavoidable. But when there is too much pressure, or it goes on for too long, and it becomes more than we can cope with, then our health can suffer. This unpleasant reaction to too much pressure or other types of demands placed on us is called stress.
Think of blood pressure – we all have it, but when it gets high, we should do something about it. Stress is just the same.
We tend to think that stress comes from being too busy and pressured, but it can be just as difficult to cope when we are in a situation where we do not have enough, or don’t have anything, to do. – Reuters
What is stress?
When we find ourselves under some kind of pressure, our bodies respond automatically by releasing adrenaline to ensure we are prepared for action and are able to meet the challenges before us:
·Muscles become tense
·Our breathing becomes faster and shallower in an effort to get more air into the body, and we may feel breathless
·Heart races
·We feel like we want to run, yet legs might turn to jelly
·The mind is racing and we may feel dizzy and lightheaded
·We have difficulty swallowing
·We may feel sick
·We shiver or sweat more than usual
This automatic reaction to a threatening situation is known as the “fight or flight” response. The body produces hormones, including one called adrenaline, which help prepare our bodies either to run away or be poised and ready to react.
These changes are short-lived and recede when the pressure or threat stops. The body’s response sharpens our mental and physical skills, focuses our attention, fires us up and is generally very helpful in helping us cope with pressure.
Too much pressure, on the other hand, makes us less productive and often results in health problems. So an acceptable amount of pressure can make us feel good and too much can make us feel vulnerable and out of control.
Stress affects people of all ages and from all walks of life. One in five people has a problem with stress at any given time, and that figure is reflected around the world.
We tend to think that stress comes from being too busy and pressured, but it can be just as difficult to cope when we are in a situation where we do not have enough to do. Being unemployed or in a boring job which we don’t enjoy, for example, can make us frustrated and stressed and we can find ourselves at a low ebb.
Some people learn to live with it and use it positively; others find it impossible to switch off and struggle to cope.
Although our bodies react to excessive mental pressure, it is not a physical problem. However it can make us more prone to illness. It can also affect our immune systems so that we can take longer to recover from illness.
However, it is important to keep in perspective all the physical effects of stress. Given all the risk factors for a heart attack, for example, stress is a comparatively minor risk factor. However, to cope with stress, many people eat more fatty foods, drink alcohol, and smoke, all of which are linked with an increased risk of heart disease.
Stress affects us in different ways:
The way it affects our thoughts:
·We worry too much about things that we know do not merit such worry
·We find it hard to concentrate
·We have difficulty making decisions
The way it affects our feelings:
·We feel worthless, hopeless, and depressed at the prospect of never getting on top of things or finishing anything
·We have difficulty relaxing
·We constantly expect the worst to happen
The way it affects our behaviour:
·We are constantly tired and on edge, and irritable with those around us
·Minor interruptions, delays or frustrations can make us irritated, distressed or angry
·We lose interest in food or over eat
·We smoke or drink too much
The way it affects our body:
·We have panic attacks
·Our usual sleep patterns become disturbed, so that we find it hard to fall asleep, or need much more sleep
·We suffer from physical health problems like headaches, indigestion or a sore back
·We lose our sex drive
Understanding stress
If we look at our lives, we may be able to identify particular areas of our lives which can cause stress. These may include: l Problems with relationships
·Money worries
·Coping with unemployment or redundancy
·Problems at work – work changes, an excessive workload, anxiety about a promotion, or job security
·Worries about personal health or the health of those close to us
·Poor housing
·Poor education
·Feeling isolated or lonely, lacking support
·Being abused or harassed
·Being discriminated against on the grounds of sexual orientation, gender, race or ethnic origin
·Lacking control over our lives
·Environmental factors like pollution, extreme temperatures or noise
Some of these things we cannot foresee. They happen to us out of the blue. Others are unavoidable, events or changes over which we have little control, although we may feel that we are in some way to blame and have brought this on ourselves.
We may also fall into the trap of feeling that we should be able to cope, no matter what has happened.
As well as the demands made on us by other people, each of us makes demands on ourselves. We may aim to achieve certain things, whether at work, at home, or in our personal lives. We have expectations of what we should be able to do.
If we find that we cannot meet the standards we have set ourselves, we may put ourselves under pressure to do better. That can produce an enormous amount of stress, despite the fact that our expectations may have been unrealistic in the first place or that we have been prevented from meeting them by things beyond our control.
Some people become more vulnerable to stress after a traumatic experience. Perhaps they have been bereaved, have been the victim of a serious crime, or have suddenly become unemployed. As time passes, they may find it difficult to recover, to get back on top of things, and instead feel constantly overwhelmed.
It is often a gradual build-up of stress from various different sources that can take us to breaking point, rather than one obvious trigger.
There are many steps we can take to learn to handle situations differently so that we are less likely to feel stressed. These are outlined later. It is important to remember however, that it is not necessarily our fault that we are reacting in this way. We may find ourselves in intolerable situations, and we may have to make changes in our lives to make them more bearable.
What you can do
Stress can make it hard for us to cope with day-to-day demands. We become more and more exhausted, tense, and irritable. Other people find it hard to be with us, and even the closest relationships can become fraught. The whole experience can make us feel we are losing control over our lives and that there is no way of regaining that control.
We may feel we have to give ourselves a kick to get over the stress we feel, but that kind of self-punishment can be destructive and can diminish our self confidence and self-esteem. We become more isolated, which leads to depression and further isolation. It becomes a vicious circle.
Instead of creating such a self-destructive spiral, we can learn to accept that there are very real reasons for us to be stressed. So by accepting that there are reasons for our stress, we can then take steps to help us reduce the effects and to learn to cope.
What works for each of us may be different, but these are some things that may help:
·Work out what it is that is making you feel stressed and what you can do about it. There may be some things that you cannot change, or not immediately, but there may be others that you can alter.
For instance, if you feel swamped by the amount of work you have, try to sort out – perhaps with the help of a colleague or supervisor – which tasks are most pressing and then give them priority.
·Relieving stress is about how you handle it. Relaxation is an important factor in releasing tense muscles and clearing and calming the mind. Relaxation of muscles through massage can also be beneficial. Deep breathing exercises too can play a part in relieving stress. You can find our more about relaxation techniques from your doctor or counselor.
·Allow yourself a breathing space. Treat yourself to something you enjoy.
·Physical activity can boost your mood, self-esteem and body image, improve sleep, and reduce reactions to stress. Exercise has been shown to reduce anxiety and treat depression. If you have any concerns about your health, or any illness or injury, speak to your doctor before becoming more active.
·Try to eat and drink sensibly. Drink, drugs, and cigarettes in excess are not good long-term solutions to stress. We only find ourselves needing more and more to cope.
·Avoid stimulants such as caffeine, not only in coffee and tea, but also in fizzy drinks and high-energy drinks. Some cold remedies and headache tablets have a lot of caffeine in them, which can add up when taken throughout the day.
·Try to make sure you get enough sleep. Try to stick to a routine of going to sleep at the same time every night, and getting up at the same time every day. Try not to eat or drink a lot late at night and don’t drink a lot of alcohol – it may help you fall asleep, but you may wake up during the night.
Avoid working in bed. Make sure that your bed and bedroom are comfortable – not too hot, not too cold, not too noisy.
·Find someone you can talk to and use their support to talk through your feelings. Not everyone finds this easy. But it may be a surprise to discover that others are feeling the same way as you.
·If you’re not the sort of person that finds it easy to talk about your feelings, try taking up a sport or a hobby along with other people. It can prove to be a good form of relaxation and distraction.
