As anyone who’s been on the hunt for a job lately knows, it’s increasingly harder to differentiate yourself from the rest of the white-collar workforce.
-
Routine: Every Successful Entrepreneur's Secret Weapon Most of us understand the importance of organisation when it comes to business. Many of us will put all our effort into a well-managed, smooth-running work day. Yet you are part of your own business empire, and how you manage yourself personally could be the key to your success. Many successful business men and women call their own personal routines and habits, their secrets to success. Bill Gates spends an hour on the treadmill watching courses from the Teaching Company, and David Cameron, former British Prime Minister, has a ‘no TV’ rule in his house in the mornings in order to spend quality time with his family before work.[i] A Scientific Morning Routine Routine and habits help us deal with the unpredictability of daily life. They give us head space to think, and come up with innovative new ideas which is vital if we want to succeed in a changing and competitive marketplace. The part of the brain responsible for the execution of habitual behaviour, is different to the area involved in active thinking and once triggered, it doesn’t require much deep brain stimulation. Having a habitual routine to wake up to, reduces the effortful decision making that our sleepy brains may not be able to handle at 6am. Snoozing the alarm and going back to sleep, however, can cause us to feel more tired throughout the rest of the day. Sleep expert Dr Neil Stanley suggests that we should only set our alarms for when we need to get up and then get up! “We start waking up an hour and a half before we actually wake up, so if your body knows what time it’s going to wake up, it can prepare for when the alarm goes off.”[ii] If you keep pressing the snooze button, or set multiple alarms, the body becomes confused about whether it should be asleep or awake. This can alter your body’s biological rhythm, can make you sleepy during work hours and even lead to insomnia and other health problems. A good routine in the morning helps you hit the ground running and while you are pacing through your habitual activities, the brain is free to be creative and contemplate the day ahead. Routine and habits help us deal with the unpredictability of daily life. They give us head space to think, and come up with innovative new ideas which is vital if we want to succeed in a changing and competitive marketplace. Stimulating success We exercise will-power and self-control daily, in order to achieve goals and restrain impulses we know may negatively affect us. Resources from the American Psychological Association, suggest that our ability to exercise will-power decreases after repeated use, much like a muscle fatiguing during exercise. Having a few healthy habits, early in the day, can help us maintain the effective use of our will-power at times when it’s tempting to procrastinate or revert to bad habits. A positive mood can buffer the effects of repeated use of self-control, making achieving this an important aim of your morning routine. The brain is a high energy system and a lack of fuel has been shown to reduce its capacity, particularly in relation to will-power. Start your day right, with the right food to fuel your day. If you breakfast on foods with a high sugar content, you’re body will experience a dip in blood sugar shortly after, making you feel tired and lacking in energy. Cravings for more sugar to replenish the fuel supply will allow the cycle to continue. Try eating unprocessed foods for breakfast, like plain oats, fruit and yoghurt and if your food has a label, always read it. Pondering Productivity If your primary driving force is to please other people you may be exhausting your will power more than those acting on intrinsic motivation. Being more in touch with your motivations and actions can help improve productivity and personal well-being; meditation and time for personal reflection can be useful for this. ‘Headspace’ is an excellent app that guides you through the basic tools needed to focus the mind. Every morning, Steve Jobs would look in the mirror and asks himself “If today was the last day of my life, would I be happy with what I’m about to do today?”. If he answers ”no” too many days in a row, he knows it is time to make a change. Changes in routine are essential, because habitual activities lack a deep brain stimulation essential for generating new ideas. There needs to be a balance between habit and active thinking. Businesses that are unable to change in accordance with the demands of the times are likely to fail. A habit, like Jobs’, that can spark change is a useful inclusion for your routine. Your goals will change as you progress, so align your habits with new aims in order to prevent hitting a road block in life. Good habits align with your goals, bad habits go against them. Charles Duhigg, author of “The Power of Habit” explains that, “Once you have the habits that you genuinely want, at that point your life kind of becomes this wonderful place because you have all the mental energy you need to concentrate on the things you really want to concentrate on.” [i] You’re routine, however, will differ from the routines of almost every other person you meet. To aspire to the examples of successful individuals, is not to copy their every move but to learn lessons about how to craft your own routine. Fancy yourself an entrepreneur? Why not consider an MBA to sharpen up your management and entrepreneurial skills? [i] http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/from-steve-jobs-obama-jeff-bezos-mark-zuckerberg-how-8-of-the-world-s-most-successful-people-start-a6686466.html [ii] http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/health/health-problems/the-science-behind-why-hitting-the-snooze-button-is-bad-for-you/news-story/88ddf312b5aaba64575710d0a86cc41e -
