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Effective Assessments
GET IT RIGHTSURVIVING IN TOUGH ECONOMIC TIMES 20 Sep 2019, 11:36 pm
I have learned through my Business executive coaching with clients, that this topics in particular evokes various emotions such as anger, anxiety, hopelessness, stress, despair, frustration, etc. and all this, is totally understandable because as Humans beings, our first reactions are almost always emotional until we are forced to start acting rational in order to find solutions.
Today with the technological advancements and greater competition, business demands more from executives and women. Finding what is called a balance in life with the ability to stay focused, motivated, productive and ahead of the curve can cause undue stress and uncomfortable pressure. According to a “Regus Group survey of over 22 000 business people across 100 countries: six (6) out of ten (10) workers feel stress on the job and nearly half say they need help in learning how to manage their stress”. This leads to a myriad of questions: Who am I? How do I grow or save my business in todays times? How do I overcome the demands of the economical downslide? How do I get noticed as a professional when I enter a crowded room of competitors? How do I face my fear? How do I interact with others and gain more confidence? How do I become a powerful leader?
Life is never a smooth ride. Life is designed to be a massive rollercoaster and one rollercoaster is never the same as another. The engineer of these rollercoasters has made sure of that. Hopefully the rollercoaster that you are on has more than one seat.
Similarly, the economy, which is a major part of Life, is also a massive Rollercoaster. There will be ups and there will be downs. As you will experience, the upward movement takes much longer to reach the top and the downward movement gets to the bottom much faster. All that we can strive for, is that our visit at the top lasts much longer that our stay at the bottom. However, be rest assured, with every fall there will be a rise and with every rise there will be a fall. I for one can attest to the challenges and losses I made both in South Africa and abroad. Particularly because I didn’t spend enough time on research and credibility of potential and signed partners. Our ability to successfully adapt and LEARN from these rise and falls is what defines our success and survival.
Now, in South Africa, we are on the downward cycle as far as the Economy is concerned. So, what can we do to navigate ourselves through this down cycle effectively:
- First and foremost, Breath. Stop whatever you are doing and take a few deep breaths. Get rid of all the emotions. As human beings we often take the emotions of Trauma and forget to take the learnings from it. Cry if you need to cry, scream if you need to scream, go and punch a punching bag if you need to. (just don’t injure yourself or others). Go through the emotions as they come, however ensure that you equally taking the learnings with you. Try and get rid of as much emotions as you can because you cannot find effective solutions and a way forward while been in an emotional state. Get yourself in a state of calmness before making any further rash decisions.
2. Stop the blame process. There will always be someone or something to blame (sometimes rightfully so) for the situation you find yourself. So yes, blame may lie with the Government, corruption, capitalism, our bosses, etc, etc. Here is the thing, we cannot change what has happened, so rather than wasting precious energy in the blame process, let use the energy to find solutions so that the light at the end of the tunnel becomes more and more prominent. Be at Cause rather than on Effect.
3. Many will say this time of the year, is a quiet time and we don’t have business from November to January. For me, this is a “cop-out”. Again, we are at Effect and not taking the responsibility for our development and growth. Rather use the end of this year to initiate discussions with potential clients for early meetings in next year. It is the time of the year for socialisation, however we should see the benefit of looking for potential clients for discussions and meeting in the new year.
4. Take stock. Sit down and do an honest budget. In order to plot a way forward, you need to know where you are. I will be the first to admit that doing a budget can be very scary because honestly admitting where your money is been spent can be very daunting. But you have to get it done. You have to find out where the “wastage” is. How else are you going to prioritise and get rid of the “wastage”? Peter Drucker says, “you cant manage what you haven’t measured”.
5. Have the conversation. Yes, another challenging thing to do. You have to have the conversation with all the persons that is occupying seats in the car on the rollercoaster. An honest, non-judgemental and blame free conversation with all the members of the organisation and family, especially the kids. This is essential and must take place. The budget needs to be tabled and explained and a collective, collaborative way forward needs to be plotted. You need the support, guidance and effort from all to ease the pain.
6. Prioritise, Prioritise, Prioritise!!! Make two lists. Name one “ESSENTIAL AND IMPORTANT” and the other “NICE TO HAVE-NOT ESSENTAIL”. Unfortunately, in tough conditions, the “nice to have” things need to go. So slowly, day by day, get rid of spending that is not essential nor important. The question that helps me make those decisions easier is “Do I need this, or do I want this?” as soon as it is a “WANT”, I get rid of it or do not purchase it.
Finally, While these are my lessons, the six tips that I would like to leave with up-and coming entrepreneurs and Business Executives are:
- In order to pursuit your purpose, you need to start with a plan and work at putting that passion into practice. Never lose sight of your vision and higher purpose in life.
- Ask for help and set up a support system whom you can trust and who applies no judgment on your character or actions
- Fear is natural – taking the first step is the easiest way to take control. Remember the first step is always the hardest.
- You are responsible for you so continuously invest in yourself.
- Consult you internal GPS and make sure you always input the correct coordinates – i.e. keep manifesting the positive outcomes of what you want, not what you don’t want. This is the power of manifestation and the need to focus, focus and focus.
- Life is about making a choice – only you can make the best choice for yourself. Don’t give up
As the adage goes, tough time call for some tough decisions. But I am a firm believer in “with every pain, there will be ease”. I also believe that with every pain, there are lessons to be learnt. So, while going through this pain, reflect on what lesson are you supposing to be learning so that the mistakes of the past should not be made in the future.
Through Training Excellence, my personal coaching and through this blog/article I will provide answers as I share, guide, inspire and help you to move from the depth of the valley to the top of the peak. It is only when you are comfortable with who you are that you can become successful. It reminds me of a quote by Oprah Winfrey who said, “As you become more clear about who you really are, you’ll be better able to decide what is best for you – the first time around.”
I leave you with this affirmation and prayer
“Day by Day in every way, your life continues getting better and better because your life is wonderful, your life is beautiful and its yours to enjoy”
For personalised assistance or training in all areas of Business Connect with Hawa Charfaray:
Contact No: +27 11 433-3344 /+27 82 459 2309/+971 50 177 5109
Email: hawa@trainexcellence.co.za
Websites: www.trainexcellence.com
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CREATING EXECUTIVE PRESENCE – BREAKING HABITS HOLDING WOMEN BACK 20 Jun 2019, 10:29 pm
So many Women Empowerment groups been formed……
Everyone wants to fix Women, Empower Women, Making women WISER, Reforming Women, Connect Women Uplift Women???
Do Women, Need Reforming? Do women need Fixing? Do women need Uplifting? And here is the Irony…. Most of the above initiatives are started by Women….
Organizations eagerly sponsor women’s events , programs and initiatives. However, is the corporate organisations and women development forums getting their return on investment from these initiatives, programs and events.
Although there seem to be some benefits from all the women development initiatives in the past decade or so, but the rise of women leadership and women in boardrooms have remain far and large stagnant. In our opinion, one of the reasons for the stagnation is that such initiatives can actually perpetuate stereotypical ways of thinking about women, even among women who are in most cases the drivers of these initiatives.
Training Excellence, as an International woman-owned firm, have often been requested to work with women, provide women’s workshops and Training. I personally have been invited to speak at women’s networks and conferences. As enjoyable as these events are, I personally started growing uncomfortable with a subtle suggestion that permeated many of these gatherings…. The idea that women have similar deficits that hold them back from advancing in senior ranks.
