THE IMPERATIVE OF PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

  Employees that gradually develop their skills and abilities through personal development are valuable to their organisations. The era of relying absolutely on the employer as the sole driver of employee training and retraining is gone. You are the architect of your destiny. Job security is no longer certain in the workplace of today. You must invest personally on gaining those capabilities that are crucial to your marketability for future jobs and opportunities.

Investment towards self-development is a worthwhile investment. Organisations have high demand for people with the capacity to hit the ground running from day one on the job. It takes investment on self-development to fit into this expectation.

Experience over the years has taught employers never to expect that their key employees have come to stay with them for as long as they wanted them to stay. Employers today are fully aware that their competitors are out there to compete not only in terms of product, service and market share but also on talents.

 Star employees invest extensively on self-development. This investment must be strategically made for it to be beneficial in the long run. It must focus on bridging core skill gaps as well as on acquiring the capacity to deliver superior performance now and in the future.

The strategies enumerated below if well marshalled can lead to a result oriented self-developmental effort.

Personal Skill Inventory

The first step in bridging individual and organisational skill gap is to clearly identify and understand the various skills needed to get the job done efficiently and effectively.

You must analyse your current skills and knowledge in order to identify the areas where improvement is needed. You could introduce a self-directed 360 degree performance management system to understand how others perceived you in terms of your competencies and shortcomings. This is necessary for you to channel your training and development effort on those areas where real improvement is needed.

Benchmark Global Competency for the Position

The world is now a global village. Irrespective of where you work or reside, you can actually benchmark your current skills and knowledge with that of the incumbents in leading companies across the globe.  Think some of the fortune 500 companies.

You can also benchmark the skills and knowledge of the job incumbent of the leading companies in your country, industry and market. Leading competitors should be benchmark as well.

Identify Available Options

Once you have identified the areas where improvement is most needed, the next move is to identify the most effective options available for you to close the gaps.

It is important to identify and list out the various learning and development intervention options at your disposal in terms of cost and benefit analysis. Coaching, mentoring, on the job and off the job training options must be closely looked into. You must attend seminars, workshops and symposium where you can garner quality knowledge and exposure capable of closing all identified skill gaps on time. You may need to consult the training calendar of leading training and consulting firms in your country and globally.

Obtain necessary Certification

Getting necessary certification is essential. In addition to your years of experience, level of exposure and competency on the job, certification is essential for anybody to take you serious.

Certification is important in professions such as Accountancy, Public Relations, Advertising, Marketing, Human Resources, Project Management, Information Technology and Engineering. Get certified in your chosen field.

Get Role Models

Role models are individuals with those qualities we admire. They are people we aspire to pattern our life after. Get to know them closely. Imbibe their positive traits.

Learn all you can about them. Read about them. Get to understand their strengths and weaknesses. Take advantage of their strengths and overcome their challenges.  

Read Wide

Readers are potential leaders. Reading exposes people to the world around them. Essential skills, knowledge and capabilities could be acquired through reading. There are good books in all professional fields you can think about. Identify the leading and influential personalities in your chosen field and read their works.

Read biography of successful individuals across the globe. Biography is a good source of information regarding the various challenges of life and how we can overcome them. Professional journals are excellent sources of getting expert knowledge and opinion about one’s chosen field or profession. Leading journals are available in Engineering, Medicine, Finance, Management, Human Resources and Information Technology. All leading professions have specific journals. You must cultivate the habit of reading trade journals.

Newspapers and Magazines are also available for information about the happenings around us. Cultivate the habit of reading something new daily.  Internet is a huge source of information for avid readers. You may subscribe to any of the several online libraries for a fee. Library subscription is good for those who are hungry for knowledge.

Have a Realistic Annual Training Budget

We need to have annual training budget because our wants are numerous while the means to satisfy these wants are limited in supply.

A certain percentage of your annual or monthly income should go for self-development. Never leave your training and development solely in the hand of the employer. Take charge of your life. The world we live in today is a world where information is fast becoming obsolete, almost immediately. You can’t afford to be left behind.

Make a yearly budget for seminars, workshops and trainings. You must also have budget for book acquisition. You must cultivate the habit of buying at least a book in two months; this will add at least six good books to your personal library in a year.

A professional without a personal library is not serious about self-development. It’s never too late. Start now. Buy a book today.

