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David Attricki

“KNOWING YOUR PURPOSE IN LIFE” – SPEECH DELIVERED BY DR. MRS. ELLEN HAGAN 1024 683 David Attricki

“KNOWING YOUR PURPOSE IN LIFE” – SPEECH DELIVERED BY DR. MRS. ELLEN HAGAN

Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. My name is Ellen Hagan, CEO of L’AINE services Limited and I am very much delighted to be here with you this morning. I will be sharing with you on the topic “knowing your purpose”.

Life is a journey. We are all travelling inevitably towards the end of our lives. We will either coast through life with no sense of direction or with lives of purpose and fulfillment. The race is on. Where are you going and what are you doing about it?

The word “purpose” can best be described as the reason for which something is done or created or for which something exists.

Why must we know our life’s purpose?

Everyone’s life is driven by something – guilt, worry or fear, insecurity, anger, resentment, their past, possessions, parents, money, etc. God wants us to be purpose driven people, driven by His plan, His purpose for our lives. Before God even planned the world, He planned you. When He planned you, He planned your purpose even before you were born. When you fulfill your life purpose it brings honour to God and it brings satisfaction to yourself.

How can I know my purpose in life?

I believe everyone was created to solve a problem and your success is dependent on your ability to discover that problem and solve it. Finding this problem is discovering your purpose, solving this problem is accomplishing your purpose. Below are a few pointers/questions that will help you know or discover your purpose;

  • What do you love to do?
    Your purpose is directly related to what you love. The most purposeful people in the world spend their time doing what they love. Bill Gates loves computers, Oprah loves helping, and the Newton’s loved to invent. What do you love? Is it reading, writing, playing sports, singing, painting, business, selling, talking, listening, cooking, fixing broken things. Whatever you love, it’s directly related to your purpose.
  • What do you do in your free time?
    Whatever you do in your free time is a sign of your purpose. If you like to paint in your free time, then that’s a sign. If you like to cook, that’s a sign, if you like to talk, that’s a sign. Follow the signs. What do you do in your free time? What would you like to do if you had more free time? Would you teach or design clothes?
  • What do you love to learn about?
    What kinds of books or magazines do you like to read? Do you read about cooking, business, or fishing? What do you love to learn about? If you had a library, what books would you like to have in that library?
  • What sparks your creativity?
    Is it painting, designing, building, speaking, or selling? What sparks your creativity, do you have ideas for new food recipes, or a new creative automotive web site?
  • What do you notice?
    A salesman notices an uninspiring sales pitch, a hairdresser notices someone’s hair is out of place, a designer notices an awkward outfit, a mechanic hears something wrong with your car, a singer notices when someone’s voice is out of pitch, a speaker notices an uninspiring speech. What do you notice? What annoys you?
  • What do people compliment you on?
    What “fans” do you have? If no one likes your cooking, then you probably won’t make a good chef. Do people compliment your writing, or your singing, or your amazing ability to sell? Once again, this is a sign of your purpose.
  • What would you do if you knew you couldn’t fail?
    Would you start a salon, go on a singing contest or start your own business? What would you do if success was guaranteed? It’s a sign to your purpose.

Benefits of living a purpose-driven life: 

Knowing your purpose gives meaning to your life:

We were made to have meaning. When life has meaning, you can bear almost anything; without it, nothing is bearable. A young man in his twenties wrote, “I feel like a failure because I’m struggling to become something, and I don’t even know what it is. All I know how to do is to get by. Someday, if I discover my purpose, I’ll feel I’m beginning to live.” Without God, Life has no purpose, without purpose, life has no meaning. Without meaning, life has no significance or hope. Hope is essential to your life as air and water. You need hope to cope. Hope comes from having a purpose.

Knowing your purpose simplifies your life:

It defines what you do and what you don’t do. Your purpose becomes the standard you use to evaluate which activities are essential and which aren’t. You simply ask, “Does this activity help me fulfill one of the purposes of my life?” Without a clear purpose you have no foundation on which you base decisions, allocate your time, and use your resources. You will tend to make choices based on circumstances, pressures, and your mood at that moment. People who don’t know their purpose try to do too much-and that causes stress, fatigue, and conflict.