·Try to pace yourself and tackle one thing at a time. Be realistic about what you expect of yourself. Learn to say “no” to other people, some of the time at least. Set aside time for yourself to do what you enjoy.
·Some people find spiritual practice helps either in the context of religion, or in something less structured, such as meditation. In a group setting, it can provide the additional benefit of social support.
Getting help
A lot can be gained from meeting other people with similar experiences. It can be valuable to find out we are not alone and to learn how others cope or have coped with similar sorts of difficulties. The encouragement and support from other people who understand what we are going through can be helpful.
A self-help approach can be an important part of treating stress, and self-help books can help us find out important information about it, and how it affects us.
They can also help us learn new skills to help us challenge worrying thoughts, and to help us learn ways of building confidence and facing up to fears.
It can be very helpful too to learn some relaxation techniques. In addition, many people find it helpful to attend a self-help group, which can provide mutual support and are an important source of information.
We may find that what we can do on our own is not enough, but sometimes it can be difficult to accept help too. It can be hard for us to be open about our fears and anxieties, but it can also be an enormous relief to stop putting on a brave front and to find that other people can help us overcome our problems.
There are different sources of support available, each offering different kinds of help. It is worth finding out what is available locally.
Counseling and psychotherapy
It can be valuable to have an opportunity to talk things over with someone outside your immediate circle of family and friends. Counseling and psychotherapy give people the chance to talk through their problems. Both focus on present day feelings and difficulties, which may be current or rooted in the past, and enable us to take more control of our life and to cope in the longer-term.
There are many types of treatments that are termed “therapy” and it is important to make a distinction between relaxing therapies like aromatherapy and reflexology, which help cope with the problem without actually addressing the causes, and psychotherapies that support people and help them address the causes themselves, and provide a long term solution.
Apart from finding which approach suits us best, we also need to find a counselor or therapist we feel we can trust.
Medical treatment
A large proportion of visits to the doctor are stress-related, but many more people do not seek medical help and struggle to deal with it on their own. It may be that they do not realize they have a problem. Some people are embarrassed to admit they have stress. Others may not be ready to ask for help, or may not believe that the doctor will understand or even know how to deal with the problem.
Some people will turn to their doctor when they experience the first physical signs of stress. It is important to have a check-up to rule out the possibility of physical illness.
You may also want to talk about alternatives to drug treatment, such as counseling, psychotherapy or self-help.
A prescription of anti-anxiety medication may be made (for example benzodiazepines, which are tranquillisers). They can offer some relief and can be helpful in the short term to get through a crisis. Regular use of these drugs may lead to dependence and is likely to result in the return of fear or panic symptoms when discontinued.
As a result, they are generally only prescribed for a short period of time. Tranquillisers are now rarely used and few are recommended for more than one month.
If you are having difficulty sleeping, your doctor may also prescribe sleeping tablets, again for a short time.
A number of medications originally approved for treating depression are thought to be effective at reducing worry and panic and you may therefore be prescribed these. Most anti-depressants take two to four weeks before they have any effect on our mood, so it is important not to give up too quickly if we do not feel better straight away.
Antidepressants should be taken as prescribed. Some patients experience mild symptoms when stopping, reducing, or missing a dose.
These can include dizziness, nausea, anxiety, and headaches. The drugs however are not associated with tolerance and craving. Antidepressants should be taken for at least six months after symptoms have disappeared, because this greatly reduces the risk of the symptoms coming back.
It is important to then go back to your doctor to find out if you need to continue with treatment. Some people may be advised to continue treatment for longer than six months.
This article is contributed by The Star Health & Ageing Panel, which comprises a group of panellists who are not just opinion leaders in their respective fields of medical expertise, but have wide experience in medical health education for the public. The members of the panel include: Datuk Prof Dr Tan Hui Meng, consultant urologist; Dr Yap Piang Kian, consultant endocrinologist; Datuk Dr Azhari Rosman, consultant cardiologist; A/Prof Dr Philip Poi, consultant geriatrician; Dr Hew Fen Lee, consultant endocrinologist; Prof Dr Low Wah Yun, psychologist; Datuk Dr Nor Ashikin Mokhtar, consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist; Dr Lee Moon Keen, consultant neurologist; Dr Ting Hoon Chin, consultant dermatologist; Prof Khoo Ee Ming, primary care physician; Dr Ng Soo Chin, consultant haematologist.
TO have some pressure in our lives is normal and, indeed, unavoidable. But when there is too much pressure, or it goes on for too long, and it becomes more than we can cope with, then our health can suffer. This unpleasant reaction to too much pressure or other types of demands placed on us is called stress.
Think of blood pressure – we all have it, but when it gets high, we should do something about it. Stress is just the same.
We tend to think that stress comes from being too busy and pressured, but it can be just as difficult to cope when we are in a situation where we do not have enough, or don’t have anything, to do. – Reuters
What is stress?
When we find ourselves under some kind of pressure, our bodies respond automatically by releasing adrenaline to ensure we are prepared for action and are able to meet the challenges before us:
·Muscles become tense
·Our breathing becomes faster and shallower in an effort to get more air into the body, and we may feel breathless
·Heart races
·We feel like we want to run, yet legs might turn to jelly
·The mind is racing and we may feel dizzy and lightheaded
·We have difficulty swallowing
·We may feel sick
·We shiver or sweat more than usual
This automatic reaction to a threatening situation is known as the “fight or flight” response. The body produces hormones, including one called adrenaline, which help prepare our bodies either to run away or be poised and ready to react.
These changes are short-lived and recede when the pressure or threat stops. The body’s response sharpens our mental and physical skills, focuses our attention, fires us up and is generally very helpful in helping us cope with pressure.
Too much pressure, on the other hand, makes us less productive and often results in health problems. So an acceptable amount of pressure can make us feel good and too much can make us feel vulnerable and out of control.
Stress affects people of all ages and from all walks of life. One in five people has a problem with stress at any given time, and that figure is reflected around the world.
We tend to think that stress comes from being too busy and pressured, but it can be just as difficult to cope when we are in a situation where we do not have enough to do. Being unemployed or in a boring job which we don’t enjoy, for example, can make us frustrated and stressed and we can find ourselves at a low ebb.
Some people learn to live with it and use it positively; others find it impossible to switch off and struggle to cope.
Although our bodies react to excessive mental pressure, it is not a physical problem. However it can make us more prone to illness. It can also affect our immune systems so that we can take longer to recover from illness.
However, it is important to keep in perspective all the physical effects of stress. Given all the risk factors for a heart attack, for example, stress is a comparatively minor risk factor. However, to cope with stress, many people eat more fatty foods, drink alcohol, and smoke, all of which are linked with an increased risk of heart disease.
Stress affects us in different ways:
The way it affects our thoughts:
·We worry too much about things that we know do not merit such worry
·We find it hard to concentrate
·We have difficulty making decisions
The way it affects our feelings:
·We feel worthless, hopeless, and depressed at the prospect of never getting on top of things or finishing anything
·We have difficulty relaxing
·We constantly expect the worst to happen
The way it affects our behaviour:
·We are constantly tired and on edge, and irritable with those around us
·Minor interruptions, delays or frustrations can make us irritated, distressed or angry
·We lose interest in food or over eat
·We smoke or drink too much
The way it affects our body:
·We have panic attacks
·Our usual sleep patterns become disturbed, so that we find it hard to fall asleep, or need much more sleep
·We suffer from physical health problems like headaches, indigestion or a sore back
·We lose our sex drive
Understanding stress
If we look at our lives, we may be able to identify particular areas of our lives which can cause stress. These may include: l Problems with relationships
·Money worries
·Coping with unemployment or redundancy
·Problems at work – work changes, an excessive workload, anxiety about a promotion, or job security
·Worries about personal health or the health of those close to us
·Poor housing
·Poor education
·Feeling isolated or lonely, lacking support
·Being abused or harassed
·Being discriminated against on the grounds of sexual orientation, gender, race or ethnic origin
·Lacking control over our lives
·Environmental factors like pollution, extreme temperatures or noise
Some of these things we cannot foresee. They happen to us out of the blue. Others are unavoidable, events or changes over which we have little control, although we may feel that we are in some way to blame and have brought this on ourselves.