HANDLING JOB LOSS AND UNEMPLOYMENT PROFITABLY

 

‘It’s not what happens to you that determines how far you will go in life; it is how you handle what happens to you.’
…..Zig Ziglar

 Dwindling revenue and increased cost of doing business are some of the major factors that push companies to consider manpower reduction as a coping strategy. When this painful decision is implemented some employees have to go. The period of manpower reduction is a period when new employment is almost zero. Thereby creating a situation where those who are readily available with requisite skills, knowledge and attitude are not able to secure gainful employment.  An individual is unemployed when he or she is unable to be gainfully employed for a job he or she has been trained to do or has the skill, knowledge and capability to do effectively and efficiently.

To be out of job is really frustrating. This condition can lead to drug addiction, broken home and failed marriage. The impact of this condition is felt differently by different people. For those living with parents or guardians, the impact may not be much. Those with gainfully employed spouses may not really feel it the way a bread winner would fell it. If you are out of job and your spouse does not earn enough to take care of the home, it’s like living in hell. It could be so frustrating in a developing economy where no provision exists for unemployment benefits.

Europe and United States had a bitter share of large scale unemployment during the recent global economic meltdown. Large scale unemployment has become a way of life in most developing countries, especially in Africa.

Job loss can be managed optimally for result. The strategies below if properly implemented could turn around the situation for the best.

BE POSITIVE

 This is a time to remain upbeat and positive. There are cases of people who committed suicide while passing through the stress of job loss. This is not a time to be lonely and dejected. Be in company of lively people. Read motivational books. There are several good books by several authors that could be of help. Read books by Ben Carson, Samuel Adeyemi, Zig Ziglar, John Mason, John Maxwell and several other books written by life coaches. The first thing you need to understand is that this is not the end of life. Whether you are a fresh graduate or an experienced worker, be positive. The benefit of remaining positive is that it makes you think less and remain open to opportunities.

DO SOMETHING

This is not a time to be idle. Never! It’s a period you must find something doing, even for free. You could offer yourself up for volunteering work. Think of something you could do to affect live, then do it. You can also use this period to learn a trade that can turn you to an entrepreneur. You can invest in developing your computer, communication, analytical and technical skills. This is not a time to sit back at home watching movies all days long.

OPEN UP

This is a period you must never be a pretender. Let close associates know what you can do and what you are passing through. We have people who are out of job and pretend as if all is well. They hardly tell close associates who could be of help. You are the architect of your own misfortune by not opening up. Never die in secret, open up. This is not the same as telling every Dick, Jack and Harry about it. Only confides in few close confidants.

Some people even kept it from their spouses and continue to pretend to go to work on a daily basis believing that the experience is shameful and should be kept as a top secret. No, never keep your close associates in the dark. Learn to open up.

LEVERAGE ON YOUR EXISTING NETWORKS

You must leverage on your existing contacts. Put calls across to your professional friends and associates; use your alumni network to connect people. Call friends that are doing well in other industries. This is the time you must be regular at professional meetings. Be regular at these gatherings and make superb contribution to interesting intellectual discussions. Be relevant. Show off your stuff.

Always be in contact with colleagues who are currently working to find out about possible job openings in their company or industry.

ADD VALUE TO YOURSELF

Learn new things. You could learn to play a musical instrument. You could learn about web designing. This period must be used to gain knowledge. Read more books in your chosen field; develop your writing and oral communication skills.

Horn your employability skills. You must set aside a minimum of one hour each day to develop your skill, knowledge and capability in your chosen field of study. Add value to yourself. Read wide. Develop new skills.  Build your competency.

WATCH OUT FOR OPPORTUNITIES

Never close your ears and eyes to happenings around you. Be inquisitive and be on the lookout for opportunities. Watch out for vacancies in the newspapers. Try new things. See if you could start a small business on your own.

 This should be a period to reflect on your God given ability. A time to believe in yourself and be confident that you have all it takes to get a better job.

 

 

VALUING EMPLOYEES AT WORK

‘People are your most valuable asset. Only people can be made to appreciate in value’.

….Brian Tracy.

Employers across the globe appreciate the fact that attracting and retaining key talents is essential to achieving superior performance in the marketplace. Despite this understanding, some employers still find it difficult to value their employees thinking no employee is irreplaceable. Employees are expected to be treated with utmost respect. Their voice on major decisions that affect or impact their job, welfare and productivity must count. They are not to be relegated to the background as having nothing spectacular to offer. Employees are the greatest asset that any prospective organisation can count on. How well are you treating your employees?

The capacity of the current workforce to function effectively and efficiently is a function of how well they are motivated. One of the best way of motivating employee is by demonstrating to them in practical terms that they are important and valuable to the success of their organisation; now and in the future.

 The following are some of the strategies that could be used to demonstrate to employees that they are important and valuable part of the enterprise.