Knowing your purpose focuses your life:

It concentrates your effort and energy on what’s important. You become effective by being selective. Without a clear purpose, you will keep changing directions, jobs, relations, churches, or other externals, hoping each change will settle the confusion or fill the emptiness in your heart. You think, maybe this time it will be different, but it doesn’t solve your real problem- a lack of focus and purpose. There is nothing quiet as potent as a focused life, one lived on purpose. The men and women who have made the greatest difference in history were the most focused. If you want your life to have impact, focus it! Stop playing dabbling. Stop trying to do it all. Do less. Prune away even good activities and do only that which matters most. Never confuse activity with productivity. You can be busy without a purpose, but what’s the point?

Knowing your purpose motivates your life:

Purpose always produces passion. Nothing energizes like a clear purpose. On the other hand, passion dissipates when you lack a purpose. Just getting out of bed becomes a major chore. It is usually meaningless work, not overwork, that wears us down, saps our strength, and robs our joy.
Knowing your purpose prepares you for eternity:

Many people spend their lives trying to create a lasting legacy on earth. They want to be remembered when they’re gone. Yet, what ultimately matters most will not be what others say about your life but what God says. What people fail to realize is that all achievements are eventually surpassed, records are broken, reputations fade, and tributes are forgotten. Living to create an earthly legacy is a short-sighted goal. A wiser use of time is to build an eternal legacy. You weren’t put on earth to be remembered. You were put here to prepare for eternity.
One day when you stand before God, He would demand from you, “What did you do with what I gave you?” At most, you will live a hundred years on earth, but you will spend forever in eternity. Your time on earth is, as Sir Thomas Browne said, “but a small parenthesis in eternity.” You were made to last forever.

Now you know your purpose, what next? (CHOOSING A CAREER PATH)

You have come to the point where you have to make some choices.

  • You have found what you like
  • You have found some occupations that seem to match those aspects of your personality
  • You have done the required research and learned more about these particular occupations- what they have to offer you and what you have to offer

NOW– Evaluate your options and make a choice. Your goal is to find the “most appropriate one”, not the “correct” one.

There are a lot of occupations. There will not be ONE single one that will suit you much better than all others.

Steps in the Decision-Making Process

  1. Name the decision. Write it down in a question format – this helps to clarify your decision and helps you keep it in mind. Eg; what occupation would I like to be in 5years from now.
  2. List alternatives (write out at least 2)
  3. Evaluate the alternatives and decide. Write down the potential outcomes of each alternative- both positive and negative for you and for your loved ones.
  4. Test your choice
  • Summer job
  • Take a course related to the chosen alternative
  • Volunteer in the area
  • Shadow someone who works in the same occupation
  1. Evaluate your decision (how well did your choice work)

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

We should not compare ourselves to others (Kwaku works for an NGO or Financial Institution). Some of us could also be entrepreneurs. The point is that, at the early stages in our lives, it may not be easy to see what options we are most suited for.

We should not be too choosy. If we do not try something, how do we know whether we will succeed or not? “Nothing ventured, nothing gained”. There are so many examples of people who started out doing menial jobs and through perseverance, those seemingly menial jobs provided the breakthrough.

We should not be obsessed with what people think of us- and should not be swayed by the trend we find ourselves born into – white collar jobs are respected and admired. What happens then is that when we finish school, everybody wants to work with a big firm or bank or NGO.

I would like to end by challenging you all to go out there and find out your purpose, to those who have already found it, I urge you to continue living it. It is on by living a purposeful life that we can live life to its fullest.

Thank you.

CORPORATE NETWORKING AND WORK ETIQUETTE 1024 684 David Attricki

CORPORATE NETWORKING AND WORK ETIQUETTE

Introduction

In this digital age, the ability to effectively connect with industry captains and key business leaders as well as nurture excellent work ethics will be the single most important differentiator between those that will succeed and those that will not.

Global statistics clearly indicate that this is a youthful generation. About seventy percent of the world populations are below 35 years. And two thirds of them are in Africa. The key challenges the youth are faced with include: unemployment (jobs), terrorism, infiltration of foreign culture and lack of mentorship

Unemployment

According to the African centre for economic transformation (ACET), about fifty percent of graduates would not find jobs after school. Conversely, as an HR practioner, I can say emphatically that there are still job vacancies that are difficult to fill owing to competency mismatch. Employers prefer to hire people they already know or people that are recommended to them by a friend.

