Zimind The Independent Professional - 14 Feb 2014

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Benefits of joining a Professional Body

Most specialisations and industries have a professional body, normally an association or institute, which people with the appropriate background, experience or qualifications can join. What can you gain by joining such a body? Is it worth the money? Will it help you’re your job search? Here are some of the potential benefits that membership can offer.

Professional Recognition Most institutions have an assessment process that applicants must pass before they are granted membership. This means that, once you have demonstrated that you have the requisite experience, qualifications and skills, you may join the institution and add the appropriate letters to your CV and business card. Membership shows that you have reached a certain level of expertise in your profession, and adds to your credibility. It also shows that you are serious about your career and professional development. But remember just being a card carrying member of an organization doesn’t mean that this will automatically produce results for you – and you need to analyse the different types of professional bodies or institutes and chose carefully – simply collecting post nominal accreditation when taken to extremes can work counter-productively too!!

Information and Advice Many institutions have web sites offering members password protected access to industry news, surveys, reports, updates, career information, jobs, and details of events. Some, like the Chartered Management Institute (CMI), offer a comprehensive on-line research facility, with downloadable documents and publications, and a facility for answering questions you may have.

Networking Opportunities Institutions may have regional networking and professional development events that you can attend, which can be useful for making new contacts and learning more about what’s happening in the sector. National expos and conferences also offer excellent networking and research opportunities. If you wish to raise your profile you can volunteer to join committees and help organise events.

Magazines There are

some

excellent

monthly or quarterly magazines produced by institutions, which are normally included in the cost of your annual subscription. As well as industry news and articles, the magazines often have a vacancies section – ideal for finding jobs relating to your particular industry sector.

Career Development Continuous professional development (CPD) is essential if you want to forge a successful second career after leaving the military. Professional Institutions may offer career devel-

opment programmes, training courses and assessments. There may also be the opportunity to upgrade your membership to Chartered or Fellow level, via further assessment, which gives added professional credibility.

The Cost Professional bodies will charge for assessment and accreditation, and there will be an annual subscription fee, which could be up to $150. However you may be able to claim professional membership costs against tax in certain circumstances, and

the military has links with some organisations which may reduce the time and cost of applying for initial membership – speak to your education officer about this As with other aspects of your resettlement programme, research is key to ensuring that you gain value from joining a professional body – find out what they offer that would benefit you, and what they charge.

Their main web site will have open access so you can conduct initial research there.

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ZIMBABWE INDEPENDENT MONTHLY SUPPLEMENT FEBRUARY 14 TO FEBRUARY 20, 2014

Independent Professional

CIMA updates syllabus for 2015

CIMA is introducing an updated syllabus for its professional qualification and new assessment methods which will take effect from January 2015.

What is changing?

This updated syllabus and assessment bridges the skills gaps of newly qualified finance professionals worldwide, meeting the employability needs of

both business and people.

Our objective is to produce competent and confident management accounting professionals who guide and lead their organisations to sustainable success.

Past Interview about CIMA Gulzari Babber, President, Chartered Institute of Management Accountants A CIMA member since 1984, Gulzari Babber served as a Council Member before

being elected CIMA President. He is one of the Institute’s registered members in practice and since 1985 has run his own accountancy and taxation practice in Harrow, West London.

From 2001, he has chaired a number of CIMA’s policy committees including the members’ services committee, marketing committee, professional standards committee and technical committee. He has also been a member of the Institute’s executive committee.

Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA): World’s largest professional body of management accountants, CIMA offers the most relevant finance qualification

for business. CIMA’s particular emphasis is on developing the management accounting profession within the UK and worldwide. CIMA is the largest management accounting body in the world, with over 203,000 members and students in 173 countries. CIMA is also a member of the International Federation of Accountants.

In January 2012 to elevate management accounting worldwide, CIMA and the AICPA (American Institute of Certified Public Accountants) launched the CGMA (Chartered Global Management Accountant) designation. CIMA members automatically receive the CGMA designation. The designation recognises the most talented and com-

mitted management accountants with the discipline and skill to drive strong business performance.

In an exclusive interview with Dolly Mirchandani of IIFL, Gulzari Babber highlights, “CIMA welcomes everybody. You don’t have to be a financial expert to pursue CIMA. You can be an engineer, a doctor, commerce or science graduate. If you are thinking of pursuing CIMA, don’t be afraid, just go ahead and register yourself. You are entering a truly global community, where the sky is the limit.”

How does CIMA compare with the more popular options in the Indian context such as chartered accountancy (CA) / chartered financial analyst (CFA), etc?

When it comes to comparison with the English Indian institutes or the ICAs here, there is a lot of difference.

