iCert Global Blog

The human capital, with the exponential growth in population, is immeasurably huge. Today the talent pool is just terrific. Paradoxically, the skill gap persists despite the overwhelming numbers of resource. The issue, as always, is the fitment. The question is: do you fit? An organization's needs vary from time to time, and that’s why the insistence of skills upgrade. Stopping at a place in today’s pace Is walking backwards. That spells something about the competition – which means you have to have always in your guard, keep your eyes and ears open and be ready on your toes. The physical attributes aside, the mental faculty needs to be brushed up and stepped up. Now comes the key question? What are your skills? Everyone is gifted with a primary skill. Problem is we don’t know what we are good at. Really! We just follow the crowd and flow with the tide and knock on doors that have good opportunities – that pays you well offering good positions. So it’s more about aligning your skills towards the direction of boom and bucks. 

Have you ever tried to identify your own talents or primary skills and pursue a career where you can flourish given your natural abilities and gifted talents? Today, most of us want to try our hand in IT. Why? Because it pays handsomely, and the scope is just superb. What if you are good at writing? Or painting or fixing wheels or sort or any other vocation? Sense of job satisfaction is a far cry these days because our occupation is marked by demand in the market. What happened to your skills? Either untapped or unaware.  

So how to identify your skills?

• Whatever you can do with relative ease and keep motivating you keep going.
• Whatever you enjoy doing
• Whatever people come to you often for aid/assistance/assignment

Once you know what you are really good at, nurture. Try getting advice from peers and superiors. Mentoring helps. Remember, there are primary skill and secondary skills. In today’s competitive world, you need to don more than one hat as a performer. So learn more skills. Become multi-talented. Versatile. And that’s makes you more in demand, rather than following the demand of the market. Make them come to you, instead of you approaching them. You know well where lies the bargaining power. The one to give the most job satisfaction is the one you really enjoy.

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The HI-B visa creating a ruckus and protectionism playing it out in the front  with full force, the parity in the pay that reckoned to be lopsided, the crunch now will be on the talent as the metric has been set for the minimum pay – be it native or foreign workers. Still, there exists a gap between the available with the desirable. The numbers simply don’t add up to it. The reason why foreign workers were  hired was to offset the numbers. Jobs were there in numbers but hand were fewer. With the new change in hiring policy and severe clamp in the Hi-B policies mainly aiming to guard the interest of the citizen.

Alright, enough said about safeguarding jobs of residents. The question now would be “are you employable?” as one of the leading online education service provider, we regularly conduct boot camps, workshops and training mainly to equip the professionals/participants in enriching their knowledge base, and confidence level in order to become capable of becoming counted first as candidates and then crack the number of interview rounds to be make it on top as ‘employee’. The grind is difficult. Its talent alone that takes you to the top of the heap. Remember, there is no shortage of resume, it’s the skill that suffers a shortage. The demand-supply is always skewed and very rarely have we witnessed the demand surpassing the supply. More often, vacancies remain vacant for want of the right talent.

You are an amazing resource – just showcase it. Most of us are unaware of our true potential. Tap it. How will you when they are hidden. That’s when mentoring helps. 

Consult . Especially the ones you respect and value their opinions. 

Mentoring. Everyone needs a mentor. A guide to show the path and lead them on. Not everyone can become your mentor. There has to be a connect and chemistry, the one who earns your confidence and you repose faith in them to groom and guide you.

Identify your natural skills.  The ones that comes to you naturally. May be writing is your forte, or painting  or some sports. Every individual is gifted with some ability. It’s all about sighting and sprucing up. Remember, that’s your primary skill.

Whatever be your chosen field, unless you excel and exceed expectations, you talent remain unharnessed. Certifications help you to amplify your skills and , get the doors opened. Talent is what takes you further to the top.

we value your feedback and your comments are important to us. Please post it to info@icertglobal.com.

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By the time Beethoven was in his prime, he was deaf. What about the greatest music compositions? The innate abilities will somehow find its way.

The creations are unique and unequalled. That’s the beauty of life. Mortals can be so different. The law of nature is such that any shortcoming or deficit is made up in its own way. 