It is undisputable that man and women have very different experience in the workplace due to a variety of factors, and furthermore, just like the men counterparts, not every woman has the same experiences and challenges in the workplace. Therefore, the notion of “one size fits all” women development initiatives is outrageous. What needs to change or be fixed is the whole approach to women development initiatives.
As gender balance in workplaces is beginning to gain momentum, we must work with organizations to remove barriers for women’s advancement. We must equally work within ourselves as women leaders to become aware of and remove the glass ceilings and Sticky Floors syndromes in our own heads first – habits and mindsets that lead to self-sabotage, and make it exhausting for so many of us to move our careers forward. Each Women have their own Beliefs and Self-Sabotages which either determines their limits (Glass Celling) or Stuck states (Sticky floor) Syndromes.
As individuals we have between 22 to 42 Constructs to drive us into action, ranging from Personal Development to Risk Taking to Freedom of Lifestyle and Authority etc…
Each person is Unique with drivers where the same drivers are Primary for some and secondary for others. Knowing this, we realise that in a defined space we adapt according to what drives us to perform. Which mean that NO two women are the same, and cannot be put together in one network to be either fixed or Reformed. Each must have its own Action plan to be effective.
Three important common areas that’s holding Women back
- Collaboration VS. Competition
Many Women don’t know that Collaboration is the New Competition.
Women most likely to collaborate will be high in risk taking, high in authority, high in teamwork, high in result-orientation and possibly high in creativity and variety.
Women most likely to compete instead will be low in these areas but high in autonomy and high in status. As there is no right or wrong based on ones Driving Dynamics, competing will not get one into Senior positions, Collaborating with our male counterparts and other Women would be the better option. As problems are becoming more and more interconnected and complex , leaders and organizations are recognising these modern-day challenges and thus are putting aside their self-interests and are rather collaborating to advance their shared and collective objectives.
2. Building Networks Rather than Leveraging off Networks
Women are too busy joining networking women groups. We should be investing our time in Gender Co-existent networks and leveraging off both male and female networks. Women generally are high on Relationship Reliance; The key here is that they are sometimes more RELIANT on relationships instead of LEVERAGING off the relationships. There is a huge difference. One is dependant and the other is independent. Leveraging off a relationship is more beneficial to each party as they each gain a win-win situation from the relationship. After a network and meetup, spend time on how one can leverage off that meeting and then act immediately on it. Just knowing a prominent leader and taking some pictures with them is not going to make the business work. As women we should use our strength of Building Personal Relationships to convert that into Transactional Relationships.
3. Wanting to be Liked as opposed to be Respected
There are some very interesting data to review on how women view their own presence. This is not about how women compare themselves with men, but rather, how women rate themselves compared to how men rate themselves. Men generally rate themselves very high on Authenticity as opposed to Women. Women are less direct and put others needs before their own as they mostly want to be liked and therefore, they not as Authentic as men rates themselves. One of the elements of Gravitas in Executive presence in Women is Grace under Fire termed as “Showing teeth”. Making difficult decisions is what we look to leaders to do. It is not so much about rendering the right decision, but about rendering a decision at a time when no one else dares, that confers gravitas, because it telegraphs that you have the courage, as well as the confidence, to impose a direction and take responsibility for it and NOT been liked.
Another component of Executive Presence for both men and women, is been Decisive. Given that stereotypically male attributes-like aggression, assertiveness, toughness, dominance is a norm, we accept that it’s supposedly easier for males to appear decisive. Women, however, find it more difficult in being decisive. It’s a catch twenty two for Women: If you’re tough, you’re a #$^&^% and no one wants to work for you or with you, but if you’re not tough, you’re not perceived as leadership material and you won’t be given anyone to work for you. It’s a tough- act that every capable woman has had to perform under, and the higher she goes, the more dangerous and difficult. Up for the challenge anyone?
Not just as women leaders, BUT rather as LEADERS holistically, we should harness all our strengths and Lead with a mindset that is truly from within us. Having had the opportunity to look at the data and coach women based on Executive Presence and Reality Check AssessmentsTM , it’s helped us appreciate that the only effective way to help them advance is to treat women as individuals. Frankly we think that it’s time for an overhaul of women’s leadership development. If the one-size-fits-all thinking doesn’t change, the interventions won’t change, and there will be disappointments all round.
Peter Drucker says, “You cannot manage what you have not measured”. For a consult on your Driving Dynamics Constructs and determining how your limiting beliefs and sticky floor holds you back from achieving and rising to Executive Presence, Training Excellence can assist you in solving these critical factors contact Hawa Charfaray, CEO: Training Excellence South Africa and CEO Orbrix in (UAE) hawa@trainexcellence.co.za or hawa@orbrix.net
Contact No: +27 11 568 5057/ +27 82 459 2309/+971 50 177 5109
Please like us on Facebook and LinkedIn
More about Hawa Charfaray:
Hawa Charfaray is the CEO & Founder of Training Excellence Africa & The Middle East and CEO Orbrix Dubai. She is a renowned International Corporate Trainer, Motivational Global Speaker and Business Executive Coach.
Hawa has invested in changing lives through her many years of experience as a corporate wellness practitioner, an NLP practitioner, Life Coach, Language and Behavior (LAB) Profile Practitioner, Inventory, Work Attitude and Motivation (iWAM) practitioner, Ecometric practitioner, Hypnotherapy Practitioner and Timeline Practitioner. She is both honored and inspired to be nominated by the recognized bodies In her profile. She says “We cannot become ourselves by ourselves. We need to go out of our way to support each other. We need to be mirrored, emulated and celebrated, as who you are truly does make a difference – Become Consciously Purposeful in Your Life as a leader!”
BEYOND THE GLASS CEILING 20 Jun 2019, 10:12 pm
According to Dictionary.com, the meaning of “Glass Ceiling” is as follows:
“An upper limit to professional advancement that is imposed upon women, minorities, and other nondominant groups and is not readily perceived or openly acknowledged”.
According to Wikipedia, the definition provided is as follows:
A glass ceiling is a metaphor used to represent an invisible barrier that keeps a given demographic from rising beyond a certain level in a hierarchy
Interesting insight as to how words like; “imposed upon”; “not readily perceived by”; invisible barrier” all suggest an outside force setting this glass ceiling.
Huge strides have been made toward changing the above belief of equality in the workplace yet, even today, many women in South Africa and abroad find themselves blocked from moving ahead in their careers.
For me personally, I belief that the problem is much more than just the “demographics” and “minorities” and perceptions of the outside forces against women advancement. I believe that the problem lies within our own personal mindsets and stuck states. Therefore, before considering how to move beyond the “Glass ceiling, we need to first look at what Is keeping us “stuck to the Floor” another syndrome we don’t fully understand or acknowledge; is the “sticky floor syndrome”
So, let’s tackle this Stuck state first:
Stuck State is an unresourceful state that you feel like you can’t get out of something. As gender balance in workplaces is beginning to gain momentum, I agree that we must work with organisations to remove barriers for women’s advancement.
However, we must equally work within ourselves as women leaders to become aware of and remove the glass ceilings and Sticky Floors syndromes IN OUR OWN HEADS FIRST. These habits and mindsets lead to self-sabotage, and make it exhausting for so many of us women to move our careers forward. Each Women have their own Beliefs and Self-Sabotages which either determines their limits (Glass Celling) or Stuck states (Sticky floor) Syndromes.