We may also fall into the trap of feeling that we should be able to cope, no matter what has happened.
As well as the demands made on us by other people, each of us makes demands on ourselves. We may aim to achieve certain things, whether at work, at home, or in our personal lives. We have expectations of what we should be able to do.
If we find that we cannot meet the standards we have set ourselves, we may put ourselves under pressure to do better. That can produce an enormous amount of stress, despite the fact that our expectations may have been unrealistic in the first place or that we have been prevented from meeting them by things beyond our control.
Some people become more vulnerable to stress after a traumatic experience. Perhaps they have been bereaved, have been the victim of a serious crime, or have suddenly become unemployed. As time passes, they may find it difficult to recover, to get back on top of things, and instead feel constantly overwhelmed.
It is often a gradual build-up of stress from various different sources that can take us to breaking point, rather than one obvious trigger.
There are many steps we can take to learn to handle situations differently so that we are less likely to feel stressed. These are outlined later. It is important to remember however, that it is not necessarily our fault that we are reacting in this way. We may find ourselves in intolerable situations, and we may have to make changes in our lives to make them more bearable.
What you can do
Stress can make it hard for us to cope with day-to-day demands. We become more and more exhausted, tense, and irritable. Other people find it hard to be with us, and even the closest relationships can become fraught. The whole experience can make us feel we are losing control over our lives and that there is no way of regaining that control.
We may feel we have to give ourselves a kick to get over the stress we feel, but that kind of self-punishment can be destructive and can diminish our self confidence and self-esteem. We become more isolated, which leads to depression and further isolation. It becomes a vicious circle.
Instead of creating such a self-destructive spiral, we can learn to accept that there are very real reasons for us to be stressed. So by accepting that there are reasons for our stress, we can then take steps to help us reduce the effects and to learn to cope.
What works for each of us may be different, but these are some things that may help:
·Work out what it is that is making you feel stressed and what you can do about it. There may be some things that you cannot change, or not immediately, but there may be others that you can alter.
For instance, if you feel swamped by the amount of work you have, try to sort out – perhaps with the help of a colleague or supervisor – which tasks are most pressing and then give them priority.
·Relieving stress is about how you handle it. Relaxation is an important factor in releasing tense muscles and clearing and calming the mind. Relaxation of muscles through massage can also be beneficial. Deep breathing exercises too can play a part in relieving stress. You can find our more about relaxation techniques from your doctor or counselor.
·Allow yourself a breathing space. Treat yourself to something you enjoy.
·Physical activity can boost your mood, self-esteem and body image, improve sleep, and reduce reactions to stress. Exercise has been shown to reduce anxiety and treat depression. If you have any concerns about your health, or any illness or injury, speak to your doctor before becoming more active.
·Try to eat and drink sensibly. Drink, drugs, and cigarettes in excess are not good long-term solutions to stress. We only find ourselves needing more and more to cope.
·Avoid stimulants such as caffeine, not only in coffee and tea, but also in fizzy drinks and high-energy drinks. Some cold remedies and headache tablets have a lot of caffeine in them, which can add up when taken throughout the day.
·Try to make sure you get enough sleep. Try to stick to a routine of going to sleep at the same time every night, and getting up at the same time every day. Try not to eat or drink a lot late at night and don’t drink a lot of alcohol – it may help you fall asleep, but you may wake up during the night.
Avoid working in bed. Make sure that your bed and bedroom are comfortable – not too hot, not too cold, not too noisy.
·Find someone you can talk to and use their support to talk through your feelings. Not everyone finds this easy. But it may be a surprise to discover that others are feeling the same way as you.
·If you’re not the sort of person that finds it easy to talk about your feelings, try taking up a sport or a hobby along with other people. It can prove to be a good form of relaxation and distraction.
·Try to pace yourself and tackle one thing at a time. Be realistic about what you expect of yourself. Learn to say “no” to other people, some of the time at least. Set aside time for yourself to do what you enjoy.
·Some people find spiritual practice helps either in the context of religion, or in something less structured, such as meditation. In a group setting, it can provide the additional benefit of social support.
Getting help
A lot can be gained from meeting other people with similar experiences. It can be valuable to find out we are not alone and to learn how others cope or have coped with similar sorts of difficulties. The encouragement and support from other people who understand what we are going through can be helpful.
A self-help approach can be an important part of treating stress, and self-help books can help us find out important information about it, and how it affects us.
They can also help us learn new skills to help us challenge worrying thoughts, and to help us learn ways of building confidence and facing up to fears.
It can be very helpful too to learn some relaxation techniques. In addition, many people find it helpful to attend a self-help group, which can provide mutual support and are an important source of information.
We may find that what we can do on our own is not enough, but sometimes it can be difficult to accept help too. It can be hard for us to be open about our fears and anxieties, but it can also be an enormous relief to stop putting on a brave front and to find that other people can help us overcome our problems.
There are different sources of support available, each offering different kinds of help. It is worth finding out what is available locally.
Counseling and psychotherapy
It can be valuable to have an opportunity to talk things over with someone outside your immediate circle of family and friends. Counseling and psychotherapy give people the chance to talk through their problems. Both focus on present day feelings and difficulties, which may be current or rooted in the past, and enable us to take more control of our life and to cope in the longer-term.
There are many types of treatments that are termed “therapy” and it is important to make a distinction between relaxing therapies like aromatherapy and reflexology, which help cope with the problem without actually addressing the causes, and psychotherapies that support people and help them address the causes themselves, and provide a long term solution.
Apart from finding which approach suits us best, we also need to find a counselor or therapist we feel we can trust.
Medical treatment
A large proportion of visits to the doctor are stress-related, but many more people do not seek medical help and struggle to deal with it on their own. It may be that they do not realize they have a problem. Some people are embarrassed to admit they have stress. Others may not be ready to ask for help, or may not believe that the doctor will understand or even know how to deal with the problem.
Some people will turn to their doctor when they experience the first physical signs of stress. It is important to have a check-up to rule out the possibility of physical illness.
You may also want to talk about alternatives to drug treatment, such as counseling, psychotherapy or self-help.
A prescription of anti-anxiety medication may be made (for example benzodiazepines, which are tranquillisers). They can offer some relief and can be helpful in the short term to get through a crisis. Regular use of these drugs may lead to dependence and is likely to result in the return of fear or panic symptoms when discontinued.
As a result, they are generally only prescribed for a short period of time. Tranquillisers are now rarely used and few are recommended for more than one month.
If you are having difficulty sleeping, your doctor may also prescribe sleeping tablets, again for a short time.
A number of medications originally approved for treating depression are thought to be effective at reducing worry and panic and you may therefore be prescribed these. Most anti-depressants take two to four weeks before they have any effect on our mood, so it is important not to give up too quickly if we do not feel better straight away.
Antidepressants should be taken as prescribed. Some patients experience mild symptoms when stopping, reducing, or missing a dose.