Corporate Networking

This is defined as the skill of fostering and maintaining key relationships that create mutual value for the parties involved. There are four things to note about corporate networking.

  • It is a level for personal growth.
  • It benefits the learner
  • It is the single most important skill in life, business and career development
  • It can be learnt, nurtured and deployed.

Success is a decision and a habit. You must be specific and intentional about what you want in order to get it. In networking there are a few pointers that must be taken into consideration.

How to network

  • Have a reason for wanting to connect –: what is the purpose for wanting to network, is it for grooming in terms of career guidance, academia, personal and spiritual growth, is it for mentoring, or in search of a job or internship
  • Identify who you want to connect with and where to find them –this starts with the people you know or who your parents know. This could be from the neighbourhood, church, social media, corporate events among others.
  • Introduce yourself as doing or having passion for something as he/she is doing – public speaking, what do you both have in common this should be in line with what the person is doing examples could be public speaking, academic and scientific research, among others.
  • Say something you read about them to them: This could be their own book, biography etc. Not only does this serves as a form of flattery to the person you are networking with but also it gives the person the assumption that you have a keen interest in what their field of work. It is therefore a necessity to do research on them before meeting in person.
  • Report on your progress: after the networking phase, there is a period within which you learn from your mentor/coach always write a review based on what you have learnt and how it has helped you.
  • Offer to help to boost his/her professional success (write feature articles for him/her) this could be achieved by offering to be of his or her service by working with him or her.
  • Ask for help: this could be in terms of recommendation, or by using him or her as a reference in your CV
  • Getting in touch: It is essential to get in touch the same day via text messages reminding him/her of your meeting and affirming your commitment to learn. Remember to ask to call specific times and keep the appointment. Never call more than once or twice. If you fail to reach them the first time, send a text or a WhatsApp message. Always plan what to discuss each time you call

 

Where to network

  • Church: the church could be a good place to network especially if you attend the same church with him or her. If that is not the case, get to know their place of worship and time of closure and hang around to meet them.
  • Corporate & Social events: When starting small, go to events and programmes that you would be able to learn something educational and valuable. Examples of corporate events are Ted talks, Festival of Ideas, Ghana Economic Forum, HR Focus Conference, Golf tournaments etc. are most likely places to meet key industry leaders Take the initiative in volunteering in these events even though you are not being paid, it is an opportunity to meet and work with new people
  • Social media: social media has made it easier to meet the people you would have had to book appointments to meet. According to Rev. Albert Ocran “You can meet just about anybody in the world simply by going through a chain of at most seven people”

 

Where to start from

  • Friends of parents: It is essential to start with the people that your parents know. This is termed as personal networking. Indulge them concerning matters that are in relation to your personal growth. This could be in terms of career guidance, developing a skill, how to prepare for the job market and so on. Get to know them by name, their profession, volunteer to intern for free in their companies
  • Friends of friends: To maintain your personal network always keep in touch with your friends and colleagues. You may never know when someone is going to turn from a passing acquaintance into a useful contact. Be up to date with where your old friends have been up to in relation to not only their social lives but also their work lives.  Also, your friends have friends. Reach out to them.
  • Social media connections: ponder over this question; you have over 2500 friends on Facebook, how many of them have you personally reached out to?

Get connected

  • What do we do with business cards: a business card could serve as a means of getting in touch with a person via telephone, email or text message. Once a business card has been, always remember to not discard them as these might come in handy.
  • Once we meet people how do we stay connected: this could be achieved by taking their contact number after interacting with them or requesting for a call card.
  • Effective Networking involves a lot of work: when it comes to networking, it is seen as the necessary good in order to achieve results. If it is something that will benefit you (in terms of career development, academia,) are you willing to go the extra mile to achieve that. Change never comes easy.
  • TOMA (Top of Mind Awareness): what is the reason why you want to network? This can go to the how, and where
  • Influence: this deals with how you are able to get the attention and interest of the person to the extent that he or she willing to help and work with you.