What are your Stuck States or Sticky Floors? Is It?
I am not good enough? OR
I am too young and don’t have the experience? OR
I am not confident enough? Or
The men will always be better at negotiation?
The link of Stuck States to our Emotional Reactions
Our Beliefs or Stuck States are always associated with an emotional reaction. The most common consequences of beliefs can be assigned to feelings in the following categories which many of you will recognise:
- Hopelessness: – A belief that the desired outcome is unattainable, regardless of your existing capabilities and resources.
- Helplessness – A belief that the desired goal is basically achievable, but not for you (for example, others can, but it will not work for me).
Worthlessness: A belief that you did not deserve the desired goal because you did or did not do something, or because, in a certain way, “you simply are”. e.g., It is not my place to have an easy life. - Meaninglessness: – A belief that the desired results for you, as for other people, have no meaning
- Senselessness: – A belief that life is meaningless, and the achievement of a desired outcome is not at all desired.
Overcoming our beliefs is the first Stage to progressing beyond the Glass Ceiling within ourselves
As a Life and Business Executive Coach there are few steps, I use to guide my clients to overcoming these Beliefs and breaking through the Glass Ceiling. These however will also include some proven techniques on a one-on-one or group basis.
Step 1
Whatever your stuck state is, identify what your Negative beliefs are that are keeping you stuck to that floor.
Step 2
Investigate the possibilities of how you able to reframe the Negative belief to a Positive belief, one that will serve you better. See some examples below:
Examples of the areas preventing us from breaking those Glass Ceilings | Negative Belief | Reframe to a Positive Belief |
Money | I need allot of Money to be happy | I attract money effortlessly |
Rich people all achieve their riches through lies and Deceit | A too am rich and Successful | |
Without much money, I am worth nothing | I love money and feel good about having a lot of money | |
Self-Esteem | I’m a failure and I’m not good for anything | I accept myself as I am |
I just can’t do that, I will fail | As I am, I am valuable, complete, happy and my opinion is valued | |
Love | I do not deserve love and affection | I am worth being loved |
Health | My illness is incurable, I can’t be helped anymore | Being healthy is the normal state of my body |
Limitations | My limitation prevents me from achieving my goals | I love and accept myself the way I am |
Other | I am too young. | Boris Becker won Wimbledon for the first time at the age of 17 |
I am too old. | Hulda Crooks at the age of 70 discovered mountaineering as a new hobby. At 90, she was the oldest woman who had ever climbed Mt. Fujiyama. | |
I don’t have enough education | About 80% of the most successful entrepreneurs had neither a high school diploma nor completed a degree | |
I don’t have enough money | Andrew Carnegie started in a coiler factory with 8-dollar weekly wage. In the last 18 years of his life he donated more than half a billion dollars | |
I don’t have the ability… | Robert W. Woodruff who led the Coca Cola Company in 1985, could not even read properly because of dyslexia. Even when he was a big businessman, he had to pronounce each word individually. |
Step 3 – Ask yourself the Following Questions to loosen your world of your beliefs:
- Which assumption optimally supports me in achieving my plans and goals?
- How must I perceive the world so that I can get what I want?
- What beliefs does the person that you want to become have?
- What experiences or reference experiences are needed to realize your dream and become the person you want to be?
- Use the experiences of other people (mentors) and study the biographies of successful people. Who could be your mentors?
- Which biography do you want to start with?
- Which environment would best support you in achieving your goals?
- Which self-suggestions fit the new you?
Finally Step 4 – Consult with a coach to unravel and loosen your beliefs and seamlessly progress beyond the Glass Ceiling
As an NLP Practitioner, Life Coach, Timeline Therapist, Hypnotherapist, Business Executive Coach and Trainer, I would use the following techniques to guide my clients in unravelling their Sticky floors allowing them more room to progress pass the Glass Ceiling:
- Generating a New Belief
- Installing a belief on the timeline through Timeline Therapy
- Changing historical imprints (re-imprinting)
- Installing belief systems through sub-modalities
- Dickens Pattern – The no Fear Zone
Determining how your limiting beliefs and sticky floor holds you back from achieving and rising Beyond the Glass Ceiling, Training Excellence can assist you in solving these critical factors contact Hawa Charfaray, CEO: Training Excellence South Africa and CEO Orbrix in (UAE) hawa@trainexcellence.co.za or hawa@orbrix.net
Contact No: +27 11 568 5057/ +27 82 459 2309/+971 50 177 5109
Please like us on Facebook and LinkedIn
More about Hawa Charfaray:
Hawa Charfaray is the CEO & Founder of Training Excellence Africa & The Middle East and CEO Orbrix Dubai. She is a renowned International Corporate Trainer, Motivational Global Speaker and Business Executive Coach.
Hawa has invested in changing lives through her many years of experience as a corporate wellness practitioner, an NLP practitioner, Life Coach, Language and Behavior (LAB) Profile Practitioner, Inventory, Work Attitude and Motivation (iWAM) practitioner, Ecometric practitioner, Hypnotherapy Practitioner and Timeline Practitioner. She is both honored and inspired to be nominated by the recognized bodies In her profile. She says “We cannot become ourselves by ourselves. We need to go out of our way to support each other. We need to be mirrored, emulated and celebrated, as who you are truly does make a difference – Become Consciously Purposeful in Your Life as a leader!”
WORDS THAT CHANGE MINDS – MASTERING THE LANGUAGE OF INFLUENCE 20 Jun 2019, 9:50 pm
Encourage change and acceptance in the workplace with language that influences
Whether it’s a merger, acquisition, leading formation of new strategic alliances, embarking on new ventures, or a change in management or new office procedures, executives often struggle to inspire and motivate employees to accept the required change.
Executive management is often concerned about how employees would react, and how they would get their teams to implement the change in productive, innovative, creative, and efficient ways.
They may also be concerned about retaining the company’s values and sense of identity, and how to create a culture of commitment to the new vision.
Most employees feel fearful or threatened by change and thus, either resist it or try to curtail the process. But when change is communicated and managed properly, management can avoid resistance and disruptions in productivity, and cultivate a more engaged and supportive environment.
Successfully implementing change boils down to:
- Proper planning
- Garnering a belief in the process
- Effectively communicating the benefits of change
- Persuading and influencing with appropriate language
Proper Planning
The creation of a written vision statement, articulating a formal case for change is invaluable in creating employee buy-in and alignment.
A well thought through plan will help crystallise your vision, and will allow you to present it to employees more clearly, succinctly, and with confidence and conviction.
Determine the short-term and long-term implications of the desired change, and what the workplace will look like once those changes have been implemented. Outline the infrastructure and programs needed to drive this change.
Anticipate possible obstacles, think of possible solutions to overcome them, and prepare answers to common questions.
Assess the cultural landscape to reveal possible conflict, and define factors that can influence leadership and resistance. This exercise can also identify the core values, beliefs, behaviours, and perceptions of the various groups that must be considered for successful change to occur.
Prepare financial proof of how changes will affect the bottom line. If costs of keeping things the same are more than the costs of change, you’ll have a stronger case in gaining full support.
