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5 Ways to Become the Ultimate People Person at Work

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May 13, 2021

- Blog

Don’t we all, to an extent, wish to be people magnets, surrounded by admirers, signing autographs, waving and smiling at the camera? Okay, maybe a bit too much! Nonetheless, an appropriate comparison. Celebrities often represent the best form of personality we all aspire to be. They seem to be perfect people persons who carry influence, style and positivity. Nowadays, we all are expected to become celebrities in our personal and professional lives, marketing our best versions to the world. If you wish to get that extra special treatment at a party or the consideration for a promotion, we certainly cannot overlook the advantages of being a people person. Note, a people person isn’t a people pleaser (a term with negative connotations) nor a highly extroverted individual (yes, most of us are not extroverted). All of us can strive to become the ultimate people person to gain advantages in the workplace. Here are five ways to be one:

Choose a Workplace That You are Passionate About

Working in a place that offers you learning, socializing and work experiences that inspire you will mean that you will come across to others as a positive and motivated individual. This means you will be prompted to pitch in ideas in meetings, and see that the end results of your efforts culminate in reaching the higher goals of the company that you are aligned with.

Prioritize Listening Over Speaking

Listen more than you speak. Show a genuine interest in coworkers when they relate something personal. It is easy for them to see when you aren’t actually paying attention, so mean it. This would mean putting in your part by speaking where necessary to keep up the flow of the conversation.

Behave Well, Really Well

You may think Victorian era pleasantries are out of fashion nowadays, but they are very much in demand at work. Words like “thank you” and “please” are still applicable, so are greetings like “hello” and “good morning.” Asking things like, “How was your past day (or the weekend)?” surely works too.

Help a Co-worker in Times of Need or Trouble

While you may be remarkably busy in your own work, it is never a bad idea to help a co-worker. Maybe they forgot to save a presentation and have an hour to submit it. Offer to take half of the work off their shoulders. Perhaps, they need to leave home early to attend to a sick family member. Jump in and take on their tasks for the day.

Have a Sense of Humour

Even if you do not know how to tell a good joke, you can for sure appreciate one. Laugh when it is appropriate to encourage positive relationship-building with peers. Relating something funny that happened to you in a stimulating way can surely uplift the mood of your co-workers.

If you wish to conquer the hearts of your co-workers, implement the five ways mentioned to become the ultimate people person.

Arslan Ahmed | Staff Writer

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Blog

Creating a Better Work Culture

By on

March 16, 2021

- Blog

Success in today’s global business environment can be more effective when executives manifest themselves as agents of change who reshape corporate culture to better apply knowledge and create a competitive advantage. Building on three aspects of corporate culture—collaboration, trust and learning—companies can continuously innovate and create new and valuable products and services through applying new ideas and knowledge. This can also inspire consultants to create effective cultural change in order to meet and exceed the challenges of today and the future. These practices can represent a complete answer to changes in today’s global market environment. 

Collaboration provides a shared understanding about the current issues and problems among employees, which helps to generate new ideas and solutions within an organization. Trust towards the leader’s decisions is also a necessary to allow for open sharing of knowledge. Moreover, the amount of time spent learning is positively related to the amount of knowledge gained, shared, and implemented. 

Executives can facilitate collaboration by developing relationships in organizations. An executive can contribute to a culture of trust by considering both the employees’ individual interests and the company’s essential needs. Also, executives can identify individual needs of employees and develop a learning culture to generate new knowledge. The next sections present a set of actions that can be taken by executives to build an effective corporate culture and the benefits to the company overall.

Building a True Collaboration Culture

To build a collaborative culture, executives need to improve the degree to which employees actively support and provide significant contributions to each other in their work. This can take the form of the higher-ups leading by example, consistently giving constructive feedback while allowing for people to learn from mistakes and making space for social events. In doing this, they can develop a collaborative environment in which employees are comfortable with collaboration between departments, they are supportive towards each other, and there is a willingness to accept responsibility for failure.