Work Etiquette

Work etiquette is a social code that governs the expectations of behaviour in a workplace. These are rules about how people treat each other in formal situations. The common name for etiquette is MANNERS.

Key pointers of positive work etiquette

  • Interpersonal relations: This talk of relating well with others in the workplace this is regardless of the differences you and your colleagues may have in terms of race, ethnicity, gender, disability, political views, religion, among others. Remember always be the bigger person and be willing to get along with others.
  • Communication skills: How you relay your points across to your work colleagues is an important factor. also be a good listener
  • Business growth (generating new ideas): what would you contribute to the development and growth to the business? What business ideas would you have in mind and how would they benefit the business.
  • Values: this involves acting with integrity and honesty at all times
  • Deliver results: this involves critical thinking and problem solving at work. If there is a task to be done, always find the means and ways by which the task would be accomplished. Be solution- oriented.

Basic Rules:

  • Report to work on time: always be punctual when it comes to reporting to work on time. If there is a situation that you will be reporting to work late remember to ask for permission but do not let this be often.
  • Focus on your deliverables:
  • Use your energy and time wisely: it is essential to master the art of time management as this helps prioritizing on what task should performed first. Avoid stalling when there is work to be done.
  • Seek help if need be: keep a ‘buddy’ (a friend that helps you easily settle into the culture). The buddy system always come in handy especially when one is facing difficulty adjusting to the working environment
  • Be attentive to detail: Always be detail-oriented as one minor mistake will not only hold you liable but also the business as a whole which may result to a major loss or a law suit
  • Show leadership: take initiative by taking active part and being committed to company projects. Take the initiative by taking in more responsibility and perform work that is outside of your general nature of work.
  • Report on work done: whenever there is a task to be accomplished, there is always a deadline that is to be met. Always set targets or have a to-do list as to what work should be done first. Avoid stalling. as the saying goes procrastination is the thief of time
  • Go the extra mile: burn the midnight oil by staying late sometimes to get work done or working over the weekend to get the work done.
  • Give off your best: to deliver excellent results, always do your best especially when it comes to performing your work. Sometimes doing your best may not deliver good results but that does not mean that you must not give in your all.
  • Avoid the office politics: office politics can be defined as an action or strategy people use to gain advantage in terms of status and power

Changing the world of work

  • Change mindset
  • ++to learn and get a salary
  • ++only there for what they are getting
  • ++contribute for themselves, business of one=being the owner
  • Career responsibility shifts to the individual
  • ++Linked to results and not how long you study
  • ++good performers are hurried up the ladder
  • You can only grow someone who wants to grow themselves

Employee development shifts to the individual

  • Seeking a variety of assignments
  • Tackling tough problems
  • Asking for feedback
  • Coaching – opportunities to coach others
  • Energy to make the development possible
  • Consider specific goals. New skills…. ways to meet these goals

What employers are looking for in employees

  • Positive Attitude
  • Team spirit
  • Solution oriented
  • Patience
  • Loyalty
  • Contentment
  • professionalism

Good personal grooming

  • Personal hygiene first step to good grooming
  • Hair…shaving….
  • Dental issues…brushy, tongue
  • Nails
  • Body odour
  • Mouth odour
  • Make up
  • Jewellery
  • Professional dress code

Do not let your image sabotage your career

  • What are you “saying” before you speak a word?
  • To get ahead in any career pay attention to your workplace image as it is a powerful communicator.
  • The non-verbal messages your image sends can work on your behalf, or they can work against you.
  • Look business like, yet stylish and not boring like a corporate filing cabinet
BUILDING A SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS 1024 576 David Attricki

BUILDING A SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS

“Doing great, looking great, expecting great things, planning great and managing with faith and grace in spite of all the marketplace challenges, cut throat competition and lack of integrity.”

The Chair, Corporate Executives present, Ladies and Gentlemen, good evening.

I am honoured to be addressing you on this important occasion and trust that the thoughts we would share today and after this program would find relevance

I like telling stories and even more so when they are stories that glorify God.

I want to share with you a few thoughts on how God’s faithfulness has brought L’AINE this far.