Garnering a belief in the process
Individuals are inherently curious and will question whether the company is heading in the right direction with the change, and whether it’s aligned with their own beliefs and values, before committing to make it happen.
Six steps could be followed in developing belief:
- Articulate a convincing need for change
- Demonstrate faith that the company has a better and more viable future with the change, directed by competent leadership to make it happen
- Be totally transparent by circulating the main vision statement to guide behaviour
- Ask employees to customise the vision for various audiences; teams and personalities, describing the pending change in terms that would matter to each of them
- Create employee ownership by involving them in identifying any anticipated problems and crafting solutions to those problems
- Encouraging continuous feedback during the change period, acknowledge and consider opinions
Effectively communicating the benefits of change
Any pursuit of change are sometimes received as an unwelcome event as it takes people out of their comfort zones.
Intellectually they might be able to understand it, but emotionally most will experience fear, anxiety and uncertainty. Some may see the change as unnecessary and a waste of valuable time, perceiving change as just more work or self-serving to executives.
That’s why it is important to clearly communicate and focus on the benefits employees will experience during change, aligned closely with their beliefs and values.
How you communicate verbally will of course play a defining role in getting support from employees. People are naturally attracted to someone who speaks from the heart and is genuine, transparent and who speaks with confidence.
We are subconsciously drawn to people who are friendly because they make us feel good, thus communicate with a friendly tone and a warm smile. Then speak with clarity, ask yourself how you can convey the core elements clearly and to the point.
Practice humility, as it’s one of the most attractive personality traits one can possess and one that commands respect. Also show interest in responses as that will be the guideline on how to deal with your teams.
Persuading and influencing with language
To most people, the word ‘change’ itself is fraught with hidden meaning and negativity, evoking emotions of fear, the unknown, power, control, resistance, and pressure.
As a good start to the entire process, derive a better term for change such as adaptation, development, modification, substitution, conversion and improvement.
Some perceptions about change are predictable and can be counteracted with thoughtful verbal approaches. For instance, let’s consider the power phrase: ‘just pretend’. The phrase gives permission to switch off your conscious mind, to bypass the critical fear factor and letting go of the resistance.
Consider this verbal approach: “Just pretend, just for now, that the new development we seek is in place already. Just pretend that you’re working in a relaxing calm space and then all of a sudden, you’ve easily attained all the tasks and goals we set before you. Then pretend you receive all the recognition you deserve in due diligence of your valued contribution.”
Let’s examine using the word ‘imagine’ in your verbal approach: “Just imagine how well the organisation will function after the adaptation. Just picture for a minute how you and your teammates are getting things done more smoothly and efficiently because of the new processes in place. Just imagine how you would love to come to work every day, knowing that your contribution is valued and that you we’re part of making a significant change in the company’s bottom line.”
Using the phrase ‘which means’ can have just as much impact: “We’ve been running the same working processes over and over with no better performance or result, which means, we are either stagnating while everyone else around us improve with the changing times. Or we are simply not good enough, which means if we continue down this road it would be just another insult to our overall vision of achieving greatness.”
Then switch to, ‘Remember a time when…’ – “Remember those times when we felt so productive, so happy with our performance, remember that winning feeling? Now imagine you’re doing it right now again to obtain the new vision.”
While the word imagine literally stimulates the imagination, the word remember doesn’t just help you create a scene in your head – it helps you relive a time when you did something well and resurrect the feelings of accomplishment, which is the ultimate goal here. Making employees feel the change will ultimately result into its actualisation.
But for the aforementioned to work, executives have to appeal to employees’ identity and values. Who a person is, and how they see themselves are incredibly important – if you can tie in what you want with what their identity would be in a similar situation, you’d have a very good chance of getting them to do anything.
Finally have employees make a verbal commitment to the change process. When people make a commitment, they tend to find it very difficult to change their minds without creating conflict or anxiety within themselves (cognitive dissonance).
For personalised assistance or training in the change process contact Hawa Charfaray, CEO: Training Excellence South Africa and Consultant in Dubai (UAE) on hawa@trainexcellence.co.za
Please like us on Facebook and LinkedIn
More about Hawa Charfaray:
Hawa Charfaray is an internationally recognised business executive, with 23 years of business experience in South Africa and UAE.
Hawa is a renowned international corporate trainer and motivational speaker, having delivered world-class training and seminars to global companies such as World Bank, VW, First National Bank, Mercedes Benz, IBM, Abu Dhabi Airport Company, and Gulf Centre for Aviation Studies.
Hawa’s experience extends to coaching and mentoring of the youth, women executives, and EXCO level employees.
As a certified Ecometric practitioner, Hawa is qualified to measure organisational health; employee engagement and individual personal driving dynamics within organisations and teams using tools that are scientifically valid and reliable.
Hawa is also qualified as a certified language and behaviour profiling specialist and certified IWAM Professional (Inventory for Work Attitude and Motivation), a unique assessment tool that provides a window into intrinsic and attitudinal patterns of people in the context of work in relation to human resource management.
Hawa is also a qualified and registered trainer, assessor and moderator for various SETA’s in SA. She is also appointed as the certified CAMI faculty for Africa and the UAE region.
ORGANISATIONAL HEALTH DEPENDS ON THESE TWO CRITICAL FACTORS 12 Jun 2019, 1:24 pm
In a rapidly transforming business landscape, HR Management challenges along with Organisational Health elements continue to evolve, and suitable solutions need to be continuously defined in order to remain competitive and succeed in global markets.
Business leaders certainly acknowledge the important link between organisational health (culture), its employees and business performance.
However most simply focus on performance management to reach the company’s vision, strategies and turnover targets, totally ignoring the risks that unengaged employees hold over the business.
An organisation’s health and performance effectiveness will thus depend on innovative approaches in mitigating risks such as:
- Talent management
- Workforce retention and engagement
Taking a brief look at these two critical factors:
Talent management
Talent management is an organisation’s commitment to recruit (source, attract, select) train, develop, retain, the most talented employees available in the job market, and to promote, reward and move them through the organisation.
Research done on the value of talent management consistently uncovers benefits in critical economic areas: revenue, customer satisfaction, quality, productivity, cost, cycle time, market capitalisation, business value and reputation.
The mindset of a more personal HR approach seeks not only to hire the most qualified and valuable employees, but also to put a strong emphasis on performance, potential and retention.
Current employee performance within a specific job, serves as a standard evaluation measurement tool of the profitability of an employee. Effective talent management, however, also seeks to focus on an employee’s future performance if given the proper development of skills, coaching, mentoring and increased responsibility.
An organisation needs distinctive behavioural profiling and assessment solutions in order to improve and enhance overall work performance and productivity of the individual and/or team at any level in the organisation.
Unique and 21st century profiling tools accurately measure how people process and use information – thus knowing their thinking preferences and Driving Dynamics like the Reality Check AssessmentsTM Conducted by Training Excellence.
These preferences and driving Dynamics are indicative of how successful and efficient an individual or team will be in their productivity and performance in the workplace.
This can be used very effectively to improve recruitment and selection activities or enhance current performance of existing individuals and/or teams.
These solutions are used to guide organisations, leaders, coaches and team managers with:
- Individual profiling and coaching
- Team behavioural profiling, development and coaching
- Recruitment and selection
- Organisational, culture and team surveys
- Leadership and team cohesion
- Coaching
What is the difference between coaching and Mentoring?