I am reminded of the story when one night a blind boy walks beaming torch light in a dark lane. Two boys who happen to walk that way guffaw “why are you lighting that torch when you can’t see?”  The blind boy replies “the light is for you to see. I know this way well.” Stunned, that smirk on their faces was wiped off. That’s when they realized their stupidity and respected the blind boy.

How many of us think street-smart till someone physically challenged humbles us with their human dignity. Remember Hellen Keller’s emotional outpour “I cried because I had no shoes until I met a man who had no feet”. It’s awe-inspiring.  Every individual is incredibly talented. 

In this company where I work, the most incredible and impressive aspect are the opportunities provided for the “Differently-abled’ people. I shook hands with that new face and question about his native and he responded through gestures and sound “I have hearing problem and speech too” and for a moment I stood there transfixed. I warmly shook his hands and mouthed a “pleasure meeting you” and never miss to greet him whenever our paths cross. 

When the CEO announced the top performer for the month, , it was that person who went to collect the gift and certificate from the CEO and beamed me huge smile flashing a V sign. Moments like that can make one emotional. Oh yes, I was incredibly happy for him. Despite the physical difficulties. the sheer courage to overcome and become one among the equals. Call it fortitude. That moment of glory is frozen in my memory. They have to complete like any of the employees. My HR confided that we have many such ‘professionals’, An individual career path is carved and can carry oneself with pride as being ‘specially and significantly’ abled. And deliver too.

I was reminded someone saying “life is like a chess board. We cannot get into a white square without crossing the black”. Pearls of wisdom from all the corners of this place that enlighten me and continue to do so.

You don’t have to enlisted in the fortune 500  or rake in millions as turnover. In a small way, you still contribute to the society by hiring people who are ‘specially-abled’ and qualify to be recruited. To me this wasn’t just benevolence or CSR, but very noble to ’have such a heart’ to that you don’t have to big shot in business – just a big heart will do. Awesome!!!

And the company I am associated is iCertGlobal.   

Divya works as Business Manager, and is actively involved with NGOS and charitable institutions. Divya actively contributes to our blogs .She loves arts, music and fond of street-food. 

image courtesy: http://static.wixstatic.com/media/2f0c9b_37bffb39c63c4266bbd0c51d8f31119c.jpg_srz_980_444_85_22_0.50_1.20_0.00_jpg_srz 

People are leaving. Dropping off like nine pins. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, stating he the people who quit was at 2.2% which translates to 3.22 million Americans. The highest seen since February 2001.

Does it impact the companies when employees leave? It depends on who is leaving. If it is a top performer, then it might rock the boat 

No Scarcity In Skills

iCertGlobal has faced a number of challenges, but never struggled with talent erosion. The ability to anticipate and manage expectations is one of its cornerstones. The company has risen in headcount steadily – not in leaps and bounds, but steady growth, just as their bottom line. “From that simple set-up with few heads” acknowledged their CEO Irfan Sharief “to where we stand today, I would say we have grown in numbers, increased our technology space but never compromised on core principles.” 

Attrition Low. So what’s the big deal? That speaks a lot that fails to meet the eye. For an industry that’s known for poaching talent, it speaks a lot about the stability of the company. 

It’s not a story by luck or chance that a company is started and survives and thrives in the digital transformation age when competition is fierce and you need to more than firefighting tactics. It’s one of audacity and ambition.

So, the challenge always is to enroll the employees in your mission. Unless, there is a buy-in from the staff, things will stall. 

Pay, Passion, Or Profession

Why do employees stay or quit? The same reason can be cited for staying or leaving – the corporate culture, may be suiting or stifling. Again, subjective. The likes and dislikes vary from person to person. As a professional, what drives you to work? Pay, passion, policies, principle, or perks or any other factor. It could also be the same for you to stick on. It may be difficult to pinpoint. It is imperative to retain key talent. Looking at workforce, some have chosen to stay since inception.remain since inception.

What makes them stay? This is a place wherein every hand is ‘deemed’ indispensable and the philosophy of the ‘leader is as good as the team” is perfectly embodied in spirit and letter.

An award — for the Accomplishment

iCertGlobal was back in the news bagging their second award in the year.