My experiences in business and in life in general have led me to simple conclusion that, “Growth is intentional.” We should be able to clearly define what we want, where we want to go and how we want to get there.

In my opinion, the secret of fulfilment is excellence. I personally believe that, to do something well is to enjoy it. However, navigating a business is extra tricky these days. The speed of economic and technological changes means that, the right path yesterday may not work today and could be a disaster by tomorrow. Solving these dynamic problems is what separates those who excel from the companies whose doors are closing.

THE SIGMOID CURVE – L’AINE’S EXPERIENCE:

Business theorists predict that, businesses undergo four significant phases: an introductory phase, growth, maturity and eventually, a decline phase. But over the years, we have defied this business trend and stayed competitive and relevant. Through futuristic planning and timely marketing campaigns, we have jumped onto one sigmoid curve after another. For instance, in 2009, we rebranded our HR newsletter into a fully-fledged magazine called HR Focus, making it Ghana’s first and only HR magazine. We also partnered the Chartered Institute of Marketing, Ghana to publish the MM Focus magazine, which is an industry-acclaimed publication that highlights thought leadership and significant achievements in the marketing and media landscapes. In 2012, we introduced the HR Focus Conference & Excellence Awards, which has become a flagship Conference for HR executives and business leaders within the sub-region. Every year, senior HR leaders and business executives meet at a forum where high profile speakers and facilitators lead thoughts in shaping the future of business and in innovating the world of work. It appears apart from God’s unfailing grace; we have mastered the skill of anticipating the next market move and positioning ourselves to lead in that endeavour.

WHAT HAPPENED NEXT?

Within the year when I won the coveted CIMG Marketing Woman of the Year for L’AINE’s dedication the country’s human resource development, we have received several recognitions and won many awards both at home and abroad. Some of these awards include

  • CIMG Marketing Woman of the Year 2011 –CIMG
  • 9th Most Influential Personality in Ghana 2012 – Etv Ghana
  • VLISCO Women’s Ambassador 2013 – VLISCO
  • Recruitment Company of the Year 2015 – Ghana Oil & Gas Awards
  • 50th Most Prestigious Company of the Year 2011 – GIPC
  • 34th Most Prestigious Company of the Year 2012 – GIPC
  • Most Influential Women in Business & Government 2013 – CEO Communications
  • Best and Most Innovative Pan African HR Company 2012 – Aspire West Africa
  • Outstanding Female Entrepreneur 2013 – Ghana Women Awards
  • International Star for Leadership in Quality 2013 – Business Initiative Directions
  • International Star for Quality 2012 – Business Initiative Decisions
  • Best Entrepreneur – Corporate Business Services 2012 – Entrepreneurship Foundation of Ghana
  • Strategic Leadership Award 2011 – World HRD Conference in India
  • Best Consultant 2010/2011 – International Christian Business Excellence Awards (ICBE)
  • Best Consultancy 2010/2011 – International Christian Business Excellence Awards (ICBE)
  • Best Enterprise Award 2012 – Europe Business Assembly
  • Best Manager Award 2012 – Europe Business Assembly
  • Annual Achiever Awards 2012 – The West African Regional Forum
  • Special Honour Award 2012 – WASME & Ghana Association of Women Entrepreneurs
  • Regional Winner 2014 – Africa’s Most Influential Women in Business & Government

Even though we had always excelled at what we did, when we took a decision to “go public” with our excellent service, we got noticed and started to win several awards. This campaign by our creative marketing team is in tandem with a famous business quote that says: “Doing business without advertising is like winking at a lady in the dark. You know what you are doing but nobody else does.”

CORPORATE GOVERNANCE – OUR PROCESSES

As a way of staying relevant for many years, we are committed to delivering human resource solutions aimed at total satisfaction and continual improvement. In pursuit of this, we are ISO 9001:2008 Certified. The ISO Certification is a mark of L’AINE’s commitment to quality service.

