HC Mag July 2012 by Human Capital

JULY 2012

MAGAZINE FOR THE HUMAN RESOURCE PROFESSIONAL N1000 $6.50 3.99

Yinka Akande

High Potential Employees:

Becomes DG Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN)

Tosin Agbetusin

First Nigerian International Certified PgMP (Programme Management Professional)

Diageo

wins GREAT PLACE TO WORK in Nigeria

Dr Lucy Surhyel Newman CEO, FITC Author: Employee Performance Management Practices within Banks in Nigeria Effects on Employee Learning and Leadership Development

The Wenger Way

CONT ENTS M ES S AGE

Appointments

10 34 44

Management

48 53

Personal Profile

Contents

Corporate Profile People, Places & Art

Learning

FR OM T H E

Publisher

The Labour market is on the move again.

HC Magazine is a publication of Human Capital Asset Management Group www.hcamgroup.com 53 Skylines Village London Docklands, E14 9TS, UK E-mail: admin@hcamgroup.com Website: www.hcamgroup.com Phone: +44 207 001 7678

This marks a great relief from the recession years and a welcome development.

PUBLISHING TEAM PUBLISHER Shola Ajani GMD/CEO Maximise Potentials Group

We are happy to report movements at the top cadre but this hardly reflected in middle to junior role. Albeit, it can only get better.

EDITOR Damola Ladipo

Our Corporate Profile within Edition focuses on the FITC - Financial Institution Training Centre. We are happy to profile the great work they are doing, especially the achievements of the CEO, Mrs Lucy Newman, in recent times. We encourage up and coming HR Professionals to draw inspirations from Chika Uwaize. Her passion and zeal for the profession is commendable. She has been noticed in high place and this is one HR Amazon that will go far. We commit this new Edition of HC Magazine to you, Enjoy! Shola Ajani Publisher

RESEARCHER Korede Ayibowu LAYOUT / DESIGN TypeOne Designs +234 803 326 0449 DIRECTOR FOREIGN OPERATIONS Siji Akindele FEATURE WRITERS Opeolu Awolesi Principal Consultant, CapstoneBCTS, UK Warren Heaps Partner, Birches Group LLC, USA Seun Babalola Principal Consultant, ValueBridge Consulting, Nigeria DrW John Opute South Bank University, UK

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Appointments

Karl Toriola emerges CEO of MTN Cameroon

few months after a Nigerian was appointed as the CEO of MTN Ghana, the MTN Group has appointed another Nigerian, Mr Karl Toriola, the CEO of MTN Cameroon in an announcement made today in Johannesburg.

In the same announcement, another staff of MTN Nigeria, Abdul Ismail was named as the new CEO of MTN Zambia. The appointments took effect from November 1, 2011. Toriola’s appointment follows a pattern of steady ascendancy of Nigerian telecommunications professionals into

key leadership roles in the MTN Group since it commenced operations in Nigeria ten years ago. In March, Mr. Michael Ikpoki emerged the first Nigerian Chief Executive Officer in the MTN Group when he was named as the head of the company’s operations in Ghana. It would be recalled that in October 2009, the MTN Group appointed Adekunle Awobodu, a Nigerian professional, as the Chief Financial Officer for MTN IranCell, the second fastest growing operating unit in the group, after MTN Nigeria. Another Nigerian, Abiodun Alagbe, is currently the Chief Financial Officer of MTN Zambia. Toriola who was the Chief Technology

AFARGE Cement WAPCO Nigeria Plc, has announced the appointment of a new Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Joe Hudson. Hudson succeeds Samy Abdelkader, who has taken up another role within the Lafarge Group. Hudson, a British citizen, holds a BA (honours) in Education from the University of Exeter, United Kingdom. He is a Fellow of the

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Officer of MTN Nigeria, replaced MTN Cameroon CEO, Philippe Vandebrouck, who retired. Toriola joined the MTN Group in 2006 as an Operations Consultant, and subsequently moved to MTN Nigeria where he was responsible for the operation’s technology strategy. His previous experience includes roles with VMobile Nigeria - where he was Chief Operations/Regional Officer - Econet and Ericsson (Nigeria). Ismail who was the Chief Information Officer (CIO) of MTN Nigeria, took over from Farhad Khan, who has been CEO in MTN Zambia since September 2009. Khan has built MTN Zambia into a formidable mobile operator, helping to increase its market share

Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development UK. He worked in different capacities in Home Grown Kenya Ltd as head of Human Resources and Area Operations Manager in Nairobi and Nanyuki respectively. He served in different capacities within the Lafarge Group. He was the Human Resources and Organisation Manager of Hima Cement Ltd, Lafarge Kampala Uganda and was also the Regional Director for Lafarge University Americas based in Washington DC. He has spent 15 years working in Africa in different capacities.

from 28% to 36%. Prior to joining MTN Zambia, Farhad headed the Sales Department at MTN Irancell. Ismail joined MTN SA in 1998 as a Systems Support Manager, and was subsequently promoted to Senior Manager for IS Delivery and then became General Manager in 2001. He was later appointed to the CIO role in MTN Irancell in 2005. In 2008, he took on the role of CIO in MTN Nigeria. Ismail was awarded CIO of the Year for two years in the MTN Group in 2010 and 2011. MTN Group President and CEO, Sifiso Dabengwa, has congratulated the incoming CEOs in their new roles, and also thanked Khan and Vandebrouck for their invaluable contribution to the Group.

Hudson served as the VicePresident, Human Resources and Organisation from 2006 to 2009 in Lafarge Gypsum North America Inc. Prior to his appointement to the Board of Lafarge WAPCO, he was the Regional Vice- President, Human Resources and Organisation for SubSahara Africa. He joined the board of Lafarge Cement WAPCO Nigeria Plc on March 16, 2011 and was appointed by the Board of Lafarge WAPCO as managing director and chief executive officer on Dec. 16.

Appointments

Nigerian, Agbetusin, becomes first international certified PgMP certification professional

ORLD’S leading project management association, the Project Management Institute (PMI), has officially certified and awarded the internationally renowned PgMP certification (Programme Management Professional) to the first Nigerian, Mr. Oluwatosin Agbetusin. Agbetusin, an expert in Project & Programme Management

with over 10 years of experience in IT/Telecoms industry in Nigeria and other countries around the world. He currently holds other certification including PMIs PMP (Project Management Professional), Prince2 Practitioner, Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP), Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MSCE), Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) and a MSc degree in Personal and Advanced Radio Communication Engineering from Lancaster University, UK. PMI’s Programme Management Professional (PgMP) credential recognises the advanced experience and skill of programme managers. Its globally recognised and demanded

asterCard Worldwide in Nigeria has made two new appointments as part of its business development strategy to grow MasterCard’s operations and presence in Nigeria and across West Africa. Omokehinde Ojomuyide has been appointed Vice President of Business development for the West African business, based in Lagos, Nigeria. Ojomuyide joins MasterCard from Guaranty Trust Bank (GTBank), where she was based for five years, four of which were spent as the Head of Cards and Product Development. Prior to GTBank, Ojomuyide worked at Econet (now Airtel). She holds an MBA from

as it demonstrates proven competency, skill, knowledge and advanced experience to oversee multiple, related projects and their resources to achieve strategic business goals of organizations. PgMP is the highest certification offered by PMI of its six certification currently being offered and it’s the next level of certification after PMP (Project Management Professional). The Certification process follows a very tough criteria starting from clearing the application where a panel of experienced program managers examines work experience which at a minimum must include four years of Project management and four years of Program management, then a very complex PgMP test fol-

the Lagos Business School, and completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria. Kamil Olufowobi has been appointed as an Associate Vice President: Account Management for the West African business, also based in Lagos, Nigeria. He joins MasterCard from the United Bank for Africa (UBA) where he headed the retail products and sales unit for Nigeria. Prior to this, he was responsible for UBA’s segment banking, where he revamped the organization’s Prestige Banking model, for its affluent customers. Olufowobi has extensive experience in relationship management and consulting in the United States, Singapore, the United Kingdom and Nigeria for a number of organisations including IBM, The Conference Board (New York), Siemens Corporation (USA), World Travel & Tourism Council (London), Merck Sharp & Dohme (Singapore) Ltd and ExxonMobil (Nigeria). Olufowobi holds a Master’s Degree in Global Business Economics from Rutgers University’s Graduate School, New Jersey, USA, where he graduated cum laude. Kamil also holds a Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology Communications from the New

lowed by 360 multi-rater-assessment (MRA) by a minimum of 12 people. Jeff Hodgkinson, one of the leading Program Manager and consultants in the World in an email to the other leading Program Management professionals around the world said “It gives me great pleasure to advise you that Oluwatosin Agbetusin became the first PgMP in Nigeria. I’m aware of several PgMP applicants from Nigeria that discontinued the PgMP process so it’s an awesome accomplishment” As at December 31, 2011, there are only 689th Certified PgMPs in the world with 429 out of this in the United State of America. Nigeria now has one

Jersey Institute of Technology in the USA, completing the course with an exchange programme at Nanyang Technology University in Singapore. Kamil co-founded and volunteers his time with NiPRO, a global network of more than half a million Nigerian professionals worldwide. “Ojomuyide has a solid understanding of the payments industry and MasterCard’s business through her association with GTBank, and Olufowobi has proven experience as an account manager. We’re confident that they will use their knowledge and past successes to explore and create opportunities with our customer financial institutions and merchants in Nigeria and across West Africa. This will, no doubt, put us in a strong position to maximise the substantial opportunities in this region and deliver real value to cardholders,” says Daniel Monehin, Area Head of MasterCard Worldwide: East & West Africa and Indian Ocean Islands. “We are delighted to welcome Ojomuyide and Olufowobi to the MasterCard team, as we look to bring the benefits of safe, convenient and seamless payments to consumers, retailers, banks and governments in West Africa,” he concluded.

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Appointments Total Nigeria Plc has appointed new Directors to its Board.

akhtar Diop, a Senegalese national with more than 25 years of development experience, today becomes the new World Bank Vice-President for Africa.

Diop was previously Country Director for Brazil since 2009

where he managed the World Bank’s largest country program. Prior to joining the Bank, Diop worked at the International Monetary Fund and served as Minister of Finance of Senegal, and as Chair of the West African Monetary Union (WAEMU) Board of Finance Ministers. After joining the World Bank in 2001, Makhtar Diop held various senior positions, including Country Director for Kenya, Eritrea and Somalia, as well as Director of Infrastructure and Director of Strategy and Operations in the Bank’s Latin America and Caribbean region. “It is an honor to return to the Africa region as Vice-President

he Company announced this in a Statement Wednesday to the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) and made available to www.investadvocate.com.ng in Lagos Nigeria. Total Nigeria Notified the Nigeria’s Exchange of the appointment of Denis Toulouse and Ahmed Rufa’I Sirajo as new Directors to its Board. “The Company has notified The Exchange of the appointment of Mr. Denis Toulouse and Engineer Ahmed Rufa’I Sirajo as Directors of Total Nigeria Plc with effect from 28 March, 2012” the Notice said. Mr. Denis Toulouse joined Total France in 1991, where he held different positions in the Finance Division and LPG business. He was appointed Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Total Deutschland from 2000 to 2005 and CFO of Total Belgium from 2006 to 2008. He was in charge of the Merger and Acquisition Department for Refining and Marketing in 2009, a position he held before his appointment as Head of Corporate and Project Finance Department for Supply and Marketing in 2012. Engr. Ahmed Rufa’I Sirajo started his working career in 1986 as Engineering Superintendent (Electrical) at Geotechnical Services Limited. He moved onto NOCACO (Northern Cable Processing and Manufacturing Company Limited) as Quality Control Supervisor. He is currently the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Nalado Nigeria Limited. He is registered with the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN), Member of the Society of Engineers (MNSE), and also a Member of the Solar Energy Association of Nigeria by Access Bank Plc.

at a time when the continent is on the rise, with strong growth led by private investment, and a new sense of optimism,” said Diop. “With world-class development knowledge and innovative financing, we can help support Africa’s momentum and ensure that all Africans, especially the poor, share in the continent’s economic and social transformation.” The World Bank is a partner of 48 countries in Sub Saharan Africa and finances approximately 500 projects in the region. The Banks’ portfolio includes projects and programs in areas such as agriculture, trade and transport, energy, education, health, water and sanitation. In fiscal year 2011, the World Bank committed more than USD 7.0 billion in new development financing for Africa, and disbursed over USD 5.5 billion, in addition to producing more than 200 analytical studies.