Creating a No-Fail Trust Culture 

To create a trust culture, executives need to maintain the volume of reciprocal faith in terms of behaviors and intentions. This takes the form of displaying honesty, vulnerability, and open communication. It also allows for employees to be themselves and feel comfortable voicing their opinions. In doing this, leaders can build an atmosphere of trust and openness in which employees are generally trustworthy, have reciprocal faith in the abilities, intentions and behaviors of others, and can make meaningful choices between the interests of the organization and the interests of individuals.

Cultivating a Successful Learning Culture 

To foster a learning culture, executives need to enhance the extent to which learning is motivated within the workplace. This can take the shape of formal and informal development programs, like training programs, role rotation, and external seminars and workshops.  In doing this, they can contribute to the development of a learning workplace in which employees are always learning and improving their skillsets.

This dynamic perspective of organizational culture points out the vital importance of corporate culture in shaping a company’s employee assets. Corporate culture constitutes the foundation of a supportive workplace to improve knowledge and performance. Fostering an environment of collaboration, trust and learning is a major internal resource for business success, and without a grasp on this idea, executives are bound to fail.

Mostafa Sayyadi | Contributing Writer

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Blog

The Power of Diversity

By on

January 4, 2021

- Blog

This article raises a vital question as to how executives can successfully improve financial performance at all levels of an organization and may lack the fundamental fortitude necessary, to be an all-encompassing model to predict financial performance. It further encourages executives to investigate scholarly work to increase financial performance, enhance profitability and sales, and improve shareholder value.

Drawing from the existing literature, new insights identify workplace diversity as a primary driver of sales, profitability and financial performance for companies. Identifying a new managerial approach may be necessary, as the new business environment demands are increasingly difficult to adapt and sustain these three key factors.

The critical and unanswered question is: how can corporate leaders improve financial performance?

There are many academic studies that focus on the organizational and managerial factors that drive sales, profitability and financial performance. Diversity and inclusion in the workplace are areas that play critical roles and are a strategic prerequisite for business success in today’s hypercompetitive global environment.

In particular, a diversity and inclusion strategy can help companies to improve financial performance in terms of achieving commercial goals and the quality of products and services. This is the reason that this strategy is so popular among practicing managers today.

The ultimate business outcome is financial success which narrows the gap between success and failure. This can be achieved by the commitment of its members and facilitated by an executive acting as a facilitative leader. In doing this, corporate leaders need to focus on the critical human assets such as commitment and help followers to effectively implement organizational changes, with both efficiency and effectiveness.

They can shed light on the strategic role of follower attitudes and values to accomplish a higher degree of effectiveness and highlight the importance of employees in implementing changes at the organizational level. When corporate leaders show concern for the employee’s individual needs, individuals begin to contribute more commitment and they become more inspired to put extra effort into their work. This extra effort improves the quality of products, customer satisfaction, impacts the return on assets, sales, shareholder value, and improves financial success and operational risk management. 

Financial success can be only be achieved by a diversity and inclusion strategy. Diversity of skills and interpersonal relations that is based on trust and reciprocity, can improve innovation and the performance of group cohesiveness.

At this point, you’re probably asking why the diversity of skills is so important.

The simple answer is that companies that may lack diversity in the workplace can’t share their knowledge. With an effective diversity and inclusion strategy, global leaders may improve knowledge sharing and learning that can eventually enhance financial performance in global markets, through empowering human resources and enabling change at the organizational level.

Executives can increase workplace diversity to facilitate knowledge sharing and build relationships, aiming at improving customer satisfaction through acquiring additional knowledge from customers, developing better relationships with them, and providing a higher quality of service and/or products for them.

Furthermore, creating an expert group or steering committee may be short-sighted because such groups may not have sufficient diversity to comprehend knowledge acquired from external sources.

Leadership in some companies has failed to pay attention to this important matter and create a team that makes diversity a priority and represents a variety of ideas and perspectives. A leadership status that isn’t only a failing platform but one that represents destruction, as opposed to innovation and expansion. This leadership gap can provide lessons for CEOs and executives in today’s organizational challenges.

The fact remains that leaders who manage diversity and use it as an important driving force for financial success, find their companies to be more competitive and on the cutting edge.