Simply put coaching is about growing the person, the business owner, from the inside out. Coaching helps you to determine goals that match your highest potential, create a realistic plan to achieve those goals, discover how you self-sabotage your business, and be accountable for achieving goals within a planned time frame. While your coach might offer you insight and advice, the primary purpose of coaching is to empower YOU to learn how to create the business of your dreams.
Mentoring brings the expertise of the consultant expertise into the mix. A mentor offers information, advice, brainstorming and training. I like to say that a Mentor Tells and a Coach Asks or guides. Look for a someone who has achieved what you want to achieve, someone who is willing to share all their knowledge, wisdom and practical tips with you.
Let’s work with an example:
Say that you are working on your task plan for next month. A coach might ask you, “What tasks do you need to complete in the next month in order to achieve your monthly goals?” encouraging you to set your own priorities.
A Mentor might say, “Here are some of the tasks you need to consider for the next month in order to achieve your monthly goals,” offering advice based on experience.
A coach-mentor does both.
How do I know if I need coaching, Mentoring/Consulting, or both?
You need a coach if you want help:
- organizing your thoughts
- creating a practical and effective plan
- prioritize goals and tasks
- being more accountable for following through on tasks
- maintaining high motivation even in the face of difficulties
- understanding how you sabotage your efforts (and figuring out what to do about this self-sabotage)
You need a Mentor if you want:
- the advice and experience of someone who is successfully self-employed
- to understand the basics of business planning and marketing
- to learn business and marketing skills in a rapid fashion
- to find ways to manage and follow-up on your business success
If you want help in both areas, you need both coaching and consulting.
Personally, I strongly encourage my clients to use THE services as both a Business coach and consulting Mentoring which is the best of both worlds.
Workforce engagement and retention
Effective management practices ensure that employees remain with the company and produce quality work. If not properly managed, developed or valued, or being engaged properly, key employees investigate the prospect of better career opportunities in other organisations.
Data emerging from the annual Deloitte Best Company to Work For Survey suggests that, what employers regard as important is typically not what employees are most concerned about.
Every enterprise must thus reconcile three propositions:
- All business problems are people problems – and people’s problems are also the business’ problems
- What we don’t know about employees will control performance and production results, and success of business teams
Unless appropriate action is taken to correctly identify and address any dissatisfaction, will result in a spike in employee turnover. First to go, will be superior talent, top performers, and future leaders who have skills that are transferable and in high demand.
Unfortunately, most organisations still focus on organisational health (culture), employee engagement and performance management as independent and separate initiatives, not understanding how deeply interrelated they are.
Organisations may set objectives and KPIs, manage execution, and look at metrics to measure and motivate performance and see whether progress is being made and outcomes are being achieved.
But if employees aren’t engaged, there’s very little likelihood of them achieving company objectives no matter how good management systems are. The Gallop Studies estimates:
- Disengaged employees are expensive. You are paying a 100% salary, but you are not getting 100% output
- On average, 17.2% of your workforce will be disengaged. Once they get to this point, they’re looking for their next opportunity.
- It’s rarely about money. Most often it’s about they WHY! Why they are spending their time at this company. Without understanding the why, they’re not vested in performing at their peak.
- Not knowing the WHY, will cost you 34% of an employee’s annual salary.
Understanding and acknowledging employees play a crucial role in motivating employees to deliver their utmost best. This helps managers understand their needs, expectations and what drives or motivates them.
Building organisational health, through fostering high employee engagement, and focusing on performance management, is in essence an ecosystem that must be focused on as a whole in order to ultimately achieve high performance and ROI.
Peter Drucker says, “You cannot manage what you have not measured”. For a consult on your Driving Dynamics Constructs and determining how your limiting beliefs and sticky floor holds you back from achieving and rising to Executive Presence, Training Excellence can assist you in solving these critical factors contact Hawa Charfaray, CEO: Training Excellence South Africa and CEO Orbrix in (UAE) hawa@trainexcellence.co.za or hawa@orbrix.net
Contact No: +27 11 568 5057/ +27 82 459 2309/+971 50 177 5109
Please like us on Facebook and LinkedIn
More about Hawa Charfaray:
Hawa Charfaray is the CEO & Founder of Training Excellence Africa & The Middle East and CEO Orbrix Dubai. She is a renowned International Corporate Trainer, Motivational Global Speaker and Business Executive Coach.
Hawa has invested in changing lives through her many years of experience as a corporate wellness practitioner, an NLP practitioner, Life Coach, Language and Behavior (LAB) Profile Practitioner, Inventory, Work Attitude and Motivation (iWAM) practitioner, Ecometric practitioner, Hypnotherapy Practitioner and Timeline Practitioner. She is both honored and inspired to be nominated by the recognized bodies In her profile. She says “We cannot become ourselves by ourselves. We need to go out of our way to support each other. We need to be mirrored, emulated and celebrated, as who you are truly does make a difference – Become Consciously Purposeful in Your Life as a leader!”
DEVELOPING A MORE FOCUSED AND ENGAGED EXECUTIVE LEADER 20 May 2019, 11:03 pm
Developing a more focused and engaged Executive Leader
A constant challenge for women leaders is striking a balance between work and personal life – and in this area, traditional gender expectations often still prevail like wanting women to put their family first. Some women also feel they would have been more effective in running their businesses if they didn’t have to deal with kids or family. This is not necessarily the case and if done right, a “so called” balanced life could lead to tremendous leadership success. One way to begin is through your own personal development, either through Training or through Coaching and Mentorship
Become a more balanced, focused and engaged leader
Generally balance is seen as scaling between work and family – when a person is able to sufficiently meet family commitments and adequately perform responsibilities at work.
Second, the work-live balance statement also presupposes that you are merely coping and most women want to be extremely successful at both.
Ultimately it should be about women being able to set boundaries and become assertive enough to say “no” to areas that don’t affect her life in a big or important way.
There are times when a woman will have to work really hard and long, and neglecting home and personal life. And there are times when she can choose to play hard and say “no” to work.
It all starts with a belief. Some women believe it’s impossible to be a good mother and have a successful career at the same time. They believe they would either be good at their job, or at motherhood, but not at both.
But I believe you can be extremely successful at work and be an outstanding mother – and looking gorgeous at the same time. I for one, had three adorable kids with special needs who needed more care and attention than ordinary children would. But I still managed a successful career, founded a company and always made time to look gorgeous all the time.
We are all different though, so what you choose as being most important, would be totally dependent on what you value and how you determine the worth of the things that really matter most to you.
The First step would be to determine what success really means to you personally.
There would always be one that’s given more priority than the other, and the sooner you decide which one, you can accept it, consent to it, and make it work by implementing coping means of the one you consider less important to you – but still want to greatly succeed at it.
It’s a fact that before you can take care of anyone else you have to take care of yourself fist, meaning you need to feel balanced within yourself first.
Once you know how to do this with proper planning in all areas of your life, you can take total control of the constant niggling feelings of guilt and worry. Instead you will feel happier, more stable and strong, knowing you’re totally competent in harmonising your work and family life.
This may seem daunting for some, but a lot of people have already done it, so there shouldn’t be any reason you can’t do the same. I too, have struggled to integrate my career and personal life at first, but eventually found the middle ground.
This is how I did it:
Simply make the decision and commitment. Set clear boundaries and thereby finding the peace to make it work. If you don’t make the conscious decision to achieve that peace and fully commit to it, it’s unlikely you’ll succeed.