Why Talented Employees Quit Their Jobs Employers - here’s a startling statistic: Only 15%[1] (of the 18,000 respondents) of employees in the Australian workforce are satisfied with their current jobs. That means many a great employee could soon be leaving you! It’s often said that great talent make great organisations! Behind every organisational success, there is often a dedicated individual or a talented group of people that have helped make those accomplishments possible. Take away their best talent, and companies usually stagnate and are overrun by the competition. Being able to read between the lines of a resignation note is crucial if you wish to retain other talented employees within your organisation. Here are some reasons why they too could up and quit: Hitting a ceiling Whether it’s the proverbial glass ceiling, or whether it’s an artificially created barrier that an employee feels he or she just can’t break through; most great employees will simply give up after a while and walk away. Good talent tends to gravitate to organisations where they have opportunity to grow and thrive. Unappreciated Many a great employee is often lost because they feel their efforts are unappreciated by their bosses. In some cases, even though senior management may truly appreciate what an asset the employee is, they may not be taking the time to show their gratitude. Under or un-appreciated employees will usually not say that’s the reason they are leaving; but they’ll walk out as soon as a better opportunity comes along! Poor leadership Even the best employees aspire for a role model – someone they look up to and will be loyal to. However, organisations with poor leadership tend to make great talent want to distance themselves from the company. Good leaders tend to inculcate great followers! Poor vision Even with excellent leadership, some companies don’t have a vision for the future that would inspire great employees to stick around. The challenge with corporate vision is that, you don’t only need to have it – you need everyone else to see it! If you can’t articulate your vision for THEIR future, great talent will leave you in droves! Lack of engagement A Gallup poll[2] survey of over 7,200 employees found that half of them quit because there was no engagement between employees and bosses. The best employees don’t just want to be told what to do, how and when to do it; they appreciate being given insight into the background of why they do what they do. Frequent meetings and regular communication with staff is the key to motivating great talent to stay with the company. Flexibility Exit interview statistics[3] show that many employees (65%) will leave a company that won’t accommodate practices like telecommuting; while others (67%) quit because of too rigid working hours. The old days of being productive at an office from 9:00AM to 5:00PM are gone! More employees are looking for work-life balance today, than ever. Great talent craves flexibility – within reason – on where they work and when. Being flexible won’t just encourage your best employees to stay with you longer; but it will also get them to be more productive. Fair compensation No analysis, of why the best talent leave an organisation, would be complete without talking about compensation. There is statistical evidence that a large number[4] of employees quit because of poor pay and benefits. Offering staff competitive compensation packages is more likely to get your best employees to support you over a longer term. MAKING LIFE BETTER FOR ALL As an employer, you can make life better for yourself and your employees by creating an environment where they can grow and feel appreciated. While there may be some short-term “pain” (expenses, time investments, learning curve) involved, the long-term benefits for your company far outweigh the growing pains. As an employee, if any of the above reasons for leaving your current job appeals to you, then it is incumbent upon you to prepare yourself to take back control of your life. You can do so by gaining the skills and knowledge you may need to move onto your next position – whether that is with your existing employer, or somewhere else. Up-skilling yourself with a general degree, whether it is in Business, Accounting, Finance or any other discipline, is the best way for you to get into a career you enjoy and better your life. [1] http://www.smh.com.au/small-business/trends/this-is-why-your-staff-want-to-resign-20150122-12vlya.html [2] http://blogs.wsj.com/atwork/2015/04/02/what-do-workers-want-from-the-boss/?mod=e2tw [3] http://money.cnn.com/2015/05/05/pf/why-workers-quit/ [4] https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/compensation/pages/salary-employees-quit.aspx -
Hi Mariana! Please tell me a little about Mobile Connekt? Mobile Connekt is an agency that specialises in mobile marketing, and includes services like website and mobile app development, Google Adwords and SEO services, and cloud marketing solutions. It’s pretty nice -- it’s a new company, and I’ve been learning a lot! My background has been in marketing for a while but it was never focused on strictly online/digital/social media marketing. So this was a great opportunity to immerse myself in this side of marketing. What were some of your tasks there? Lots - I was doing a range of tasks from managing social media profiles, some graphic design, I even helped coordinate and write the scripts to be used in little 'explainer' videos, for our clients, too... What were you doing before? I was working as a marketing assistant in a company for 5 years in Brazil. My original plan was to come here for just 6 months, but I ended up really liking Melbourne, the people, the experiences and all.. I wanted to stay so I started looking at options to study. Why did you choose KBS? I knew some people who studied at KBS, so I had some friends who could safely recommend them to me. Compared to the other options out there, I felt that KBS was an institution with good teachers and good facilities. The lectures and tutorials have been great overall, we had some great talks including one from Alex Malley, the CEO of CPA which