These can include dizziness, nausea, anxiety, and headaches. The drugs however are not associated with tolerance and craving. Antidepressants should be taken for at least six months after symptoms have disappeared, because this greatly reduces the risk of the symptoms coming back.
It is important to then go back to your doctor to find out if you need to continue with treatment. Some people may be advised to continue treatment for longer than six months.
This article is contributed by The Star Health & Ageing Panel, which comprises a group of panellists who are not just opinion leaders in their respective fields of medical expertise, but have wide experience in medical health education for the public. The members of the panel include: Datuk Prof Dr Tan Hui Meng, consultant urologist; Dr Yap Piang Kian, consultant endocrinologist; Datuk Dr Azhari Rosman, consultant cardiologist; A/Prof Dr Philip Poi, consultant geriatrician; Dr Hew Fen Lee, consultant endocrinologist; Prof Dr Low Wah Yun, psychologist; Datuk Dr Nor Ashikin Mokhtar, consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist; Dr Lee Moon Keen, consultant neurologist; Dr Ting Hoon Chin, consultant dermatologist; Prof Khoo Ee Ming, primary care physician; Dr Ng Soo Chin, consultant haematologist.
Quit resisting change, letting go can help you get ahead
ONCE a monkey has gotten hold of food in its hand, it is close to impossible to get the primate to let it go. And this makes trapping it easy for monkey catchers.
In Malaysia, a villager developed the ingenious “Monkey Trap” by burying a coconut and drilling a narrow hole big enough for a monkey’s hand to go through. He would place pieces of fruit, nuts or meat on skewers in the coconut. The odour and smell of the treats attracts monkeys to reach into the narrow opening and grab hold of the treats. As the monkey attempts to extract the treats, it finds that its fistful of food will not fit through the narrow opening.
The monkey will scream in frustration as he continues to hold on to his food and attempts to remove his hand from the coconut. The villager comes over and drops a net over the monkey. Even though the monkey sees the villager approaching, so intent is it on keeping the food that it grips the morsels even tighter and tries even harder to dislodge its fist.
Nothing is keeping that monkey captive except the force of its own attachment. All it has to do to escape is let go of the food. But so strong is the force of greed that it is a rare monkey which can let go.
Aren’t many business leaders just like monkeys? We may laugh at the monkey for its stupidity but every day we see similar foolishness displayed by many business leaders who struggle with letting go. Like monkeys, many leaders fail when they hold on too tightly to something that leads them astray.
We simply can’t let go of products, services and practices that worked in the past which contribute little today but require significant amounts of our time and attention. Or we struggle to let go of our ego and pride. And some business leaders simply can’t let go of their business and stay on in their roles way past their expiry date.
But the phenomenon is not limited to business leaders. Many people are traumatically bonded and cling on to bad relationships even though they know better. Or we can’t let go of a bad habit. Worse still, many hold on to old beliefs and dogma like “if it’s not broken, why fix it” and end up missing the boat when changes need to be made. Why is this?
In the case of the monkey, greed is the key reason. Greed and avarice are why executives fail to let go. And greed leads to fear.
Chinese philosopher Zhuangzi wrote: “He who considers wealth a good thing can never bear to give up his income; he who considers eminence a good thing can never bear to give up his fame. He who has a taste for power can never bear to hand over authority to others. Holding tight to these things, such men shiver with fear; should they let them go, they would pine in sorrow.”
While greed for food holds the monkey back, what holds us back? Is it our ego, power, pride or greed?
Successful business leaders struggle with letting go of their products and services that worked previously because they fear the unknown. The fear of losing the past outweighs the gain of the future. Thich Nhat Hanh, a famous Buddhist teacher, said: “People have a hard time letting go of their suffering. Out of a fear of the unknown, they prefer suffering that is familiar.”
They believe if they keep going the same way, even though it may be painful now, somehow life will return to the excesses of before in the future. Albert Einstein rebuts this belief: “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”
Status Quo
Each of us naturally wants to maintain status quo, sticking to the safe and comfortable. According to Edward Miller, dean of John Hopkins medical school, people won’t change even if their lives depended on it. He studied people two years after their coronary artery bypass grafting and found 90% of them had not changed their lifestyle even though they knew they could die. They just could not change their lifestyle for whatever reason.
CEOs are supposedly the prime change agents for their companies but they are often most resistant to change.
When Louis Gerstner took over as CEO of IBM, he started by sticking to the McKinsey routine that had worked for him throughout his career – analysis paralysis and strategy. He thought he could revive the company through drills such as selling assets and cost cutting which were his comfort zones. But he was wrong and to his credit, he changed his consultant approach to a more cultural transformative one, thereby enabling IBM’s revival.
But most leaders resist change and are crippled by excuses to retain status quo. If you walk into any business and hear the following excuses, you are in a business where there are a lot of monkeys who just can’t let go:
· We’ve never done it before and it’s not possible.
· We/another company/person tried it before and it won’t work here. Our company is different.
· We’ve been doing it this way for the past 50 years.
· Why change – it’s working OK. Everything is fine here.
· Management will hate it. This company is not ready for it.
· It needs further investigation and more thought.
· Our competitors are not doing it. Why should we?
· We don’t have the money/resources/assets to do this.
· The union will scream. It’s too much trouble to change.
· Customers won’t buy it. It’s too radical a change
Ego
Ego is responsible for the majority of business failures. Disney, Wang Laboratories and even General Motors’ slide from glory was due to leadership ego. Even celebrity CEOs are not immune to ego issues. Steve Jobs was kicked out of the company he founded because of ego issues.
A personal example while I worked at GE is of the legendary Jack Welch, whose refusal to part with Montgomery Ward, a trouble departmental store that came to GE looking for an infusion of US$100mil to reverse the retailer’s fortunes. It wasn’t enough and the next year it came back and asked for more.
GE, faced with losing its original investment, gave the firm the additional money and then proceeded to give more the next year and the following years. To protect an initial US$100mil investment, GE eventually wasted billions. Just like the monkey who couldn’t let go, the world’s greatest CEO couldn’t let go of a black hole and later admitted it was ego that stood in the way.
Nelson Mandela quit as president of South Africa after his first term a legend. Some leaders can’t let go of their businesses and stay in the job way past their expiry date, causing the business or country to be ruined in the process.
Outdated beliefs
It is hard to identify even one single big business success that was achieved by following conventional wisdom. Yet many still rely on it daily.
A secretary working part-time while studying at a university in the US refused to learn the computer and only used the typewriter. She was typing 300 words a minute and believed if she kept improving her speed, her job was safe. Whilst everything around her told her to embrace the computer, her inner belief said otherwise. A year later, they fired her and replaced her with someone who typed 80 words a minute but could use the computer.
The newspaper industry globally is in decline and many blame the advent of the Internet to this decline. But researchers Michael Moore and Sean Paul Kelley believe that it is greed and the reliance on outdated wisdom that has seen the print media’s decline.
Each of us have beliefs and conventional thinking stifling our progress. Take time and re-examine your beliefs and remove and replace the ones that don’t work. Businesses need to do this often too.
In life, there are many things that we have to learn to let go. We have to let go of situations, things, memories, attachment to people and even ourselves. It can be very painful when it’s time to let go.
Letting go is similar to crossing monkey bars. You have to let go at some point in order to move forward. Letting go can be one of the scariest experiences in your life but only by boldly taking a leap of faith into the unknown can you truly be the leader you were meant to be.
So, this weekend, why not reflect and learn to “let go” of something that is holding you back from greatness. Remember, every exit is an entry to somewhere else.
