And when we talk about different management styles, there are two popular ones among business owners. The first one is the hands-on approach, while the second one is the hands-off approach. Depending on the personality and the approach of the business owner, they can be completely hands-on or completely hands-off. Then there are some business owners who take the best parts from both management styles and create a hybrid management style which is a combination of both.

Today, we will take a closer look at these two management styles and how they differ from each other. Understanding the difference between hands-on and hands-off management styles will help you get a better understanding of what to expect from your employees, and more importantly, this will tell you what type of business owner you want to be.

Hands-on Management

Let’s take a look at the different aspects of hands-on management in detail:

Hiring Preferences

Business owners who follow the hands-on management style like to hire people who are willing to follow instructions and can be trained. For such business owners, hiring the perfect employee is not as important as having the right attitude to learn.

This type of business owner usually has to be more involved with their employees after the hiring procedure to ensure that they are properly trained. And if you have ever trained someone, you would know that it takes a lot of patience and consistency to create a team that is on the same speed as you.

So we can say that a business owner with a hands-on approach is all about hiring people with the right attitude under the assumption that they can be trained.

Active Involvement

A hands-on business owner is more actively involved in business management and can even do the same work as the employees. Such business owners remain at the centre of the day-to-day activities and operations of the business – As a result, everything goes through them (even the little things), which can be time-consuming, but it also ensures the highest level of quality for the customers and maximum productivity from the employees.

This active involvement also means that the employees have to deliver the same standard of work that is expected by the business owner. As a result of such expectations, it is common for the owners to coach and train their team on different aspects and processes of the business.

The hands-on approach type of business owner also brings forth more direct interaction between the employees and the projects. This means that the communication lines between the employees and the owner remain open, which in turn fosters a more healthy and honest environment in the workspace.

To give you an example of the active involvement of such business owners, you can think of them as the coach of a soccer team. A typical coach trains the team members by showing them the right way and then observes their gameplay. If required, the coach can call the players to give them advice on how to perform better on the ground – In short, the coach is committed to the success of the team, and the team’s success means that it is the success of the coach as well.

Open to Suggestions

Another integral quality of a hands-on owner is that they are open to suggestions and feedback. As mentioned earlier, pretty much everything in the business has to go through the owner/manager – This means all the decisions and even suggestions have to go through the owner for the final approval.

But how do the employees know what type of work or suggestions will be approved by the owner? That’s where the active involvement of the owner comes into play once again – The owner sets an example for the team by doing the same work as the rest of the team.

A major benefit of receiving feedback and suggestions from the employees is that it can effectively create a more employee-friendly environment and makes the employees heard. All of this leads to increased productivity and an honest environment in the workspace.

Hands-off management

Let’s take a look at the different aspects of hands-off management in detail:

Hiring Preferences

A hands-off type of business owner is not that interested in actively supervising their employees or spending a lot of time in their training. That’s why they only hire workers who possess the required skills to get the job done without the active involvement of the owner or the manager.

Such an owner works under the assumption that their workers are skilled to do the job on their own with minimum supervision. In a sense, this gives more trust to the employees in their ability to complete the work.

Due to such hiring preferences, only highly skilled workers who specialize in their field can become a part of the team. This also gives more freedom to the employees to test their strengths and to develop confidence that they can do things on their own.

Passive Involvement

As a hands-off owner, more focus is put on the results rather than on how it is being done. Such an owner cares less about being a part of the workflow and more about getting the results set forth by them. And since only the highly skilled workers are employed right from the start, it allows the owner to be less involved in the day-to-day activities.

In hands-off management, following the corporate structure and the role of each team member is important for maximum efficiency. Although less involvement gives more freedom to the workers, it also gives rise to potential error and performance issues. But once again, the right team means that there will be someone responsible for checking these errors and fixing them.

Just because an owner is not involved in the day-to-day activities doesn’t mean that they are not doing anything. Owners or managers with hands-off management tend to focus their time on coming up with new ideas and strategies for the business. Once again, the main focus is more geared towards coming up with streamlined processes and corporate structures that can keep the business running with minimum involvement.

Provide Suggestions/Ideas

Another quality of a hands-off manager is that they focus their energy and time on coming up with new ideas and strategies for the business. And once the inception stage of the ideas or suggestions has been completed, they pass it to their team to make it come to life.

In hands-off management, the ideas and the strategies are more important rather than spending time on tedious tasks that are not that important. And to ensure that the final product is indeed based on the original idea and is according to the specification, the owners also provide feedback and suggestions whenever required. But once again, the owners with a hands-off style usually try to let their workers charter their own path towards achieving the end goal.

When compared with the hands-on style, the back-and-forth communication between the owner/manager and the team is usually less, but that’s not to say that it is a bad thing. Considering how the hands-off management style focuses on the hiring of skilled workers, there is not that much need for ensuring that all the decisions must go through the owners or extensive communication.

Hands-on vs Hands-off – Which one is the best?

A common question that is asked by a lot of business owners is which management style is better than the other. In reality, both of these management styles are used successfully in the corporate world, and with a little research, you can easily find a lot of success stories for both.

If you follow the hands-on approach, you will need to hire people who are good listeners and can follow the instructions provided by you. And if you are someone who likes to be at the heart of everything and wants to make the final decisions, then the hands-on approach will be a good fit for you.

But if you want your workers to be more independent and to think like leaders, then you can follow the hands-off approach. But for this approach to be successful, you will need a team of highly skilled people who know what they are doing.

So we can conclude that both management styles are good, and you can choose the one which suits your personality and business structure.

Frequently Asked Questions

Let’s take a look at the frequently asked by the business owners:

What is the hands-on and hands-off approach?

The hands-on approach is a management style in which an owner or a manager is actively involved in the day-to-day activities and the decision-making of their team. On the other hand, hands-off is based on the assumption that the team is capable of doing the work by themselves as long as they are provided with clear instructions and ideas.

How do I know which management style is best for me?

If you are a team player and want to ensure that an error-free and nearly perfect product/service is provided to the customer, then you can follow the hands-on approach. This will require more active involvement, but you can do just fine even with a workforce that is not highly skilled.

On the other hand, hiring a highly skilled workforce allows you to focus more on brainstorming ideas. In this style, your team is responsible for bringing your ideas to life, and as long as a competent team is in place, the chance of error is very minimal as well.

Based on this information, you can choose a style that suits you the best.

Looking for help to grow your business?