The Indian institute here has got nearly 0.3 million members in the Indian subcontinent only. This is essentially an Indian qualification, while CIMA is a global qualification.

CIMA is recognised around the globe and a CIMA qualification is a passport to work all over the world. India is the market where we want to come and we have received a fantastically positive response from the students and members of the other institute bodies including ICAI (Institute of Chartered Accountants of India). The interest shown by them is not because CIMA is an English qualification but it is a “global” qualification.

A global qualification is very important. A local qualifications is only recognised locally and not outside your own little world. The Indian population and professionals have now realised that having global qualification means they have no barriers.

They can work in any industry and that’s very important.

CIMA’s training is extremely thorough. The people in the India and in the sub-continent are now understanding the importance of CIMA qualification and they are showing a lot of interest.

How rigorous and robust are CIMA studies?

We have three stages which include operational, managerial, and strategic levels. Then we have “T4” which is the top CIMA level. Top CIMA in itself is very rigorous and robust.

Students have to utilise everything they have learned in the preceding stages in their given case study. These case studies are based on or

in some cases actually are “real life” business situation. To be successful and solve the case study students have to use all the knowledge they have gained throughout their qualification.

We can’t be more rigorous than that and not many institutes do that.

We were the first one to introduce it and may be some institutes would be doing it now.

What is the passing percentage for the programme?

On an average, the pass rate in CIMA is always above 50% around the world. We don’t believe in controlling quota.

We believe that people who are qualified to pass should be allowed to pass. The UK has the largest concentration of CIMA members followed by Sri Lanka, South Africa and Australia. These are the major countries for CIMA. Beside global qualification, what are the other benefits of CIMA qualification?

CIMA is actually a qualification which leads to the membership of the Institute. Membership is either through associate (associate chartered management accountant) or fellowship (fellow chartered management accountant) depending on how much experience they have. Associates must have minimum three years practical experience and FCMA should have minimum of five years experience. The experience should be in “top strategic positions” like CEOs, CFOs, etc and not just any ordinary position.

Benefits of CIMA qualification are substantial.

As said earlier, CIMA members can work globally. They can be partners with the organisations or corporates. They can tell the organisation’s hierarchy what they should do and what they should not do in terms of strategy, report writing and future sustainability among others.

At present, future sustainability is the biggest motto in any organisation. Corporates are now focusing on the sustainability of long term success and not short term profits—which can be achieved by anybody. It is the long term sustainability of an organisation that is at the top of our agenda all the time.

This is what we train our members to do for their organisations.

Tell us more about the joint venture of CIMA and AICPA? We have partnered with AICPA (American Institute of Certified Public Accountants) to promote a designation called “chartered global TO PAGE P5

ZIMBABWE INDEPENDENT MONTHLY SUPPLEMENT FEBRUARY 14 TO FEBRUARY 20, 2014

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Independent Professional

Professionalism - developing this vital characteristic You know that it’s essential to be professional if you want to be a success.

But what does “being professional” actually mean?

For some, being professional might mean dressing smartly at work, or doing a good job.

For others, being professional means having advanced degrees or other certifications, framed and hung on the office wall.

Professionalism encompasses all of these definitions. But, it also covers much more.

So, what is professionalism, and why does it matter? And how can you be completely professional in your dayto-day role?

In this article we’ll explore all of these questions, so that you can present a really professional image in the workplace.

Defining Professionalism The Merriam - Webster dictionary defines professionalism as “the conduct, aims, or qualities that characterize or mark a profession or a professional person”; and it defines a profession as “a calling requiring specialized knowledge and often long and intensive academic preparation.”

These definitions imply that professionalism encompasses a number of different attributes, and, together, these attributes identify and define a professional.

So, what are these attributes?

Specialized Knowledge First and foremost, professionals are known for their specialized knowledge.

They’ve made a deep personal commitment to develop and improve their skills, and, where appropriate, they have the degrees and certifications that serve as the foundation of this knowledge.

Not all business areas have a stable core of knowledge (and the academic qualifications that go with this); not all areas demand extensive knowledge to practice successfully; and not all professionals have top degrees in their field.

What matters, though, is that these professionals have worked in a serious, thoughtful and sustained way to master the specialized knowledge needed to succeed in their fields; and that they keep this knowledge up-to-date, so that they can continue to deliver the best work possible.

Competency Professionals get the job done. They’re reliable, and they keep

their promises. If circumstances arise that prevent them from delivering on their promises, they manage expectations up front, and they do their best to make the situation right.

Professionals don’t make excuses, but focus on finding solutions.

Honesty and Integrity Professionals exhibit qualities such as honesty and integrity .