Think of it this way: you’re on a hiking trip and along the way you keep picking up heavy objects, things that don’t really help you get up the hill. After a while, these objects begin to slow you down and unless you get rid of them, you’ll never complete your trip. So, let them go.
Roshan Thiran is CEO of Leaderonomics, a social enterprise passionate about transforming the nation through leadership development.
In Malaysia, a villager developed the ingenious “Monkey Trap” by burying a coconut and drilling a narrow hole big enough for a monkey’s hand to go through. He would place pieces of fruit, nuts or meat on skewers in the coconut. The odour and smell of the treats attracts monkeys to reach into the narrow opening and grab hold of the treats. As the monkey attempts to extract the treats, it finds that its fistful of food will not fit through the narrow opening.
The monkey will scream in frustration as he continues to hold on to his food and attempts to remove his hand from the coconut. The villager comes over and drops a net over the monkey. Even though the monkey sees the villager approaching, so intent is it on keeping the food that it grips the morsels even tighter and tries even harder to dislodge its fist.
Nothing is keeping that monkey captive except the force of its own attachment. All it has to do to escape is let go of the food. But so strong is the force of greed that it is a rare monkey which can let go.
Aren’t many business leaders just like monkeys? We may laugh at the monkey for its stupidity but every day we see similar foolishness displayed by many business leaders who struggle with letting go. Like monkeys, many leaders fail when they hold on too tightly to something that leads them astray.
We simply can’t let go of products, services and practices that worked in the past which contribute little today but require significant amounts of our time and attention. Or we struggle to let go of our ego and pride. And some business leaders simply can’t let go of their business and stay on in their roles way past their expiry date.
But the phenomenon is not limited to business leaders. Many people are traumatically bonded and cling on to bad relationships even though they know better. Or we can’t let go of a bad habit. Worse still, many hold on to old beliefs and dogma like “if it’s not broken, why fix it” and end up missing the boat when changes need to be made. Why is this?
In the case of the monkey, greed is the key reason. Greed and avarice are why executives fail to let go. And greed leads to fear.
Chinese philosopher Zhuangzi wrote: “He who considers wealth a good thing can never bear to give up his income; he who considers eminence a good thing can never bear to give up his fame. He who has a taste for power can never bear to hand over authority to others. Holding tight to these things, such men shiver with fear; should they let them go, they would pine in sorrow.”
While greed for food holds the monkey back, what holds us back? Is it our ego, power, pride or greed?
Successful business leaders struggle with letting go of their products and services that worked previously because they fear the unknown. The fear of losing the past outweighs the gain of the future. Thich Nhat Hanh, a famous Buddhist teacher, said: “People have a hard time letting go of their suffering. Out of a fear of the unknown, they prefer suffering that is familiar.”
They believe if they keep going the same way, even though it may be painful now, somehow life will return to the excesses of before in the future. Albert Einstein rebuts this belief: “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”
Status Quo
Each of us naturally wants to maintain status quo, sticking to the safe and comfortable. According to Edward Miller, dean of John Hopkins medical school, people won’t change even if their lives depended on it. He studied people two years after their coronary artery bypass grafting and found 90% of them had not changed their lifestyle even though they knew they could die. They just could not change their lifestyle for whatever reason.
CEOs are supposedly the prime change agents for their companies but they are often most resistant to change.
When Louis Gerstner took over as CEO of IBM, he started by sticking to the McKinsey routine that had worked for him throughout his career – analysis paralysis and strategy. He thought he could revive the company through drills such as selling assets and cost cutting which were his comfort zones. But he was wrong and to his credit, he changed his consultant approach to a more cultural transformative one, thereby enabling IBM’s revival.
But most leaders resist change and are crippled by excuses to retain status quo. If you walk into any business and hear the following excuses, you are in a business where there are a lot of monkeys who just can’t let go:
· We’ve never done it before and it’s not possible.
· We/another company/person tried it before and it won’t work here. Our company is different.
· We’ve been doing it this way for the past 50 years.
· Why change – it’s working OK. Everything is fine here.
· Management will hate it. This company is not ready for it.
· It needs further investigation and more thought.
· Our competitors are not doing it. Why should we?
· We don’t have the money/resources/assets to do this.
· The union will scream. It’s too much trouble to change.
· Customers won’t buy it. It’s too radical a change
Ego
Ego is responsible for the majority of business failures. Disney, Wang Laboratories and even General Motors’ slide from glory was due to leadership ego. Even celebrity CEOs are not immune to ego issues. Steve Jobs was kicked out of the company he founded because of ego issues.
A personal example while I worked at GE is of the legendary Jack Welch, whose refusal to part with Montgomery Ward, a trouble departmental store that came to GE looking for an infusion of US$100mil to reverse the retailer’s fortunes. It wasn’t enough and the next year it came back and asked for more.
GE, faced with losing its original investment, gave the firm the additional money and then proceeded to give more the next year and the following years. To protect an initial US$100mil investment, GE eventually wasted billions. Just like the monkey who couldn’t let go, the world’s greatest CEO couldn’t let go of a black hole and later admitted it was ego that stood in the way.
Nelson Mandela quit as president of South Africa after his first term a legend. Some leaders can’t let go of their businesses and stay in the job way past their expiry date, causing the business or country to be ruined in the process.
Outdated beliefs
It is hard to identify even one single big business success that was achieved by following conventional wisdom. Yet many still rely on it daily.
A secretary working part-time while studying at a university in the US refused to learn the computer and only used the typewriter. She was typing 300 words a minute and believed if she kept improving her speed, her job was safe. Whilst everything around her told her to embrace the computer, her inner belief said otherwise. A year later, they fired her and replaced her with someone who typed 80 words a minute but could use the computer.
The newspaper industry globally is in decline and many blame the advent of the Internet to this decline. But researchers Michael Moore and Sean Paul Kelley believe that it is greed and the reliance on outdated wisdom that has seen the print media’s decline.
Each of us have beliefs and conventional thinking stifling our progress. Take time and re-examine your beliefs and remove and replace the ones that don’t work. Businesses need to do this often too.
In life, there are many things that we have to learn to let go. We have to let go of situations, things, memories, attachment to people and even ourselves. It can be very painful when it’s time to let go.
Letting go is similar to crossing monkey bars. You have to let go at some point in order to move forward. Letting go can be one of the scariest experiences in your life but only by boldly taking a leap of faith into the unknown can you truly be the leader you were meant to be.
So, this weekend, why not reflect and learn to “let go” of something that is holding you back from greatness. Remember, every exit is an entry to somewhere else.
Think of it this way: you’re on a hiking trip and along the way you keep picking up heavy objects, things that don’t really help you get up the hill. After a while, these objects begin to slow you down and unless you get rid of them, you’ll never complete your trip. So, let them go.
Roshan Thiran is CEO of Leaderonomics, a social enterprise passionate about transforming the nation through leadership development.
Sunday, June 06, 2010
Want to be headhunted?
YOU hear about a friend landing a great job through a headhunter and you wonder what he has that you haven’t.
How does someone become a target for headhunters? What do they look for?
These days, employers are very specific about their needs, and using headhunters to locate talent has become a popular option.
Here are some of the more employable traits that employers and headhunters seek:
Expertise in your field
When headhunters start mapping an industry, they talk to people within that industry.
They ask these people to recommend who they think is the best or is known for a specific line of work.
This means you need to be visible and be among the best in your field.
Some people do this by attending industry events and conferences.
Others write articles and speak at conferences, so they are known and looked up to for their opinions and views.
Value-added skills
In this multi-cultural and diverse environment, some profiles stand out even more.
Headhunters seek people with skills, experience or exposure that can add value to their clients’ organisations.