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Ms. Yvonne Ike as a NonExecutive Director of Guinness Nigeria Plc

he Board of Directors of Guinness Nigeria Plc at its meeting of Thursday, 26 April 2012 appointed Ms. Yvonne Ike as a Non-Executive Director of Guinness Nigeria Plc with immediate effect. Ms. Yvonne Ike holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Economics. She started her career as an auditor with Ernst and Young International and has been an FSA registered representative since 1994. She was a Managing Director at JP Morgan, where she spent 15 years of her career until 2009. Ms. Ike is an internationally regarded investment banker credited with pioneering a number of groundbreaking transactions in West Africa region. She has more than 18 years experience in financial services, including capital markets operations and fixed-income, derivatives and equities products. Over the course of her career, she has led senior teams in New York, Geneva, Hong Kong, Nigeria and South Africa.

Appointments She is presently the CEO West Africa, Renaissance Group (Investment Banking). The Board also accepted the resignation of Mrs. Ifeoma Mafeni from the Board of Directors of the Company with effect from 13 April 2012. Until her resignation, Mrs. Mafeni was an Executive Director (Human Resources Director) of the company; her resignation was to enable her pick up a role as the Diageo Human Resources Director of Africa Regional Markets. The appointment of Mrs. Mafeni to her new role is recognition of her sterling achievements while she was the Human Resources Director in Guinness Nigeria. Her impact in this role has been significant, having spearheaded major progress in the company’s talent strategy, partnered in building a powerful leadership team and created a high performing HR function. She consistently demonstrated huge commitment to the business and to her team, inspired growth in others and contributed largely to the business.

Wale Adediran, New Human Resource Director by Guinness Nigeria Plc

r. Wale Adediran has been appointed Human Resource Director by Guinness Nigeria Plc, a statement by the company has said. Adediran started his career with Procter & Gamble in 1992 as a management trainee. His competence in managing others, according to the statement, saw him rising fast through a series of promotions in production management, personnel administration, industrial relations, reliability engineering, stores management and senior management roles up till 2002. In 2002, Adediran became the Senior Manager, Human Resources, Procter & Gamble West Africa from the position of Group Manager, Sub-Sahara programmes. In this capacity, he handled the human resource function for Procter & Gamble in the West African sub-region. He then went on to join Frigoglass Industries Nigeria Limited as the Human Resource Director, where he led wide ranging transformation of the company’s human resource practices, reengineering the internal organisation and implementing a world class performance management system. After leading the HR function for nine years at various levels in Procter & Gamble and Frigoglass Industries, Adediran was appointed Human Resources Director of Guinness Nigeria. He has diverse in-depth experiences ranging from manufacturing start-ups and operation, shutdown and divestments as well as mega project management in both engineering and human resource functions. He is widely travelled and has attended many human resource, people management and leadership courses both within and outside the country.

Yinka Akande appointed Director -General/Chief Executive Officer of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN).

arketing savvy Yinka Akande formerly a Brand Director with Etisalat Nigeria has been appointed Director -General/ Chief Executive Officer of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN). Akande left the services of Etisalat Nigeria over a year ago, to set up xYz Marketing Consult as founder/CEO before his new appointment which took effect Thursday, Dec. 1st, 2011. A highly cerebral marketing strategist and educator, he was the first Director (Events, Sponsorship & Promotions) and former Director (Communications) of Globacom, one of the leading players in the highly competitive Nigeria’s telecoms market. An SMP 18 alumnus of the Lagos Business School, Akande is a 1985 graduate of the then University of Ife (now OAU) who was in September 2007 honoured as an Officer of Great Ife (OGI), a distinguished alumnus award of the University’s National Alumni Association. He also earned post-graduate degrees from the University of Lagos and the Institute of Marketing (South Africa). Akande is a Fellow of the National Institute of Marketing of Nigeria (NIMN) and a second generation Paul Harris Fellow of the Rotary Foundation. He is widely travelled, principled but personable professional who has worked meritoriously over the past 25 years across business functions as diverse as industrial relations, plant production, demand management, and in streams of marketing, sales and brands PR in blue chip companies such as UAC, Unilever, Glaxo-Smithkline and Coca-Cola International. Happily married with Children to Fola, Akande is the BOT Chairman of Klob Kashoggi and a member of the prestigious Rotary Club of Lagos, Ikoyi Club 1938 and the Institute of Directors.

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Appointments Google Hires Kenyan Activist to Shape Africa Policy

enyan Blogger Ory Okolloh has been hired by Google to oversee that company’s policy in Africa. Most people outside the continent imagine Africa as being the size of a France or two. (In reality it’s the size of the U.S., China, Japan and most of Europe.) So it’s a big job for a big company that has big plans over a big area of the world. Okolloh seems like a good candidate to handle such a job. A Harvard-educated attorney, she was involved in the global blogging project Global Voices early on and is the co-founder of crisis mapping outfit Ushahidi and a TED Fellow. She steps down from Ushahidi as Executive Director to take the Google job. On her blog, Okolloh described the new position of Policy Manager for Africa. “The role will involve developing policy (and) strategies on a number of areas of relevance to Google and the Internet in Africa and will involve working with different parties including government leaders, policy makers, regulators, industry groups and so on. It is a huge opportunity to bring Google’s resources to bear as far as the growth and development of the internet in Africa (and hopefully a reminder of why I went to law school in the first place!).” Jon Gosier, Director of Product for SwiftRiver at Ushahidi told us he thinks Okolloh might help make Google’s actions on the continent more coherent. “Google Africa hasn’t really been as focused as it has been in other parts of the world. I think hiring Ory is the right move as she’s a lawyer, so she understands the policy side of things, but she also founded and ran a technology company for three years. There isn’t a better a choice for the position, although it’s bittersweet to lose one of my colleagues.” Okolloh told ReadWriteWeb she would be based in Johannesburg, RSA, starting in mid-January, with a portfolio that includes the whole of sub-Saharan Africa. “Overall, I’ll be working to get more people online and policies favorable to that, also (cultivate) support for local content and an environment which supports innovation.”

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Rencap appoints Yvonne Ike as new CEO West Africa

eading emerging markets investment bank Renaissance Capital (www.rencap.com) has appointed Yvonne Ike as its Chief Executive Officer, West Africa. She will be based in

Lagos. Clifford Sacks, CEO of Renaissance Capital Africa, says in a press release: “Yvonne is an internationally regarded investment banker credited with pioneering a number of groundbreaking transactions in the West Africa region. The entire team is looking forward to working with Yvonne and benefiting from her local and global expertise.” She has more than 18 years’ experience in financial services, including capital markets operations and fixed-income, derivatives and equities products. Over the course of her career, she has led senior teams in New York, Geneva, Hong Kong, Nigeria and South Africa. Her degree is a Bachelor of Science in Economics. She started her career as an auditor with Ernst and Young International and has been an registered representative with the UK’s Financial Services Authority since 1994. Prior to her appointment at Renaissance Capital, Ms Ike was a managing director at JP Morgan, where she spent 15 years until 2009. More recently, she has worked as a partner at Africapital Management Limited, an advisory firm based in Lagos. She succeeds Rotimi Oyekanmi, who has been appointed Chairman Emeritus, Renaissance Group, West Africa. Oyekanmi joined Renaissance in 2007 and will now be responsible for the build-out of Renaissance’s consumer finance business and help with Renaissance Partners’ land developments in West Africa. Ms Ike commented: “Renaissance Capital is best placed to provide a broad range of financial solutions to help unlock the massive potential in Africa. I am excited about the firm´s unparalleled vision for Africa, the calibre of the people I will be working with and Renaissance’s execution capabilities. In addition to offering unrivalled financial, investment and management expertise in the West Africa region, we are uniquely positioned for cross-border business between Africa and other regions, particularly in emerging markets.” Renaissance Capital, part of Renaissance Group, offers access to the emerging markets of Russia, the CIS, Eastern Europe, Asia and Africa through centres such as London, New York and Hong Kong. Its core businesses are: Mergers & Acquisitions; equity and debt capital markets; securities sales and trading; research; and derivatives. It is building practices across emerging markets in metals & mining, oil & gas and agriculture.

MANAGEMENT

HR and High Potential Employees: T H E W E N G E R WAY

ne of the biggest current challenges facing HR Managers and HR professionals and line managers is the ability to successfully identify, motivate and retain high potential employees within their organisations. During this era of globalisation, technological advancement and cut-throat competition, talented employees with high potential to take their organisations to the next level are being highly revered by so many organisations. This search for identifying high potential employees needs to be complemented by visionary line managers and HR Managers that are able to devise proven selection methodologies and HR strategies to achieve the organisations objective. This challenge is made simpler where there are effective HR Planning, Succession Planning, Talent Management policies in place. However, most senior management boards in organisations do not take ownership for employee development or talent

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management; they tend to leave it for the HR Manager. They tend to expect the HR Manager to conjure a bespoke talent management programme that will mysteriously transform the entire organisation and of course, HR has to deliver. So much resources has been invested in leadership schemes, employee induction schemes, talent management programmes, performance appraisal schemes, etc in order to identify and develop these high potential employees . The question is how can HR contribute to the planning and development of High Potential Employees within their organisations? High Performance Employees Vs High Potential Employee Firstly, the HR Professional would need to always differentiate between high performance employees and high potential employees. If not, he would be making a grave talent management mistake. Many organisations tend to confuse high performers with high potentials.

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However, most senior management boards in organisations do not take ownership for employee development or talent management; they tend to leave it for the HR Manager.

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Richard Duke ACIPM, MCIPD

While high performance is about accomplishing tasks, high potential is about having the competencies that inspire others to accomplish those tasks effectively. It is often said that all high potential employees are high performers but not all high performers are high potential employees. Simply put, the high potential employee is the employee that has the potential to learn and

grow; he has that special ability to become the future leader of the organisation. A high potential employee often has an impact on other employees. He is able to drive performance, build high performing teams, build confidence in others, earns the trust of others, inspires and motivates others and is more often quite difficult to replace. On the other hand a high performance employee is

often quite an effective, efficient and productive employee who is able to master all the work processes in getting the job done…but does not inspire leadership. A high performance employee also often creates maximum impact on the business. He is able to pull off things with limited resources, gets the job done in less time and less cost and often achieves results consist-

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MANAGEMENT

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Employees who are able to exhibit a certain level of leadership potential and a pedigree for achieving results should be identified and selected for the purpose of succession planning, and should be developed and prepared for future leadership roles within the organisation.