During the International Achievers Summit, 2017, convened last week, iCertGlobal was awarded the Business Leadership for their outstanding contribution towards progress and development in the educational segment. The selection committee for the award included the Chairman-ASEAN Affairs, Thailand, President-IB Alliance, Russia, Vice-Chairman, Indo-American of Commerce (IACC). iCertGlobal emerged as the winner after a close scrutiny in terms of excellence in commitment, market strategy, business potential, financial stability, innovation and leadership outclassing its peers and rivals.

As one of the thought leaders and pioneers in Edtech Industry, iCertGlobal was acknowledged for its influence and involvement in shaping the career of many professionals by its dedicated drive to up-skill and thereby close the skill gap.

“The Business Leadership Award by the International Achievers Summit is a telling testimony of iCertGlobal’s outstanding performance and contribution in augmenting and enhancing soft skills of professionals in the region.”

Participating in the event that was graced with Diplomats, leading lights from various industries, other dignitaries and hundreds of delegates, Irfan Sharief remarked “we need to reinvent constantly and continuously, to stay relevant in this market where people compete for mindshare. We are pleased to receive the award and humbled by the recognition. It will be an honor in carrying the expectations forward.”

iCertGlobal, is one of the leading professional certification training providers, offering several programs to corporate and consumers. Based out of Houston, Texas, US, and operations in UK, Australia, APAC and India, iCertGlobal has a global imprint across the globe.

Microsoft, one of the major corporate, among many has partnered with iCertGlobal in recent times for nurturing more talents.

Success Streak

When queried for the success in winning this award, Irfan remarked “we have upgraded from traditional teaching to technology backed learning, but offer the choice to the customer to decide on the mode. As compared to the physical learning and current training, there exists a huge gap. Our job is to bridge. From classroom training to eLearning and then Instructor led Live Virtual classes, the customer has many a choice. Be it blended or dedicated mode, we strive to offer the best and scale as much as we can by staying competitive in cost, and to pass on the benefits to our customers. It has been a rewarding experience so far as we have never stopped in our efforts to strive and scale.”

iCertGlobal conducts professional trainings on varied and diverse list from Project Management, Service Management, Quality Management, Agile & Scrum and Niche technologies. They are active in both B2B (Business to Business) and B2C (Business to Consumers) models, and successfully trained more than 75,000 professionals with more than 3,000,000 quality hours of active training, spread across strategic locations like Malaysia, Singapore, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Saudi Arabia, India, Australia, UK and US.

Irfan further asserts “our charts have climbed ever since commencing operation in 2013. We have seen variations in some regions, and managed to keep the sales steadily rise up. We never saw any slump so far. “

Some insights about iCertGlobal

About The Company

Website:www.icertglobal.com — — -Industry: EdTech Services

US Headquarters: Houston, Texas — Growth: up by 200%

Headcount :up by 300% — — — — — No of Trainers:300

No of SME 200 — — — — — — — — — Founded:2013

‘What lies ahead of Successful run ‘

“Huge opportunities” noted Irfan.

Reminiscing the time of start, Irfan walked down memory lane “there are newcomers in the market with soaring ambitions. And that’s inevitable. Just the way we started, there will be new faces trying to explore. Today, the customers are spoilt for choice, and competition is real hard to outrun and outclass. So, it’s all about digging deeper and harder to keep pace with the changing expectations. What the customer want yesterday, may not remain the same this day. So in such a dynamic and volatile environment, one can’t be complacent. So to be successful, treat every day as special and significant. Keep igniting yourself with innovation in customer service. That is the edge. That zeal and passion should never waver or lower. It might be trite but so long you compete with the best, burning as much energy and enthusiasm, we can be successful.” iCertGlobal has posted remarkable growth year on year. On a concluding note, Irfan stressed “customer service is undergoing a paradigm shift. From my experience, it looks like the finish has been redrawn upfront to the pre-sales. You need to convince the client about your capabilities and move forward together. That’s the way ahead.”

About the Award

Achievers’ World Excellence Awards

There are people in the society for whom circumstances, lack of resources and setbacks are no hurdles. These individuals are people of strong will and dedication. Despite all odds, these champions polish their lives so much in their field of interest that they stand apart in society. Having achieved great heights in their respective domains, these individuals need to be encouraged, hence Achievers’ World Excellence Awards.