The question posited for top management executives and leaders in any and all companies is to accept the challenge of diversity and inclusion strategy implementation. That way they can address the current gaps in business effectiveness and improve their financial performance and competitiveness in global markets.

I suggest that executives embrace a diversity and inclusion strategy. I attempt to blend scholarly concepts with real world application through thoroughly looking at an effective strategy for maximizing financial performance.

Based on this article, executives can now see that they must be aware that their diversity in the workplace can fundamentally impact the way a corporation performs and can make a change in the processes a company achieves commercial objectives, improves sales, profitability, and increases financial performance. Financial performance is dependent on how executives formulate their diversity and inclusion strategy. Success for companies in today’s global business environment can be better achieved when a diversity and inclusion strategy is effectively applied and widely used to achieve a higher degree of performance. Therefore, when companies can have a diverse employee population, they will secure a foothold in the ever-expansive global business environment.

Mostafa Sayyadi | Contributing Writer

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Blog

How Company Culture is Responsible for Acquiring Talent

By on

September 29, 2020

- Blog

Successful companies like Google don’t just rely on their names to lure the best and brightest talent. They also rely on their stellar reputations when it comes to their corporate culture. Tech companies and start-ups are well known for putting company culture at the forefront of their brands, and your business should too.


It’s not all nap pods and free food – there are real benefits to your employees and your bottom line when you prioritize company culture.


What is Company Culture?


Company culture typically refers to the values and expectations of a company, and how those notions interact with employees and other stakeholders. It’s often something that’s implied, and it naturally develops based on who you hire. However, you can still intentionally and successfully shape your company culture by keeping a few characteristics in mind.


Reputation


We know Google has an awesome company culture from more than just the tech giant’s solid 4.5/5 star Glassdoor rating, it’s imbedded in its brand identity. Likewise, your employees will associate how you treat them with your brand identity. If employees are treated well and a fun and positive workplace is encouraged, your brand will be seen accordingly by not only your team, but by your customers too.


Goals


Your company culture plays a major role in fueling your company values, which is why it must align with the vision and goals of your business. If your company culture values creativity and being results-driven, then it’s more likely that your employees and potential candidates will have similar values and be keen to put them into play.


Turnover


Studies have shown that company culture helps to attract and retain top talent. When people look forward to going to work every day, feel like they belong and that their values align with your company’s, why would they want to leave? The bottom line, according to ZipRecruiter, is lower turnover and higher performance, which are good for business.


Not Just a Trend


Company culture isn’t new, but there’s a reason that business leaders now think it’s so integral to success now more than ever. With the dawn of social media and the 24-hour news cycle, your company’s brand and associated culture will be on display to a previously unprecedented degree. So you might as well use that to your advantage.


Other Factors


Increasing demand for positive company culture also points in the direction of millennials who, by 2020, will comprise nearly half the working population. According to Forbes, millennials are attracted to strong company culture over anything else.


Another factor to keep in mind is the growth of the so-called start-up economy. With successful new businesses popping up more and more frequently these days, it means more competition for your business in terms of both hiring and customers.


Defining what your company culture is will help you differentiate your business from the rest, as well as keep you relevant and desirable in the public eye. In turn, this will help you attract quality candidates (millennial and otherwise), as well as keep your employees happy and eager to stick around.


Whether your company culture grew naturally or intentionally, there is no questioning its power to affect every aspect of your business inside and out. We spend one-third of our lives at work, so why not make it the most enjoyable place possible? Your employees – and your bottom line – will thank you.



Laura D’Angelo | Contributing Writer

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Blog

3 Mandates Every Employer Should Follow

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August 18, 2020

- Blog

Job seekers tend to do a lot of research into what employers want from them, but few put as much time into thinking about what they should expect from their employers.  Below is a list of mandates that any good employer should follow in order to function well as an organization and maintain the loyalty of their workers.


Ensure their health and safety


Many seem to assume that this mandate is only relevant to companies asking their employees to perform physical tasks, but this can easily apply to a typical office setting as well.  Saddling your employees with unrealistic goals or huge workloads can take a heavily toll on their mental and physical health when the long hours they spend trying to meet unreasonable targets start to add up.  So make sure that both their physical and mental well-being are taken into account when developing work policies and assigning tasks.