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ently under challenging conditions. Contrastingly, a high performance employee doesn’t have the proficiency and competency to make such an impact or move up to the next level of leadership responsibility. How do we identify High Potential Employees? Identifying employees with high potential is not exactly the sole remit of HR. HR can only provide a supportive role to equip managers to make the right decisions based on the companies HR policies. Organisations can adopt a high potential criterion that is able to sift out and identify high potential. These criteria should be able to measure employees at different levels of competency at the work place against certain high potential traits that are often associated with certain levels of leadership potential. Employees who are able to exhibit a certain level of leadership potential and a pedigree for achieving results should be identified and selected for the purpose of succession planning, and should be developed and prepared for future leadership roles within the organisation. A high performer at work can accomplish all the operational and organisational tasks assigned to him, he can put in a strong performance, obtain strong appraisals and excellent reviews and have a strong work ethic but still not have any leadership potential. Why is it so? According to Robert W. Eichinger, the main determinant of future potential is the behavioural ability “to learn quickly from experience and apply learning to new situations”. In other words, the high potential employee can always be identified based on a set of identifiable traits or competencies that cannot be found in high performers. However, without the right guidance it’s quite easy to consistently identify the wrong people as high potential. Employees could easily be judged based on the last couple of successful projects in a different environment/situation and pass off as high potential employees. This situation is every HR Managers nightmare scenario. The promotion

of a pseudo-high potential employee to leadership level can have long term negative impact on the organisation, even if he manages to circumvent the Peter Principle. The Wenger Way of dealing with High Potential Employees Some employees happen to be more talented than others, but as HR Managers how are we supposed to treat them? Is it the HR Managers job or is it the line managers’ responsibility to identify high potential employees? In trying to answer the aforementioned posers I have provided a managerial anecdote based on the exploits of Arsenal FC managerArsene Wenger and his unique ability to identify and manage high potential employees at the football club. The employee under scrutiny is Cesc Fabregas. 1) Have a Talent Management Policy in place: Arsenal FC had adopted and implemented a robust Talent Management policy that provided a blueprint for their highly successful employee recruitment and selection programme. As a result, Cesc Fabregas was identified as a high performer for his age and was recruited from Spain in 2003. The Talent Management policy should be reviewed periodically to ensure that it is effective and has achieved it objectives. The UK government have a visa category under the Tier 1 Visa route known as the “Exceptional Talent Visa” which was “introduced for those who are internationally recognised as world leaders or potential world-leading talent in the fields of science and the arts who wish to work in UK “. When Arsene Wenger decided to successfully recruit Denilson under this visa category, he was one of the first employers to do so (in line with their Talent management policy). 2) Create an Environment of Excellence for High Potential Employees to thrive: When Cesc Fabregas arrived at Arsenal he had

access to state-of-the art training facilities (at London Colney), he was surrounded by lots of colleagues who were also high potential employees (such as Patrick Vieira, Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp, etc), he had a line manager (i.e. Arsene Wenger) who was able to nurture, manage and mentor his potential. Excellence begets excellence. Staffs of companies such as Microsoft, Apple, Google, Toyota, etc maintain high levels of creative output, productivity and innovation due to daily interaction with lots of high quality employees who thrive in qualitative working environments. 3) Have a Career Development Plan for each employee: When Cesc Fabregas arrived as a 16 year old he displayed traits of a High Potential Employee while playing for the Reserve Team. He showed he had an outstanding level of performance and showed great learning and development ability. He was identified as a future leader and was given experiential exposure to play in the Senior Team to develop his potential. Based on the aforementioned traits, Arsene Wenger was able to develop a 1 year fast-track programme to enable Fabregas attain first team level of performance as an employee by the time he was 17 years. 4) Communicate your Career Plan to the Employee: Arsene Wenger let Cesc Fabregas know that he had potential and was a special talent. He told him about the long term career plans he had for him without unnecessarily promising him anything exceptional. When a high potential employee is not properly identified in time or has not been involved in the career development, management development or leadership development programmes of the organisation he may feel undervalued, unrecognised and decide to leave. It is quite important to communicate career development plans during 1-2-1 meetings, team

MANAGEMENT

meetings and through internal communication outlets to such employees. 5) Dont treat High Potential Employees specially: Other employees were treated the same way as Cesc Fabregas. No one was treated less favourable than him. He did not have any sacred Cow status at the club even though his talent was highly recognised by everyone there. Line Managers/HR Managers should treat all their high performing staff similarly in terms of job recognition, compensation, benefits and rewards but should be able to create an environment where potential can be identified, nurtured and developed without causing disaffection amongst other colleagues. There should be a fine balancing act by HR how to properly execute their Talent Management policies without showing any favouritism 6) Trust and Give your High Potential Employee Responsibility: Wenger had to trust a 17 year old Fabregas with the responsibility of playing in the FA Community Shield finals. He was given additional responsibility to gain experience in order to maximise his potential which also brought out his hidden leadership traits on the football pitch. There is no use in having a talent management programme if the employees cannot be trusted and tested with different levels of responsibility. High potential employees naturally thrive when added responsibilities are given to them; their leadership instincts and performance drive are usually activated. They usually perform beyond their levels of competence 7) Encourage Line managers to develop an interest in identifying high potential employees: It took the skills of a devoted line manager to identify the leadership potential of Fabregas. HR Managers should be able to support and collaborate with line mangers in

the area of talent management, leadership management, organisational development and career management. They should be able to effectively implement performance management policies and processes that aid the organisation to continually and consistently produce high potential employees; employees that can add value and give the organisation a competitive advantage. HR Managers cannot do it alone. 8) Dont hold on to a high potential employee who wants to leave you: Once in a while organisations do get employees who feel that they are bigger than the organisation itself as they often tend to believe in their own hype after being mentored and developed. When that happens let them go. A well structured talent management system will always reproduce another equally talented high potential employee. Arsene Wenger let Nicholas Anelka leave when he agitated for a transfer move and replaced him with the equally talented Thierry Daniel Henry, Robert Emmanuel Pires and Karl Fredrik Ljungberg. A successful HR talent management system should be able to replicate itself. 9) Hold on to your treasured talent: Always try and hold on to your most treasured high potential employees at all cost. They can be quite hard to replace. Secure their loyalty to your organisation and let it be mutual. Remind them of the organisations values, vision and mission statement, show them the bigger picture and where they fit into the grand scheme of things. Remind them of the investment entrusted upon them and that they can also achieve their life ambitions while working with you. Let them know that they are valued. When Cesc Fabregas put in his verbal transfer request to leave Arsenal in 2010, Arsene Wenger used his managerial skills to persuade him to stay. Good managers know how to handle crisis situations,

especially where it concerns the financial metrics of high potential employee resourcing. 10)Always assess the strength of your ‘Bench’: In football parlance, the quality of a Football team is as good as its bench. The same principle applies to talent management. As an HR manager it’s imperative to always have a reservoir of reserve high potential employees to chose from in case of any unforeseen circumstance in terms of Succession Planning. Not all employees show their potential immediately. Some employees may not show their potential until later periods of their employment and given the same opportunity they may also have the quality to reach the same leadership levels as the core high potential batch. Bottom line: In analysing the Wenger Way I have come to conclude that identifying and developing high potential employees takes time, commitment, continuous focus, and should be the joint responsibility of both HR and the line manager. The partnership between the line manager and HR should be able to assess the HR resourcing needs of the organisation and create an environment where talent can be assessed, identified, developed and utilised. The HR manager should also be able to implement the HR strategy / Business Plan and meet its objectives. With the help of line managers, HR should be able to provide the organisation with qualified high potential employees who are prepared to assume leadership positions and provide learning and development opportunities for them to grow into the business leaders of tomorrow, just the way Arsene Wenger did it with Cesc Fabregas at Arsenal FC.

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Always assess the strength of your ‘Bench’: In football parlance, the quality of a Football team is as good as its bench. The same principle applies to talent management.

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Cesc Fabregas currently plays for Barcelona HC MAGAZINE

MANAGEMENT

Compete, Concede or Innovate? Shola Ajani

his is a question every entrepreneur, business leader would have to face and not only that this is a question you have to answer as well. Do I concede? To concede is to give up and many have done just that. Do I Compete? I say to clients, it is suicidal to compete head on with a market leader. If we look at Coca Cola it is the runaway leader as the “best cola drink”. Pepsi would debate that vigorously because a blind test carried out in America actually showed that Pepsi Tastes better, but who cares? Coke Cola is synonymous with Cola Drink. Ask for a soft drink and the chances are you will be offered a bottle of Coke or another product from the Coca cola range. With such market goodwill and brand identity, why on earth would you want to invest millions of Dollars starting a soft drink company producing Cola drinks? Had a client once who had such grandiose dreams, suffice to say he believed so much in his product. As we speak his premises has been let out to a Church; perhaps that produces a more steady income. Having said that, should you simply concede the number one spot in your industry? The legendary Jack Welsh of GE said “if they can’t be No1 in our market, at least we must

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be No 2”. You can settle to be number 2, if you can’t beat the leader. Market Segmentation Another option open to you is to develop a segment of the market. A market segment is a classification of potential private or corporate customers by one or more characteristics, in order to identify groups of customers, which have similar needs and demand similar products and/or services concerning the recognized qualities of these products. Examples of characteristics used for segmentation: * Gender * Price * Interests * Location * Religion * Income * Size of Household A good example is the telecommunication industry in Nigeria. When Etisalat came on the scene, it targeted the youth and carefully designed product that met the needs of the youth. Likewise Glo had to introduce a new payment tariff to gain the share of the market. Before Glo came on the scene, paying per second was nonexistent, Glo introduced this tariff and others had to follow suit. In the minds of consumers, Glo is not necessarily the market leader, but the brand led the market with a new pricing strategy. SWOT Analysis Needless to say, before you

enter a market study it carefully, carry out your research and conduct a SWOT Analysis. You will identify the weaknesses and opportunities of the market leaders, which in itself is an open door for your product. Another example that clearly comes to mind is the Banking Industry in Nigeria. In the past banking was a whole day exercise; you practically had to dedicate a whole day to do your banking. In come the likes of GTB promising to reduce the length of time you spend in the banking hall. Of course, it was unheard of to spend less than 15 minutes in a bank. GTB and the “New Generation Banks” became a runaway success. They couldn’t compete head on with the likes of First Bank Nigeria but competed on different terms, their own terms- excellent customer service. Innovation So much has been written about this subject; what exactly is Innovation? Innovation is the creation of better or more effective products, processes, services, technologies, or ideas that are accepted by markets, governments, and society. Innovation differs from invention in that innovation refers to the use of a new idea or method, whereas invention refers more directly to the creation of the idea or method itself. In essence innovation

is doing things better. The history of computers is one of innovation; from the main frame computers that required a house to store to the desktop and now the hand held computers. Notice that Apple that produced the IPAD is not the original inventor of computers. Innovation is simply looking at a product and coming up with better, faster and cheaper solution. By being innovative you can become a market leader with a market. Innovation is the key. Product innovation is the creation and subsequent introduction of a good or service that is either new or improved on previous goods or services of its kind. This is broader than the normally accepted definition of innovation to include invention of new products which, in this context, are still considered innovative. Innovators lead in their market; many company’s who were pioneers in their market have lost their first movers advantage simply because they refuse to innovate and change with the times. Any serious business about surviving in a fast paced market must make things happen...to refuse to innovate is to die. In the words of my mentor, Dr Sola Oludoyi, as a leader “try repeating the same thing , the same way, day in, day out and see how many followers you have left following you”

MANAGEMENT

Collanovation

xtending this a bit further is what I call Collanovation. Business from living memory, has evolved and thrived on the idea that it’s your competitive superiority that enables you succeed in the market. I beg to differ and in the process submit that Competition is overrated! In comes Collanovation, a new way of doing business. Collanovation is a strategy, an innovative synergy that comes out of collaborative effort. Collanovation is about joining forces with others, leveraging on individual strengths to combine to produce a superior product. Collonovation is about leveraging on individual strengths and capabilities, while recognising that success may not be attainable alone. It is useful in new market entry, challenging market leaders, continuous improvement, growth strategy, etc. Collanovation is also the way to go for organisations to retain leadership position and remain at the cutting edge of innovation and delivery! Where applied, the Principles of Collanovation, where there are no single

winners; everyone is a winner! Collanovation discourages unhealthy rivalry but creates atmosphere for unhindered creativity because you are leveraging on multiple capabilities. Collanovation is an aggregation of innovators. Also lesser known brands can produce superior products (collanovate) to become a threat to leading brands. Mergers between 2 leading brands can be a form of collanovation; two competing firms risk dissipating energy and actually death, they risk losing market leadership due to competition between them. True David brought down Goliath! But how many times does one David bring down a Goliath? Several Davids can certainly bring down a Goliath; that is Collanovation. So what then is Collaboration? In colloaboration you are sometimes forced to work together with others; in collanovation it’s a conscious decision to work with others. For emphasis, collaboration is joining forces which need not produce result; Collanovation is partnering with others to

produce innovations. It’s a conscious and purposeful decision to work together to bring about innovation Collanovation is Purpose Driven Innovation; combining and leveraging on individual strengths with the INTENTION of producing a new product. Is Competition then Bad? Competition dilutes market share, hence you have one clear winner and several struggling brands; collanovation produces groups of winners. Business history is littered with the carcass of once promising companies destroyed by competitionCompetition is overrated! Two competing firms risk dissipating energy and actually death, they risk losing market leadership due to competition between them. Leaders’ Can Also Do It Collanovation is not just for the small players. America’s war effort in recent history is littered with failure when she tries to go it alone. From Vietnam to Somalia; but when America joins forces with others; result is spectacular!