At You Want Group, we know what it takes to grow your business the right way. Our wide range of services includes:

• Business Planning
• Business Consulting
• Organisational Structure
• Talent Services

If you are looking to maximise the result and grow the business you want, then check out our Grow the business you want

Thai Ngo

As a business, HR and career strategist, Thai Ngo has worked with some of the biggest businesses in Australia to help people fulfil their professional potential. Thai firmly believes that the biggest barrier to success is often ourselves, but with the right guidance and the right perspective, that barrier can be overcome. Now he works with businesses, leaders and individuals to tap into their existing talent to create the professional and personal life they desire.

youwantgroup.com

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Effective decision making is integral to an organisation’s health and wellbeing.  A survey by McKinsey & Company of Fortune 500 companies showed on average, managers spent more than a third of their work time making decisions. This share of time increases with seniority with C-Suite executives spending up to 70 percent of their time making decisions. 

So, if you are in one of these roles, where you are making big decisions for the organisation, what is the best thing to do? Making the right decision is about understanding the environment your business is in. 

The importance of business environment 

Identifying your environment means knowing and understanding your surroundings.  Identifying your environment helps you understand what you want to be as a business.  Before you can do that, you need a deep understanding of where you are now and all the factors (both internal and external) that influence your surroundings.  For example, are there processes in place to ensure success? Are your people trained to deliver results? Is your organisation’s culture healthy? Or is it toxic? Do you have strategies to outperform your competition? Can your business deal with unexpected threats or rapid change? Have you identified the opportunities for growth?  

Going through these questions one at a time gives you clarity and helps you make the right decisions to move your business from A to B. A – being where you are now and B – being where you would like to be in the future. 

How to identify your business environment

Business environment is all the internal and external factors that can influence your business activities.  The business environment impacts the business on every level: success, scale, vision and development strategy. Bear in mind that external factors can influence internal factors and vice versa. Also, some external factors that impact your business may be beyond your control.  For example, the recent pandemic is an external factor that affected many businesses.  Even the best planned companies in the world were caught by surprise. But two years into the pandemic, companies now know how to make better decisions to protect their businesses if a similar health crisis hits the world again. 

Internal factors

Internal factors refer to everything within your organisation that is under your control whether tangible or intangible.  An element that brings positive results is a strength and one that brings a negative impact is a weakness.  I have highlighted several key internal factors and how they can impact your business performance.

People and culture

In today’s global economy, ideas and skills rather than physical assets are some of the most important assets for growth and success. The people in an organisation – their attitudes, mindsets and behaviours – have a profound impact on the company’s image, performance and profitability. For example, a business with skilled and motivated workers is more likely to perform better than one that has staff that are poorly trained or have negative work habits and attitudes.  In short, decisions at the senior leadership level that consider employee wellbeing and development are more likely to translate into positive outcomes and results. 

Talent management

Attracting talent is not easy.  Retaining them is even harder. Talented individuals are in demand.  They can pick and choose where they want to work. If they do not like where they are, they leave. Understanding your talent pool can help you make better human resource decisions at a senior leadership level. If, for instance, your organisation has a superior training and staff development plan that can upskill your workers, you may want to complement this with a staff engagement plan that keeps people happy in your employ. The last thing your organisation needs is upskilling your staff for others to reap the rewards.  

Organisational structure

A suitable organisational structure requires a carefully set up system to manage workflows. An important thing to remember when designing an organisational structure is how effective will it be when implemented? Is there information sharing and clear accountabilities across all levels? Are there policies in place that can ensure smooth workflows?

I recently consulted for a large private education institution that was having problems with its student recruitment.  The college employed 155 people of which more than a third were marketing and sales personnel.  The marketing organisational structure was a flat reporting line with two directors and eight portfolio managers reporting directly to the CEO. Below this first line of reports, there were sales and marketing specialists who reported to the directors and some of the portfolio managers. Some portfolio managers had no staff. The problem with the structure was that there were too many chiefs and no Indians. Too many people were giving orders. No one was executing these orders. The company was structured to fail. 

Operational efficiency

Operational efficiency directly affects the company’s success in the marketplace. Operational efficiency encompasses all the company’s activities leading to the end product or service. Knowing and following these processes can help you identify bottlenecks or problems that may be preventing them from performing optimally. Operational efficiency is also about identifying the processes that are working well for the company and seeing how you can leverage these strengths to grow the company. For example, if one division is performing better than another, learning what makes it successful and duplicating it across other divisions may make the business more efficient.   

Leadership

Leaders make decisions that impact the business. Great leaders are role models that staff look up to for direction and guidance. They have the ability to galvanise the people and respond to rapid change. If your leaders are falling short, it is time to consider seeking some external help to coach them to become better. 

External factors

External factors are factors that are outside the control of the business. External factors can be micro factors like customers, suppliers, public image and so forth. They can also be macro factors for example economy, technology, political and legal and most recently, a global health crisis. It’s important to remember that external factors can have a positive or negative impact on a business.  Factors that can be leveraged for better results and growth are opportunities while the ones that can impact negatively on the business are threats.  Knowing both are important in decision making.   

The economy is one of the most determining factors to success. A positive economy is good for business, a negative economy is not.  Good decision making means the ability to take advantage of the good times and mitigate the risks in bad times.  

Another important external factor that can affect the business decisions you make is the customer. If your company cannot figure out what your customers want, you cannot align your products or services to give them what they want. 

Recent global events have also shown that companies need to be prepared for potential threats that are not anticipated.  A good example of this is COVID-19. The once-in-a-century pandemic that hit the world affected many businesses.  The consequences of this global health emergency are still affecting the world today. When making decisions for the future, companies nowadays need to take into consideration a survival plan that can address any type of sudden and unexpected threat to the business.  It may sound impossible but it’s not. It’s about planning for change. If you have a way to respond to rapid and sudden change, your business can survive most calamities. 

By answering all the questions you have about your internal and external environment, you start to understand where your business is and can pinpoint the problem or bottleneck areas that need fixing. You can also identify the processes or people that are performing and develop strategies to duplicate this winning formula to parts of the organisation that may not be performing so well.  It may be that you need a system to reward the overachievers or to motivate others to become equally productive. The decisions you make are driven by what you observe in your internal and external environment. 

Understanding your business environment gives you a panoptical view of your entire business and helps you produce strategies for both predictable and unpredictable events. Your company’s success rests squarely on the decisions that employees at all levels make. Of course, every business wants a decision-making magic bullet that guarantees success.  The most important element of good decision making, however, is the organisation’s working environment. If you can master it, you can make good decisions that will benefit your company. 

So, evaluate the environment around you. Understand where you were previously and where you are at now before you take a step forward because you do not want to be walking in the wrong direction as a business.  Or worse, walking backwards.