A leading job portal screamed about PMP certification “Get up to 23% salary hike.” Are you professionally certified? If you are a project management professional, its best recommended to pursue a professional certificate, the most popular being PMP.

Courtesy: https://www.payscale.com/research/US/Certification=Project_Management_Professional_(PMP)/Salary

The figure above features the latest from PayScale about the average salary for PMP certified professional. How does compensation get impacted by virtue of certification? That’s a fair question.

 Key Differentiator

The PayScale’s image clearly differentiates the average pay of a PMP certified professional. So one can make out the difference between an uncertified and certified professional. There are many a professional who despite experience are unable to stand out for the fact that they aren’t certified. Hence, there is ‘that’ distinguished factor that sets one apart.

 Win-win for You and your Company

These days, a company is known by its workforce. Clients are setting the minimum requirement of ‘PMP certified’ for manager, and hiring companies either enforce or set as their basic requirement even at the shortlisting stage. Hence, the certification on your profile is not only a value-add to your person but to the company you are associated as well.

 Career advancement

The competitive edge, undoubtedly, stems from the knowledge acquisition. Advanced certification is the measure of depth and applied across domain. The principles and concepts are applicable to varied industry. Be it a computer or civil background as the job necessitates, a PMP will hold good for both. This cross platform is what makes PMP distinct and deserving. The reason for the companies to hire PMP holder is for the credentials in terms of knowledge and understanding.  You can move places and scaled up the ladder, and always the threshold will be an acclaimed and accepted qualification.

Higher Pay

The candidates armed with a PMP always command a higher compensation as compared to their peers. The image above speaks for itself.  The certification is a terrific combination of experience and expertise, and hence commands that kind of pay. Why do experienced hands get overlooked for want of certification? May be, it is the official stamp by a well-recognized and respected governing body to endorse your skillset. PMP is one example that shines out, with the certification from Project Management Institute (PMI). The recognition leads to reward. The earning power soars. In a study sometime back, project managers with a PMP certification earn 20% more on average than project managers that do not have their PMP certification.

 Job opportunities

Many doors will be opened. A whopping 93.5% of PMI certification holders is PMP. Its quite close to 93.5%, out of which 50% is from the United States. The job market is skewed with an imbalance in supply versus demand. The difficulty in sourcing skilled professional is scarce in the industry. As a result, PMP holders are considered niche. With fewer in number, something close to 80000, PMI holders are in demand given the growing demand for certified professionals.

 Professional certifications can vary and differ from domain and industry. We have addressed the ‘niche’ and elite aspect by voicing through ‘PMP’. There are many such professional certifications depending on the subject matter and areas of interest. The common thread that sews up is the success factor: professionally certified profiles are head above shoulders.

The technology outreach is phenomenon today. In every sphere of life, there is impact of technology. That probably could spell the sophistication in learning approach and mode.
Nowadays, individual and more companies and corporate switching to online mode in training and knowledge transfer. all the more reason to leverage technology and its benefits. So given all the advantages, the need for more traditional learning is losing its touch? This point is subject to debate and deliberation. Why do we have classroom training still?

Have you stopped using a pen or pad?
Seriously. This is not some data point. If you look around, have we disposed all stationery? With the advent of touch-pads and novel laptops with touch-enabled screens, there is no need of pens. Why then pens around? The answer is obvious – a matter of convenience and reach. The classroom setting makes sense in some cases – what happens if the internet is down or beyond reach? Why do you need online classes when the team can be assembled in a room? Besides, the tutor-led instructional set-up is more conducive for brainstorming, sharing and dissemination knowledge. Learning can be different – with different kind of people.

Competitions compliments coaching
The positives of classroom training are the infusion a competitive streak, which is identified as healthy as it promotes learning. Constructive criticism is welcome. Where there is scope to exchange ideas and deliberate on thoughts, won’t you agree it is healthier? Only when you are challenged, can you expect real growth.