Perpetrated myth of the “MIGHT” of some players in the market is actually to discourage competition; identify other players and collanovate Can you innovate on your own? collanovation is the future GlaxoSmithKline, and a small manufacturer, Oratech LLC, overcame partnering challenges to launch a successful new teeth whitener in a crowded market. The runaway success of Google, Facebook and Yahoo is all about collanovation – when people come together, pooling resources, ideas, concept to form a new, single product. The Manifesto 1. You are limited by the Power of One 2. Let Go of Ego 3. Be Open & Honest 4. Collaborative effort is achievement Oriented 5. Recognise we; including our customers, are all winners Collanovate; Dont Compete!

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MANAGEMENT

Entrepreneurial Development in Nigeria By Peter O Osalor

hile these sta-

the better part of the last half

and ravaging civil and political

a prerequisite for Nigeria to

tistics bide well

century. While the oil boom

strife. The climate of economic

emerge from the shackles of its

for the country’s

of the ‘70s brought in billions

stagnation spawned a mam-

Third World legacy.

economic prospects, they

of petrodollars, most of the

moth informal economy that

also serve to reaffirm the vital

country’s population remained

continues to sustain the bulk of

preneurial Development in

importance of entrepreneurial

untouched by the new-found

Nigeria’s 148 million people. It

Nigeria

development in achieving that

prosperity, thanks to wide-

is a measure of Nigeria’s inher-

potential.

spread political corruption

ent entrepreneurial capacity

hopes of economic superiority

and catastrophic economic

that this informal, unorganised

rest on individual optimism

mismanagement. Because of

sector presently accounts for

and enterprise alone. Right

these and other factors, the

65% of Gross National Product

after the reinstatement of de-

nity in Nigeria are considered

World Bank estimates that 80%

and accounts for 90% of all

mocracy in 1999, the govern-

one of the oldest entrepre-

of oil revenues benefited just

new jobs.

ment of former president O

neurs in history, their exper-

1% of the population.

Past Entrepreneurship Developments People of the Ibo commu-

All these factors have

The Future of Entre-

It is not as if Nigeria’s

Obsanjo unveiled ambitious

Most of Nigeria’s current

tremendous relevance for

plans to take the sub-Saharan

before modern currency and

woes trace back to a historic

Nigeria’s future prospects,

nation to the top 20 world

trade models had developed

overdependence on oil to the

even more so considering the

economies by 2020. Abuja is

elsewhere on the planet. In the

negligence of all other sectors,

extent of official neglect and

also a signatory to the UN

more recent past, Nigerians

including customary trades

lack of assistance and infra-

Millennial Declaration of

adapted their natural talents

and agriculture. Decades of

structure that the country’s

2000 for the achievement of

to evolve traditional busi-

non-inclusive policies alienat-

indigenous entrepreneurs have

universal basic human rights

nesses and crafts that have

ed the vast majority of Nigeri-

had to overcome. Harnessing

- relating to health, education,

sustained most of the coun-

ans, plunging the country into

the informal economy and

shelter and security - in a time

try’s rural and urban poor for

a miasma of extreme poverty

leveraging its full potential is

bound manner by 2015. Both

tise stretching back to times

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MANAGEMENT

Peter Osalor is a multi-

objectives present mammoth

Even more disturbing is the

rians featuring in the Gallup

challenges for Nigeria in terms

fact that this continues to be

survey conceded access to

skilled director, chairman of

of reversing past trends and

the case despite the energetic

finance was the single-most

trusts, proprietor and consult-

evolving innovative strategy

reforms process initiated after

important hurdle in the way to

ant. Peter Osalor has been a

for sustainable and inclusive

the return of democracy. It is

setting up successful enter-

successful entrepreneur since

growth.

more than evident that piece-

prises. More telling is the fact

1992 when he formed Peter

meal measures are unequal to

that about 60% of respondents

Osalor & Co and which has

Obasanjo’s policies centred

meeting the challenges that

claimed that current policies,

since grown to a very large

on accelerated development

Nigeria has set itself up to.

despite the government’s focus

client base with a turnover of

on enterprise development, do

millions. He is currently a fellow

The primary focus of

through entrepreneurial

The following are the most

education (which he made

important obstacles facing

not make it easy to start a busi-

of the Association of Chartered

mandatory for college students

rapid entrepreneurial develop-

ness in Nigeria.

Certified Accountants (ACCA)

of all disciplines) and the crea-

ment:

tion of conditions favourable

o Absence of a pro-active

Some Additional Factors to Consider Forbes Magazine recently

and the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Nigeria (ICAN). Peter is also a member of the

to a new business regime built

regulatory environment

on innovation and adaptabil-

that encourages innovative

sat down with Lagos Busi-

Chartered Tax Advisors and the

ity. The federal government

enterprise development at the

ness School’s Peter Bamkole

Chartered Institute of Taxation

has since initiated succes-

grassroots level.

to discuss the current obsta-

in Nigeria (CITN).

sive programmes aimed at

o Significant infrastruc-

cles facing aspiring Nigerian

He is a business mentor for

promoting enterprises through

tural deficits (especially with

entrepreneurs. The interview

Princess Trust in the UK. He is

widespread use of technology

regards to roads and electric-

outlines three major problems:

a member of the Inter Govern-

and socially relevant business

ity) and systemic irregularities

* Constrained access to

mental Committee of ICAN and

models. The extent of success

inimical to small businesses.

local and international markets

also a member of BCBC, which

that stunt entrepreneurial

represents Black Church Mem-

expansion and proliferation.

bership of Christians whose

of these and other measures,

o The presence of admin-

however, is still a matter of

istrative and trade barriers

debate.

that curtail capacity building

* Severe infrastructure

and inhibit access to technical

deficits (mainly of power and

the Christian businesses are not

support.

electricity) that hamstring both

left out in the business opportunities arising from the 2012

According to the 2007 Gallup poll, 69% of respondents planning new businesses

o Absence of regulatory

new and existing businesses.

had no intention of registering

mechanisms for effective over-

* Inadequate access to

their operations, indicating

sight of enterprise develop-

finance and the absence of a

they would still prefer to be

ment initiatives, especially

credit policy that addresses the

part of the informal economy.

those in the MSME space.

specific needs of enterprises.

In light of Nigeria’s long-term

o Poor access to vocational

The road to Nigeria’s emer-

goals, this is certainly bad

and skills-development train-

gence as an economic super-

news.

ing for rural and urban youths

power is muddy and treacher-

involved in the informal

ous. More than just optimism,

economy.

it calls for clever economic

Obstacles to Enterprise Development Disinterest in the formal

o Rampant political and

maneuvering that will help

economy reflects the status

bureaucratic corruption,

turn the country’s fortunes

of Nigeria’s policies and tax

together with the absence of

around for good.

regime, which have long been

social consensus on important

deemed detrimental to the

macroeconomic policy issues.

growth of viable enterprises.

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More than 73% of Nige-

responsibility is to ensure that

Olympic Games In London.

MANAGEMENT

The Friend within Femi Oladele

n most organisations, once you leave to work for another organisation you automatically become a pariah. Some people in your former organisation would not want to have anything to do with you again. In fact, I’ve heard people talk about aggressive behaviour from some former employers especially when the ex-staff needs to get something from the former organisation. There are also organisations where it is almost impossible to go back once you leave. The impression the ex-staff gets is that of being an enemy because of the decision to move to another organisation. I do not see any reason why an ex-staff should be treated in a shabby manner when the staff ’s exit was not based on fraudulent practices or anything negative. On the other hand, there are some organisations that will take a good ex-staff back with open arms if for some reason he/she decides to go back. Why have disgruntled staff when you can have allies? I do not have the statistics but in conversations with people, I have found out that most people too would not want to go back to an organisation they left. It’s so because most times, people leave their jobs for particular reasons. For some it’s the boredom and monotony, it can be for more financial rewards or a disagreement with the boss etc. Whatever it is, something or someone makes you leave an organisation for another one. There is a very positive advantage for the organisation to still have a link with good or valuable ex-staff. Notice my use of ‘valuable’. Of course you don’t want to be involved with someone who left under a cloud or is perceived as fraudulent. These kinds of people can still be useful to the former organisation in that they might

render help if the link is strong or nurtured. For example, Mckinsey & Company, an international consulting firm has an alumni network. Let’s look at a scenario. Imagine if your ex-staff leaves from a consulting firm to head an organisation or be in a senior management position. If the link is still strong between the ex-staff and the former organisation, the former organisation might be able to get some business or referrals based on the rapport established. Let’s look at another scenario which is more personal. Maybe someone from your organisation has moved to be Head, Human Resources of another organisation. We all know someone or people looking for jobs. In this case, your good rapport comes in handy as you can send people to the ex-staff for employment if they meet the desired recruitment criteria. If you look at it critically, what you get is a network of network. Envision the number of staff that have passed through your organisation and the number of networks that would have been if harnessed. Organisations should not let bitterness cloud its judgment or the potential that is so plain to see. Employers need to understand that there will always be turnover of employees. It cannot be stopped totally. Even when staff are ‘bonded’ when sent on training, they still find a way to move to another organisation. Some staff would sue the company; others will abscond while some will wait out the period of the band and still move on. No matter how conducive the work environment is employees will always find a reason to leave for something perceived to be better. Do not get me wrong. The staff ’s loyalty is to the current organisation. It is about being able to facilitate or provide help as far

as it’s not detrimental of the staff ’s current organisation. I am not subtly talking of having spies in other organisations. That would be a misinterpretation of what I have written. Therefore, if there is little or nothing we can do to keep staff in the organisation till retirement, why not look at the better option of having ex-staff as a network of friends/influencers? In the article, ‘lose a battle. Win the war. For talent’ Ian Williamson (MBS Professor of Management gave an example where ex staff alumni worked well: “…a technology consulting firm based in Germany wanted to expand internationally and was able to obtain references for work in Indonesia, Egypt and Brazil from just one former employee.” I do not have analysis on what the return on investment is but it surely does not have to cost money to implement. Neither does it have to be formal. If it is part of an organisational culture, the people will ingrain it. If you have been on interview panels or involved in recruitment process, you’ll know that people are usually positively inclined to candidates who went to the same school, university etc with some exceptions though. Actually, there are some secondary schools with such networks where ex students in important positions actively help anyone who has been to the same school. Furthermore, the organisation enjoys good relationship amongst staff and the organisation will be seen as an employer of choice. It’s a win-win situation all the way. You can follow me on twitter @foladele To read more of my articles, log on to allinadaysjob. wordpress.com

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Barriers to

High

Performance

n this article we will review few of the major findings of a study of executive in action in six representative companies:

 The gap that often exists between what executives say and how they behave helps create barriers to openness and trust, to the effective search for alternatives, to innovation, and to flexibility in the organization.  The barriers cannot be broken down simply by intellectual exercises. Rather, executives need feedback concerning their behaviour and opportunities to develop self-awareness in action. To this end, certain kinds of questioning are valuable; playing back and analyzing tape recordings of meetings has proved to be a helpful step; and laboratory education programs are valuable. The findings have vital implications for management groups everywhere; for while some organizations are less subject to the weaknesses described than are others; all groups have them in some degree. In this article, based on the insights of Chris Argyris, we discuss the findings in