2016 Strategic Direction: 3 pronged pillars

Also, we have identified three strategic pillars: people, innovation and technology as crucial to driving long term growth and profitability. Under people, we seek to become a people-focused organisation where high performance is rewarded and work flexibility is encouraged. In fact, our people agenda encapsulates the pivotal issues in HR: talent sourcing, learning and development, engagement, performance and rewards. We have designed and will be implementing a personal improvement programme next year dubbed L’AINE Best of Me. We will also be executing a succession planning programme called L’AINE Be the Leader. On innovation, we are determined to create an innovative culture that elicits ideas for continual improvement and business growth. To achieve this, every department or unit comes up with innovative ideas every week during their KPI meetings. We also have created cross-functional teams and tasked each team to design a project (which could be a new product, a major process improvement or large-scale cost reduction). The overall objective is to maximize value and achieve a leaner and more efficient system. Lastly, under technology, we are procuring a variety of enterprise-wide software to enhance process efficiency. We recognize that in a digital age, technology delivers competitive advantage.

ETHICS & INTEGRITY

There is always the temptation to be unethical in business especially when everyone is struggling to be more successful, to make the next quarterly earnings estimate, to keep their job, to earn a big bonus, or to compete effectively.  The temptation to cut corners, omit information, and do whatever it takes to get ahead occur every day. Many business employees and executives succumb.  Sadly, the theme becomes highly infectious and soon people actually start to feel like lying a little, or stealing a little, or deceiving others, is just “a part of business”.  These practices erode the trust that needs to exist between employers and employees, between business partners, between executives and shareholders.  Without trust, the business will not be able to compete effectively and it will eventually fail. There is overwhelming evidence to support the implications for business when its leaders choose to act unethically. Most notably, in 2001, Enron, a billion-dollar energy company based in Houston, Texas filed for bankruptcy. Apparently, the company’s directors had been conniving with its auditors: Arthur Andersen to be falsifying their financial statements. They shielded loses and exaggerated revenues to inspire hope in investors. It was not long and their unethical deeds caught up with them. Eventually, Enron collapsed as well as Arthur Andersen, an international accountancy firm.

INCREASED SELECTION AND COMPLETION

Contrary to public perception, one needn’t have everything to start his or her business. Gone are the days when it took weeks, months, and a myriad of forms to get your business registered. Now if you can buy a domain name and register your business online, you are in business. However, staying in business is a much more complicated matter. While business expertise was once an expensive and time-consuming endeavour, you can now find experts online for many questions that you might encounter.  There is help to starting an online store, for example, for getting business cards and marketing materials – all at a very reasonable cost.  The ease of starting a business creates a much broader level of competition.  You might find different business competing for each product you sell and new businesses that focus on a single item and spend all their time and focus on being the very best at just one thing.  This increase in overall selection and more focused competition will make it more difficult for businesses of all sizes to retain customers who can change their suppliers with the click of a mouse.  It is a battle of perception, focus, and marketing. Business owners who master these elements and provide a great customer experience will win the game.

PIONEERING INNOVATIONS:

Along the same lines as increased selection and competition is the challenge to market to potential customers effectively and retain your existing customers. Smart phones, social media, texting, email, twitter and other communication channels are making it easy for businesses and individuals to get their messages out.  Figuring out the right marketing channels is key for businesses to be successful in the future.  Where are your customers and how do you best reach them and what is the right messaging?  Once you get a new customer, how do you keep these customers when they are constantly barraged by competitors of all types, sizes, and locations, trying to convince them that they can do it better or provide it cheaper?  Identifying what your customers want and doing a better job of giving it to them will make all the difference in your company’s future. But I have noticed that, in business sometimes you have to create a need which your target market didn’t necessarily ask for. Who asked for the iPad or the iPhone? Nobody did. But through Steve Jobs’ marketing genius and product expertise, the world accepted them and Apple succeeded in changing the world. At L’AINE, we have blazed several trails. We were first to produce management training videos using Ghanaian actors. We publish Ghana’s first and only human resource magazine. We host Ghana’s flagship HR Conference & Excellence Awards to recognize outstanding HR practices and practitioners respectively.

But as a company we are aware of the tendency to become complacent as we enjoy the goodwill that comes with blazing trails. To combat this, we have redesigned our work flow such that there are cross-functional brainstorming sessions for workers to meet and work on projects. On the last Friday of every month, workers join their colleagues in other departments to discuss ideas, create projects, solve problems and create value for the business. This ongoing culture of innovative thinking ensures we stay hungry, passionate and results-oriented.