Thai Ngo

As a business, HR and career strategist, Thai Ngo has worked with some of the biggest businesses in Australia to help people fulfil their professional potential. Thai firmly believes that the biggest barrier to success is often ourselves, but with the right guidance and the right perspective, that barrier can be overcome. Now he works with businesses, leaders and individuals to tap into their existing talent to create the professional and personal life they desire.

youwantgroup.com

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Running a business is like a star athlete competing in a major competition. If you want to win, you have to train, watch your diet and be in the right mindset to beat your opponents. Likewise, if you want your business to succeed, you have to nurture it. Depending on which area needs the most focus you may have to invest in training or upskilling your people, employing new talents, developing strategies to guide business activities or improving processes to increase productivity. If you want your business to succeed you have to invest money, time and commitment. 

If you don’t give your business the attention and focus it needs to grow, your business will become unhealthy. Imagine your business as a small child. If you only feed him or her junk food, the child will become obese and unhealthy. Obesity can affect the child’s physical, mental and emotional well-being. Now take a look at your company.  Is it carrying too much unwanted fat? Maybe you have too many staff doing one job. Or you have invested in projects that have brought in no tangible results. Or you have a toxic culture of finger-pointing and name-calling? Or leaders who don’t lead? 

In this article, I would like to discuss lean, healthy organisations.  The type of organisation that runs smoothly and efficiently.  Successful businesses with an enviable organisational culture that attracts the best talent in town.  I am going to show how you can trim the fat off your organisation and transform the business from sluggish to active.

If you want to succeed, think lean

The concept of a lean organisation is similar to that of a top athlete.  Think of a lean, agile and flexible athlete.  To succeed, the athlete needs to be focused, determined and in the right frame of mind. He or she needs to stay fit, train hard to hone their skills and develop an attack strategy that can beat their competition.  Top athletes don’t get to where they are through sheer luck.  They are at the top of their game because they have plans that are expertly planned and precisely executed. 

That’s exactly the same for a business. Most people start a business to succeed. Your business is more likely to succeed if you train it the way a top athlete trains.  

Here are five ways to turn your business into a lean and mean money-generating machine.

1. Be flexible and adaptive

Successful businesses are not reactive.  They are proactive. They have the ability to respond to rapid (or sudden) change and to pivot themselves out of a disaster. How do they do it? They can do it because they have a superior understanding of the environment they are operating in and are keenly aware of all internal and external factors that impact this environment. They have plans in place they can execute immediately as well as the ability to plan quickly if needed. In short, they are prepared. 

2. Look at your culture

An organisation’s culture creates the right type of environment for a business to thrive. The role of organisational culture is to align the people with the vision, mission and values.  If cultivated properly, culture can become a catalyst to guide employee behaviour. Beyond vision and mission, organisational culture also shapes attitudes and behaviours. An organisation that has a healthy culture is one that is inclusive, supportive and adaptive. An unhealthy organisational culture on the other hand promotes silo mentalities, secrecy, fear and distrust. Why of the two cultures do you think is more likely to succeed?   

At the heart of culture is the leaders. The way a leader thinks and acts affect how the people around him or her behave.  A leader who is not interested in helping his or her people seldom succeed.  

3. Be customer-centric

Identify what your business wants to achieve and for whom.  A customer-focus vision means answering questions such as: What do my customers need? How can I provide it? Is what I have better than other options that are available to them? Don’t make the mistake of focusing on features before first identifying what the customer wants. 

Customers needs are constantly evolving. If you want to stay customer-centric, you may want to consider prioritising innovation and creativity as key strategies to help your company grow.  

3. Get smart. Be efficient. 

There is no wastage in lean organisations. Every input that goes into the business becomes an outcome that contributes to its growth and success.  Processes are clearly defined so the business activities can run smoothly. The company is supported by visionary leadership, empowered

s and a culture that is inclusive, engaging and supportive. Considerations are given to every phase of a product or service lifecycle and there are plans in place for every scenario. Just like the athlete training to win, organisations that want to succeed also do not take chances. 

4. Evaluate. Innovate. Improve. 

A top athlete very seldom rests on his or her laurels. They are constantly challenging themselves to be better than they were in their last win. Their training, diet and mental agility exercises do not stop when they are at the top. In some cases, these strict regimes intensify because the athlete wants to stay at the top not just get to the top.  

The same goes for a successful business. Complacency eventually slows you down. As a business strategist, clients hire my services to help their business. Many of the businesses that engage my services are successful ones. Some are industry leaders.  In most cases, I am received with open arms as the leaders and managers are keen to pick my brain. Sometimes, I face resistance. One of the most common resistance I face is a manager telling me on our first meeting: ’If it ain’t broken, why fix it?’

Well here’s why: Think Kodak, Polaroid, Toys R Us, Pan Am, General Motors, Tower Records, Blockbuster and others. They are just a few examples of big brands that have died because they kept the status quo.  It’s true – some things don’t necessitate replacement but if you keep putting off improvements,  you become complacent and eventually the rest of the world catches up and overtakes you.  If you wait too long, you become obsolete. That’s how a business dies. 

Business continuity is about continuous improvements whether it’s processes, people, products or place.  

How to avoid getting fat in business

The term ‘lean’ has a close association with Ford Motors. Henry Ford set up a very productive organisation beginning with raw materials and ending with the customer driving away in his or her car.  Ford was the first to apply lean concepts to his organisation including standardisation, waste reduction, and just-in-time production. Lean principles today are not limited to just the production line. It can extend to the entire organisation.  

Every business can learn to be lean, reduce waste and embrace agility if they are open to changing the way they do things.  Take for instance a company’s organisational chart.  An organisational structure that is cluttered with many people doing the same task and no clear reporting lines can lead to chaos, confusion and even, conflict.  Let’s say everyone in the team is working well and delivering outcomes. It may appear productive but a single outcome is delivered by many when it could have been done by one or a few. That’s not efficient. To avoid excessive resource wastage, companies can look at the business environment they are operating in and consider all the pros and cons. Understanding why you are doing well and what is impeding your growth, helps you produce strategies that are leaner, better, and more effective.    

Getting rid of the excessive ‘fat’ in your organisation is about evaluating whether your business is operating at its optimal efficiency.  Start by asking yourself: ‘Is my business operating in a way that is delivering the best results to get it to where I want it to be? If the answer is no, then you need to pause and take a closer look at what’s going on, where the wastage is and what else can you do to optimise your operations, improve your processes or support your people.  

It’s time to get rid of the ‘fat’ before it turns into a dead weight that will pull your business down. It’s time to get fit for success.  