They keep their word, and they can be trusted implicitly because of this. They never compromise their values , and will do the right thing, even when it means taking a harder road.

More than this, true professionals are humble – if a project or job falls outside their scope of expertise, they’re not afraid to admit this.

They immediately ask for help when they need it, and they’rewilling to learn from others.

Accountability Professionals hold themselves accountable for their thoughts, words, and actions, especially when they’ve made a mistake. This personal accountability is closely tied to honesty and integrity, and it’s a vital element in professionalism.

Self-Regulation They also stay professional under pressure.

For instance, imagine a customer service employee who’s faced with an irate customer.

Instead of getting upset or angry in return, the employee exhibits true professionalism by maintaining a calm, business-like demeanor, and by doing everything that she can to make the situation right.

Genuine professionals show respect for the people around them, no matter what their role or situation. They exhibit a high degree of emotional intelligence (EI) by considering the emotions and needs of others, and they don’t let a bad day impact how they interact with colleagues or clients.

Image Professionals look the part – they don’t show up to work sloppily dressed, with unkempt hair. They’re polished, and they dress appropriately for the situation. Because if this, they exude an air of confidence, and they gain respect for this.

How to Exhibit Professionalism As you can see from these characteristics, professionals are the kind of people that TO PAGE P4

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ZIMBABWE INDEPENDENT MONTHLY SUPPLEMENT FEBRUARY 14 TO FEBRUARY 20, 2014

Independent Professional FROM PAGE P3 others respect and value. They are a genuine credit to their organizations!

This is why it’s so important that we work to earn a professional reputation in the workplace. True professionals are the first to be considered for promotions, they are awarded valuable projects or clients, and they are routinely successful in their careers.

Now that you have a clear view of what constitutes professionalism, are you demonstrating these characteristics to the people around you? It’s likely you’re already showing some characteristics, but you may find yourself lacking in others: to build your own professionalism, focus on improving each of these characteristics. (Focus on one at a time, so you don’t get overwhelmed.)

Additionally, here are some further strategies that will help you be more professional in the workplace:

have the skills needed to do a good job?

True professionals are always prepared.

This requires advance planning, timeliness, and attention. Focus on improving your time management and planning skills , so that you’re always in control.

Note: Although professionalism means keeping commitments, doing high quality work, and having expert status, occasionally the pursuit of these attributes might tempt you not to volunteer for projects that fall outside your “comfort zone.”

However, this doesn’t necessarily mean that you shouldn’t try! Analyze risks beforehand to minimize the consequences of getting things wrong, be honest about any skills gaps that you have, and work to fill them. Then do the best you possibly can!

Build Expertise Don’t let your knowledge and skills get outdated. Make a commitment to build expertise and stay up-to-date with your industry.

Tip Take our Bite-Sized training session on Building Expert Power to find out how to build and maintain your own expert power.

Develop your emotional intelligence Professionals can sense the emotional needs of others. They’re able to give clients and coworkers what they need, because they know how to listen actively and observe what’s happening.

So, if you want to improve your professionalism, focus on developing emotional intelligence .

boss, colleagues, or clients, keep it. If it looks as if you won’t be able to meet a deadline, let your boss, team or client know as soon as sensibly possible. However, do what you can to avoid ending up in this situation!

Don’t make excuses – instead, focus on meeting expectations as best you can, and on making the situation right.

Honor Your Commitments Whenever you make a promise to your

Be Polite Be kind and polite and use good manners

to everyone you come into contact with, no matter what their role is, and no matter how you’re feeling. This might sound unimportant, but it makes a significant impact.

Have the Tools You Need Do you show up to a client meeting lacking important samples? Or arrive at work, only to realize that you left a vital file at home? Or do you find yourself operating in situations where you don’t

Key Points Professionalism is a trait that’s highly valued in the workforce. It has many attributes, including: - Specialized knowledge - Competency - Honesty and integrity.

- Respect - Accountability - Self-regulation - Image To improve your own professionalism, focus on improving in each of these areas.

You can also exude professionalism by being kind and polite to everyone, presenting a professional image in your attitude and dress, and showing up for work or meetings fully prepared.

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Finance Analyst SB5 Service Contract 12 Months 18 February 2014

The Ministry of Land and Rural Resettlement (MLRR) has developed project: Support to the Ministry of Lands and Rural Resettlement 2014 to 2016 Action Plan. The main objective of the project is to assist the MLRR accelerate the rehabilitation of the land sector as a prerequisite for recovery and development of agriculture and other land based economic sectors. The project is supported with resources from the UNDP and European Union from 2014 to 2016.

The UNDP and EU are fully committed to support the critical elements of this project. The project will require a Project Finance Analyst.