Create opportunities for your employees to grow


Without room to be fully utilize their skill set and climb the corporate ladder, employees will inevitably become bored or dissatisfied.  Employers should take the time to provide them with chances to expand their workers’ knowledge and entrust them with new responsibilities and opportunities.   In doing so, the organization will be rewarded with higher rates of worker retention, job satisfaction and a healthier more vibrant office culture as a whole.


Build trust into your hiring and work practices      


As an employer, if you make sure to only hire people you trust to work independently, you will be able to avoid falling into the trap of micromanaging.  Whenever workers are surveyed about company engagement, trust is almost always one of the top most desired traits that workers desire from management.  Strong hiring practices will ensure that you only hire people that fall into that coveted “trusted” category, which will in turn, cultivate better relationships between workers and management.


At the end of the day, companies have a responsibility to make themselves appealing to potential job seekers.  Just as your average job-seeker will spend a great deal of time perfecting their resume and interview skills, companies should work on improving their work culture and streamlining their processes to be, not only more efficient, but also more people-friendly as well.


Lance | Contributing Writer

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Blog

Creating Openness Within Your Team

By on

June 2, 2020

- Blog

Everyone who has ever worked on a team will agree that the key ingredient to a successful team is collaboration, yet few have a thorough understanding of what this entails. Collaboration is a team’s ability to interact efficiently and work towards achieving a common goal. However, numerous studies show that without openness, any opportunity for collaboration will be lost, and the team will fail.


What’s the best way to create a sense of openness within your team? Consider the following tips:


Open Communication is Key


Open communication is not limited to your organizational hierarchy or a set team meeting. Team members should have access to opportunities and resources to communicate whenever and wherever it’s necessary. One way to create an open communication dynamic is for yourself and your team to familiarize yourselves with Tuckman’s Team Development Model. Assess what stage your team is at, and proceed from there.


Actively Listen to Team Members


While many of us hear what others are saying, we rarely truly listen. By encouraging team members to listen to one another and acknowledge understanding of their peers’ ideas, you’re facilitating improved productivity in all relevant processes. If your company employs remote workers, always make them feel as if they are in the room with the rest of your team to help encourage effective participation.


Establish Transparency Across All Operations


Transparency in your business practices is one of the shortest paths towards creating an open and supportive workplace. Before team members can trust one another, they need to be able to trust that the company’s mission, vision, and values are in line with their own. Not only will this improve collaboration within your team, but it also encourages accountability for every action taken.


Turn Failures into Learning Opportunities


The largest setback for many a team is the fear of failure, which often stems from leaders who focus on the here and now rather than the big picture. Remember, there is no innovation without risk. The simplest way to get this message across is to openly encourage risk-taking within your team. Although not all risks lead to rewards, allowing your team members to implement their own personal touch in company operations promotes trust and flexibility in the workplace.


Plan Regular Team-Building Exercises


At the end of the day, a team is a group of human beings who must feel comfortable to step outside of their respective comfort zones to share their ideas with others. In addition to open group discussions, members should be encouraged to grow closer through informal activities, such as lunch outings, to help promote mutual support and trust.


Openness inspires creativity. As Steve Jobs once said, the larger your “bag of experiences,” the more diverse the connections you can make between the ideas set before you. Creating a sense of openness within your team is not only beneficial for the team’s overall performance, but also for each team member’s individual growth and development.


Diana Spektor | Contributing Writer

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Blog

How to Overcome the Glass Ceiling

By on

May 12, 2020

- Blog

If you ask someone in the workforce what job satisfaction means to them, you’ll often hear it defined by a variety of factors, including culture, pay, vacation time, and room for growth; in this instance, we will be focusing on the latter.  Nobody wants to feel like they aren’t able to move up in an organization.  It makes you feel unappreciated and can quickly result in you becoming disgruntled and disengaged.  What many don’t understand is that advancement has to do with a lot more than just being good at your job and that opportunities often exist but you have to proactively seek them out.  Today, we outline some of the best ways for you to seize the opportunities available in your company.


