Monthly Archives: August 2018

Why you should employ a consultant

What is occasionally said about consultants may be telling of how others perceive their work and usefulness:

(1)    A consultant is somebody who asks to borrow your watch in order to tell you the time

(2)    A consultant is that somebody who for fixing a machine problem charges 100 euros and a 20 center; 20 cents for knocking and 100 euros for knowing where to knock.

Such and similar sayings imply or suggest that a consultant must be adept at critical thinking, must know how to ask for information to gain useful company knowledge and must possess an array of techniques and tools together with capabilities of using them effectively.

From employing a consultant, a company would expect to have some potent cures to its problems and some worthwhile results. So that this is exemplified, some of the primary reasons for the commonest calls for consultancy services are cited below:

(a)    To identify and solve specific problems facing a business:
Here he is called to use his business acumen, to use well-established methodologies, and to utilize his analytical tools and techniques to uncover the root problems and provide appropriate solutions that best fit the particular client company.

(b)   To provide independent assessment and recommendations:
In some companies, internal politics and group interests would immobilize any improvement initiatives especially when leadership does not want to be seen as harming the interests of anybody. Here the consultant will assume responsibility for new proposals taking the weight on his own shoulders and will act as a vehicle and a catalyst for change.

(c)    To add time and expertize:
Sometimes, everyday pressures along with routine operations overwhelm management and deprive it of the time to deal with the long-term strategic issues. Other times the management [...]

By |August 21st, 2018|Uncategorized|0 Comments|

Stop workplace bullying

Bullying can have many actors. Here we focus on the business supervisor bully.

Many traits combined, give rise to a supervisor bully. Some of the most salient ones are listed in the table below.

No.
The characteristics of the nature of bullies
Evaluation

1

Increased self-confidence

2

Blunt, direct, harsh without considering the effect on others of their sayings or deeds –they order instead of asking

3

Carrot and the Stick mentality only they lean toward the stick and the threats

4

Ego: They believe to be all the “Sun and the Stars”

5

Some may derive a kind of secret enjoyment from the acceptance of their misbehaviors

6

Superior technical/functional abilities: the reason they survive

7

Trust in themselves

8

Poor in Emotional Intelligence

9

Low trust in others

10

Want to do things their own way

11

Equate their harsh manners with their personal efficiency

12

They carry on like this because they perceive it as their personal style that has been accepted and has not been effectively challenged historically

It is true that the nature of the characteristics of a bully, often makes him productive and overtime can sometimes turn him into an indispensable employee.

It is also true that that comes with a cost. Bullying hurts colleagues and often damages the company’s long investment in culture.

We should, of course, be careful as to whom we identify as a bully. The measure should be our guide.

Nor should we allow the problem to reach a state of dilemma, it is either him the bully or the group and its culture, by leaving the problem unattended.

Leaders must make a continual effort to spot any bullying tendencies early and take a series of actions, such as presented in the table below, to correct behaviors and preserve the culture.

No.
A series of Actions by the leader
 Evaluation

1

When Hiring:

Make evident the desired culture of your [...]

By |August 8th, 2018|Uncategorized|0 Comments|