The Project Finance Analyst (PFA) will be under the direct supervision of the UNDP ARRPoverty Reduction and HIV/AIDS Mainstreaming Unit, in collaboration with the Ministry of Lands and Rural Resettlement senior management. He/she will be based at the Ministry of Lands and Rural Resettlement Block 4, Makombe Complex. He/she will work with the MLRR, sector Government Ministries/departments, UNDP and other relevant stakeholders.

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The ability to coach sport would be an added advantage. A competitive remuneration package will be offered. Teachers will be required to be actively involved in all facets of boarding school life.

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Independent Professional FROM PAGE P2 management accountant”. The CGMA designation elevates the profession of management accounting and showcases your value around the world. CGMA is a “designation” and not a qualification.

Qualification still remains CIMA or CPA (certified public accountant).

Rather than market CPA and CIMA separately, both these professionals who have relevant practical experience—working in the top position of management accountancy—and required knowledge of accountancy, they would be eligible to have a designation called CGMA. So if someone is CIMA qualified, he can apply for CGMA. No, CGMA is currently automatically given to all CIMA members. If you are an ACMA or FCMA, then you get CGMA automatically. A CIMA member doesn’t have to opt in or opt out. He is automatically given CGMA designation.

CGMA is not a qualification but is a designation. CIMA members are then referring themselves as CGMA. One can only get CGMA designation if he/she is a CIMA or CPA member. CIMA members don’t have to apply for CGMA membership. However, CPAs have to apply for this (CGMA) designation. They also have to demonstrate that they have three years requisite particular experience and they are doing the same sort of work as a management accountant at CIMA level.

So there is a big difference but we still are joint partners.

Before we launched CGMA, we conducted thorough research. In 2011, we interviewed employers and CEOs of 300 global companies including Nestlé, Tata, Microsoft, Unilever, etc across the world.

Nearly 70% of the organisations said they would rather employ CGMAs and chartered management accountants. Only 2% of the companies said they would employ financial accountants. The trend is now changing from financial accounts

to management accounts. In the case of management accountancy, companies want us to give information on how to have a successful future—what is also called long term sustainability.

Is the demand for CIMA rising in India?

Yes, the demand for CIMA in India is really rising day by day. Through our main office in Mumbai, our staff is working very hard to make sure that we keep the brand high and raise our standards. Our targets have increased by 20% for the month of January this year alone.

One can say that the enrollment is there.

Yes, the enrollment is there. We are just waiting for the Indian students to prove to us that they can fulfill their commitment to CIMA exams. We want to see the rise in membership. We want to make sure that we increase the number of CIMA members in India. If the membership increases, then there is more demand.

Demand for student intake and registration is good. This is very encouraging for us. This means we have then got to make sure that we retain the Indian students.

We are working very hard to achieve this and our staff in India is doing an excellent job for students here.

What’s the average salary of a CIMA certificant (in India)?

We conduct a global salary survey among our students and members each year.

The 2012 salary survey indicated that the average salary for part-qualified CIMA students—i.e. people who have not completed the entire CIMA qualification—is about Rs. 1.2 million per annum.

According to the survey, CIMA members are at a much higher salary level. The average salary of a CIMA member is over Rs. 2 million per annum. However, we have a small member population in this country and they are very senior people in the industry. So, CIMA members are quite an exclusive club right now in India.

In the UK, CIMA members are paid pret-

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ty well. The minimum salary for a CIMA qualified person is around to 50,000 pounds (about Rs. 4.17 million) per annum. We are the second highest paid members in the UK. This is an attractive salary for a person who has just completed his CIMA. Partly qualified CIMA members earn around 37,000 pounds (Rs. 3.1 million) per annum depending on which stage they are.

What are the advantages for engineering/ Bsc graduates to pursue CIMA? Good question. CIMA welcomes everybody. As I have already said you don’t have to be a financial expert to pursue CIMA. You can be an engineer, a doctor, commerce or science graduate. That is the discipline which you have learnt and that is very important for you. Not everybody gets the chance to learn these disciplines. But once you have done these, we can then give you exemptions on the CIMA subjects by the subjects which you have learnt and then you can start doing the final levels. Thus, people from any field can pursue CIMA. What goals have you set for CIMA in the coming years?

The mission statement of CIMA is “helping people and businesses to succeed”, and that is the mission I have. I want to consolidate what we have done so far.

There is no point in having a theme and saying that it is what we have achieved and not being able to progress with it.

My year has been a consolidation year.

I have been consolidating a lot of things and ensuring we act upon what we agreed a few years ago. We developed and continue to develop a strategy that is even stronger. That has been my theme for this year. My predecessors also had a similar theme—to make sure the strategy is stronger every year as we go ahead.