Thai Ngo

As a business, HR and career strategist, Thai Ngo has worked with some of the biggest businesses in Australia to help people fulfil their professional potential. Thai firmly believes that the biggest barrier to success is often ourselves, but with the right guidance and the right perspective, that barrier can be overcome. Now he works with businesses, leaders and individuals to tap into their existing talent to create the professional and personal life they desire.

youwantgroup.com

The post Is there too much fat in my business? appeared first on You Want Group.

A lot. When I first started out in business I wasn’t generating enough cash flow.  Because I didn’t have enough cash on hand to pay good people, I ended up hiring people who were willing to work at a cheaper rate.  So, I hired people who were less experienced and ended up having to devote hundreds of hours into training them to become competent in their work.  It wasn’t just my time that was wasted. My business partner had to chip in her time as well.  And then we noticed a trend.  Every couple of months and up to a year, the people we’d spent so much time training, were quitting. They were trained. They had the skills and they were going elsewhere that pays better than what we could afford. We were bleeding talent that we’d nurtured. This went on for quite a while. I can count about a dozen good people we’ve trained who have left us for greener pastures.   

That means over a period of about two to three years, we had hired, trained and replaced about two dozen employees – the initial twelve who had left and the next twelve who replaced them.  It was highly inefficient because we were spending so much time training talent for others that we did not have time to grow the business.   

This comes back to my original question: “Do you have workers? Or do you have talent in your business”. 

The difference between a worker and a talent

A worker, in my opinion, is someone who can get the job done but may need a lot of training, coaching and some hand-holding to get there. Does that sound familiar to you? Perhaps you can think of a few individuals in your organisation that fit this mold? 

A talent, on the other hand, refers to someone who may need some initial training and guidance but can easily slip into the role because of their past experience, skills and knowledge.  Talent in the organisational context usually refers to people with exceptional skills and abilities. These skills and abilities can be innate – a natural aptitude the person is born with or they can be acquired for example knowledge garnered from years of experience or skills acquired and honed over time.  

While it’s okay in some scenarios to have a worker, it is best to have talented people in your organisation because you don’t have to worry about them not delivering results. Talented people are driven by results and can become an asset in helping the company achieve its goals. 

Talented people are usually quick learners and usually start producing results early.  They have emotional intelligence and are great communicators and efficient workers.  They are confident of their abilities and therefore not afraid to share information or knowledge with others.   

The more senior the role, the more important talent becomes. At the leadership level, very few organisations are interested in hiring an ordinary worker. Organisations cannot afford to invest in a mediocre leader without the vision to inspire its people or the drive to push the company to unlimited growth and success.  That’s why companies are prepared to pay top dollar to hire the best CEO. 

Aligning talent to an organisation’s values

When it comes to hiring talent, just finding the best is not good enough. You also have to find the best fit for your organisation. Do they understand the culture? Can they perform in this environment? Are they comfortable interacting with existing staff? Do the organisation’s core values resonate with them? Are goals aligned? Can they articulate the vision and inspire action? 

To align talent to your organisations consider the following:

• Understand your value agenda. Align your organisation’s ambitions by deconstructing what drives value across departments.
• Identify crucial roles.  Understanding the most critical roles based on a value agenda and what matters most can help you make informed strategic decisions.
• Determine what experiences, skills and traits are needed and back this up with new hire or staff training and development. 
• Get the right talent in the right roles. Assess the fit and match the talent that fits these criteria. 

Is it worth the price? 

Hiring the right talent for your organisation may require you to pay higher salaries and offer better incentives.  How prepared are you to go down that road? Really good and talented people are not just attracted to a big paycheck. They are also interested in companies that have values that are aligned with theirs and a healthy culture that allows them to grow and develop. To what extent is your company prepared to make big shifts to attract the best talent? 

How to identify and grow talent

As a talent management strategist, I help large corporations create a talent management plan that is tailored to the organisation’s unique culture and values.  If you are keen to identify and grow talent in your organisation here are a few useful tips to help you get started:

1. Plan ahead.

One of the most common questions employees are asked in an interview is ‘Where do you think you’ll be in five years time?’ Very few managers ask themselves the same question. Asking this question is extremely important if you are planning to hire good people into your team. Think about where you want your business or department to be in five years time then go out and find the talent with the skills, aptitude or knowledge that matches your five-year plan.  Hiring talent is about bringing in great people who can make a difference so if you know what you need to succeed, you find the right people that matches what you want. 

2. Focus on the right traits

When hiring talent, think future rather than the present. It’s easy to be impressed by a candidate’s CV. When interviewing a potential talent, don’t just look at how well he or she has performed in the past, how much experience they have or what they have studied at university. These factors are important because they show you that the person will be competent in his or her role. Of greater importance are what I termed ‘foundational’ traits – the aptitude, emotional intelligence, interest in learning and skills acquisition that demonstrate that the individual can easily fit into any role. If he or she excels in their current position, promoting them to the next level may be easier. Also, jobs specifications change all the time.  The specifications used to hire the person now may not be the same specifications that they have to work in later down the track. You are aiming to hire an individual who is flexible and adaptable.    

3. Think diversity

We tend to hire people who resemble us.  Ideally, your organisation should be investing in a talent pool, not clones. In order for your business to grow and be successful, you need talented people with different skills, profiles and experiences.  The more diversity you have, the more new knowledge and creativity you bring into the organisation. 

4. Look within

Sometimes talent can be homegrown. In-house talent is brilliant because the individual is already a part of the organisation. He or she understands the culture and can easily assimilate into the existing structure. An employee reward system that appreciates good people can motivate the entire workforce to be better at their jobs. 

Do you have systems in place to identify in-house talent? Are there plans in place to train the high achievers in your company? 

5. Reward all not a few

Workers can only work to a certain speed or volume. They are productive to a certain level only but that does not mean that they are not useful to the company.  Every employee is useful to the company however small or simple their role may be. You hire talent because they add value to the organisation. If your business is successful, talents make it more successful. If your business is struggling, talents may be what you need to recover and improve. An effective employee reward scheme is one that rewards everyone, not just one or two-star performers. The bigger the rewards for good work, the higher the incentive and motivation to work. Who knows? The promise of great rewards may incentivise the rest of the team to work harder and better. 

The upside to hiring talent is that you can get faster results, better quality and quicker deliveries. That is the fundamental difference between paying for talent and hiring a mere worker. I started this article by describing my early years in business where I did not understand the value added talents can bring to a company.  Once I understood the value of hiring talented people, I started paying better salaries to attract quality people. The end result is that I now own a successful business. How did I manage to achieve that? Simple. I no longer have to spend the bulk of my time hiring and aligning people to my organisation because the talented people I invested in were happy working for the company and see no reason why they should go elsewhere.  Together, we were able to focus on the business and grow it to become the success it is today. Talent worked for my organisation. It can work for yours too. 

