DURING the course of my training sessions, I have been approached by many
participants seeking advice on how they could have better careers. Most of them
complain to me that they feel their careers are not moving in the right
direction, hating their jobs or superiors, etc. My usual question to them is,
"So what are you doing about it?" Shockingly, most say that they are
not doing anything! This is something that surprises me because these people
are unhappy about a situation and yet are not doing anything to resolve it. Why
is this so!
My view is that these people are just
taking the easy way out. They place responsibility of their careers on their
managers and then justify their lack of career success by simply putting the
blame on their companies or superiors. My stand on this matter is simple: Why
put something as important as your career and professional fate in other
people's hands? Why don't you take full responsibility for your career and
consider anything done by your manager or company as a bonus!
I assure you that once you have decided to
adopt this philosophy, you will get an opportunity to see your career progress
and grow beyond your own expectations.
BE GOOD AT WHAT YOU ARE DOING
This is a simple but excellent piece of
advice. If you are technically good at what you are doing, opportunities will
come because all organisations are looking for good and competent professionals
all the time. Being good also means that you will have to keep up with the
changes in your profession. The best dentist in the world will be 'obsolete' if
his knowledge of dentistry is outdated even by a few
years. In the process of In developing
yourself, do not only concentrate on your technical skills; improve
your behaviourial skills, too.
This may sound strange, but it is
something you will have to do to get the best out of your career.
Ask yourself this question: What have I
done to tell the world that I am very good at my job and am available? If you
say, nothing, then that's why you are still at your present job. Being good at
your job is important; letting the world know about this may be equally, if not
more important! Some ways to market yourself would be by writing articles for
publication in industry journals, going to the right forums to network and,
participating in activities organised by your industry: this will raise your
profile and importantly, tell people that this’ very talented professional
exists!
Better jobs will follow.
You are the product! The best product that
is badly packaged may create a perception that it is mediocre. Hence, invest in
your wardrobe and dress well as it creates a positive first and lasting
impression among people you meet. We take a lot of effort in our appearance
when we go for interviews for example, because we want to make a good first
impression. The question is, why can't we dress like we are going for
interviews everyday! I assure you that it is certainly worth it as it may pay
back many thousands of times over!
The corporate world is very
competitive today and you will need all the help you can get to have good
careers. Using the tips above, will surely assist in putting you on the right
track.
By Heera Singh is Principal Consultant of
HEERA Training and Management Consultancy.
He can be contacted at 012-6083708.
DEVELOPING CONFIDENT LEADERS
By Dr Victor S.L. Tan
A GREAT waste of human resource is people
who have the knowledge and skill to lead well but do not, due to their lack of
self- confidence. Yet what do companies do to develop people — equipping them
with more knowledge and skill with the hope that somehow and someday they will
improve.
But people cannot improve if they lack
confidence in themselves. How then can we help people develop their
self-confidence to bring out the best in them?
OVERCOME THE FEAR
The first step towards building confidence
is overcoming fear. Many people have fears that prevent them from achieving
great things. Many of these fears are more psychological than real. As they say
F.EAR. stands for False Evidence Appearing Real. In our public speaking course,
we observed that many participants have an obsessive fear of speaking in front
of a crowd. They fear what others would think of them. They fear saying stupid
things. They fear their mind will freeze and they would have nothing to say.
And, most of all, they fear making a fool of themselves in front of others. We
first flush out all their fears before we actually teach them the techniques of
effective speaking. And, of course, we provide them a safe and friendly
audience to practise their speeches to overcome these fears.
BUILD CONFIDENCE THROUGH PRACTICE
Developing self-confidence comes from
doing and practising those things we are not comfortable with over and over
again until we become very good at. For example, a project leader I know is
technically very competent.
However, he messed up in meetings as he
lacked confidence in leading others. During the duration of the project, I
gradually exposed him to more and more meetings with close supervision and
guided help. Eventually, he became not only very good at leading project
meetings but he has also mastered the art of handling people and issues well.
With each successful meeting his self-confidence soared and it reinforced and
spurred him to do better. With a hands-on guided approach, I taught him the art
of facilitation and interacting with his team until he achieves mastery in this
area.
ENABLE ACHIEVEMENT THROUGH ACTIVITIES
It is not possible to will oneself to
become confident overnight. While self-talk and self-affirmation are useful
techniques to set the mind to be mentally positive, concrete actions followed
by positive results are the key to creating that sense of self-confidence.
A good way to develop confident leaders is
to start them at a young age. There are some very good programmes which develop
the young to build self-confidence
through fun activities. Recently,
I came across an excellent programme by a
company called ISTEVIN CHAMPIONS which is doing a great job developing the
confidence of young people to excel in their respective tasks. According to the
school principal, Sheena, her passion is to develop youth to have full
confidence in themselves so that they can become better leaders in the future
and succeed in their careers and lives. By enabling these youths to become
champions in their respective areas of strength, she and her team develop the
self- confidence of young children which is the critical factor needed to bring
out the best in them.
BELIEVE IN YOURSELF
The ultimate confidence comes from
self-belief. I once listened to Leslie Brown, the famous motivational speaker,
who related his story about how he was mistakenly labelled educably mentally
retarded when he was young. His self-esteem was severely low during his
childhood days, till one day a school teacher noticed his "talent"
and told him that he was a smart kid and that he could do things like normal kids
do. And from that day on, his self-confidence was boosted. He finally believes
in himself. Les grew up to become one of the most powerful motivational
speakers of all time. He is also an author of many books and a host of his won
TV show. He won over 80 awards for his outstanding work in helping people to
realise their potential for achievement.
RECOGNITION AND REINFORCEMENT
To understand how confidence is developed,
observe how a toddler learns to walk. The eager parents provide constant
encouragement for the toddler to first stand on his or her own feet. The
parents patiently coach the young toddler to stand and pursue on despite his
many falls. This process takes time and patience. When the toddler succeeds,
there is great applause not only from the parents but often the grandparents at
the other end. And when the toddler takes the first step, there is even louder
claps and cheering. They do not reprimand the toddler for falling down no
matter how many times, but they never fail to applaud to reinforce the
behaviour-each time the toddler the right thing, either standing up or walking
a step forward.
Such is the power of recognition and
reinforcement that instils the self-confidence and self-belief in toddlers to
empower them to learn to walk.
In conclusion, self-confidence can be
developed by surpassing your self-limitations through overcoming unwarranted
fears, repetitive practice of a skill, achievement of impressive results, a
belief in yourself and recognition and reinforcement.
DR VICTOR S.L. TAN IS THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE
OFFICER OF KL STRATEGIC CHANGE CONSULTING GROUP.
HE IS THE AUTHOR OF 10 MANAGEMENT BOOKS ON
CHANGE. HE UNDERTAKES CHANGE MANAGEMENT CONSULTING AND TRAINING PROGRAMMES.
THOSE INTERESTED IN THESE AREAS PLEASE CONTACT HIM AT VICTORSLTAN@KLSCC.COM OR * TEL: 012 3903168.
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