‘The more things change, the more they stay the same.’
It is a French quote by Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr, which is true in this context. So much has changed with regard to learning but the fundamental aspect of classroom still remains relevant. There is a need to retrain on new tools or learn new skills in the digital disruption. Agreed. But has technology good enough to do away with classroom? No, if at all, there is virtual classroom. Why? The system is hard to replace. We still need a white board for discussion and analysis. it is hard to dispense with the essentials. One doesn’t wish to tamper the time tested mode. May be chalk is replaced with marker, and white board to smart board. Call that incremental innovation, in terms of technological advances.

From generations to millennial to centennial, the system has preserved and persisted using conventional classroom mode for education, Man has witnessed the agricultural and industrial revolution and stands witness to scientific upheaval.  And with time, moved along the changes.  Some, though, remains.

Learning is for a lifetime. Learn from your mistakes. Learn, learn and learn. Do you ever stop listening to such suggestions or at times, sermons? Be it office or home, professional or personal, the aspect of learning never ceases. Unbeknown to us, don’t we learn?  We do. But do we apply? That’s questionable. Take it from day-to-day life; there are many facets of learning. In fact, we are shocked at the level of our learning and also of ignorance. ‘My son’s sixth grade teaches me a lot many things which I didn’t know it existed’ remarked a colleague. ‘I was ignorant until this moment, but no more’, said another.


              image courtesy: https://goo.gl/rHB14e

Learning Passionately

Some have never-quenching thirst to learn – willfully, without any constraints. They spend the time liking what they do - the kind of people who are passionate and take pride and personal ownership in their engagement.  There is self-investment in the form of time, energy and other utilities. The one interested to learn won’t mind the investment. For the learned and informed are more equipped and well-prepared to make good of opportunities. In the best-seller, ‘Corner Office’, the same subject is taken up the author while asking some 700 leading CEOs about their success and the response amazingly was “passionate curiosity.”

 Sometime back GE’ CEO hit headlines with a zinger that threw even the reader off the rails.”If you are joining the company in your 20s, unlike when I joined, you’re going to learn to code, "GE CEO Jeff Immelt wrote in a LinkedIn post on Thursday. "It doesn’t matter whether you are in sales, finance or operations. You may not end up being a programmer, but you will know how to code. We are also changing the plumbing inside the company to connect everyone and make the culture change possible. This is existential and we’re committed to this."

Become multi-skilled. Expand career options.

One can’t figure out the relevance of code with someone handling compensation or making cold calls in the hope of a prospect. How does coding propel a career in finance, HR or Sales? It’s hard to connect and yet the call is to ‘code.’ Is that a threat or opportunity? Look at the plus side; if you become competent to code, hailing from a finance background or pursuing a sales career, isn’t that a shot in the arm, with ‘soft skills” making your profile more sophisticated. Besides, in terms of career choice, you have more than one option. The choices presented upfront are just wide and varied. Turn that threat to an opportunity.

Don’t rely on one individual. Transition.

From newly found start-ups to deep grounded companies, this curse of leaving the core knowledge in the hands of very few, or someone reliable and then totally rely on that person is a paradox that remains unsolved till date. Can Manager code? It could be the pitch to the millennial, but from experience, can senior-level managers ask the programmers to move aside and start coding? Then who will manage?

Some of the tools and even languages that were potent and popular during their times have either faded or obliterated, distanced or disappeared. You don’t get to hear about BASIC or FORTRAN or Pascal.  Where are they today? They had their hour of glory, shone in limelight and stepped offstage for some other language to become prominent. The show goes on; the actors change and so does the costume.

Besides, Managers have a higher calling than coding. They have to manage overruns and burn rate, keep cost within budget, cope with  scope, rein risk and always an eye on the bottom-line. Leaders are expected to extract the best/optimal outcome from the team. Lead the team with strategic vision. As long as leader keeps their next level or second-in-command motivated to take care of things, they can focus on other responsibilities. 

Today Leadership is about connecting with everyone and not the peers and reporting heads. That aside, isn’t it a threat to depend on someone or identified few? Over-dependence or too much reliance is harmful to the interest of any organization. It is a threat. Pooling all information in one server or maintaining multiple mirror servers spread across different geographical locations so that they will come in handy should one server crash - which makes more sense? Knowledge in the hands of one or concentrated  few is a serious threat. To mitigate this threat, start transitioning.  Disseminate. Distribute. Decentralize.