Thai Ngo

As a business, HR and career strategist, Thai Ngo has worked with some of the biggest businesses in Australia to help people fulfil their professional potential. Thai firmly believes that the biggest barrier to success is often ourselves, but with the right guidance and the right perspective, that barrier can be overcome. Now he works with businesses, leaders and individuals to tap into their existing talent to create the professional and personal life they desire.

youwantgroup.com

The post Do you have workers or talents in your business? appeared first on You Want Group.

Thai Ngo

As a business, HR and career strategist, Thai Ngo has worked with some of the biggest businesses in Australia to help people fulfil their professional potential. Thai firmly believes that the biggest barrier to success is often ourselves, but with the right guidance and the right perspective, that barrier can be overcome. Now he works with businesses, leaders and individuals to tap into their existing talent to create the professional and personal life they desire.

youwantgroup.com

The post Why Your Team Needs To Identify Their Strengths and Weaknesses appeared first on You Want Group.

If you are planning to reach out to recruiters as part of your job search strategy, knowing how to approach them and what to say are the key to getting a positive outcome.  In today’s article, I share some tips on how to deal with recruiters.  These tips can help you secure that valuable connection you need as an initial step towards your career goals.  Let’s read on.

What is recruitment etiquette?

Etiquette is a set of behaviours according to societal conventions.  For example, in a restaurant, you eat properly.  You don’t throw food around.  If you are with others, you talk conversationally but do not shout out other patrons.  You are polite to the wait staff.  You compliment the meal, pay the bill, and thank the staff before leaving. If you have a complaint about the meal, you are polite and aware of other diners. 

Likewise, if you are in the job market, you will be actively pursuing recruiters whether it’s networking, pursuing LinkedIn or sending emails. The way you speak or write can influence how the recruiter responds to you. 

What recruiters ignore

As a recruiter, I receive countless unsolicited requests from job seekers every day.  What type of messages do recruiters respond to? And what messages make them cringe reach for the ‘delete button?

Here’s are my shortlist of ignore:

• Unsolicited resumes

Unsolicited resumes are either ignored or downloaded into a file with no notes.  They are seldom read.

• Generic content

Mass email in any form is unattractive to a recruiter.  We can easily spot one.  Take some time to draft a personal email if you want to reach out electronically.

• Obvious questions

Questions like: ‘Are you hiring?’ ‘What jobs can I apply for?’ ‘How do I apply?’ These are obvious questions that a quick search of their websites can answer.  If you ask the obvious, you are sending a wrong signal that you are not willing to put in the effort to do some simple research.

• Inaccurate information about the recruiter

Get your facts right before you reach out.  Find out what you can about the person and their organisation and use this information to start a conversation.  When reaching out, it is important to do your research on the recruiter’s area of expertise.  Recruiters who specialise in certain industries are likely to have connections in these industries.  They cannot help you in a generic job search so be specific and target the right recruiters for your field.

• Lengthy communication

Keep your communication short and sweet.  Recruiters are busy people and do not have time to read lengthy emails or listen to long speeches.  Be concise and to the point.

• No basic information

Some basic information about yourself is important.  Say who you are, where you work, and what you are looking for. 

• Demands for a meeting or an immediate response

Don’t make demands on the recruiter by forcing a meeting or a response.  Be polite. You can suggest a meeting but leave the ball in their court.

What recruiters respond to?

Now that you know what to avoid, how about what to impress?  Here are some useful tips on how to solicit a response from a recruiter:

• Be clear with your request or call to action

Don’t beat about the bush.  Don’t be vague on why you are getting in touch.  Be clear about your objectives.  In LinkedIn, you can send a connection request then follow this up immediately with an ask or a pitch.  In emails, include a call to action with your first message.

• Be polite and humble

Humility and politeness can go a long way in getting a positive response from a recruiter.   Leave your ego out of the communication.  On platforms like LinkedIn, you can include your accolades for recruiters to read.  The important point here is to sell your value add to them not boast about your achievements.  Stick to the facts, describe what you did and how you did it if you want to earn their respect.

• Be personal, accurate and specific

Write with a personal tone to let them see your human side.  Be accurate with your information.  Don’t make things up because recruiters will do a background check on you if they are interested.  Be specific about the job you are interested in and why you feel your background and experience would benefit the organisation. 

• Be professional

Your initial outreach has one shot to impress so make sure it has no typo, punctuation, or grammar mistakes.  Proofread the communication carefully before you press the send button.

• Be consistent

Information you provide across all mediums must be accurate and consistent.  Update your LinkedIn profile and spring clean your social media accounts before you reach out to a recruiter because you know they are going to cross-check your information.

Recruitment etiquette for different mediums

There’s no avoiding technology these days.   With enforced social distancing, new forms of communication have started to dominate business communication.  In this section, I would like to briefly discuss the popular mediums and how to behave in each.

Emails and text

Always address the person by name.  Spell their name correctly.  Gayle will not appreciate it if you call her ‘Gale’.  Write in a professional tone.  Avoid emojis, stickers, SMS language or slang. Ask any questions you have but be sure to ask all the questions.  You want to avoid a back-and-forth scenario. Always end the communication with a ‘thank you’ and your signature. You can add a positive like ‘Hope to hear from you soon’ if you like. 

Video calls

First impressions are important.  Follow all the rules for a face-to-face interview including:

• Be on time
• Dress for the occasion
• Choose a quiet location to talk
• Speak slower and clearer
• Look at the screen
• Acknowledge when someone else is talking
• Answer questions
• Keep notes of important things you want to say
• Take notes during the call

Zoom meetings

• Test your connection and speaker before the meeting.
• Choose a good backdrop
• Use filters
• Follow all the tips from video calls
• Establish eye contact

In-person interviews

• Be on time
• Speak clearly and to the point
• Establish eye contact
• Watch your non-verbals
• Answer questions
• Keep your phone on silent inside your bag or pocket
• Bring supporting documents – resume, references, certificates
• Ask questions

Manners open doors so the next time you have the opportunity to connect with a recruiter, make sure you be the best you can be and make a good impression. And don’t forget, practice makes perfect so practise, practise, and practise!   Good luck with the job hunting. 