We also continue to make sure that our examinations are fair and we have more and more members joining us.

A chartered accountant presents balance sheets and P&L a/cs i.e. how the business has performed. Their reports are used by everyone. CIMAs generally start their work after all compilations are over.

Thus, their value is only known to the top level management. Please comment.

A common investor is usually looking at the history. He is not looking at what the future is. A lay investor might be looking at some projections which the company has made. These projections have to be made with the help of the management accountant.

The management accountant is the only person who can guide an organisation in the right path. He/she can look at the economic & political situations in the country. He/she also considers climate changes and what the government, businesses and investors want from their money. A management account has to trace all this with the organisation’s team to arrive at those projections. CIMA doesn’t believe in the past. We believe in future.

Unlike a CA where internship with a trained CA is mandatory, CIMA does not mandate training requirement as a prerequisite. How useful is CIMA in providing practical knowledge to the students?

CIMA students or members gain practical knowledge at work. CIMA has a very wide syllabus which includes a lot of subjects. A CIMA member can gain experience by only working. They don’t have to necessarily work under a CIMA member. But it is nice to work under a CIMA person because he/she would lead you in the right direction.

A CIMA person gains the actual practical experience only by working in an organisation. You move from department to departments and you gain experience.

You get practical knowledge in planning, budgeting, report writing, etc with the company. When we grant membership to CIMA people, we look at their working TO PAGE P8

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ZIMBABWE INDEPENDENT MONTHLY SUPPLEMENT FEBRUARY 14 TO FEBRUARY 20, 2014

Independent Professional

Leadership Skills – Start Here

“At the age of seven, a young boy and his family were forced out of their home. The boy had to work to support his family. At the age of nine, his mother passed away. When he grew up, the young

man was keen to go to law school, but had no education.

At 22, he lost his job as a store clerk. At 23, he ran for state legislature and lost.

The same year, he went into business. It failed,

leaving him with a debt that took him 17 years to repay. At 27, he had a nervous breakdown.

Two years later, he tried for the post of speaker in his state legislature. He lost. At 31, he was defeated

in his attempt to become an elector. By 35, he had been defeated twice while running for Congress. Finally, he did manage to secure a brief term in Congress, but at 39 he lost his re-election bid.

At 41, his four-year-old son died. At 42, he was rejected as a prospective land officer. At 45, he ran for the Senate and lost. Two years later, he lost the vice presidential nomination. At 49, he ran for Senate and lost again.

At 51, he was elected the President of the United States of America.

The man in question: Abraham Lincoln.” – Author Unknown Many of us are acquainted

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with this eloquent example of persistence and determination in achieving victory. We read it, stop for a moment and then sigh and say: “Wow! That’s the stuff real leaders are made of.”

And in saying this, it’s all too easy for us to think about leaders like Lincoln almost as “mythological creatures”, separate from the rest of humanity and empowered by some mysterious quality that smoothes their path towards inevitable success. This is the traditional view of leadership: that leaders are marked out for leadership from early on in their lives, and that if you’re not a leader, there’s little that you can do to become one.

That’s not the way we see it now. The modern view is that through patience, persistence and hard work, you can be a highly effective leader.

This section of Mind Tools helps you make a start in finding and developing leadership qualities within yourself.

Our first tools help you assess your current leadership skills, and explore your motivation to lead – without this, you’ll struggle to improve your skills or become an effective leader. However, if you have to lead, even if you lack an intrinsic motivation to do so, our Leadership Motivation Tools article gives you some useful techniques you can use to build your motivation.

We move on to look at how you can harness ethical sources of leadership power, and think about the many different ways in which you can choose to lead. With these articles, you’ll learn how to identify useful leadership styles... and also spot approaches that are likely to fail.

We round the articles out by looking at, among others, the popular subject of emotional intelligence; and we’ll see how developing it can help you become an exceptionally successful leader.

How good are your leadership skills?

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• Who do you consider to be a good leader?

• Maybe it’s a politician, a famous businessperson, or a religious figure.

• Or maybe it’s someone you know personally – like your boss, a teacher, or a friend.

• You can find people in leadership roles almost everywhere you look.

However, simply having the responsibilities of a leader doesn’t necessarily make a person an effective leader.

This is a shame because, with a little study, humility and hard work, all of us can learn to lead effectively.

Personal Characteristics Successful leaders tend to have certain traits. Two keys areas of personal growth and development are fundamental to leadership success: self-confidence, and a positive attitude.

Self-confident people are usually inspiring, and people like to be around individuals who believe in themselves and in what they’re doing.