This includes overseas postings, assignments or educational exposure and the ability to speak other languages.
“As headhunters, we often see one candidate losing out to another just based on some of these attributes,” says BTI Consultants principal consultant Mark Lam.
He recommends that young managers gain overseas exposure and be willing to live and work abroad.
Positive image
While social networking sites such as LinkedIn and Facebook are popular, people in senior or high-profile positions must be vigilant in monitoring what gets published about themselves.
Also monitor what your children say about you in sites like Facebook. Their comments may be fine in a social setting but if you are interviewing for a job, some personal information is best kept private.
Background
Where you come from in terms of education, family background and your social circles are important in some jobs.
Some headhunters want to know more about your background and family circumstances because they know that sometimes it just takes one family member to influence a candidate from taking a job.
Employment status
A company usually uses headhunters when it wants to reach passive candidates who are not actively looking for a change.
From a headhunter’s perspective, being unemployed can make you less attractive as a candidate.
However, it is prudent to discuss your desire to move from your current role only with those you trust.
People you know
The headhunting profession thrives on connections, so whom you know is important.
Stay on friendly terms with headhunters; they will remember you and keep you in their contact base.
Experience
You would have spent a substantial time in a role, job or company to make a sufficient impact and build a successful track record.
For a more senior position, employers are probably looking for depth of experience.
However, on the flip side, headhunters and employers can also consider breadth of experience a plus, as it can point to a candidate’s versatility and adaptability to different challenges and environments and cultures.
Strategic career move
Be strategic with your career move.
Don’t get enticed by just the lure of an attractive package or title. While you know this is common sense, even very senior-level candidates make this mistake.
Consider longer-term impact, employability and lifestyle changes when you accept an offer.
Credibility of headhunter
The term “headhunting” can be used rather loosely. Just approaching a prospect about an available job isn’t really headhunting.
Check out the headhunter before you divulge any information about yourself.
Company reputation, experience in the business and reputation of the senior leadership team are all factors that separate a good headhunter from one who is just trying to earn a fee.
Career decisions are big decisions, and getting headhunted is just the start of that process. Be open to discussion and be wise.
Article by Laletha Nithiyanandan, vice-president, Asia Pacific, Kelly Outsourcing and Consulting Group.
How does someone become a target for headhunters? What do they look for?
These days, employers are very specific about their needs, and using headhunters to locate talent has become a popular option.
Here are some of the more employable traits that employers and headhunters seek:
Expertise in your field
When headhunters start mapping an industry, they talk to people within that industry.
They ask these people to recommend who they think is the best or is known for a specific line of work.
This means you need to be visible and be among the best in your field.
Some people do this by attending industry events and conferences.
Others write articles and speak at conferences, so they are known and looked up to for their opinions and views.
Value-added skills
In this multi-cultural and diverse environment, some profiles stand out even more.
Headhunters seek people with skills, experience or exposure that can add value to their clients’ organisations.
This includes overseas postings, assignments or educational exposure and the ability to speak other languages.
“As headhunters, we often see one candidate losing out to another just based on some of these attributes,” says BTI Consultants principal consultant Mark Lam.
He recommends that young managers gain overseas exposure and be willing to live and work abroad.
Positive image
While social networking sites such as LinkedIn and Facebook are popular, people in senior or high-profile positions must be vigilant in monitoring what gets published about themselves.
Also monitor what your children say about you in sites like Facebook. Their comments may be fine in a social setting but if you are interviewing for a job, some personal information is best kept private.
Background
Where you come from in terms of education, family background and your social circles are important in some jobs.
Some headhunters want to know more about your background and family circumstances because they know that sometimes it just takes one family member to influence a candidate from taking a job.
Employment status
A company usually uses headhunters when it wants to reach passive candidates who are not actively looking for a change.
From a headhunter’s perspective, being unemployed can make you less attractive as a candidate.
However, it is prudent to discuss your desire to move from your current role only with those you trust.
People you know
The headhunting profession thrives on connections, so whom you know is important.
Stay on friendly terms with headhunters; they will remember you and keep you in their contact base.
Experience
You would have spent a substantial time in a role, job or company to make a sufficient impact and build a successful track record.
For a more senior position, employers are probably looking for depth of experience.
However, on the flip side, headhunters and employers can also consider breadth of experience a plus, as it can point to a candidate’s versatility and adaptability to different challenges and environments and cultures.
Strategic career move
Be strategic with your career move.
Don’t get enticed by just the lure of an attractive package or title. While you know this is common sense, even very senior-level candidates make this mistake.
Consider longer-term impact, employability and lifestyle changes when you accept an offer.
Credibility of headhunter
The term “headhunting” can be used rather loosely. Just approaching a prospect about an available job isn’t really headhunting.
Check out the headhunter before you divulge any information about yourself.
Company reputation, experience in the business and reputation of the senior leadership team are all factors that separate a good headhunter from one who is just trying to earn a fee.
Career decisions are big decisions, and getting headhunted is just the start of that process. Be open to discussion and be wise.
Article by Laletha Nithiyanandan, vice-president, Asia Pacific, Kelly Outsourcing and Consulting Group.
Rising to the challenge
Modern companies are constantly in transition. For an increasing number, transition means a merger or acquisition.
About 87 per cent of companies believe mergers and acquisitions are likely to increase over the coming years due to consolidation of the various industries in response to the current global economic climate.
Even for companies who sustain their existing structure, the need to respond to fast-moving markets and more demanding customers, together with the pressure of a growing global scarcity of talent, means almost 25 per cent of managers in a typical Fortune 500 company will change jobs each year.
Every chief executive officer knows the difference between rapid response companies and those which suffer from strategic drift or failed attempts to change is their people.
Organisations could do a better job of managing all these transitions. McKinsey & Co. estimates typical productivity losses of 45 per cent during a major transition. When just one manager changes a job, the productivity of at least 12 other people is impacted for an average of over six months.
Over the long term, Peter Cappelli of Wharton Business School says that “the constant churning caused by these reorganisations generates costs and develops long-term cynicism”.
No wonder only 12 per cent of executives are currently very satisfied with their organisation’s ability to facilitate organisational change.
Every chief executive officer knows the difference between rapid response companies and those which suffer from strategic drift or failed attempts to change is their people.
Get the right people doing the right things, as Jim Collins says in Good to Great, and success will follow. Organisations with above-average bench strength are four times likelier to outperform their industry peers.
But aligning employees with a company’s strategy is not easy, especially in a time of organisational change. People are distracted from their jobs by worries about their own job security and their future with the company. Some will be tempted to end the uncertainty and disruption by going elsewhere.
Others will stay, but their performance is likely to suffer as they struggle to understand new expectations within a new organisational structure, and perhaps in a new work location.
Hiring new, more responsive employees may not work for two reasons: first, anyone entering an organisation will face many of the same transition challenges as existing employees. Second, good people in every industry are at a premium.
CUSTOMISED PROCESS
Organisations that want to accelerate their responsiveness to change need to enhance the speed and success of their existing employees’ individual transitions.
Each employee will be at a different point in the alignment process with the organisation’s goals. Some will fully understand the strategy, have a clear vision of their personal roles in it, and be able and willing to present themselves effectively to secure the right positions in the new organisation.
Most employees, however, will be less aligned. A recent study showed that many senior executives believe less than half their people fully understand the company’s strategic goals.
Even those people who do understand the company’s strategy and their part in it may find their productivity impacted by disruptions to the jobs of colleagues, and by uncertainty over their own future.
This can lead to increased levels of stress and diminished productivity that can do serious damage to a business.