Realise that in order to achieve success you would have to give up some of your original goals and substitute it with new ones with different but equal challenges and results, there are various ways to skin the cat so to speak. Again, redefine your passion and purpose and stick to it.
Become more assertive in your communication styles as well. If you generally are the submissive type, acknowledge that first and then practice how to become more Assertive with things that don’t resonate with you or are not serving you in achieving your goals. Make sure your career remains challenging but not overwhelming by learning to say “no” to energy drainers. Most of us don’t like to refuse favours, new responsibilities, or even casual requests, for fear of looking undependable, or upsetting someone, or missing out on something. Do not assume responsibility for people’s feelings or emotions, I will talk more about this in another article.
However, make a point of seriously considering any request that comes your way, and double-check your schedule before taking anything else on that’s not in line with your objectives.
Our environments can contribute a lot to how effective we work and live, since everything is energy and either add to our personal energy pool, or distract from it. So, unclutter all areas, keep it organised as it will free up space in your mind to deal with the more important things in your life.
Always communicate your situation to your family. Regularly discuss with your husband and children their perceptions, opinions, and even objections about your work.
This will give you better insight into their feelings and aspirations, making it easier for you to manage their expectations and perceptions. Also ensure the entire family understands your obligations and responsibilities at work, so there would be more consideration from them.
Establish limits and clear boundaries between family and work. Determine which actions are acceptable and which ones unacceptable for at home or work. Boundaries protect your work from the distraction of family, and protect your family involvement from the obligations at work. For me these are all my Non-Negotiables and goes into a Non-Negotiable tray.
Be very disciplined about it and do not overstep these boundaries as it might lead to distrust and disgruntlement. This is hard but totally worth it, as closing your mind from work, will translate into giving quality time to your family and they’ll love you for it.
Ultimately you would also need to be able to switch work off completely, and give more time to yourself, just as much as you would to family in order to maintain a healthy body and mind.
It would be impossible to perfectly balance everything in your life at all times. For example, when a family member is sick, you may need to skip a work event. Or when an important deadline must be met, you might need to miss dinner at home and stay working in the office late.
Always ensure you have supportive means in place to deal with these occurrences. Ask for help, negotiate fairly for what you need, and learn how to delegate effectively and responsibly. For me these are in my Negotiables and goes into that Negotiable tray. So, from the beginning, plan for what is Negotiable and up for grabs and what is NOT.
At the office let superiors, colleagues, and management know what’s important to you, what you value, and how you want your life to be. Tell them what’s high on your priority so they would know when and how they can provide support. You would be surprised by how supportive colleagues can be.
For total peace of mind at the office ensure you leave your kids in capable hands. Find someone you feel comfortable and confident with. Get involved with these care providers by communicating frequently and observing interactions between caregiver and your child.
At home get your children involved with household tasks and work together as a team, it can be lots of fun. Recruit friends, family, neighbours as a support network in times when you simply can’t be there for your kids in emergencies or daily activities. Make sure that you return this favour when you have downtime and they need you too.
Understand that anything can change at a moment’s notice, just make sure you’re always ready and willing to assume responsibility for any of the tasks that need to get done at any time. And get rid of always trying to be a perfectionist, and forgive yourself when things don’t go according to plan. Be Gentle on yourself. And if you can’t, go see a personal Coach or Mentor who can work with you to get over that guilt we so easily succumb to.
The importance of Mentorship and business coaching for your Business Success as an Engaged Leader
Coaching and mentoring can provide an array of benefits for both individuals and their organisations of all sizes, especially small businesses and family businesses. It provides individuals a way to connect, learn and grow their companies or within the company and along their own career paths including creating balance and focus.
What is the difference between coaching and Mentoring?
Simply put, coaching is about growing the person, YOU, the business owner, from the inside out. Coaching helps you to determine goals that match your highest potential, create a realistic plan to achieve those goals, discover how you self-sabotage your business, and be accountable for achieving goals within a planned time frame. While your coach might offer you insight and advice, the primary purpose of coaching is to empower YOU to learn how to create the business of your dreams whilst still managing and juggling your personal life.
Mentoring brings the expertise of the consultant expertise into the mix. A mentor offers information, advice, brainstorming and training. I like to say that a Mentor Tells and a Coach Asks or guides. Look for a someone who has achieved what you want to achieve, someone who is willing to share all their knowledge, wisdom and practical tips with you.
Personally, I strongly encourage my clients to use THE services of one person who is able to combine the roles of both a Business coach and consulting Mentor which is the best of both worlds.
There is no one-size-fits-all approach and no single formula for successfully balancing work and family. Every person and family must find specific solutions to their issues depending on their own preferences and needs.
If you need help in finding this so called “balance”, contact Hawa Charfaray, CEO: Training Excellence South Africa and CEO Orbrix in (UAE) on hawa@trainexcellence.co.za
Please like us on Facebook and LinkedIn
Contact No: +27 11 568 5057/ +27 82 459 2309/+971 50 177 5109
Email: hawa@trainexcellence.co.za
More about Hawa Charfaray:
Hawa Charfaray is the CEO & Founder of Training Excellence Africa & The Middle East and CEO Orbrix Dubai. She is a renowned International Corporate Trainer, Motivational Global Speaker. Hawa is committed to community development through social responsibility efforts as an Inspirational Presenter.
Hawa has invested in changing lives through her many years of experience as Global Speaker, Trainer, a corporate wellness practitioner, an NLP practitioner, Life Coach, Language and Behavior (LAB) Profile Practitioner, Inventory, Work Attitude and Motivation (iWAM) practitioner, Ecometric practitioner, Hypnotherapy Practitioner and Time Line Practitioner. She is both honored and inspired to be nominated by the recognized bodies below. She says “We cannot become ourselves by ourselves. We need to go out of our way to support each other. We need to be mirrored, emulated and celebrated, as who you are truly does make a difference – Become Consciously Purposeful in Your Life as a leader!”
Hawa was Acknowledged and Awarded the following Awards:
TEDx Lyttleton women Speaker – December 2018
Distinguished African Amazon Award 2018 – Mandela Legacy Centre for Leadership and Development – Nov 2018
Future of HR Leader – Hall of Fame Finalist Award July 2018 – – This is the highest possible accolade bestowed at the Future of HR Awards. It is reserved for an industry-respected, highly experienced individual who, through their visionary people management strategies and leadership prowess for at least ten years, have made an outstanding and lasting contribution to the organisation(s) they have worked for, and to the HR industry as a whole.
Amazons Women Watch Emerging Economies Top 100 Most influential Women 2018 in USA in March 2018. – These awards are in acknowledgement of her inspirational work she does with Women Leadership and Creating an Executive Presence for Women Internationally. She has also been invited and will be attending The Africa Women Forum (AWF) – New York 2019, which is scheduled to be held, on the Margin of the 63rd session of the Commission on the Status of Women, in March, 2019. Selection was part of CELD’s delegation to a High-level session/stakeholder’s engagement at the 62nd Commission on the Status of Women, which is held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. In March 2019.