Likewise, if you’re a positive and optimistic person who tries to make the best of any situation, you’ll find it much easier to motivate people to do their best.

Self-Confidence Self-confidence is built by mastering significant skills and situations, and by knowing that you can add real value by the work you do.

One of the best ways to improve your confidence is to become aware of all of the things you’ve already achieved.

Our article on Building Self-Confidence explains what you can do to understand yourself better and build your self-confidence. From there, you’ll begin to make the most of your strengths and improve your weaknesses. Explore this further with our BiteSized Training session on Personal SWOT Analysis.

Positive Attitude and Outlook A positive mindset is also associated with strong leadership.

However, being positive is much more than presenting a happy face to the world: you need to develop a strong sense of balance, and recognize that setbacks and problems happen – it’s how you deal with those problems that makes the difference.

Positive people approach situations realistically, prepared to make the changes necessary to overcome a problem. Negative people, on the other hand, often give in to the stress and pressure of the situation. This can lead to fear, worry, distress, anger and failure.

Stress management techniques , including getting enough Rest, Relaxation and Sleep as well as phys TO PAGE P7

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Independent Professional FROM PAGE P6 ical exercise, are great ways of getting rid of negative thoughts and feelings. Understanding your thinking patterns, and learning to identify and eliminate negative thinking are key. You can learn how to do this in our article on Thought Awareness, Rational Thinking and Positive Thinking , and you can find out how to become more optimistic in our Book Insight on Learned Optimism.

Emotional Intelligence The concept of emotional intelligence used to be referred to as “soft skills,” “character”, or even “communication skills”. The more recent idea of Emotional Intelligence (EQ) offers a more precise understanding of a specific kind of human talent. EQ is the ability to recognize feelings – your own and those of others – and manage those emotions to create strong relationships.

Learning to develop Empathy is essential for emotional intelligence, as is communicating effectively, and practicing Empathic Listening .

These all help you really understand the other person’s perspective.

The Leadership menu has a section on emotional intelligence in leadership.

Tra n s f o r m at i o n a l Leadership Tra n s f o r m a t i o n a l leadership is a leadership style where leaders create an inspiring vision of the future, motivate their followers to achieve it, manage implementation successfully, and develop the members of their teams to be even more effective in the future. We explore these dimensions below.

Providing a Compelling Vision of the Future This is your ability to create a robust and compelling vision of the future , and to present this vision in a way that inspires the people you lead.

The first part of being able to do this is to have a thorough knowledge of the area you’re operating in. See our Bite-Sized Training session on Building Expert Power to find out how to develop this.

From there, good use of strategic analysis techniques can help you gain the key insights you need into the environment you’re operating in,

and into the needs of your clients. See our Strategy Menu for more than 50 powerful techniques that give you these insights.

With these tools, you can explore the challenges you face and identify the options available to you. You can identify the best of these with good use of prioritization skills and appropriate decision-making techniques .

Finally, to sell your vision, you need to be able to craft a compelling and interesting story. Our article, “Powers of Persuasion ,” can help you open closed minds, so that people consider your ideas fairly. Another great way of inspiring people is to use vivid stories to explain your vision: find out more about this in our Expert Interview with Annette Simmons, titled Whoever Tells the Best Story Wins.

Motivating People to Deliver the Vision This is closely related to creating and selling a vision. You must be able to convince others to accept the objectives you’ve set. Emphasize teamwork, and recognize that when people work together, they can achieve great things. To provide effective leadership by linking performance and team goals, use Management by Objectives (MBO) and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).

Ultimately, you need to motivate people to deliver your vision. To better understand your ability to motivate, complete our quiz How Good Are Your Motivation Skills? , and explore our articles on Herzberg’s Motivators and Hygiene Factors and Sirota’s Three Factor Theory .

Being a Good Role Model Good leaders lead by example . They do what they say, and say what they do.

These types of leaders are trustworthy, and show integrity. They get involved in daily work where needed, and they stay in touch with what’s happening throughout the organization.

Great leaders don’t just sit in their offices and give orders; they demonstrate the actions and values that they expect from the team.

As with building vision, above, a key part of being a good role model is leading from the front by developing expert power . A leader can’t rely on position alone: by

keeping current, and staying relevant within the organization, you’ll inspire people because you’re worthy of your power and authority, not just because you’re the boss.

Managing Performance Effectively Effective leaders manage performance by setting their expectations clearly and concisely.

When everyone knows what’s expected, it’s much easier to get high performance.

There’s little uncertainty, therefore you can deal with performance issues quickly. And if things have already started to slide, our article on Re-Engaging Team Members offers some excellent tips for turning a negative situation back to a positive one.