Appreciation

How best can we appreciate people for a job well done? By simply telling them, ‘Thank you’. Appreciating employees for a job well done should be the habit of all good managers and superiors. Some managers find it so difficult appreciating a job well done. Their perception is that employees are paid to do a good job. If you can condemn a bad job, you should never overlook an excellent result. Learn to say a big thank you for a job well done. Management could initiate open appreciation for exceptional performances and the staff involved could be encouraged through a signed commendation letter.

Open appreciation gives employee a sense of belonging and ignite in them a can do and will do attitude. It costs nothing to appreciate good performance. Make the best use of it.

Develop Your People

If you believe that your employees are your greatest asset then develop them to become world class employees. All employees should have opportunities to learn, grow, develop and advance within the organisation. Identify employees training needs and meet them.

One practical way of demonstrating to employees that they are valuable to an organisation is the organisation’s level of investment on their growth and development.

Reward Your People

Competitive remuneration is a clear demonstration of how valuable employees are to an organisation. Your total package must not be below the industrial average. Failure to reward them adequately could make your organisation a stepping stone for people looking for a place to start their career and move on. They’ll move elsewhere when you need them the most. Are your employees your greatest asset? Then reward them adequately. Teams and individuals should also be rewarded for achieving laudable feat.

Develop a Workplace Family Culture

The problem with most business organisations is the adherent to a strict and rigid formal relationship at work. In most organisations employees don’t really have any relationship or networking opportunities at work. All relationships begin and end at work. Employees are not closely knitted and they have nothing in common. Develop an encompassing culture that can encourage all your employees to see themselves as a member of one big happy family.

Encourage employees to take invitation to attend social gatherings and programmes coming from colleagues with all seriousness. Management could also make it an attitude to always send representative to attend important social engagement of even the junior staff.

The more you value your employees, the more productive they become and the more competitive and profitable your organisation will become.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE HR SIDE OF BUSINESS: BECOMING AN EMPLOYEE OF CHOICE

THE HR SIDE OF BUSINESS: BECOMING AN EMPLOYEE OF CHOICE: The success or failure of any business is a function of the quality or otherwise of its employees. That is, the people working there wh...

EMPLOYEES AS BUSINESS EDGE

The general saying that ‘people are the most valuable assets of any business’ is fast becoming a cliché. The reason is not far-fetched. Organisations today most especially privately owned organisations and some publicly quoted companies are in the habit of relegating people to the back sit. They treat employees with disdain. Threatening them with sack, retrenchment and redundancy. Relying on the long-time injunction that a willing employee could not be forced on an unwilling employer. This is really unfair!

The HR department is not so lucky in some organisations. The unit is often seen as doing little or nothing to add value to the bottom line. Some are even thinking of outsourcing their entire HR functions, pretending they are interested in focusing on their core business areas. It’s hard to value your people when you hardly value the unit charged with the responsibility for attracting, developing and retaining people.

Organisations should be concerned about communicating their expectations to HR as a unit. Top management should also work closely with their HR team so that company’s vision, mission and strategy can be properly aligned with HR strategy for optimal result. The reality in any business organisation is the fact that people make things happen. Cleaners, Security personnel, Secretaries and Personal assistants no matter how one may think they are of little value and could be done away with at will; could sometimes make or mar a business. Everybody counts in an organisation.

Management team should understand the importance of everybody in an organisation; the fact that some people are more relevant by virtue of their positions cannot be overemphasised, but the effective functioning of these key people is dependent on the support of the so called less important member of an organisation. Everybody should be respected and valued.

To truly demonstrate that people are the most valuable assets in an organisation, the top management should demonstrate to their employees that they truly care about them, they must build employees confidence in the company. Employee welfare should be given priority. Merit and fairness should take priority in performance rating and promotion efforts. A great deal of investment should be devoted to the training and retraining of existing staff, rather than relying on sourcing the needed skills from the marketplace via headhunting. Promotion from within should be embraced. Employees must be managed in such a way that they are certain of their future in the organisation.

Organisations should do the following to clearly demonstrate that their people are their edge.

o Emphasise merit in recruitment, selection and promotion.
o Due process and recourse to company’s condition of service in all disciplinary matters.
o Constant training and retraining of staff.
o Existing employees to be given opportunity to compete with outsiders in order to fill vacant positions.
o Several options should be considered where there is need for restructuring that may involve staff layoff and this must be done openly without sentiment.
o HR unit must be allowed to take key peoples decisions without undue interference.

The time for organisations to prove that employees are their most valuable assets is now. Action should speak louder than voice in this respect. Until this is done, the popular saying that ‘people are the most valued assets of an organisation’ will remain on the part of the employees, a mere cliché.