Thai Ngo

As a business, HR and career strategist, Thai Ngo has worked with some of the biggest businesses in Australia to help people fulfil their professional potential. Thai firmly believes that the biggest barrier to success is often ourselves, but with the right guidance and the right perspective, that barrier can be overcome. Now he works with businesses, leaders and individuals to tap into their existing talent to create the professional and personal life they desire.

youwantgroup.com

The post Recruitment Etiquette: How To Deal With Recruiters appeared first on You Want Group.

Today’s blog is about feedback.  I would like to start by discussing why feedback is important.  To be able to deliver feedback effectively, a person needs some conversational agility. A healthy conversation is a two-way dialogue between the speaker and the listener.  The conversation is based on trust, mutual respect and understanding.  An unhealthy conversation, on the other hand, is based on distrust, accusations, and anger.  It can quickly alienate and cause friction between both parties.  To hire and retain the best talent, leaders need the ability to communicate and feedback effectively.

The importance of feedback

1. Feedback is improvement

Even if you are at the pinnacle of your career, you can still appreciate honest feedback from time to time. Feedback tells you if you are doing things right or if you need to improve.  One of the key responsibilities of a leader is to build and sustain high-performing teams that deliver results.  The leader’s guidance and feedback are critical to ensuring every member of the team are aligned on a common organisational goal.  Feedback keeps the team on track and assures them they are doing things right. 

When giving feedback consider the following:

• Positive feedback is critical for learning. People are quick to point out the faults of others but less quick to give praise where praise is due.  It is equally important to point out what someone is doing right as a pathway to continuous improvement.
• Telling someone how to fix something seldom works.  No one likes to be told.  You will get better results if you ask questions that stimulate self-reflection and coach your team into experimentation and learning.
• Harsh feedback alienates people.  Criticisms are more effective if they are delivered with respect and care.  Frequent or exclusive negative comments targeted at a specific individual will only spark defensive reactions, cloud perceptions, and kill motivation.

2. Feedback avoids mistake

If the team knows they are on the right track, they are less likely to make mistakes as an individual or a collective whole.  Organisational mistakes are expensive both in terms of time and money.  Clear and honest communication saves you time having to correct someone’s work and reduces the errors caused by miscommunication. 

3. Feedback strengthens relationships

How many of us have heard our parents say: ‘I am only telling you this because I care about you…’? Growing up, I used to get annoyed with my father repeating this phrase again and again.  As an adult, I can appreciate that he was really concerned about me and genuinely wanted me to be better.  

Feedback done constructively demonstrates that the leader cares about the individual’s wellbeing.  If you genuinely want a person to improve, you find a way to tell them without hurting their feelings or alienating them.  If they understand the motivations behind your feedback, they are less likely to feel upset or defensive.

4. Feedback is a great motivator

When people feel valued and appreciated, they work harder and faster.  Positive feedback is a wonderful reinforcement of a manager’s appreciation of their staff.  Negative feedback delivered well is a great inducement to staff to strife harder. 

5. Feedback promotes personal and professional growth

Feedback is about listening actively, asking questions, self-reflection, and analysis and problem-solving.  The more you practise giving constructive feedback the more you and your staff will improve in these areas. 

6. Feedback creates a conducive team environment

A work environment that promotes open communication promotes trust and mutual respect. Leaders who give feedback must be open to receiving feedback themselves.  If your team knows that they can trust you to consider their feedback objectively and without bias, they will be more willing to share information and ideas with you. 

Important questions to ask yourself about feedback

When giving feedback, try reflecting on what you – the leader – can do to help your teams do their jobs better.  Here are some questions to reflect:

1. Do you receive feedback from others? How often do you do that?
2. Can you listen to feedback without being defensive or retaliatory?
3. Are you giving the feedback to help the individual improve? Or are you venting?
4. Have you been avoiding giving negative feedback to a staff or a colleague?
5. Have you been insincere about your intentions? Is the feedback designed to manipulate a situation or change a perception?
6. Do you listen to the recipient?  Do you allow them a chance to say what they are thinking or feeling?
7. Have you taken into consideration how a staff member may react?
8. Are you bias?

How to give negative feedback

Do you struggle with giving negative feedback? Here are some tips that can help:

1. Throw out the feedback sandwich

A feedback sandwich is the type of feedback that relies on compliment/critique/compliment.  The problem with this style of feedback is that it can easily confuse an employee.  If you disguise the problem between two compliments, it is hard for the employee to see where they have gone wrong.  Typically, people focus on the last thing they hear so if the last thing they hear from you is a compliment, they are going to think everything is gold.

2. Be constructive, not critical

Constructive criticism helps employees understand and see where they need to improve and why these improvements are crucial for the team or department’s success.  Explain clearly what the problem is and the implications that result from these then work together on a plan of action to help the employee.

3. Be honest

Be honest.   If you approach it from the frame of mind of wanting to help them, you are more likely to get their cooperation and buy-in. Frame the discussion as if you want to help them not chastise them. Show them the value of the improvement.

4. Listen

Have time to listen to what they have to say.  Don’t get into an argument with the employee.  If they feel strongly about wanting to argue their case, give them some time to do so before continuing calmly and rationally.

5. Follow up

Once you have delivered the feedback, you have to follow up.  Just telling someone to improve and not helping them with a plan will not work.  If you want the employee to be better, guide and support them through the process.

My four-step approach to giving negative feedback

Here’s a simple four-step approach that can make dispensing negative feedback easier:

Step One: Provide critique.  Critique is not criticism. Be honest, objective, and unbiased.

Step Two: Explain the implications. Show them the implications of not improving or complying.  People are more cooperative if they buy in.

Step Three: Explain how to improve. Help them with an improvement plan.  Don’t just say they need to improve and throw them to the wolves. 

Step Four: Check for understanding and solicit an answer. Make sure the employee understands the feedback and give them the opportunity to ask questions if they have any.  

The ability to give feedback is an integral part of successful leadership.  The next time you have to give feedback consider the following: Telling is transactional. Asking is inquiry. Listening is discovery.  

Thai Ngo

As a business, HR and career strategist, Thai Ngo has worked with some of the biggest businesses in Australia to help people fulfil their professional potential. Thai firmly believes that the biggest barrier to success is often ourselves, but with the right guidance and the right perspective, that barrier can be overcome. Now he works with businesses, leaders and individuals to tap into their existing talent to create the professional and personal life they desire.

youwantgroup.com

The post The Importance Of Providing Feedback appeared first on You Want Group.

As a career coach, I have first-hand knowledge of what recruiters and hiring managers look for when shortlisting applications.  I am sharing some of their secrets with you in today’s blog.  I have also included some tips on how to address the COVID-gap if you have been affected by the pandemic.  I hope you will find the tips useful.