Support and training is usually composed of isolated events that fail to have an impact on employees’ day-to-day activities.
Only 20 per cent believe training provided by their organisation has helped to advance their career, and only 38 per cent believe they work in areas where they best perform.
Transition support needs to recognise that people have individual motivations and capabilities, and need to align with the organisation in unique ways.
In a company looking to outsource a function over time, for example, employees need to balance making plans for their future with maximum performance on their current job.
Getting help with the former will make them far more inclined to devote themselves to the latter.
ACCURATE PICTURE
Once companies have an accurate picture of where people are, they can help each individual accordingly.
Such individualised help can be delivered at scale, speed and with great cost-effectiveness. No company can or should design individual transition programmes for all employees, or put the entire organisation into a classroom situation to prepare them for change.
Neither is standalone e-learning suitable. To be completely effective in enhancing an individual’s speed and success of transition, organisations need to shift from giving general guidance and information to personal interaction and coaching.
Transition responsiveness will be increased if the organisation’s needs for cost-effectiveness and scale are balanced with the individual employee’s desire for high touch, personalised help.
Article by Sattar Bawany, head of transition coaching practice, DBM Asia Pacific.
About 87 per cent of companies believe mergers and acquisitions are likely to increase over the coming years due to consolidation of the various industries in response to the current global economic climate.
Even for companies who sustain their existing structure, the need to respond to fast-moving markets and more demanding customers, together with the pressure of a growing global scarcity of talent, means almost 25 per cent of managers in a typical Fortune 500 company will change jobs each year.
Every chief executive officer knows the difference between rapid response companies and those which suffer from strategic drift or failed attempts to change is their people.
Organisations could do a better job of managing all these transitions. McKinsey & Co. estimates typical productivity losses of 45 per cent during a major transition. When just one manager changes a job, the productivity of at least 12 other people is impacted for an average of over six months.
Over the long term, Peter Cappelli of Wharton Business School says that “the constant churning caused by these reorganisations generates costs and develops long-term cynicism”.
No wonder only 12 per cent of executives are currently very satisfied with their organisation’s ability to facilitate organisational change.
Every chief executive officer knows the difference between rapid response companies and those which suffer from strategic drift or failed attempts to change is their people.
Get the right people doing the right things, as Jim Collins says in Good to Great, and success will follow. Organisations with above-average bench strength are four times likelier to outperform their industry peers.
But aligning employees with a company’s strategy is not easy, especially in a time of organisational change. People are distracted from their jobs by worries about their own job security and their future with the company. Some will be tempted to end the uncertainty and disruption by going elsewhere.
Others will stay, but their performance is likely to suffer as they struggle to understand new expectations within a new organisational structure, and perhaps in a new work location.
Hiring new, more responsive employees may not work for two reasons: first, anyone entering an organisation will face many of the same transition challenges as existing employees. Second, good people in every industry are at a premium.
CUSTOMISED PROCESS
Organisations that want to accelerate their responsiveness to change need to enhance the speed and success of their existing employees’ individual transitions.
Each employee will be at a different point in the alignment process with the organisation’s goals. Some will fully understand the strategy, have a clear vision of their personal roles in it, and be able and willing to present themselves effectively to secure the right positions in the new organisation.
Most employees, however, will be less aligned. A recent study showed that many senior executives believe less than half their people fully understand the company’s strategic goals.
Even those people who do understand the company’s strategy and their part in it may find their productivity impacted by disruptions to the jobs of colleagues, and by uncertainty over their own future.
This can lead to increased levels of stress and diminished productivity that can do serious damage to a business.
Support and training is usually composed of isolated events that fail to have an impact on employees’ day-to-day activities.
Only 20 per cent believe training provided by their organisation has helped to advance their career, and only 38 per cent believe they work in areas where they best perform.
Transition support needs to recognise that people have individual motivations and capabilities, and need to align with the organisation in unique ways.
In a company looking to outsource a function over time, for example, employees need to balance making plans for their future with maximum performance on their current job.
Getting help with the former will make them far more inclined to devote themselves to the latter.
ACCURATE PICTURE
Once companies have an accurate picture of where people are, they can help each individual accordingly.
Such individualised help can be delivered at scale, speed and with great cost-effectiveness. No company can or should design individual transition programmes for all employees, or put the entire organisation into a classroom situation to prepare them for change.
Neither is standalone e-learning suitable. To be completely effective in enhancing an individual’s speed and success of transition, organisations need to shift from giving general guidance and information to personal interaction and coaching.
Transition responsiveness will be increased if the organisation’s needs for cost-effectiveness and scale are balanced with the individual employee’s desire for high touch, personalised help.
Article by Sattar Bawany, head of transition coaching practice, DBM Asia Pacific.
Setting boundaries
TIME management tips are great ideas that require action steps to be effective. And those action steps usually involve setting boundaries. Setting effective boundaries protects your productivity and gives you valuable “breathing room”. The more constructively you set and maintain boundaries, the happier and more effective you will be.
Chances are, you were not taught how to set boundaries in school. And you may not have seen it done well while growing up. But with practice, you can develop proficiency and enjoy consistent success.
For a strong start, correct a common misconception about boundaries:
When you set a boundary, you are not imposing something upon another person. You are describing a need. This is your assertive right. Fundamentally, you set a new boundary to change what you do with your time. And that is precisely how you present your time boundary to others.
Here are three simple strategies to help you set a new boundary.
Tackle your problem
Provide the context for your new time boundary by describing your current problem. Readily acknowledge any part you yourself have played in creating that problem. For example, “In the past, I have always taken phone calls, whether or not I could spare the time. Now I face a work backlog and an important deadline.”
By focusing on your choices, you communicate that you are not attempting to blame your colleagues for your current problem. Once they hear this, they are encouraged to relax and become more receptive.
Change your behaviour
Explain the change that you are going to make in your behaviour to remedy the situation. Perhaps in this instance you might say: “Next week, I’m going to focus on my report, and won’t answer calls until after 3pm.”
Notice that by stating this boundary as a change that you are making, you’re keeping all the power within your control. If, instead, you request that the other person not call, youare asking them to change their behaviour, and forfeiting control over the outcome.
Room for negotiation
Request the understanding and cooperation of people around you, but be clear that you’ll be changing your end, no matter what. It is perfectly suitable, at this point, to negotiate how to support your colleagues while you are unavailable.
In fact, this helps reinforce how serious you are about making this change, and encourages them to take responsibility and troubleshoot in advance. By using “I” messages that focus on what you feel and what you will do, you clarify that you are not setting this boundary to punish your colleagues, nor attempting to engage in a power play.
If you find that you can’t translate your boundary into changes that you will be making, examine whether the change you seek will require a shift on your end that you feel ambivalent about. If there are consequences to this boundary you are not comfortable with, revise the boundary so that you are fully prepared to follow through on your end.
You will experience an important side benefit if you follow this approach. more and more, you will think of your time challenges in terms of choices you make that you can change. By doing so, you reduce your resentment, and increase your creativity, confidence, and optimism about how you can spend your time.
Article by Paula Eder, PhD, The Time Finder Expert.
Chances are, you were not taught how to set boundaries in school. And you may not have seen it done well while growing up. But with practice, you can develop proficiency and enjoy consistent success.
For a strong start, correct a common misconception about boundaries:
When you set a boundary, you are not imposing something upon another person. You are describing a need. This is your assertive right. Fundamentally, you set a new boundary to change what you do with your time. And that is precisely how you present your time boundary to others.
Here are three simple strategies to help you set a new boundary.