Awarded as Top 100 Difference Makers in SA by Difference Makers SA in March 2018
CMO Africa leadership citation in Mauritius in Dec 2017
Centre for Economic Leadership Development – Leadership award in Dubai 2016
Hawa is also on the following Boards and have partnered with the following Organisations:
- CEO Orbrix UAE Nov 2018 to date
- Advisory Partner of the Carlton Advanced Management Institute (CAMI) in USA – 2015- Current
- Advisory Board of the Non-Profit African Women’s Movement (AWM) May 2017 – May 2018
- Hawa is also the weekly host on Radio 786 on the Business Edition advising Leaders across the globe on Business concepts and challenges. Through these platforms, Hawa forges on to uplift African Leaders and connect them to opportunities.
- Partner NKG Training Mauritius
- Partner for Pasion to Purpose USA, in Africa and Middle East.
Key Speaking Topics or Full Training Sessions available from Hawa Charfaray – The Lioness of Africa:
- Creating an Executive Presence for Women
- Navigating the Corporate Jungle as a Lioness
- Leadership Development – Transformational Leadership
- Women Leadership
- Women Collaboration
- The Power of YOU
- Customer Service for Bankers – The Power of YOU
- Organisational Development
- Job Analysis and Job Evaluation for HR Professionals
- Recruitment Analytics for HR Professionals
- Recruitment Analytics for Line Managers
- Fundamentals of HR for Line Managers
- Train the Trainer for Learning & Development Professionals
- Performance Management for Leaders and HR Professionals
- Self-Management and Goal Setting
- Is there such a thing as Work Life Balance?
- Mastering the art of Influence through Language
- Understanding Employee Engagement
- Making Organisational Health/Well-being a strategic Priority in Organisations
- Providing Psychological Air to your Employees (Understanding and Acknowledgement) And many more….
NAVIGATING THE CORPORATE JUNGLE AS A LIONESS 5 Oct 2018, 10:36 pm
Hawa Charfaray, CEO and Founder of Training Excellence, now 20 years in establishment in South Africa and Middle East. Since Hawa last appeared on our Cover of Covered Magazine, almost 1 year ago, much has happened in her business and career since earning her the title of the Lioness of Africa.
Looking back, so much has transpired as Hawa has also founded and launched AWoP (African Women of Power), a Division of Training Excellence, a platform for Women Development and Leadership.
Fortunately, the rules of this jungle are changing – although slow and not as fast as we would like. However, note that it certainly is changing. No longer is the lion the only head of the jungle. The lioness has awakened, with an amazing courage and perseverance – she displays raw ambition, with a tenacious focus on the hunt, while still maintaining her beauty, compassion and grace. The lioness leads, roams and hunts around us, unafraid and undeterred by the diversity of other competitors as she confronts risks head-on, with sheer tenacity and will.
Her strength is inspiring and even while others pretend not to notice, they dare not underestimate her capability or take her for granted. If wounded, she would never give up. Instead she learns from her mistake. As Oprah Winfrey simply states, “Turn your wounds into wisdom.” A lesson that comes instinctively to the successful lioness.
When the lioness overcomes her battles, she celebrates her win as spectacularly as she engages in the hunt – taking time out as she basks in the glory of her deserving success, as others acknowledge and celebrate her – as celebrated by Hawa’s vision of creating many more Lionesses in the Corporate and Private Sector.
Having started my own business as a South African, more than twenty-years ago I can attest to the challenges that a lioness can face in this vicious yet spectacularly rewarding jungle of business.
To ensure that I can add value to others, it remains important that I continue to grow as an individual and a professional. This means continuously investing in myself. As Indra Nooyi, CEO of Pepsi-co has said, “If you want to improve the organization, you have to improve yourself, and the organization gets pulled up with you.” In so doing, I have launched the African Women of Power (AWoP), a division of Training Excellence to ensure that many more women are able to develop themselves equally in this jungle.
It is important to acknowledge at this point that all this would not have been possible had I not established and negotiated a robust support network. My Family and Amazing life and Business Partner Rasheed Charfaray. They say that behind every successful Man, there is a woman. In my case behind my success is my amazing husband and partner. I have also partnered with Organisations in Mauritius, Dubai, and London to ensure that we provide a platform for women to create their navigation in the Jungle more robust.
Members to AWoP will have access to these partners to grow their businesses and attend workshops, seminars and be recognised on an International level. Members will also have access to quarterly training on leadership, monthly coaching and industry specific mentors. AWoP is therefore more than a Business Networking platform.
This month in October AWoP launches its first of Annual Women Conference African Women of Power (AWoP) Leadership Conference which will be held in Mauritius 27th October 2018, being put together by NKG Training Solutions in partnership with African Women of Power, a division of Training Excellence South Africa.
The Conference will be held at the Intercontinental, Balaclava, Mauritius, on 27th October 2018, with the theme: CONFRONTING BARRIERS TO WOMEN’S ECONOMIC, SOCIAL, FINANCIAL, PERSONAL AND CULTURAL SUCCESS.
Creating a platform for women in Africa to discuss gaps and issues affecting them in various areas of their lives, is an effort to address the economic, social and financial challenges that African women are faced with.
With nearly 1 in 3 Africans between the ages of 10 and 24, and approximately 60 percent of Africa’s total population below the age of 35, Africa has the largest percentage of youth in the world.
But sadly, the continent is faced with the significant task of turning the youthful population into an asset. Despite constituting over half of the youth population, women’s issues are not given the priority they deserve. It is notable that both young and older women are still under-represented in civic spaces, including politics, the economy, social affairs, and in science and technology. Women are derailed from realizing their potential by challenges such as limited access to education, training, mentorship and coaching into boardroom level and Executive Presence leadership.
The Conference therefore aims at bringing together empowered and influential women who have succeeded in their professional and personal lives, and who embody the qualities of leadership in displaying active, creative and integrative efforts in achieving success at personal, national, and regional levels, to deliberate on ways of inclusion and empowerment of women in the mainstream economy through skills development, enterprise development, entrepreneurship projects and improving young women’s access to mentors and incubators
There is nothing more fulfilling than helping someone to realize their inner potential. Giving someone the tools to communicate and alter their behaviour and the way they approach the world in order to achieve more than they could ever have imagined.
While my business continues to transform, it has and continues to teach me significant professional and life lessons – lessons that require me to adjust my flow while I still maintain my course.
The first of which is the reality that in this jungle there could be a den of thieves – and therefore trust amongst people should be earned and not assumed. This was an expensive financial lesson learnt after I had invested heavily in two separate partnerships with people who had regrettably not fulfilled their end of the deal.
The second is advancing and achieving growth in business through collaboration with like-minded people. For women we tend to struggle with collaboration compared to our male counterparts. Most times we haven’t found the confidence in ourselves or our products and therefore trust that we can do it all. As we have not learned to trust and move on. Collaboration is extremely labour intensive. And we are generally not patient enough to work through the relationships and challenges of the jungle.
Thirdly, I don’t personally believe in the concept of work-life balance as I view work and life as a unified system rather than competing systems. Especially for me as a Women. To achieve this requires one to firstly establish a support network and then to negotiate time with family and friends. For example, I negotiated support from family and friends to help with my children when needed so I could remain focused on both my career and family. I did not see motherhood or been a wife as a burden or something I must choose over and above my career. I saw it as a natural form of my makeup and therefore aimed to succeed.
Fourthly, the importance of investment, capital and sufficient cash-flow is fundamental as a foundation and stepping stone to financial sustainability. It continues to remain challenging in a male dominated world particularly for a small business. Therefore, it is important to obtain financial coaching and advice early on in your career.