The difference between a CV and a resume

Most organisations tend to use the terms interchangeably.  Traditionally, a CV is a comprehensive account of your professional life.  A resume, on the other hand, is a summary (up to two pages) of your education, skills, and work experience.  Hiring managers today are inundated by applications and they prefer to read a short and succinct summary to speed up the shortlist process.  Whether you call your document a CV or a resume these days have little bearing on whether you will reach the shortlist.  It is not the title that is important.  It is what you write in the document.   

What is the purpose of a resume?

The resume is a summary of your skills, experience, qualifications and achievements.  It aims to show the recruiter or hiring manager why you are suitable for the role.  Remember, you have only a few minutes of their attention to convince them.  The best way to do this is to present the information succinctly and to the point. 

What makes a good resume?

Your resume is your sales pitch.  It answers all the questions the recruiter or hiring manager has about you and your suitability for the role.  The degree of information you provide and how you present this information will help them make an informed decision whether to invite you for an interview.  To leave them with no doubt that you are the best candidate for the role, you have to present a strong case in the right tone. Check out the section below on what to include in your resume.  

How long should a resume be?

The average length of a resume is around 2 pages.    Write only the key skills, attributes and responsibilities from roles that match the job you are applying for.  Keep in mind that you are articulating your skills, experiences and future potential to the reader.  So, get to the point.  Don’t use 10 sentences to describe something you can say in two sentences.

What to leave out in a resume?

Sometimes less is more.  I don’t mean leaving out chunks of important information from your resume.  I mean using your common sense to determine the type of information to include.  If you have been in the workforce for some time, it is not necessary to describe all the jobs you have.  If you have been a successful manager, you don’t have to describe every single accomplishment.  Likewise, if you have a postgraduate degree, it is not necessary to list down the grades of every subject (unless otherwise specified).  Also, you do not have to include certificates, qualifications and references in your resume unless otherwise stated.   

I usually advise my clients not to include hobbies and interests unless these skills can advance the application.  Remember, you have only 2 pages to show the reader you are the best candidate so use information strategically. 

 What layout to use for your resume?

It’s not necessary to use a creative template unless you are applying for a job in the creative industry. 

Your resume must look tidy, clear and well-structured.  Use a simple font like Arial 10-point or 12-point.  Keep formatting like italics, uppercase and bold to a minimum.  Bullet points are extremely useful when you have an economy of words.  Use action verbs when starting bullet points.  Be consistent i.e. if you start with an action verb then make sure every line starts the same way.  Be consistent with punctuations.  Spell check and proofread the document to catch any errors before submitting it. 

A step-by-step guide to writing a professional resume

Here’s a standard resume structure you can use to craft a great resume:

1. Contact information

The basics including your name, address, contact details (email and phone) and LinkedIn profile link.  

2. Professional summary

Write a 50-150 words summary of your applicable experience and skills.  This summary shows your value add to the organisation and why you are different from other applicants.  Focus on what you have to offer to the organisation.  This section should be tailored to the job. Use keywords so the ATS match can pick it up.  (ATS or applicant tracking system is software used by most organisations in the hiring process.  ATS arranges a resume into categories and then scans it for specific keywords to determine the candidate’s suitability for the role). 

3. Skills

You have about a minute to show why you have the right skills for the role.  Be clear about what you can offer. Bullet points are effective.  Match what you can offer with what they are looking for by reading the job description and candidate attributes carefully.  For example, if the job asks for someone who can meet deadlines and work autonomously, these skills should be addressed in this section.  

4. Achievements

Show the prospective employer how you can contribute to the job beyond the expected responsibilities.  List key achievements that match the role.  Support your achievements with facts and figures.  

5. Work experience

List positions in reverse order beginning with the most recent.  Include employer names, positions and quantify primary responsibilities. Focus on the value you can add to the organisation.  Support with facts and figures.  Avoid writing job descriptions.  Write strengths and accomplishments instead.   Action verbs are useful. Avoid cliches. Do not leave gaps in this section.  If you have taken a gap year, say so.  Focus on the positives and value add you can offer to the prospective employer.  

Read my section below on addressing COVID-gap below

6. Education and qualifications

List academic qualifications obtained, year and institution.  This section can be brief.

7. References

Unless otherwise stated, you do not have to give references in your resume.  You can write a caveat: References are available upon request.

Additional information on resume writing

Get into the habit of regularly updating your resume and your social media.  Employers today are on the grid so be sure that your LinkedIn profile is up to date and you do not have any controversial posts on your social platforms. 

How to address COVID gaps in your resume

Here are some useful tips that can help:

1. Be honest

Honesty is the best policy.  Everyone understands the difficulties COVID poses so there’s no need to hide things.  Include instead a reason why you had to leave your position.

2. Close the gap

List any work experiences and opportunities during this period for example volunteer work, pro bono or casual employment.  The reason you do this is to show the employer you have not been sitting idle at home. 

3. Upskill

If you have used the time to upskill, your resume is a good place to introduce this to a prospective employer especially if the skills you have acquired are relevant to the role. 

A winning resume could be the difference between getting an interview and getting a rejection letter.  Resume writing need not be a daunting task if you know what to include in your resume.  Tailor your resume to every job.  Use facts and figures to support your claims.  Pay attention to detail.   Good luck with your job hunting! 

Thai Ngo

As a business, HR and career strategist, Thai Ngo has worked with some of the biggest businesses in Australia to help people fulfil their professional potential. Thai firmly believes that the biggest barrier to success is often ourselves, but with the right guidance and the right perspective, that barrier can be overcome. Now he works with businesses, leaders and individuals to tap into their existing talent to create the professional and personal life they desire.

youwantgroup.com

The post How To Write A Professional Resume appeared first on You Want Group.

Going back to school is not easy – even in normal times. It requires sacrifices which many of us may not be prepared to make. But what if I tell you that upskilling may be important to help you keep your job?  

Here are some reasons why you should upskill in a pandemic: 

1. Jobs are not secured in a recession

COVID-19 pandemic has been extremely destructive.  An invisible virus that kills, it has caused major cities in the world to go into lockdown. Many businesses have shut their doors – some permanently.

Australia’s government recently announced our economy has shrunk by 0.3%. Economists define a recession as two consecutive periods of negative GDP growth.  Josh Frydenberg, the Treasurer,  in his announcement of the March Quarter performance, warned that Australia is heading towards an ‘Economic Armageddon’. 

In a recession, jobs are casualties. So far, more than 800,000 Aussies have lost their jobs to the virus.  More will follow as a result of the second wave that has struck Melbourne. The government is now saying that the unemployment rate may rise as high as 10% and this situation is likely to stay grim for a long time. 