 Disagreements can turn toxic. Those who are confrontational by nature tend to handle disagreements differently and that usually is far from friendly. How do you handle disagreements?

 It can be a clash of ego when emotions run high and are not kept in check, resulting in aggression and confrontation, which can be potentially disastrous. How do you handle confrontations?

The best way to avert the head-on collision is to avoid the collision. Many a seasoned HRs would advise on the ‘discussion and dialogue’ mode, rather than ‘returning the fire’. One HR opined, “Confrontation takes you nowhere and leaves those involved with heartburn that’s going to take some time to heal. Instead resort to conversation which doesn’t get heated as altercation. There is a fine line between conversation and argument. Debate is encouraged and so is deliberation. Those who tend to be too argumentative are going to making things difficult for themselves and those around them."

Find resolution; not reasons to justify.
Meetings with pain points can drag on and on for hours together tossing back and forth with both parties either reasoning why ‘they are right” or typical cat fight to clamor for the attention. The lie when uttered the loudest becomes the truth kind of maxim. Don’t turn meetings to shouting matches, instead gain control and aim for closure at the earliest possible. If you don’t have the authority to take decisions, then collect data points and carry the conversation assuring action by escalating to the next level. There is always a way – when you are composed and collected unwilling to pick a fight, how can someone start a fight? Experience plays a critical role as profiling of employees is possible to a mature professional. They know how to give and take; accede and agree; identify common ground and settle as well. Typical trade-off.

Negotiate, but don’t negate.
What is meant by trade-off? Go for a win-win situation. Sometimes, the employee might be a valued asset and hence losing will not be a profitable proposition. In such cases, companies do tend to go for the mutually settlement whereby both the interests' are protected. There is no need to negate the grievance; hear it out and if and where possible, negotiate. And outright rejection is refusal to entertain any request or remedy. 

Leave room for Disagreement
The work place is made up of people, not puppets pulled by strings. So as individuals, everyone is entitled to their opinion and its highly likely there might exist difference in opinion. A progressive culture will call for debate and disagreements. If dissent is the essence of democracy, then disagreements should be heard and sorted. Sweeping aside or dismissing those disagreeing would make the culture regressive, suffocative and stifling. Everyone must feel that they have a voice – which may agree or disagree with the views/opinions presented. You can’t force someone to think on the same lines as you do, and you can’t be always right, and neither can you force someone to think right. Agreeing to disagree is a challenge and you better be up to it, if you want to be successful in whatever you are engaged.

Honest disagreement is often a good sign of progress. -  Mahatma Gandhi

You draw salary ever month, right? how it is accounted? as CTC – cost to the company. Everything comes at a cost. Be it a server or computers – all of these fixed assets or movable assets come at a cost. What about human assets? Of course, they come at a cost. But expensive as compared to any other.

As employees, there are so many expectations. Likewise, the employer too harbours much from the workforce. Harmony is when both the expectations are met. In many cases employees whine about a lot many things – some just need the perfect excuse to complain and the whining begins, and at times never ends.

When things are not to your satisfaction, accept and adapt.
Human psyche is such that nothing satisfies – ‘when one need is meet, another crops’- Maslow’s law and very much applicable in all places. We don’t live in a perfect world. So expecting a Utopian set-up is worse than wishful thing or simply aid ‘unrealistic’. From a small startup to established behemoth, there are always possibilities for people to complain.

Always contribute more than your job description.
When you work to your true potential, you can do more than that’s specified in the Job Description. Meeting expectation is breakeven. You are compensated to the services rendered and company CTC is justified. No loss. No gain. When the equation does become beneficial? When your contribution becomes more in scope and involvement on a higher scale.

Widen your horizon and Broaden your Base.
When do you, as an employee, exceed expectation? When you complete tasks ahead of time; when you rise far and above to the call of your duty; when you go out your way to accommodate more work. But if you are comfortable doing the same job, then get out of the comfort zone as you tend to become complacent and soon a replacement to fill you slot will be lookout.