As you create rules, help the team understand why the rules are there . Involve them in the rule-making process, and make sure that your expectations align with the resources and support available. Apply rules fairly and consis-

tently.

Providing Support and Stimulation to be highly motivated at work, people need more than a list of tasks to be completed each day.

They need challenges and interesting work.

They need to develop their skills, and to feel supported in their efforts to do a good job.

Think about your approach to Task Allocation , and look for opportunities to match people with jobs and responsibilities that will help them grow and develop. Use Heron’s Six Categories of Intervention to decide when and how to help team members to shine. Perform Training Needs As-

sessments on a regular basis to determine what your team needs to be successful.

Remember that emotional support is also important. The Blake-Mouton Managerial Grid is a great tool for thinking about the right balance between concern for people, and productivity.

United Nations Development Programme

Empowered lives.

Resilient Nations

VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT Position Level Type of Contract Duration of contract Closing Date

: : : : :

Program Assistant SB3 Service Contract 12 Months 18 February 2014

The Ministry of Land and Rural Resettlement (MLRR) has developed project: Support to the Ministry of Lands and Rural Resettlement 2014 to 2016 Action Plan. The main objective of the project is to assist the MLRR accelerate the rehabilitation of the land sector as a prerequisite for recovery and development of agriculture and other land based economic sectors. The project is supported with resources from the UNDP and European Union from 2014 to 2016. The UNDP and EU are fully committed to support the critical elements of this project. The project will require a Project Assistant.

The Project Assistant (PA) will be under the direct supervision of the UNDP ARR-Poverty Reduction and HIV/AIDS Mainstreaming Unit, in collaboration with the Ministry of Lands and Rural Resettlement senior management. He/she will be based at the Ministry of Lands and Rural Resettlement Block 4, Makombe Complex. He/she will work with the MLRR, sector Government Ministries/departments, UNDP and other relevant stakeholders.

Summary of Key Functions: · Provide effective support to the management of the project focusing on achievements of the results: · Administrative support to the Project team; · Support to knowledge building and knowledge sharing on the project. · Supports formulation of project strategies focusing on achievement of the results; Collection, analysis and presentation of information for identification of areas for support and programme formulation/ implementation.

Please use the link below for more information on the Terms of Reference and to apply for the posts: http://jobs.undp.org/cj_view_job.cfm?cur_job_id=43651 QUALIFIED AND EXPERIENCED FEMALE CANDIDATES ARE ENCOURAGED TO APPLY.

P8 ZIMBABWE INDEPENDENT

Independent Professional

United Nations Development Programme

VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT Empowered lives.

Resilient Nations

Position Level Type of Contract Duration of contract Closing Date

: : : : :

Program Coordinator SB5 Service Contract 12 Months 18 February 2014

The Ministry of Land and Rural Resettlement (MLRR) has developed project: Support to the Ministry of Lands and Rural Resettlement 2014 to 2016 Action Plan. The main objective of the project is to assist the MLRR accelerate the rehabilitation of the land sector as a prerequisite for recovery and development of agriculture and other land based economic sectors. The project is supported with resources from the UNDP and European Union from 2014 to 2016. The UNDP and EU are fully committed to support the critical elements of this project. The project will require a Project Coordinator.

The Project Coordinator (PC) will be under the direct supervision of the UNDP ARR-Poverty Reduction and HIV/AIDS Mainstreaming Unit, in collaboration with the Ministry of Lands and Rural Resettlement senior management. He/she will be based at the Ministry of Lands and Rural Resettlement Block 4, Makombe Complex. He/she will work with the MLRR, sector Government Ministries/departments, UNDP and other relevant stakeholders.

Summary of Key Functions:

Support the coordination, planning, implementation process and monitoring of the Project, according to the agreed standards and deadlines.

Support the development of the Project initiatives related to the eight Outputs on the MLRR 2014 to 2016 Action Plan.

Liaise with sector Government Ministries/departments, UNDP and other relevant stakeholders in accomplishing the activities of the project.

Participate in knowledge sharing and information codification and reporting obligations of the Project.

Please use the link below for more information on the Terms of Reference and to apply for the posts: http://jobs.undp.org/cj_view_job.cfm?cur_job_id=43651 QUALIFIED AND EXPERIENCED FEMALE CANDIDATES ARE ENCOURAGED TO APPLY.

AMDG Hartmann House Preparatory School For

Deputy Headmaster Hartmann House is the preparatory school for St George’s College for boys from Grade 4 to Grade 7. It is situated on the St George’s property sharing both facilities and resources with its senior school.

Hartmann House seeks to employ a Deputy Headmaster with immediate effect.