was very inspirational! Were there any lessons learnt at KBS that you were able to apply to the job? Yeah, personal skills mostly -- like how to manage your time, concepts around leadership, how to work with people. These interpersonal skills came in very handy in the workplace especially since I was new to the country and as things are a little different back home in Brazil. Did you have a good experience? Yes definitely, I can say it has been a really positive experience, and I’ll probably continue to work part-time at Mobile Connekt - it's pretty cool that I was able to get a job out of it! My manager had a wealth of experience, having worked in several big companies in the past. She was always very open to answer any doubts I may have had on the job. Everyone at Mobile Connekt was generally very open to new suggestions as well, so it’s been nice to work in a company where you feel that your opinion is valued. How did Careers Central help you land the position? Angelique was really helpful…she called me and let me know she had opportunities that matches my profile. She was really proactive and that was really nice that she helped me out... Even though I wasn’t able to get down to them, she often ran workshops to help students with things like resume and cover letter help. She did send me some interview tips like how to dress, what to do, what you shouldn’t do. Those were really helpful! Are you Kaplan Business School’s next success story? We have a dedicated Careers Central team who are available week-in, week-out to provide expert advice on everything job-related. Students can make an appointment at Reception to see their Careers Officer who can provide support and advice on: Resume writing and covering letter preparation Preparing your social media profile Job-hunting advice Application and interview preparation tips Much, much more -
Good Managers vs Bad Managers: Which one are you? As you near the end of your post graduate study program, and get ready to graduate with your degree in business management; you’ll undoubtedly be wondering what you might do – someday – when you have to manage your own team of employees. What kind of a manager will you be? Will your team members enjoy working with you? Or will you ultimately fail to provide them the leadership they seek? Will you be a good manager, or a bad one? KNOWING THE DIFFERENCE Just as on campus you come across a multitude of teachers, lecturers and professors, so too a workforce comprises of different types of leaders, bosses and managers. Here’s what separates the good from the bad: The Good A good manager usually has the following traits: Managing, as opposed to doing – Good managers prefer to get the job done by encouraging the team to perform, as opposed to sidelining the team to get things done themselves Doing, when called upon – In some cases, good managers won’t hesitate to roll up their sleeves and pitch in, for instance when short-staffed or meeting a tight deadline Teaching, coaching – When your boss offers to show you the ropes and shares his/her experience with you, you know he/she is one the ‘good ones’! Motivating, leading – Instead of barking orders from behind a glass room, good managers work with teams to ensure they understand why they what they do, and that they do what’s right/best for the organisation Listening, understanding – Good managers tend to listen to what their team has to say about how things are done, and will take that feedback into consideration when providing direction Managing is part art and part science; and good managers have both aspects of the discipline down pat. They’ll inspire, discipline, respect, coach, reprimand, acknowledge, encourage and reward the team in measured tones. A lot of these traits come from experience, but much of it can be learned too, through reputable business management studies. The Bad It’s safe to say that a manager that doesn’t exhibit all of the above traits is a ‘bad manager’. But there’s more: Micromanaging – Bad managers often like to oversee every step of your job, down to how you staple documents, write your emails or answer the phone! Egotistical – One hall mark of a terrible manager is that he/she will often have a mean streak, always stoking their own ego and running the team down Selfish – Team accomplishments are often the result of team work; but ‘bad’ managers have the tendency to own all the successes, but are quick to blame failures on the team Disrespectful – If you are a manager, one way to ensure your team hates you and will do everything possible to undermine your authority, is to treat them with disrespect. Bad managers are disrespectful of their team Decree oriented – Bad managers ‘yell and tell’ - often issuing edicts to the team, without seeking team inputs A poorly managed team is often demoralised, dejected, depressed and disorganised. Since they lack the leadership needed to achieve success, badly managed teams will miss deadlines, deliver shoddy performance or just outright fail in everything they do. CREATE YOUR OWN STYLE To be a good manager, even if you have never managed teams before, you must first realise that: The manager can’t do it all. He/she is not the mister or miss ‘know it all’. It takes team work to accomplish success in the work place, and that’s what you, as a good manager, should aspire towards. Collaboration, Consultation and Cooperation are the hallmarks of a good manager. Do your best to cultivate these traits and you’ll easily fit into the ranks of the ‘good ones’! LEARNING THE BASICS While part of what it takes to be a good manager will inherently come from your personality, a lot of it can be learned. Broad based management programs, such as a Masters in Business Administration (MBA), are geared towards doing just that – teaching students how to be great managers. Because of their intense focus on real-life situations, programs such as the Kaplan MBA help student’s master crucial practical leadership, business and people management skills that they can leverage in the real business world.