Lastly, the importance of setting a vision. Set goals, develop a plan and work at achieving that purpose. Having said that, remember you might have to change direction every so often when you confront challenges. Be flexible and don’t give up on your higher purpose. Know your Jungle! Make Organisational health a Strategic Priority:
I am grateful to have learnt and to have grown from my journey – from the combined strength of my husband, family, clients and friends and from the memory of my loving children.
Like the flow of a great river, this jungle of business may be fast and dangerous in places requiring the courage to maneuver through its fearless rapids, but it likewise slows down to a flow where we can enjoy the beauty of the journey and equally reap its rewards.
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For personalised assistance or training in all areas of Business Connect with Hawa Charfaray:
Contact No: +27 11 433-3344 /+27 82 459 2309/+971 50 177 5109
Email: hawa@trainexcellence.co.za
Websites: www.trainexcellence.com
hawa@trainexcellence.co.za or hawa@orbrix.net
Contact No: +27 11 568 5057/ +27 82 459 2309/+971 50 177 5109
Please like us on Facebook and LinkedIn
RATHER BE IN BED THAN AT WORK THIS YEAR? YOU MAY HAVE THE SYNDROME! 18 Mar 2018, 10:38 am
Your morning alarm sounds off and you let out a huge sigh, wishing you could rather stay in bed! As grateful as you are that you have a job, it feels like your head is reluctantly, yet responsibly, dragging your body to work every-single-day. You get to work, give your to-do-list a single glance and decide that coffee is of greater priority. And continues to be of greater priority at every slight chance throughout the day… and throughout the week… and, well, throughout the year.
Sound familiar?
This is a pretty common scenario for many! Most people feel a career ‘block’ or unhappiness in their job at some point. While in some cases, this may be related to an uninspiring boss or demotivating company culture, in a large number of cases that dreadful feeling in the pit of the tummy is caused by a career ‘mismatch’!
Simply defined as choosing a career or job role that does not in fact match your profile!
Take time to ask yourself -“why did you choose the career or job role that you’re in?”
The mismatch syndrome is a frustrating condition of being in a career or role that conflicts with your strengths, personality preferences and interests. Yes, while not everyone gets to have the perfect package of tailor made careers and job roles to match their every characteristic, understanding key factors that may serve as a significant challenge to you can change your game!
If your strength is ‘people orientation’ but you’re spending 8 hours a day behind a desk of a demarcated booth predominantly crunching the numbers, you’re likely to start feeling isolated, lonely and uninspired. Or, perhaps you’re the target driven go-getter that enjoys a challenge or two, but finding yourself in a role that keeps you occupied with mundane admin and routine tasks. Knowing the mismatch can help you to turn your career around and give you the motivation to reach greater heights!
And let’s be honest, it’s easy to find fault in any external reason as to why we’re unhappy in our job right? (Well, unless you do have a monstrous boss or a monstrosity of a workload!), and so we tend to focus our unhappiness in the workplace on just about every reason that is readily available (everything but ourselves!). Perhaps it’s time to reflect to see whether the actual reason is that your career is in conflict with a key strength or characteristic that is dominant in your personality.
How do you go about deciding what strengths and characteristics could play a significant role in your career satisfaction? Some are able to reflect and consult people around them to help them decide. But, as a Psychometric Assessment Specialist, I believe the outcome of taking an assessment to unravel yourself is a treasure to be discovered! Psychometric assessments are reliable, accurate and insightful tools to provide you with the deeper self-reflection that may not easily come as a realization, and simply helps you to fit the puzzle pieces together to see the best version of yourself and align your goals accordingly!
SCHOOLS OUT! READY FOR THE BIG WORLD? 8 Mar 2018, 10:55 am
You’re now a senior at High school and the Great Big World is calling your name!
Well you’ll be happy to know- you’re not alone! You’re one of the millions of seniors across the world that faces this big decision as high school comes to a close!
Deciding on what to study and which career field to choose can seem daunting. But it doesn’t have to be. The secret to success? Make Informed decisions.
Yes , it may have been your childhood dream to be a ‘Doctor’; or your parents’ dream for you to be an ‘Engineer’; or perhaps your successful sibling was your inspiration to follow suit as a ‘Writer’, but is this choice one that YOU are likely to be successful in? Does it align to your strengths? Is it something you will be passionate about?
The key to choosing a career that you’re likely to be most passionate about is in knowing yourself and your capabilities. Take time to look through the lens of your past accomplishments and experiences to understand what your strengths and interests are; and then look through the lens of the possible future to decide what your vision for your life might be.
Here are a few things to consider when looking through the lens:
- Strengths– Reflect on your academic and social accomplishments. What are you really good at? Which subjects have you achieved best at? What activities have you been most successful in?
- Interests– What do you enjoy doing the most? What activities, hobbies or tasks give you the greatest satisfaction?
- Vision– Where would you like to see yourself in the future? What kinds of roles would you like to see yourself in for the future e.g. taking care of others, developing a product, running a business, working for a large corporate etc.
- Market– What types of job roles/fields are available on the market, or in demand in your region? Which of these best suits who you are? What are your educational options in these fields? What possibilities of ’employability’ are there in the role?
Brainstorm these ideas to help you decide on the Qualification or Career choice that best matches your profile. Take time to talk to teachers, family members and people already working in the field to help you put the information together, and support you through the decision making process.
If you’re still feeling overwhelmed and in need of some expert advice, contacting a career expert or taking a career assessment is a great way to be sure that you’re making the most informed decision!
ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFORE YOU EMBRACE A NEW CAREER! 8 Mar 2018, 10:49 am
Embracing a career involves embarking on a journey where one is never static. Careers are ever-changing and evolving as the global world becomes more advanced, and requires continuous learning and development in each phase of the career life cycle. While it may seem like a daunting experience, it is rather liberating, as it provides you with a professional identity and may pave your pathway to success!
The key to choosing a career that is best suited to you is in how well aligned it is to the combination of your abilities, interests, experience and available opportunities, which all serve as important motivators.
Once you have identified your possible career choice/s, the next step would be gaining as much knowledge about these fields as possible.
- Research on field: gain insight as to what the field as a whole entails, particularly looking at what it offers and how it fits into society.
- Research on career options within a field: list and explore various career options within matched fields; identify the ones that would be most appealing to you; determine types of opportunities available in these career markets.
- Research on academic requirements: attend open days, gain insight from academic institutions on courses offered in your matched field; find out what the minimum requirements for the course are (AP scores; entrance exams; required subjects); understand course structure and time-line; chat to current students regarding content and complexity of the course.
- Research on transition to workplace: gain insight into entry level positions, find out what the minimum requirements are for an entry level job (academic results, internships, minimum level of qualification- e.g. undergraduate, postgraduate etc.), list the type of organizations you will be able to apply to.
- Research on applying for jobs: find out when and where graduate recruitment programs will be held, identify job portals that you may register your CV with, identify relevant recruitment agencies aligned to your career field that you may contact.
There is an abundance of information that may be useful- ensure to take it one step at a time so you’re not overwhelmed.
Ensure to always keep your eye open for any opportunities for growth and continuously enhance your knowledge and develop your profile to increase your ’employability’!
Wishing you an insightful experience as you embark your journey to success!