The incumbent must be fully conversant with the running of a junior school while being able to build and sustain effective relationships with staff, pupils and parents.

The successful candidate must have vision, enthusiasm and suitable experience required to work together with the Headmaster to uplift and safeguard the standards of the school.

The ideal candidate will demonstrate; -

evidence of academic and some administrative leadership in an

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proven organisational and communication skills.

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a commitment to the Catholic tradition and Jesuit mission of the school.

-

MONTHLY SUPPLEMENT FEBRUARY 14 TO FEBRUARY 20, 2014

independent school.

a record of being able to manage change and development.

If you are interested please contact the Rector rector@stgeorges.co.zw with your letter of application and updated Curriculum Vitae. Closing date for applications is 14th of March 2014.

FROM PAGE P5 experience. If there is any deficiency in the candidate’s work experience, we let him know about the shortcoming in his work experience which he has to gain to become a member.

What steps do you take to ensure that the CIMA syllabus is well researched and updated?

The syllabus is well researched.

We revise our syllabus every four years. We meet employers, tuition providers, universities and have frequent round table discussions where we jointly plan what is required three or five years ahead.

We review what are the new things which the businesses are looking forward as management accountant to produce. We take those things into our syllabus and revise our syllabus very four to five years. Our next revision is in July 2015. We are already working on it which will come out on 1 August 2015.

CIMA course fees are considered relatively expensive for students studying in developing countries like India. Are you planning to reduce the fees?

Many developing countries have raised the question of fees with us including Pakistan and India. I can understand it is a little hard on the pocket. But people should look at the benefits which CIMA offers.

They should also see the “quality of the qualification” which they get.

We don’t distinguish among people of different part of the world. We only consider them as CIMA members and members of equal qualification. This is very important for us. We are thinking very seriously of making sure that some developing countries might have some fee levels reduced depending on how our strategy works here. We don’t want to discourage students in enrolling with CIMA just for the mere fact that they can’t afford it. But we are considering fee level structure in these countries.

What benefits CIMA magazines offer to its members and especially students?

There are different magazines that CIMA produces and every magazine has a different objective. We have the Financial Management magazine which is a print magazine although it will soon also have its own dedicated app. This magazine goes out to all our students and members. It is a technical magazine and shares technical reports and information on business and news. This is important for our students and members to know as a management accountant and also vital for them to refer from the CIMA exam perspective.

As mentioned earlier, CIMA exams are application oriented and not theoretical. These exams test how you can apply what you have learnt to real life business situations. So for that a student needs to know the real life business situations.

Thus, the Financial Management magazine helps them to understand that. We also have students’ magazines called Insight and Velocity which are online magazines and focus on student related issues. They also share CIMA student-related issues like sharing

their experiences regarding CIMA studies, exams, etc. These online magazines also provide them tips on how to approach the examinations.

We also have another online magazine called Excellence in Leadership. Now this is a leadership or strategy-oriented magazine which focuses on CIMA members who hold senior positions. It highlights their opinions and advice. It also talks about what is useful to people who work in strategic decision making or are at a very high level in businesses.

The purpose of all CIMA magazines is to support CIMA members and students. These magazines are extremely useful to students because every CIMA student aspires to be at the top level at some point of time.

So every magazine has a role to play. Besides, CIMA produces local magazines called CIMA Pulse which goes out to our students in India. There is a separate magazine for each region. CIMA Pulse ensures that we are able to share local news and events with students and also showcase the achievements of the local students.

Thus, there are five publications serving CIMA members and students. In addition to this, every month CIMA produces research reports and thought leadership pieces on important issues related to businesses. The topics include long term sustainability, business ethics and performance management. Currently, our new theme is “risk and innovation” which looks at the level of risk that we need to control.

The online magazines are easily accessible to everyone free of cost and even print magazines and reports are sent to the individuals on request. Thus, these magazine, research reports and leadership pieces are very beneficial to students, members and community at large.

What are CIMA’s future plans?

CIMA’s future plans are very clear.

We have to increase the intake of students and membership. We have to be truly global and be relevant around the globe. Of course we want to promote the CGMA designation and ensure CGMA is the only designation that people want to know and that will happen only if you are a CIMA or a CPA member. It is not going to come to you just like that.

Anything else you would like to add Only thing I would like to add is this strong message to both the students and employers. My message to the students is that if you are thinking of pursuing CIMA, don’t be afraid, just go ahead and register yourself for CIMA. You are entering a truly global community, where you don’t have any boundaries. You can work in any industry. The message to employers will be trust CIMA students to be the foundations of your company and provide them the required training.

A CIMA member will assist you in making your company sustainable and increase long term profits. I wish them all the good luck. www.indiainfoline.com