Define your own expertise


The type of work you take on, and the way in which you present yourself, will decide how others see you and your role.  Take some time to reflect on areas where you have the most passion/knowledge for and learn to see yourself as a professional with respect to that particular expertise.  If you grow to see yourself as a marketing expert, for example, and constantly describe yourself and take on work in that capacity, then others will grow to view you in that light as well.


Don’t allow yourself to flounder in a role where you are merely performing up to standard.  Find ways to acquire work or assignments that allow you to take full advantage of your greatest strengths and really allow you to showcase your unique value as an employee.


Seek high profile projects that allow management to notice your strengths


A good work ethic is a useful characteristic to have, but it won’t do much for your career if it isn’t directed towards something that the company is paying attention to.  Talk to management and co-workers about important projects coming up, and express your interest in contributing; however, to build the necessary trust between you and the company, you will first need to…


Study your workplace culture


Not all success can be attributed to the quality of your work or the depth of your expertise.  Sometimes, it’s simply a matter of whether people like working with you or not.  Keep an eye on common informal practices and expectations outside of your regular duties.


Network within the company


Very rarely do we accomplish anything completely on our own.  At some point, we all need someone to help open a door for us to walk through, and with that in mind, it is important to cultivate a list of allies at your workplace.  These are individuals who will go to bat for you when it counts and who will vouch for your ability to perform and support your desire to be given more important tasks.  They can also be people to whom you can express a desire to take on new roles.  Your allies will inevitably be a diverse set, running the gamut from co-workers to superiors.


Acquire additional training


Working on more important assignments may require you to learn new skills or expand your current knowledge set.  Take time to acquire new certifications that are relevant to your desired role and inquire about training programs offered by the company.


Landing your dream role or moving into a desirable management/executive position is all about being active.  Promotion tends not to happen if you wait around passively for someone to recognize your hard work.  By actively seeking out ways to make yourself visible to the higher-ups, you create opportunities for your career to keep growing and evolving.


Lance | Contributing Writer

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Blog

What Great Employees Do Differently

By on

April 14, 2020

- Blog

There is a lot of competition in the workforce, not just in finding a job but also for attaining a higher position or raise. Being a good worker is not enough, as most employees in a company are. Great employees possess special characteristics that differentiate them from the rest. They do things differently and take advantage of opportunities that are presented to them. The following are some of the traits a great employee should have:


Takes action. Waiting for instructions and only doing what is require is what an average worker does. A great employee will go further, even if it is risky. They go the extra mile to make a difference and they are the ones who take on the tough tasks others are not willing to do.


Passion. They love their job and are enthusiastic about it. They go to work not just for a pay check or promotion, but for the satisfaction of what they do.


Ambition. Career success is one of their main goals. Employee’s ambition is what helps a company succeed. They create new ideas and are always looking for new ways to make procedures more effective and efficient.


Autonomy. The ability to work without supervision is key for effectiveness. A manager needs to work with people that will not require too much hand-holding or supervision. Employees who understand instructions quickly and are able to help others do so are an asset for any company.


Energy. People with good energy and a positive attitude are not just more productive, they also help make the work environment more enjoyable. Having someone on the team that is always positive and enthusiastic helps others do their job better and contributes to a better workday.


Reliability. This is one of the most important aspects, as having someone you can trust and depend on is key for success. It’s imperative for a great employee to be dependable. Supervisors will be able to trust that any job given to this particular employee will be done on time and accurately. This is a person anyone can trust, and a true asset to the business.


Knowledge. They know their job and the company well. They know how to excel and understand how to best meet company goals. Understanding the company’s mission is important for them and knowing their supervisor or manager’s leadership and work style is key to their success.


Being a great employee takes time and dedication. Feeling appreciated and recognized also helps motivate workers to keep doing their best. If you are a company owner or manager, make sure to focus on these characteristics in your employees because even if they like their job, feeling undervalued will shadow all of their efforts and negatively affect their performance.


Viviana | Contributing Writer

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