Wear Multiple Hats and Multi-task.
The demand versus supply is skewed. The competition is cut-throat. The more skilled and more ways of skilled will make you outstanding. Now complementing a ‘specialist’ role with ‘add-ons’ draws more eyeballs as end of the day, like it or not, companies do tend to question ‘what more do I get from this resource?”. It was about primary and secondary skills. Since the competition has intensified, so have the expectations. So how many primary skills and how many secondary skills are calibrated by the recruiter in terms of proficiency: elementary, Limited Working, Professional Working, and Full Professional working. These metrics are just a sample and companies have their own systems of measurement to score marks for profiling. The more, the better are your chances to get past screening to selection.

The Budget on you should not become a burden.
The company apportions budget on its requirement. Spending on salaries is huge slice of the pie as it’s a recurring cost. The investment of other things can be a one-time or yearly (like renewals) but salaries are paid monthly. So unless, there is appreciable returns from the employee’s output companies will start bleeding and remain in red. Forget breakeven, the company is headed towards loss.

So what are we driving at?

Since you, as an employee, come at a cost, ensure your returns to the company IS ALWAYS HIGHER, else you become a liability. All those trainings and workshops and knowledge sharing are meant to shape you up for stellar performance, and the when you fail to deliver, what happens to the investment on you? Many companies ask such employees to leave or quit, and they come out and crib  as ‘injustice’ without justifying their cost to the company.  Increase you value-add. Become the game changer. Bring more to the table. Do more. Let your action-items increase in number, and add to the revenue.

 Usually, it is used as a moniker about the one who lords around or tries to throw the weight by trying to herd.

The Boss, in the titular role, don’t have to be bossy as mostly misunderstood. The Boss is synonymous with Leader and just that our perception of ‘Boss’ is more about command and control, somehow that title is very unsettling.

But just like different times calls for different actors, a boss to has to resort to the command and control if the situation mandates.

There are many leadership styles: Autocratic, Democratic, Strategic, Transformational, Laissez-faire. The boss can follow any such leadership style or may be all but applicable to the audience (read as employees).

Are all employees the same?

The 80/20 is very much present as inferred from the performance – meaning, 80% of the workload is usually assigned to 20% of staff. Why? Because they are ‘the’ performers. Notice carefully and you will find it hard to dispute that the one who is hardworking and consistent on deliver is always assigned more work. Why? Because of the delivery. Company needs employees who are an able, reliable and consistent in performance. Employees are always a mix and match . while some perform, some outperform and some don’t perform at all. Accordingly, the Boss to has to adopt different leadership styles.

It will be very unfair to portray the boss in a poor light just because he/she is unfairly and unreasonably demanding. Some Boss scream “I want it and want it now” without realizing the magnitude of work or plainly pushing their luck. But it can go as far as possible. If shouting and screaming works, then work place will be a street fight so chaotic that your differentiating factor as a Leader will be your decibel level.

Command and Control

This IS required to the ones who need jumpstart. They can’t do it by themselves and some push to move forward. In the worst case, push becomes a shove. That’s where the ‘Command and Control’ is exercised. “if you don’t do it, then..” might sound as a threat but with some staff this works. Whipping works. These are poor in self-esteem, lack confidence and hang in there for survival. And they know well, that getting another job or alternatives is hard to come by and hence respond to the command. It is the fear of getting fired that somehow extracts the work. Hence, it is useful to such work force – usually new  joinee, entry-level ,  fresher or experienced hires who are yet to adapt to the new surroundings.

Democratic

Leadership through consensus by winning confidence and gaining ‘buy-in’ of the team. This team is mature and self-starters. They don’t need someone to be behind their back to get the job done. Once delegated, they are on their own and ensure it is done with minimal intervention and supervision. Accountability is usually high, and the team takes pride in its performance.

Laissez-faire

This is not commonly practices and usually associated with researches and their ilk. Such resources are very independent from the start and don’t need any intervention or monitoring, mostly, the engagement will be time-bound and hence the Boss will have very less scope with regard to delegation or follow-up.

So what kind of a Boss are you?