UNCERTAINTY

All of us, and especially business leaders find great discomfort in uncertainty. Because of global debt and economic struggles, uncertainty is more pronounced today than in the past. The sad news is that uncertainty leads to a short-term focus. Due to uncertainty, companies tend to shy away from long-term planning in favour of shorter-term goals. While this might feel right, a failure to strategically plan five to ten years into the future can end up destroying value. Businesses must learn to balance the need for a more reactive, short-term focus with the need for informed, long-term strategies. Uncertainty tends to put many into a general malaise – unable to get anything done. You need to shut out the world ending news and get back to work.”

FINDING THE RIGHT TALENT

Most business executives say their biggest challenge is finding the right talent, aligning them behind the company’s vision and retaining them.  Despite high unemployment, many companies still struggle to find the right talent with the right skills for their business. Many new manufacturing jobs require high-tech skills, whilst some require several years of training.  Because of changing technology, businesses are struggling to find qualified workers with IT skills, problem solving abilities, and deductive reasoning skills.

We have to understand that, when the season changes the assignment also changes. As we get to the end of the year, we are struggling to meet our targets knowing we reward for results and not for effort. We have to constantly look at our environment – social, economic, etc. and carve another strategy for the coming year and formulate ways to drive it.

To achieve this, leadership is critical, but many corporate “leadership factories” have failed to impress the stock market in recent years. A host of other competencies, from talent management and governance to finance and operational efficiency are important – but they alone don’t separate the winners from the losers, over a long period of time.

Rather, we believe that enterprise resilience is the most important capability in business today. And resilience is becoming better understood, to a point where it can now be measured – and managed.

Resilience is an organisation’s capacity to anticipate and react to change, not only to survive, but also to evolve.

In our definition, resilience doesn’t begin and end with a crisis-proof supply chain, as some would have you believe. And it’s greater than the sum of most companies’ risk management efforts.

Rather, the key word in our definition is “change” – resilience is required in response to all kinds of change, not just crises. To be resilient, it’s true that you need to be able to manage through an earthquake’s disruption of a supplier’s factory. But you also need to manage through tectonic shifts in consumer purchasing behaviour, by anticipating those shifts and re-orienting the organisation to continue delighting customers.

And change is everywhere, in every market. Megatrends are washing over the global economy – from demographic change to rapid urbanisation, from shifts in economic power to climate change and technological breakthroughs – together driving an extraordinary economic dynamism. The result is an uncharted ocean of change that some companies fail to navigate and that leads others to find new worlds of opportunity.

Some interesting statistics about S&P 500 companies

The Standard & Poor’s 500, often abbreviated as the S&P 500, or just “the S&P”, is an American stock market index based on the market capitalizations of 500 large companies having common stock listed on the NYSE or NASDAQ.

  • The average age of an S&P 500 company was 90 years in the 1930s,
  • 61 years in 1958 and down to 18 years in 2012.
  • Think about it: that means 75% of the companies in the index will be replaced by 2027.
  • That also means opportunity: 375 companies will earn their way into the S&P 500 by 2027.

Changes don’t have to be megatrends. For example, fine jewellery buyers traditionally have been men, in developed markets. Now, women are increasingly buying treats for themselves. That could mean different approaches to retail will be more effective in the future. Will established retailers, including current S&P 500 luxury brands, be resilient enough to evolve with their in-store and online experiences? Or will they fall into crisis as department stores expand their offerings and technology companies step into the mix?

The truth is that resilience in the face of change has always been valuable. What’s different today is the necessity to take greater risk in a fast-changing and unpredictable environment – and acquire the ability to spot and act on emerging opportunities before competitors. About 60% of CEOs believe they have more opportunities today than three years ago. An equal percentage sees more threats today. Indeed, 30% of CEOs see both more threats and more opportunities. Only 9% see both threats and opportunities declining.

Life is composed of ups and downs. Learning to get through the downs is key to being successful. Without obstacles, difficulties, struggles, and challenges, life wouldn’t make much sense. You become stronger, more compassionate, and more grateful when you strongly believe in your capacity to persevere. The most successful people know what it’s like to persevere and savour victory, personally and professionally–and so can you.

Thank you.