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brief and examine the implications for executives up and down the line. Nerly 95% of the executives in our study emphasize that an organization is only as good as its top people. They constantly repeat the importance of their responsibility to help themselves and others to develop their abilities. Almost as often they report that the qualities just mentioned - motivation, risk taking, and so on - are key characteristics of any successful executive system. “People problems” head the list as the most difficult, perplexing, and crucial. In short, the executives vote overwhelmingly for executive systems where the contributions of each executive can be maximized and where innovation, risk taking, flexibility, and trust reign supreme. Nevertheless, the behaviour of these same executives tends to create decision-making processes that are not very effective. Their behaviour can be fitted into two basic patterns: Pattern A - thoughtful, rational, and mildly competitive. This is the behaviour most frequently observed during the decision-making meetings. Executives following this pattern own up to their ideas in a style that emphasizes a serious concern for ideas. As they constantly battle for scarce resources and “sell” their views, their openness to oth-

ers’ ideas is relatively high, not because of a sincere interest in learning about the point of view of others, but so they can engage, in a form of “one¬upmanship” - that is, gain information about the others’ points of view in order to politely discredit them. Pattern B - competitive first, thoughtful and rational second. In this pattern, conformity to ideas replaces concern for ideas as the strongest norm. Also, antagonism to ideas is higher – in many cases higher than openness to ideas. The relatively high antagonism scores usually indicate, in addition to high competitiveness, a high degree of conflict and pent-up feelings. The more I observe such problems in differ¬ent organizations possessing different technologies and varying greatly in size, the more I become impressed with the importance of the role played by the values or assumptions top people hold on the nature of effective human relationships and the best ways to run an organization. The impact of these values can be considerable. For example, to the extent that individuals dedicate themselves to the value of intellectual rationality and “getting the job done,” they will tend to be aware of and

emphasize the intellectual aspects of issues in an organization and (consciously or unconsciously) to suppress the interpersonal and emotional aspects, especially those which do not seem relevant to achieving the task. As the interpersonal and emotional aspects of behaviour become suppressed, organizational norms that coerce individuals to hide their feelings or to disguise them and bring them up as technical, intellectual problems will tend to arise. Under these conditions the individual may tend to find it very difficult to develop competence in dealing with feelings and interpersonal relationships. Also, in a world where the expression of feelings is not valued, individuals may build personal and organizational defences to help them suppress their own feelings or inhibit others in such expression. Or they may refuse to consider ideas which, if explored, could expose suppressed feelings. Such a defensive reaction in an organization could eventually inhibit creativity and innovation during decision making. The participants might learn to limit themselves to those ideas and values that were not threatening. They might also decrease their openness to new ideas and values. And as the degree of openness decreased, the capacity to experiment would also decrease, and fear of taking risks would increase. This would reduce the probability of experimentation, thus decreasing openness to new ideas still further and constricting risk taking even more than formerly. We would thereby have a closed circuit which could become an important cause of loss of vitality in an organization. Another result found in all organizations studied is the tendency for executives to be unaware of the negative feelings that their subordinates have about them. This finding is not startling in view of the fact that the executive problem-solving processes do not tend to reward the upward communication of information about interpersonal issues that is emotionally laden and risky to communicate. To illustrate: In one organization, all but one of the top executive committee members reported that their relationships with their subordinates were “relatively good to excellent.” When asked how they judged their relationships, most of the executives responded with such statements as: “They do everything that I ask

for willingly,” and “We talk together frequently and openly.” The picture from the middle management men who were the immediate subordinates was different. Apparently, top management was unaware that: - 71 % of the middle managers did not know where they stood with their superiors; they considered their relationships as ambiguous, and they were not aware of such important facts as how they were being evaluated. - 65% of the middle managers did not know what qualities led to success in their organizations. - 87% felt that conflicts were very seldom coped with; and that when they were, the attempts tended to be inadequate. - 65% thought that the most important unsolved problem of the organization was that the top management was unable to help them overcome the inter-group rivalries, lack of coopera¬tion, and poor communications; 53% said that if they could alter one aspect of their superior’s behaviour, it would be to help him see the “dog eat dog” communication problems that existed in middle management. - 59% evaluated top management effectiveness as not too good or about average; and 62 % reported that the development of a cohesive management team was the second most important unsolved problem. - 82 % of the middle managers wished that the status of their function and job could be in-creased but doubted if they could communicate this openly to the top management. Interestingly, in all the cases that I have observed where the president asked for a discussion of any problems that the top and middle management men present thought important, the problems mentioned above were never raised. Rather, the most frequently mentioned problem (74% of the cases) was the overload problem. The executives and managers reported that they were overloaded and that the situation was getting worse. The president’s usual reply was that he appreciated their predicament, but “that is life.” The few times he asked if the men had any suggestions, he received such replies as “more help,” “fewer meetings,” “fewer reports,” “delay of schedules,” and so on. As we will see, few of these suggestions made sense, since the men were asking either for increases in costs or for a decrease in the very controls that the top management used to administer the organiza-

tion. What Can Be Done? What can the executive do to change this situation? I wish that I could answer this question as fully as I should like to. Unfortunately, I can¬not. Nevertheless, there are some suggestions I can make here and you can request for more information on transformational leadership development 6.0 program you may have to write to info@ accelerators-africa.com First, let me state what I believe will not work. Learning about these problems by listening to lectures, reading about them, or exploring them through cases is not adequate; an article or book can pose some issues and get thinking started, but - in this area, at least - it cannot change behaviour. Learning about these problems through a detailed diagnosis of executives’ behaviour is also not enough. The reason I doubt that these approaches will provide anything but temporary cures is that they do not go far enough. If changes are going to be made in the behaviour of an executive, if trust is to be developed, if risk taking is to flourish, he must be placed in a different situation. He should be helped to (a) expose his leadership style so that he and others can take a look at its true impact; (b) deepen his awareness of himself and the dynamics of effective leadership; and (c) strive for these goals under conditions where he is in control of the amount, pace, and depth of learning. These conditions for learning are difficult to achieve. Ideally, they require the help of a professional consultant. Also, it would be impor¬tant to get away from the organization – its interruptions, pressures, and daily administrative tensions.

Dominic Osei- MBA, Chartered MCIPD, Ph.D. dominic.osei@ymail.com

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TOBI ODUNOWO The Article Below is a excerpt from a paper written in partial fulfilment of my MA in Management Learning and Leadership. Steming from the practices of Experiental Learning, Life-long learning and Living Life as Inquiry, the interesting piece (albeit wordy) emphasizes the changing approaches to individual and organizational learning.

Abstract This paper was written with the intent of reflexively learning from a self-stimulated experience of dressing in an Arabian-attire to a West-African workplace. It explores the major learning embedded in the experience for the writer, and examined the social issues echoed from the reaction of his colleagues. Key Words: Reflexivity, Learning, Labeling, Stereotypes, Post-Colonialism, Religion My Arabic-dressing Experience When I decided to wear a traditional Arabic attire to work, my intention was largely to portray myself as an international, widely-traveled, open-minded and exposed young-man. Some weeks before my Arabiandressing experience, I was hitching to wear a “rare”, non-routine work-outfit to the office. Weary of the traditional English official wear (suited up in shirt, tie, a pair

of pants and a jacket) and the Friday dressdown sports wears or Westernised African traditional outfit, I decided to dress to work in a complete traditional attire of my tribe (the Yoruba tribe) two-weeks before my Arabian-dressing experience. This Yoruba traditional attire is widely associated with politicians and as such, I attracted a relatively high level of attention and comments from colleagues which I did enjoy and even craved for more. As I will later discover, those were much more positive comments than some of those that ensued in reaction to my Arabian appearance. Prior to the Friday that saw me dress in the Arabian outfit, I reflected on my expectations of people’s reaction when they see me in the “strange” outfit. In actual terms, I did anticipate that some observers will equate the attire to me being a Muslim

and was determined to educate them on the fact that it is rather traditional than religious—however, this awareness instilled in me some expanse of perturbation, a fear of what such perceptions could lead to realizing that the topic of religious affiliation is quite sensitive in my environment. In contrast, I expected great comments like “nice outfit” or “Nice! Where did you get that from?”— which ultimately will help achieve my aim of generating some level of attention from colleagues and depicting me as an exposed, widely-traveled, international young-man. In retrospect, the only instance when I ever saw a Nigerian (who had) dressed in an Arabic-attire, was during my undergraduate days (pre-9/11). He had recently returned from the holy pilgrimage in Mecca. I could remember the level of attention he drew; and how admirable his outfit was to everyone that saw him.

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The first reaction I observed happened right after I left my apartment and walked towards the car-park. A group of young kids dressed for school were walking towards me, and on sighting me, changed the course of the direction they were headed. I felt embarrassed but quickly concluded that they probably have never seen someone dressed in thekeffiyeh (Arabian headgear) besides televised pictures and that probably scared them a first-sight. Driving to work, I noticed that drivers and occupants of cars that drove by took extra caution to take a second look at me—an incidence that created the minicelebrityfeeling in me.

being Muslim she should have displayed more tolerance and familiarity with my strange attire. However, I began to wonder if the Arabian attire echoed terrorism rather than religion to her.

On arrival at work, walking through the corridor to my office, I got several greetings of “As-Salāmu Alaykum” –-an Arabic greeting that translates to “Peace be upon you” and customarily spoken by Muslims when they meet people of the same faith. Others called me “Alhaji”—an honorific title given to a Muslim who has completed the Hajj (pilgrimage) to Mecca. My determination soured as I thought on ways to achieve the up-hill task of re-orientating my colleagues to make them realize my outfit is traditional and not religious. I was in doubt, however, of how much impact my affirmations could make in a bid to influence their existing perceptions—it became more glaring to me that there is a stereotype associated with my outfit and in relation to the Islam religion. This in itself became a learning opportunity for me recognizing that achieving success in convincing at least one person will indorse my self-stimulated experiences learning approach as a way of helping others to learn or accept a particular fact.

Another highpoint of my “single-daydressing-experience” developed from a conversation an older colleague (in his 50s) initiated which attracted a good number of colleagues in no time; as it developed into a heated debate. The older colleague had questioned my decision to dress like a Muslim when I am not one. I attempted to re-orientate him and insisted that the attire is not a religious wear but one of the numerous traditional wears that exists in the world. He persistently opposed my opinion as he started to outline the dangers I was being exposed to by dressing this way. He inferred that colleagues’ impression about me will change as I will be labeled a potentialterrorist or could even be attacked by Muslim fanatics if they find-out I am of a different religion. I was dumbfounded! This was a grave impression of my appearance—considering the very serious implications associated with it. A number of other colleagues joined in the debate. Most of them shared the opinion of the older colleague. They emphasized that my dressing could have been okay without the keffiyeh (Arabian headgear). As I struggled to convince them otherwise, I realized I had become frightened by the threat that I could be a possible target for religious attack. Being in a country (and a city) that is quite susceptible to religious violence between Muslims and Christians, my colleagues’ assertions on the implications of my Arabian traditional attire got me panicky and a few hours after, I lost the courage to keep the keffiyeh on my head.

A few people did make pleasant comments about my outfit in a way that helped realize my desire to be perceived as an exposed, widely-traveled individual. However, there were contrasting reactions. One of these was from a Muslim female colleague who surprised reaction to the sight of my dressing and subsequent remarks insinuated I might be intending to join a terrorist organization; relating my action to following the path of the Nigerian Christmas-day-bomber who attempted to detonate an explosive in a US-bound aircraft on Christmas day of 2009. I found this Muslim female colleague’s reaction astounding, considering the fact

Defying my perturbed situation while the debate was on, I raised my voice to make reference to other forms of stereotypes especially “the discrimination we Nigerians face being notorious for internet scamming and other vices”. I pointed out to the audience that having a few Nigerians as scammers does not make all Nigerians scammers invariably affirming that being dressed in an Arabian traditional attire does not make an individual a terrorist suspect even if a number of Arabians have been linked to terrorism following the 9/11 incidence and subsequent terrorist acts in and from the Middle-East.