Tackle your problem
Provide the context for your new time boundary by describing your current problem. Readily acknowledge any part you yourself have played in creating that problem. For example, “In the past, I have always taken phone calls, whether or not I could spare the time. Now I face a work backlog and an important deadline.”
By focusing on your choices, you communicate that you are not attempting to blame your colleagues for your current problem. Once they hear this, they are encouraged to relax and become more receptive.
Change your behaviour
Explain the change that you are going to make in your behaviour to remedy the situation. Perhaps in this instance you might say: “Next week, I’m going to focus on my report, and won’t answer calls until after 3pm.”
Notice that by stating this boundary as a change that you are making, you’re keeping all the power within your control. If, instead, you request that the other person not call, youare asking them to change their behaviour, and forfeiting control over the outcome.
Room for negotiation
Request the understanding and cooperation of people around you, but be clear that you’ll be changing your end, no matter what. It is perfectly suitable, at this point, to negotiate how to support your colleagues while you are unavailable.
In fact, this helps reinforce how serious you are about making this change, and encourages them to take responsibility and troubleshoot in advance. By using “I” messages that focus on what you feel and what you will do, you clarify that you are not setting this boundary to punish your colleagues, nor attempting to engage in a power play.
If you find that you can’t translate your boundary into changes that you will be making, examine whether the change you seek will require a shift on your end that you feel ambivalent about. If there are consequences to this boundary you are not comfortable with, revise the boundary so that you are fully prepared to follow through on your end.
You will experience an important side benefit if you follow this approach. more and more, you will think of your time challenges in terms of choices you make that you can change. By doing so, you reduce your resentment, and increase your creativity, confidence, and optimism about how you can spend your time.
Article by Paula Eder, PhD, The Time Finder Expert.
Let's get talking
THERE is a lot of talk these days about the importance of employee learning in an organisation. Few would disagree with this, but let’s change our perspective about learning.
What if the most widespread and pervasive learning in your organisation didn’t happen in a training room, conference room or boardroom, but in the hallway, by the water cooler or at the hawker stall across the street?
Alan Webber wrote about the importance of conversations in his Harvard Business Review article: “The most important work in the knowledge economy is conversation.”
What if the most widespread learning in your organisation didn’t happen in a training room, but at the hawker stall across the street? - Filepic
Where information is the raw material and ideas are the currency of exchange, he explains, good conversations become the crucible in which knowledge workers share and refine their thinking in order to create valueadded products and services.
Most organisations don’t think this way. There is still a subtle expectation for leaders to tell everyone what they need to know in a formal meeting and view other conversations as idle time.
It is not unusual to hear a leader say, “stop talking and get back to work”. The underlying belief is that conversation takes time away from the more “important” work of the organisation.
Research on communication has discovered that talking — the network of conversations — actually catalyses action. Healthy conversations are vital for good performance in the long run.
You could say that an organisation is nothing more than an ongoing conversation among those who have agreed to work in a common direction. The growth, health and maturity of the organisation could then be gauged by the quality of the conversations going on in it.
With this in mind, a leader’s responsibility is to develop core processes and infrastructure that facilitates and develops the capacity of those in the organisation to have healthy conversations.
Creating dialogue
A starting place for developing this capacity is to teach and develop the skill for discovering and working with “questions that matter”. Why? Simply put, the quality of conversations depends on the quality of the questions asked.
Clear, bold and penetrating questions, with an encouragement for a full range of responses, tend to open up the organisation to learning. People engaged in the conversation then tend to develop a common capacity for deeper levels of shared meaning. Shared meaning is the essence of any organisation.
Focusing on essential questions also enables us to challenge our underlying assumptions in healthy and constructive ways. With a simple and consistent focus on questions that matter, casual conversations are transformed into collective inquiry. As these questions “travel” throughout the organisation, they enable creative solutions to emerge in unexpected ways.
The right questions
Authors Juanita Brown and David Isaacs, co-originators of the World Café — a simple process of bringing people together around questions that matter — give a list of questions to help discover your organisation’s capabilities for healthy conversations.
1 Does your organisation consider conversation to be the heart of the “real work” of knowledge creation and of building intellectual capital?
2 How often do the members of your organisation focus on the principles and practices of good conversation when they engage with colleagues, customers or suppliers?
3 Do you consider one of your primary roles to serve as a convener or host for good conversations about questions that matter?
4 How much time do you and your colleagues spend discovering the right questions in relation to the time spent finding the right answers?
5 Is your physical workspace or office area designed to encourage the informal interactions that support good conversations and effective learning?
6 How much of your training and development budget is devoted to supporting informal learning conversations and sharing effective practices across organisational boundaries? Your answers can serve as a starting point for change in your organisation.
Article by Matt Rawlins Ph.D, the CEO of Green Bench Consulting.
What if the most widespread and pervasive learning in your organisation didn’t happen in a training room, conference room or boardroom, but in the hallway, by the water cooler or at the hawker stall across the street?
Alan Webber wrote about the importance of conversations in his Harvard Business Review article: “The most important work in the knowledge economy is conversation.”
What if the most widespread learning in your organisation didn’t happen in a training room, but at the hawker stall across the street? - Filepic
Where information is the raw material and ideas are the currency of exchange, he explains, good conversations become the crucible in which knowledge workers share and refine their thinking in order to create valueadded products and services.
Most organisations don’t think this way. There is still a subtle expectation for leaders to tell everyone what they need to know in a formal meeting and view other conversations as idle time.
It is not unusual to hear a leader say, “stop talking and get back to work”. The underlying belief is that conversation takes time away from the more “important” work of the organisation.
Research on communication has discovered that talking — the network of conversations — actually catalyses action. Healthy conversations are vital for good performance in the long run.
You could say that an organisation is nothing more than an ongoing conversation among those who have agreed to work in a common direction. The growth, health and maturity of the organisation could then be gauged by the quality of the conversations going on in it.
With this in mind, a leader’s responsibility is to develop core processes and infrastructure that facilitates and develops the capacity of those in the organisation to have healthy conversations.
Creating dialogue
A starting place for developing this capacity is to teach and develop the skill for discovering and working with “questions that matter”. Why? Simply put, the quality of conversations depends on the quality of the questions asked.
Clear, bold and penetrating questions, with an encouragement for a full range of responses, tend to open up the organisation to learning. People engaged in the conversation then tend to develop a common capacity for deeper levels of shared meaning. Shared meaning is the essence of any organisation.
Focusing on essential questions also enables us to challenge our underlying assumptions in healthy and constructive ways. With a simple and consistent focus on questions that matter, casual conversations are transformed into collective inquiry. As these questions “travel” throughout the organisation, they enable creative solutions to emerge in unexpected ways.
The right questions
Authors Juanita Brown and David Isaacs, co-originators of the World Café — a simple process of bringing people together around questions that matter — give a list of questions to help discover your organisation’s capabilities for healthy conversations.
1 Does your organisation consider conversation to be the heart of the “real work” of knowledge creation and of building intellectual capital?
2 How often do the members of your organisation focus on the principles and practices of good conversation when they engage with colleagues, customers or suppliers?
3 Do you consider one of your primary roles to serve as a convener or host for good conversations about questions that matter?
4 How much time do you and your colleagues spend discovering the right questions in relation to the time spent finding the right answers?
5 Is your physical workspace or office area designed to encourage the informal interactions that support good conversations and effective learning?
6 How much of your training and development budget is devoted to supporting informal learning conversations and sharing effective practices across organisational boundaries? Your answers can serve as a starting point for change in your organisation.
Article by Matt Rawlins Ph.D, the CEO of Green Bench Consulting.
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