Brutal, demanding, ruthless, callous, difficult, tough, harsh and aggressive? Just look around and how many faces can your eyes meet and count. The Boss is responsible for the cycle of business with the feet on the pedal. At one stroke the boss has to face so many faces. Possible? That why that person is the Boss. And yes, it takes some aggression and ruthlessness to get the job done weighing in the 80/20 rule. ‘The one who shows mercy on others denies oneself’ – doesn’t mean callous in attitude. Though caring, they appear callous else the workforce becomes complacent. Spare the rod, spoil the child. You might be all tall and grown up but at times the rod in the form of some penalty makes you what you are really worth.


Imagining the Boss as someone jumping up and down or hollering at the top of the voice in the hope that their voice will be heard amidst the din of the backdrop of expectations and projections is not the typical profile. Agreed, some Bosses are obnoxious, petty-minded, self-centered and can’t think beyond business. But then, it’s unfair to stereotype the Boss in such fashion. Some bosses are gentle, willing with en ear to hear, and simply wonderful.  The Boss, too, is a human with family to tend and friends to catch up. It is just that they burn more hours and sacrifice so much so that can draw a salary.

They say ‘it’s easier said than done’.  Truth be told, we are all pathetic in managing time. Take for instance, when you arrive at the Airport, and read the flight status as “Delayed”. The Project delivery is marked “Delayed”. No Project finishes on time without incurring some delay. Delay is now acknowledged as part of life and surprises springs when things happen on time.

Don’t take your time for granted

Its 24 hours –like it or not. Yes, these days, its hardly enough. Science changes many things but not the solar system. So 24 hours are all you have. How best to utilize without wasting? Then much depends on what is ‘waste’? But what is certain: time is limited. Life is short.

Time flies.  When it is ‘about Time’, then wrap it up. So work within the time limit set. That’s why estimation is essential. Though accuracy is something difficult to achieve, even with the advancement in techniques and thought process, historic data or past experience should at least provide you ballpark. When you plan a task or trip, what’s that you focus on? When will we complete / when will we reach? It’s the ‘when’ which is assigned the maximum weightage.

Likewise, where and whom you spend your time too matters. Professionals don’t work in line with the arms of the clock. Overstretching leads to early burnout. In reality, it impacts the productivity of the succeeding day. When you are dead tired after a hard day’s work, then you miss out on a lot many things, especially stress relievers like family time, rest and sleep. The hangover is carried forward. So the following day, your weariness pulls you down plunging the productivity. Consistency is the key, and for that managing time is the most important of all.

Some are sticklers to time. A minute late and tempers can be seen flying and epithets and expletives expressed unreservedly.  Why? Because the person values time so much, while the ones to go easy with are more likely to take time for granted.

“ Better appreciate what you HAVE before it turns out to be what you HAD! “


Don’t take others' time for granted

If your respect someone, you will respect their time as well. “Don’t waste my time and your time” – sounds familiar. Typically annoyed or totally disinterested. Why? Because the time can be spent on something worthwhile.

Besides, there are some characters with their own idiosyncrasy, who just take a sadistic pleasure in making others wait – for the heck of it. Since they sit on plum positions that offer the kind of cushion, comfort and the control, people wait. Wait as they have no choice – it can be anyone from a vendor to a stakeholder. Now is an employee a stakeholder? Of course, yes. And is it fair to make them wait just because your calendar for that day is crowded. Whose interest supersedes – an individual or company? Company. But without the ‘individuals’ will the company survive? And wont the individuals have their agenda for the day and ripping off their rationed time for family is fair just because you’re the Business Head or the Manager or the CEO? Those who wait might oblige grudgingly, but the payback can be expected in some form. Those ‘Heads’ must think about the possible ramification. Repercussions are bound to happen. When the suppressed spirit finds release, don’t expect it to behave benevolently. ‘You will be repaid in the same coin’ and ‘taste your own bitter medicine.’

Your agenda for the day might be jam-packed, and of course unknown or unexpected calls might spring up, which can’t be ignored.  They need to be accommodated without affecting the agenda adversely.

“The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.” – Stephen Covey

Remember, just as your time important, so will it be for others you interact. Don’t abuse your position by taking their time for granted. That’s the worst form of injustice.


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