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Sadly, there was no certainty that I was able to pass across my message proclaiming— “this dressing has nothing to do with religion, it is just a traditional wear”! Albeit, I had gained a first-hand experience similar to the stereotyped population—it was an experience that probably brought me close to the feelings of thousands of Arabians who, because of their appearance and traditional attires, are subjects of suspicions when they visit other parts of the world. As the day came to a close, I realized my “single-day-dressing-experience” comprised numerous incidences that had substantive richness for reflexive learning. The Decision: Reasons and Purpose At the point where I decided to dress to my workplace wearing outfit that is “stereotyped”, my intentions were not entirely clear. I had a craving to dress in an unusual manner in a bid to attract attention and I also sought to show-off my exposedness across the global terrain. As I thought through possible scenarios that could play-out, there was an awareness of likely reactions from observers that could depict traces of biased assumptions of my intents. Conscious of the commencement of a journey that depicts an experimentation of a learning approach, I lacked clarity on the learning awaiting me. However, I was determined pick-up each learning point by disengaging the “me” from the situation and analyzing it in a rational and objective manner (Cunliffe and Easterby-Smith, 2004). Reflecting on my action and considering the weirdness of a resolution to create experience for the sake of reflexive learning, I see the need to question my source of guts. Did it have anything to do with my personality, a new approach to living life or is it normal for humans to wish to learn from daily-lived experience? Archer (2007), in explaining the rapid change of late-modernity, stated that continuous reassessment of experience and information imbedded in our experience has become central to living, describing it as an essential means by which people make their way through the world. Thus, she defines reflexivity as ‘the regular exercise of the mental ability, shared by all normal people, to consider themselves in relation to their (social) context and vice versa’ (Archer, 2007: 4).

In her submission, all normal people are assumed to regularly exercise their mental ability in relation to social context. It is however unclear what Archer meant by the term normal people. The research was conducted drawing on an initial sample of 174 respondents and a final 128 subjects, each of whom was chosen to reflect differences in age, gender, and occupation (Cicourel, 2010).

actions and their involvement in a specific context. Drawing from the Model of Workbased Learning at Individual Level initiated by Raelin (1997) in which four learning types were outlined resulting from a matrix of the two learning modes and knowledge forms, I can identify my transition from one level of knowledge to another before and after my “dressing experience”. The four learning types identified by Raelin (1997) [through learning modes of theory and

But was it or has it been always normal for me as an individual to initiate an experience in a bid to reflexively learn from it? I am naturally analytical. Yes! But in retrospect, I realised that I would not have taken such an action (decision to dress in Arabic-attire), for the sole purpose of reflecting on the eventual experience, a couple years back. Although, the reasons for my awareness of the valueaddition in reflexive learning is imprecise, my participation in the MAMLL Programme has certainly enhanced my willingness to be open-minded in exploring various views and perspectives of particular issues and critically evaluating situations as a basis for instituting change (Cunliffe and EasterbySmith, 2004). Built on a model of Action Learning, the MAMLL Programme is pedagogically based on learning communities. Expressing the effect of being on the MAMLL Programme, a past MAMLL student stated that: “It is difficult on MAMLL not to develop some form of critical thinking as tutors and peers constantly ask questions of statements we make and assumptions such statements may be based on, and challenge us to look at things from a different perspective. This happens in all forums of the programme, be it online around our papers, by phone or face to face in workshops. I think that this is perhaps most evident in our questioning of our own ontologies and/trying to understand why we see the world the way we do”. (Ormand, 2007) Furthermore, my quest for tacit knowledge could have helped suppress my perturbations and gave me the guts I needed to go ahead and dress in an unusual outfit. In explaining the forms of knowledge, Raelin (1997) stated that explicit knowledge are forms of knowing that could be transmitted in formal systemic language while tacit knowledge are forms of knowing that cannot be reported because they are deeply embedded in individuals’

practice and knowledge forms of explicit and tacit knowledge] are: Conceptualisation, Experimentation, Reflection and Experience. Although this model may not apply to my reflections in its entirety, my experience probably portrays a transition between Conceptualisation and Experience. Conceptualisation involves the learner going through theoretical forms of learning to gain explicit knowledge. When new principles are introduced to learners, it is conceptualised

thereby giving them an ability to solve work challenges in new and different contexts. When learners conceptualise they are better positioned to reflect on their actions based on newly gained theoretical learning. Experience breeds learning—when learners pass through a particular experience and then, upon reflecting upon that experience, they extrapolate learning from it. Experience, therefore, refers to how people learn in practice to gain tacit knowledge (Raelin, 1997). My prior theoretical knowledge on topics related to diversity and inclusion has made me an “advocate” of equity and equality in diverse societies promoting zero tolerance for any form of discrimination. I have, for a long time, held a firm belief in promoting inclusion of disadvantaged groups whether it is as a result of cultural, racial, gender, sexual orientation or other forms of differences. I was to later realize that I could not have anticipated the richness of my experience as some of the numerous reactions of the people around me (most especially colleagues) were stunning and even frightening; and how much more practicality I would add to my conceptual knowledge on diversity and inclusion. The reactions to my Arabic appearance could be said to span two extremes. One extreme was the remark relating my action to terrorism and inferring my choice of dressing as “religious extremes”. The other [delighting] reaction was a tolerant reception from another colleague who showed delight in my attire and offered to take pictures with me—though raised as a Muslim, he had grown up in Europe and gone around the world, raising questions of how much influence his “global exposure” had on his perception of my dressing in contrast to the perception of the other colleagues who have not had as much global exposure. An interesting outlook emerged from my thoughts, pondering on the role of post-colonialism in the tacit knowledge embedded our minds as West-Africans about the Arab world. I will attempt to explore this further later on in this paper. Overall, this single-day experience brought me to a greater realisation and knowledge of discrimination based on culture and generalisations, and fulfilled my aspiration and purpose for initiating a unique experience to learn from.

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CV Writing & Interview Techniques... what no one else has ever told you!

s a recruiter, the greatest undoing to an applicant is the quality of the CV and poor presentation skills at Job Interviews.

CV Writing & Interview Techniques covers all the basic essential required to produce an effective CV. For most applicants, the interview process is the dreaded stage in the job search stage. It is that final hurdle between the applicant and the position applied for.

It’s ok to say “I don’t understand the question”. Human nature is such that the interviewer would rephrase the question for you to understand. Candidates who try to come up with an answer are sending a wrong signal you are saying in work situation, if you are unsure, you wouldn’t seek help! Interviewers know the difference between attempting to answer a question and trying to come up with an answer Interview Tips: you don’t have to know all answer to questions asked!

The Interview Techniques mentioned in this book are not only effective, they are also revealing, especially as author takes us into the mind of the Interviewer.

Interview Tips include;

You leave a good impression when you refer to names of panellist. Many candidates DONT! In all, this is an essential material, a must have for the serious job seeker.

Available at www.sholaajani.com HC MAGAZINE

inds of popular unrest and political change whipping through the Middle East have subjected HR managers supervising operations there to stress, challenges and sometimes danger. But the rapid change is also presenting new opportunities and hope for a better future, HR managers and consultants say. HR professionals face the immediate tasks of providing safety, security and support to employees while ensuring, to the extent possible, continuity of operations. But longer-term issues are presenting themselves, such as whether a Middle East employment market driven to date in large part by personal and group allegiances and freewheeling practices will shift to a more transparent system grounded in the rule of law. Also at issue is whether multinational corporations will be called upon to play a larger role in addressing the unemployment and underemployment problems that are endemic in the region. HR managers and consultants say there is an important role for HR professionals in addressing such issues. Cairo and Kuwait City-based Americana Group is one of the largest restaurant and food production chains in the Middle East and North Africa region, with activities spanning 14 countries and a staff of more than 45,000 employees from 21 nationalities. Mohamed Farouk Hafeez, Americana’s executive vice president for HR and training, says of the recent unrest: “We have witnessed worse.” Hafeez, who is based in Cairo, relates stories of the company’s mass evacuation of employees following Saddam Hussein’s 1990

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Unrest Adds Stress, Opportunities for HR Managers in Middle East, Africa David Tobenkin

invasion of Kuwait and how the company won plaudits for being among the first corporations to return employees to Kuwait after it was liberated by a multinational force. Keys to Rapid Response In the current unrest, the company’s greatest exposure has been in Egypt. No employee has been killed or injured thus far there or elsewhere, Hafeez says. Property damage is another matter, with about 10 percent of the company’s 300 locations in Egypt suffering varying degrees of damage, from grime to complete gutting. While most operations in

Cairo closed for a week, Hafeez says, about 95 percent of the company’s stores have reopened. The key to Americana’s ability to reopen stores rapidly, Hafeez says, has been demonstrating good communications and a commitment to employees, as well as empowering local managers to react based upon their assessments. “We anticipated the first day of the protests in Cairo, Jan. 28, and gave instructions to close our stores down and for employees, if the stores were attacked, to just leave the stores and not try to fight back. We established a communications network that kept us informed about what happened at each and every store. We made arrangements for employees to be able to cash an additional month’s salary in advance, which was important given banks were closed for 10 days and many ATMs were destroyed.” Americana’s commitment to standing by its employees has paid dividends, Hafeez says. “In the Middle East, emotions carry a big weight. If I have good relations with you and can count on you, I will stand by you. When rubber meets the road, I can expect you to be behind me. It’s an emotional bank account; if you have deposited enough over the years, your employees will do a lot for you.” It has been a time of anxiety for many HR managers in the region. “We have a sales manager in Egypt who is our only person in

Egypt, and he’s Egyptian,” says Gina Balagon, manager of human resources for Dubai-based Wasco Gas Services International Ltd., a division of Wasco Energy Co. “He’s a one-man show there, and we were a little bit worried about him. During the time of chaos in Egypt, we thought it would be safer for him to fly to Dubai, but he said he was more comfortable staying with family there. We told him to take precautions.” With the toppling of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and a newly appointed caretaker leadership that has promised to organize elections, many non-local multinationals are wagering that the worst has passed and are resuming operations. “In Egypt, we had … some 100 employees who were withdrawn,” says Siemens AG spokesman Michael Frederich. “The situation has stabilized there. Due to that fact, some employees have already returned to Egypt, though we are still carefully monitoring the situation.” Out of Harm’s Way In Libya, where armed conflict continued in March 2011 between an entrenched authoritarian regime and rebels, the HR function has been tasked with supporting efforts to remove non-local and non-essential personnel from harm’s way. Oil and infrastructure companies have largely withdrawn their expatriate workforces from Libya. “We had a total staff of around 140 in the country, around 40 expatriates and 100 Libyan national staff, mostly based in Tripoli,” says BP spokesman David Nicholas. “Following the outbreak of unrest, we suspended our seismic surveying operations and also the preparations we were making to drill our first well down in the western desert. “We evacuated our expatriate staff and their dependents out of Libya. We chartered airplanes for the evacuation and completed this on Feb. 23. We also ensured we were in contact with all our Libyan staff, and we are doing what we can to support them and ensure the safety of them and their families.” “The extraction companies are very good at these crises,” says Lisbeth Claus, Ph.D., SPHR, GPHR, a professor of global HR at Salem, Ore.-based Willamette University. “They have thousands of employees in Libya or AlContinues on Page 32