A recent ANU study found that 28% (1 in 4) Australians today think they have a 50% chance of losing their jobs in the next twelve months. Aussies are already experiencing fewer hours of work because of the pandemic. Between February to April, weekly working hours have declined from 35.1 to 31.1 hours. The decline is most evident amongst women workers because many of them work part-time or as casual workers. 

The decline in work hours is costing families. The average household is facing a 9.1 per cent drop in the average household after-tax income. Per person income has also increased because households have inevitably become larger due to the quarantine.  Australian households now have less money to spend on the family. Now is not the time to gamble with your job.  

2. Generation Z needs a competitive advantage

Young Australians between the ages of 18 and 24 are the most affected. According to news.com.au, 44% of the people who have lost their jobs in Australia are under the age of 25. Teenagers and young workers are the generations that will be forced to pay for the largesse of the COVID-19 handouts through higher taxes that may continue for years.  

If you are a Millennial or a Generation Z worker, this is the time to equip yourself with skills that can help you find a better paying job post-COVID-19.  

3. Employees and employers need skills to deal with the unusual

The COVID-19 health emergency was unprecedented. The last time the world was hit by a deadly virus, it was more than a century ago. Our generation does not have any prior experience dealing with a global pandemic.   

Australian businesses were forced into total digital transformation when strict social distancing regulations were enforced back in March. While many of us have learned to cope, some of us are still firefighting because the virus is so unpredictable.  

Increasingly, businesses are looking for people who have new skills. Traditional management skills like leadership, coaching and mentoring, problem-solving, communication and creativity are still important. But many of the known ways of working have to be adapted to the new WFH environment. New skills are also in demand. These skills include gamification, online engagement, effective communication, video presence and remote trust-building.  

7 great ways to upskill in a pandemic

Upskilling is a smart way to future-proof your career. Fortunately, technology has made it possible for us to study remotely. Most of what you want can be found online. If you know where to look, you can find some amazingly high-quality courses on the internet – including courses by Ivy League institutions and global brands. 

Before you begin your online studies, identify the skills you need, check your finances to see what you can afford, and plan your studies so you can dedicate time to completing the course. 

Ready to start upskilling?  Check out my top 7 tips below: 

7 ways to upskill:

1. Podcasts

Podcasts offer endless variety and options for the listener.  Podcasts are free and many of them are conducted by industry leaders.  You can tune in to your favourite platform while walking the dog, preparing dinner or gardening.

If you would like some idea of where to find career talks, check out Feedspot Top 20 Career Podcasts here.

To access podcasts, use any of the following:

• iTunes
• Spotify
• Android
• Globalplayerapp
• PlayerFM 

2. Reading

If you read as a hobby, lockdown is the perfect time to indulge in good reads. Most management and self-help books are available on Amazon, but you don’t have to limit your reading to just these genres. There are plenty of non-fiction books that have life lessons you can adapt to the workplace.  

Three books I have read recently: 

‘Outliers: The Story of Success’: Malcolm Gladwell’s third book explores the secret of successful leaders. 

‘Intimations’ by Zadie Smith is a wonderful collection of essays that deals with life in lockdown.  

‘What It Takes’: Blockchain’s wizard – Stephen Schwarzman’s keen eye for detail read like career tips we can all use in these challenging times.    

3. Self-directed learning

Now is the time to upskill.  If technology is not your strong point, there are plenty of things you can do to change that. Microsoft Outlook is not hard to master if you dedicate a little time to it each day. Likewise, Zoom is user-friendly and quite self-explanatory. All you need is some time to explore its features. Items like a ‘waiting room’, ‘screen share’ and ‘annotations’ can make your Zoom meetings more engaging.   

Looking for high-quality web content? Try my favourites here: 

• Harvard Business Review is a general management publication by one of the world’s leading management school – Harvard Business School.  
• Wharton Knowledge is famous for leadership and one of the best sites to read on the latest trends.
• McKinsey Global Insights offer the latest global research and trends in economics, health, and public policy.  
• Your Career Magazine offers you career coaching and career counselling tips.  

4. Online courses

The internet has a plethora of online skill development courses you can take to improve your employability.  Online courses are offered by top universities as well as industry leaders.  There is a comprehensive range of topics and you can reskill in just about any area these days.  I’m writing an extensive blog of what online courses are available so please keep an eye out for that soon!

5. Webinars

I participate in webinars because they are extremely informative and experiential.  Choose carefully so you can learn from the best. 

Here are some webinars I recommend to my clients: 

• www.business.gov.au 
• www.cpaaustralia.com.au
• www.austrade.gov.au
• www.publicsectorsa.gov.au
• www.mckinsey.com
• www.deloitteglobal.com
• www.talentank.com.au

6. Skills coaching

My co-founder Iris Du and I have a new collaboration called ‘Your Future Career 2.0’ which is a personalised career coaching programme that helps individuals make positive changes about their careers. Your Future Career 2.0 combines a range of tools (including resumes, cover letters, LinkedIn profiles) with behavioural changes to meet career goals. The core virtue of the programme is empowering individuals with the ability to access their professional situations with honesty and confidence.  

The programme is suitable for professionals of all levels and abilities because it is tailored to the individual.   Each client is assigned a private career coach who will guide them towards success.  If you would like more information on the programme, please contact our expert coaches here. 

The future remains uncertain. Experts are saying the recession could last at least a year or two.  In the past, being in the top 5 per cent of talent was a privilege.  Now, it is survival. If you want to keep your job in a recession, aim to be the top 1 per cent talent.  There is no time like the present to start.

Disclaimer: The events and characters depicted in this article are fictitious. Any similarities to actual persons, dead or alive, is purely coincidental.

Thai Ngo

As a business, HR and career strategist, Thai Ngo has worked with some of the biggest businesses in Australia to help people fulfil their professional potential. Thai firmly believes that the biggest barrier to success is often ourselves, but with the right guidance and the right perspective, that barrier can be overcome. Now he works with businesses, leaders and individuals to tap into their existing talent to create the professional and personal life they desire.

youwantgroup.com

The post 7 Great Ways to Upskill in a Pandemic Crisis appeared first on You Want Group.

Thai Ngo

As a business, HR and career strategist, Thai Ngo has worked with some of the biggest businesses in Australia to help people fulfil their professional potential. Thai firmly believes that the biggest barrier to success is often ourselves, but with the right guidance and the right perspective, that barrier can be overcome. Now he works with businesses, leaders and individuals to tap into their existing talent to create the professional and personal life they desire.

youwantgroup.com

The post Women workers are the most affected by COVID- 19 appeared first on You Want Group.