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geria, and they have very good risk management plans. They operate in volatile countries, and they are used to risk assessment because they are already in a risky business.” Countries where authoritarian leaders have been deposed, such as Iraq, have generally faced less turmoil, says Marion D. Wine, SPHR, GPHR, head of HR in Iraq for the Research Triangle Institute, a nongovernmental organization with 26 expatriate and 700 Iraqi employees that is the prime contractor for a program advising the government of Iraq on governance issues. Wine, ensconced in a Baghdad compound located in a former zoo and garage area, says protests against the government of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki crested on Feb. 25, 2011: “It was an Iraqi day of rage, but it wasn’t a riot. We were locked down in the compound, the embassy was shut down, and our two forward operating bases were operating on a heightened security profile. It didn’t escalate to the point of the other countries, and the marches have really fizzled after that.” Coordinating Efforts The precise role of HR in reacting to the unrest varies. To be effective, HR must coordinate efforts closely with other functions at organizations, including top management, risk management and the company’s security apparatus. Says Claus: “Security is not under HR but under operations. Dealing with the immediate crisis will usually be in the hands of risk management, security and vendors. PR and communications will be spinning a story, as the company’s reputation is on the line.” Still, Claus notes, HR does play a key role in tending to the needs of individual employees and their families. The needs and challenges of multinationals’ local employees in crisis regions are difficult to overstate. For many, like Hazem Ibrahim Labib, head of the marketing department for Americana’s Senyorita Group for Food Industries, the past few weeks have been an emotion-drenched blur. “From Jan. 28 through Feb. 4, I was home doing security shifts with other compound residents, as there was nothing on my mind but the safety of my family. Starting the second week of demonstrations, I went to work for three to four hours maximum and then left to go to

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Tahrir Square [the epicenter of the Egyptian protests] nearly every day. “I participated in the protests and know a couple other [employees] did. I can’t blame anyone, since none of us really had the brainpower to concentrate and disregard what was going on around us. We had to be part of the engine of change.” Issues Re-Examined The political upheaval is leading to fundamental re-examination of regional HR and workforce issues that have long been a source of frustration, many HR managers and consultants said. Most of the countries in the region have high levels of unemployment, particularly among the young. Even in wealthy Middle East countries, endemic human resource challenges persist, says Khalid Al-Yahya, Ph.D., a professor and director

“

Continues from Page 29

We have a very primitive HR and lots of illegal practices. I have a friend who was the HR manager … and was laid off a week ago because he refused to engage in an unethical practice

“

of the governance and public management research program at the Dubai School of Government and a steering committee member of the International Human Resources Conference and Exhibition. In the Gulf States, burgeoning populations, the large use of expatriate workforces, local resistance to many types of work and poor employment practices make for a combustible mix, he says. “The role of the multinational is being challenged now,” Al-Yahya says. “If you don’t hire the local population, especially the educated ones, you are really in conflict with government policies and people’s aspirations to reap the benefits from open trade, liberal labor markets, direct foreign investments and greater integration in global economy.”

For some HR practitioners in the Middle East, democratic reform offers the hope that questionable HR practices will be swept away from the region along with unresponsive autocracies. Nancy Kaysarly, PHR, is an HR consultant at Cairo-based Professional Integrated, a former HR professional at several large Egyptian organizations, and leader of the Society for Human Resource Management Cairo Forum, which Kaysarly founded in 2009 and which has about 150 members. Kaysarly says Egyptian HR professionals have been limited by their circumstances: “HR, while evolving over the past 20 years in Egypt, is not as advanced as the U.S. market. People like to attend conferences, but important HR principles are not really implemented because it is hard to do that in day-to-day life. “We have a very primitive HR and lots of illegal practices. I have a friend who was the HR manager … and was laid off a week ago because he refused to engage in an unethical practice. … This is always the case; the HR manager has to take the side of the business owner, even if it is wrong. “Hopefully, after the revolution, such things will change. I studied for my PHR six or seven years ago, and it was always my dream to see good values implemented in our day-to-day HR lives,” says Kaysarly. Several changes are needed in the HR realm, she says: “Most important is the legal side, which is the foundation and which includes professional ethics. We need to tie that to religious values because deep down we are a religious society, whether Muslim or Christian. … We need to stress the idea of ownership and being a stakeholder.” Kaysarly says the Cairo Forum has created a government affairs committee and is developing a training session regarding the role of democracy and civil society and the role that HR can play in ensuring the same. The training sessions will be sponsored by the Cairo Forum, the Egyptian Human Resource Management Association and the American Chamber of Commerce’s HR Committee. “HR is based upon human rights and civil rights, and without them you cannot have a true HR system,” she says. David Tobenkin is a freelance writer based in the Washington, D.C., region.

C O R P O R AT E P R O F I L E - F I TC

Press Release

FITC wins an International Award for Service Quality

ITC has won its first international award for service quality, as it is scheduled to receive the IAE (International Arch of Europe) award in the Gold Category, based on client recommendations and due diligence. This recognition is based on the criteria of the QC100 Total Quality Management Model, implemented in over 100 countries, and was sponsored by ImarPress with 26 publications. Companies from 72 countries gathered to receive the International Arch of Europe Award this year. During the award ceremony, business leaders presented their companies to an international audience and participated in conferences regarding quality case studies in companies in search of quality and excellence. According to Business Initiative Directions (BID), the organisers of the award, companies selected for the award are leaders in their areas, their countries or large corporations which demonstrate excellence within each designated sector, increased market share, improved results, as well as sustainability. The IAE award of BID is presented in recognition of those companies or organisations in different countries throughout the world that further their reputation and position by implementing and promoting quality culture. The award recognises and encourages the contribution of companies to quality, continuous improvement and customer satisfaction as well as improving relations with employees, suppliers and all those associated with the company. FITC was established in 1981 as a special purpose not for profit professional services organisation to provide professional services support in training, consulting and research to the Financial Services Sector and related sectors of the Nigerian economy. It is owned by the Nigerian Bankers’ Committee. FITC’s mandate has over the years, positioned it as a reference professional services organization in matters relating to the Acquisition, Man-

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agement and Development of the human capital to the operators and regulators in the Nigerian Financial System, primarily. It operates from Abuja and Lagos through three strategic service lines namely FITC Training, FITC Consulting and FITC Research. In terms of geographical coverage of its services, FITC has within the 30 years of its existence, increasingly become a regional player, offering its core services to both regulators and operators within the West African sub region and growing into the larger Sub-Saharan Region within the next few years. It has over the years, also nurtured viable alliances and partnerships delivering best in class services to its stakeholders, in line with global standards, yet contextualised to the local environment. Given that FITC’s mission reads; “To provide best in class service quality and value to our stakeholders”, this award confirms that FITC’s quality service is recognised by its various domestic and international clients.

L – R : Mr Craig Miller (President of QC100), Dr (Mrs) Lucy Newman(MD/ CEO, FITC), Mr Jose E. PRIETO (President and CEO of B.I.D), Mr Norman Ingle (Director of the Quality Mix)

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Being a 30 year old special purpose professional services organisation comes with many advantages; we have lived through various seasons of the operating environment, while making our own internal adjustments and supporting our stakeholders navigate their own paths. At FITC, your success fulfils our mandate. As such, we will support you in identifying the challenges that can potentially constrain your performance. We will also partner with you to undertake systematic diagnosis of your organisation and markets, as a basis for addressing these challenges. Traditionally, we approach issues holistically through our three service units...

FITC Training

FITC Consulting

FITC Research

Overall, we partner to enhance your capacity to succeed through all seasons and organizational life cycles stages.

30 1981-2011

th FITC House 164/166 Murtala Muhammed Way Ebute-Metta, Lagos, Nigeria. Tel: (234) 01 545 2908-9 545 1152, 812 9474 Fax: 01 5878234 Email: mandev@fitc-ng.com FITC Liaison Office Ahmadu Coomassie House, Plot 777, Mohammed Buhari Way Central Business Area, Abuja Tel: 09-6700570

FITC Wins Great Place To Work (GPTW) Award!!

ITC has emerged the 7th best place to work in Nigeria, from a pool of over 250 participating organizations in the Great Place To Work rankings in the 2011/12 survey. The Great Place To Work inaugural award was held on the 19th of April 2012 in Lagos, Nigeria. Ratings on the various parameters in the GPTW survey were benchmarked against the Fortune 100 cluster’s 2011 average. FITC stood out as the only nonprofit organization on the list of top 10, which drew the attention of the GPTW Institute as a unique phenomenon. The Great Place to Work Institute is a global research, consulting and training organization that identifies and creates assessment tools for workplaces. According to the MD/CEO of GPTW Nigeria Institute, Mr Kunle Malomo, “the assessment was on company’s credibility, fairness, pride and respect for its employees”. The assessment is done centrally for all the 47 countries where this initiative is located. According to the MD/CEO of FITC, Dr (Mrs) Lucy Newman, “though we are not exactly on top of the list where we would like to be, it has been a rewarding journey so far. We look to the future

with even greater hope in pursuit of the FITC mandate of providing best in class services as a united and high performing team”. Dr (Mrs) Newman further stated that “Given that training, consulting and research are our service lines, we know that our best marketing tool to clients and prospects, is the story of our own corporate journey on the path of sustained systemic performance improvement. As such, these developments are deeply cherished by all across FITC, especially our client-facing fulltime colleagues who are excited to have FITC as a case study to exhibit” Many FITC’s internal and external stakeholder believe that the fact that FITC emerged amongst the 20 organizations that emerged winners as listed, which have entered a global database

where they can be benchmarked against other companies in 46 countries globally as the selected companies that have created a trust-based relationship with their employees to achieve success is a huge compliment to FITC. In the words of Dr (Mrs) Newman, “FITC can only dare to aspire for excellence, because of the wonderful people we have the privilege of working with which include our leaders on the FITC Board through the years, full time and associate colleagues at FITC, as well as Partner Institution teams based on unique collaboration arrangements. With sustained engagement based on mutual trust and commitment to agreed and professionally executed strategic direction, the Sky can only be the limit for us at FITC”.

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B o ok R eview

r. Norman’s book ‘Employee Performance Management Practices within banks in

tion and minor concerns. In terms of relationship between EPM and learning and development,

Nigeria’ represents essential reading for

even then 60% of the study par-

all professionals. It is a highly intellectual

ticipants indicated linkage between

book which adds significantly to the body

EPM and learning and develop-

of knowledge.

ment. The concern raised was more

The book is an extension of the find-

of how effective the linkages were.

ings of an earlier work ‘Newman 2008’. This objective of the earlier study was

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE

to determine if EPM had any effect on

BOOK

employee learning and development with

1. An expansion in the body

Nigerian banking system. Essentially the book starts with

of knowledge about the HR practices within the Nigerian

relevant updates with the global economy

banking industry.

and the Nigerian banking system as well

2. Feedback to Bank HR

as issues relevant to leadership develop-

practitioners in Nigeria

ment.

on effective strategies for

The book extends the findings of the 2008 that used a qualitative method grounded theory methodology to investigate the effects of EPM system on employee’s learning and leadership within the Nigerian banking industry.

enhancing innovation and high performance in the work place. 3. Enhancement of higher degree of consumer for a balanced view to designing employee performance systems. 4. Some degree of influence or policy

The objective was to develop and

and strategy. For EPM in global banks

propose a new theory of EPM leading to

with interest in developing countries,

a deeper understanding of the process of

indignant banks in developing coun-

EPM for competitive advantage for the

tries, intention of learning and the

bank in developing the economy.

interest in designing and consulting

At the time of the study, there were

firms.

25 banks. However certain development impacted on the study such as merg-

Major implication was that no theory

ers, charges and staff movement. At the

emerged as indicated at the beginning

end, only 10 banks fully participated in

of the study. However there were some

the study. The findings of the study were

recommendations for improved EPM

quite interesting as the banks had differ-

practices such as taking a systematic view

ent approach to EPM.

to industries and organisations.

Another interesting outcome of the study is that only employees of the bank were completely pleased with EPM process while other banks indicated satisfac-

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LUCY SURHYEL NEWMAN ELECTED INTERNATIONAL DIRECTOR OF THE GLOBAL ISPI BOARD

he International Society for Performance Improvement (ISPI) has elected Dr (Mrs) Lucy Surhyel Newman, Managing Director/CEO of FITC as its International Director. With this, she becomes the first African to hold the International Director role, on the 9 – Member Board of the professional association based in Maryland, USA since it was founded 50 years ago. She will serve in this capacity for the period 2012-2014 over which she will work with the ISPI Board in championing policies that will impact the growth of ISPI globally, beyond North America. Dr (Mrs) Newman has over 24 years of experience derived from a development finance institution, four banks in Nigeria, the Performance Improvement Practice of PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Nigeria, and FITC where she has been CEO since May 2009. She is also chairman, FSS2020 Human Capital Development Implementation Committee; member, Sub-Committee on Ethics & Professionalism of the Nigerian Bankers’ Committee; and member, Executive Committee, West African Bankers’ Association. Her skills include organizational design, leadership development, corporate governance, alliance structuring, and corporate turnaround. She deploys these skills to gain alignment of strategy, structures, processes, systems, and people to optimize individual and corporate per-

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formance in both the private and public sectors. FITC has under her leadership witnessed a phase of its own transformation, while assisting the implementation of various performance improvement programs for organisations across sectors in Nigeria Dr (Mrs) Newman joined ISPI in 2004; became a Life Member in 2010; became a Certified Performance Technologist (CPT) in 2008 and recertified 2011. Her ISPI volunteer roles include, member, International Task Force and the CPT Global Finance Team, reconnected the Nigerian ISPI team and created the West Africa ISPI plan and Initiated ISPI at PwC Nigeria’s PI Practice and FITC, which led to adoption of ISPI as a professional association for staff in both institutions. She also got FITC admitted as an organizational member of ISPI as its principles compliment the FITC mandate. Founded in 1962, the ISPI is the leading international association dedicated to improving productivity and performance in the workplace. ISPI represents performance improvement professionals throughout the United States, Canada, and 40 other countries, including South Africa and Nigeria. The mission of ISPI is to develop and recognize the proficiency of members and advocate the use of Human Performance Technology. It works towards achieving this mission through organisation of Performance Improve-

ment Conference and other educational events like Principles & Practices, publishing books and periodicals and supporting performance research. The Society was named the National Society for Programmed Instruction at the period it was founded. Later, evolving with members who were concerned fundamentally with performance and its improvement, it changed its name to the National Society for Performance and Instruction. As the Society’s mission developed more globally and human performance technology became more widely regarded as a process of selection, analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation of programs to most cost-effectively influence human behaviour and accomplishment, it then became the International Society for Performance Improvement. Over the past 50 years, the Society has been providing outstanding learning and growth opportunities to members in the Performance Improvement field. The research, tools, and interventions introduced by the society have helped to further the careers of ISPI members and enabled them to excel. Apart from registering members, it also handles and award Performance Technology certification to members, who include Performance technologists, training directors, human resources managers, instructional technologists, human factors practitioners, project managers, and organizational consultants.

Guinness Nigeria has won the award for the “Best Place to Work”

uinness Nigeria has won the award for the “Best Place to Work” for having the most conducive environment for employees in Nigeria, with First bank as second best place to work. Guinness, the makers of Foreign Extra Stout, Malta Guinness, Smirnoff-Ice among other drinks beat over 250 other Nigerian firms to win the award. The yearly award is organised by Great Place To Work Nigeria, an affiliate of Great Place to Work Institute, San Francisco, California, United States. “Great Place to Work” institute is a global research, consulting and training firm that helps organizations identify, create and sustain great workplaces through the development of high-trust workplace cultures. The institute defines great workplaces as companies where employees trust their colleagues, take pride in their work and enjoy the relationship with the people they work with. The high profile awards ceremony took place at the Civic Centre, Lagos and was attended by a host of blue chip companies such as First Bank, Fidelity Bank, Accenture and Access Bank Plc among others. Guinness Nigeria also won the award of “Best Multinational Company in Nigeria”. President of Diageo Africa and Vice Chairman Guinness Nigeria, Nick

Blazquez, congratulated Guinness Nigeria, stating that winning the award reflects the hard work and commitment to creating a great work environment which has a positive impact on employees. “Guinness Nigeria is a great company and we are encouraged to do more for Nigeria”. Corporate Relations Director, Guinness Nigeria, Sesan Sobowale, who accepted the awards on behalf of the Managing Director, Devlin Hainsworth, said: “Guinness Nigeria is proud to receive these awards. “One of our company values is the freedom to succeed; this allows us to trust one another, fosters openness and creates an enabling environment to succeed as a company. “We strive to create mutually fulfilling partnerships between our employees and the company. “This award means we are doing the right thing and stands for the united spirit of Guinness Nigeria”. Managing Director, Great Place to Work in Nigeria, Kunle Malomo, stated that the criteria for the Best Place to Work awards included the Trust Index and Culture Audit. He also said that trust, which can be defined as credibility, fairness and respect, plays an important role in employee engagement. “By raising the level of trust in the work place, companies can improve their

business results as business development and innovation largely depend on trust,” he explained. According to the Chairman, Great Place to Work in Nigeria, Ghandi Olaoye, the top 20 of the over 250 firms surveyed for the Best Place to Work Institute awards are being entered into a global data-base where their performance will be benchmarked against other companies in 46 countries globally. Employees of the participating companies are now part of a global employee pool of over two million people who took part in the Trust Index survey, reputed to be the largest in the world.

10 Best Workplaces in Nigeria According To Great Place To Work® For 2012 1. Guinness Nigeria Plc 2. First Bank of Nigeria Plc 3. Guaranty Trust Assurance Plc 4. Accenture Nigeria 5. Fidelity Bank Plc 6. Lagos Business School 7. FITC 8. Total Nigeria 9. Access Bank Plc 10. Glaxosmithkline Consumer

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Press Release

Birches Group, Emergence Growth, Announce Partnership in Africa

ew York, NY and Johannesburg, South Africa – Birches Group LLC, a leading provider of total compensation surveys in developing markets, and Emergence Growth, a South African human capital consultancy with a pan-African scope, have announced a new marketing partnership effective immediately. Under the agreement, Emergence Growth will provide marketing and promotional support for Birches Group total compensation surveys in 54 African country markets. This arrangement is expected to result in more rapid expansion and growth of the Birches Group surveys in the region. In addition, the two firms will work collaboratively on consulting assignments across Africa. Gary McGillicuddy, Managing Partner of Birches Group said, “This agreement marks a watershed moment for Birches Group, as we continue to expand

our brand more broadly into the African market. By working together with Emergence Growth and their pan-African network, we can now reach more employers and provide the option of local support to our clients as well.” “Emergence Growth has a vision to become the premier pan-African human resources consultancy,” added Yendor Felgate, Chief Executive Officer of Emergence Growth. “We are excited that our cooperative arrangement with Birches Group will enable us to provide access to market data in any African market, something no other firm can do,” he continued. To launch the initiative, the two firms sponsored a mini-conference in Johannesburg on June 30th. McGillicuddy was the keynote speaker at the event, which was attended by over 40 people, and very well-received.

ABOUT BIRCHES GROUP

ABOUT EMERGENCE GROWTH

Birches Group LLC is a human resources consulting firm

Emergence Growth works across Africa and the Middle

focused exclusively on developing markets around the

East to combine the ‘think global’ imperative with ‘local

world. Birches Group labor market surveys are available

knowledge’ to provide organisations a set of practical

in over 140 countries throughout Africa, Asia, Central and

business solutions that aid the building of high perfor-

Eastern Europe, Latin America and the South Pacific.

mance organizations. Emergence offers a wide range of

The firm also assists client organizations in the manage-

human resources consultancy services in the areas of

ment of their total compensation and human resources

leadership, training, organizational effectiveness, com-

strategies. Birches Group is headquartered in New York,

pensation and benefits. Emergence is headquartered in

with an operations centre in Manila, Philippines, and ad-

Johannesburg, South Africa, with a network of affiliates

ditional offices in Sweden and Latvia.

across 10 countries in Africa.

People, Places & Arts

By Debbie Ibinola

The Silent Influence of Aesthetics

o a lot of people the concept of personal branding is a little too “Hollywood” to digest. To some frivolous or even narcissistic and yet the process of personal branding brings to light what makes a professional in any given field truly exceptional. Working as an image consulting in Nigeria’s metropolitan city Lagos, has opened my eyes to how personal branding is viewed by the average and some times above average man. I speak to at least a dozen people everyday about personal branding, and I get the most amazing responses from these people. We all want to make it big, we all want to be successful

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in our chosen carriers, we all want to be famous, but are we ready to do what it takes to be able to get to the next level? In 2012 personal branding is neither novel nor optional for executives and careerists who want to align who they are with what they do and how they do it. In the new world of career where you’re only as good as your last assignment or project, your personal brand is the only acceptable currency to greatness. The most successful businesses understand the silent influence of aesthetics. Unique people who can go from basement workshops to billion dollar success stories are really the exception to the rule. The rest of us not only have

to abide by society’s rules to get ahead, but we also have to excel at them too. With a population of over 7 billion people in the world, what makes you truly different or exceptional? Personal branding is about unearthing what is true and unique about you and letting everyone know about it. Let’s look at it this way, as a brand you are your own free agent. Developing your personal brand makes you a more valuable asset, either to the company you work for, potential employer or even the industry you’re in professionally. By effectively branding yourself, your career success will translate into happiness even outside your work environment.

Children from the tender age of three know that the man in a “white coat” is the doctor; the woman in a white wig and black cloak is a lawyer etc. In order to be seen, you need to fit the role perfectly. For the sake of the highly discerning reader, let us take a closer look at Personal Branding. What is personal Branding? This term is used in various fields and therefore has different interpretations. However, I choose to give you one that is explicit and to the point. Personal branding is the process in which an individual differentiates themself in any chosen field by identifying their unique value proposition.

The key to success is a narrow focus, a good name and a strong position. Here are a few tips: 1) Don’t be afraid to reveal your true personality in all that you do. By doing so, you are investing your products and service with your personal brand.

Unfortunately because of the influence of the media, especially in the entertainment industry where people are often times grossly exaggerated, there is a general misconception that personal branding is all about changing who you are to fit general expectations. Well I can assure you that this is not true. Personal branding is all about sincerity and it is really important that you present yourself authentically. Why? Because effective branding gets you brand loyalty and even evangelism. People that maintain reputable personal brands are more successful in gaining and keeping public attention. With that being said, it is your responsibility to put your brand in a favourable light without engaging in excessive self promotion, bearing in mind that too much self-promotion, whether among friends, colleagues or potential clients, comes off as egotistical or self-superior and can have a disastrous effect on ones personal brand. A key part of branding is what I term “See and be seen”. Clearly display your value to the world. Brand visibility and awareness are the first step towards public acceptance. If people don’t know about you, your

ebbie Ibinola is a thoroughbred professional with a combination of qualifications, which have prepared and equipped her for her passion and mission in personal image consulting. A bachelor’s degree holder in International Relations, she also holds a post graduate diploma in Image Consulting from one of the best fashion academies in the world – the Up to Date fashion academy in Milan, Italy, also earning a diploma in Reputation Management from

2) Put your name on everything you’re proud of whenever possible, because then people will remember your personal brand positively. 3) Be conscious of whom you’re known to be affiliated to, and what projects carry your name, because their quality is a reflection

brand would go unnoticed. Visibility allows you to spread your influence. Believe it or not you are a representative of the product you buy, the life style you live, the clothes you wear, and the connection you have. Branding is a marketing concept that involves creating an image that resonates with the attitudes, behaviours, and perception of the target market. A brand creates a connection as well as an experience in the minds of other people. A brand conveys a sense of trust, and your favourite brands are like your best friends; they never let you down. A brand is powerful when it stands for a word in the mind of a consumer, it doesn’t matter if that brand is a product, a company, or a person, the same laws apply. the London School of Public Relations. She believes in very high and distinctive professional standards all the time. Her strong background and the exquisite training she has received, in addition to a wide pool of international personal image management expertise from which she draws to enrich her work with clients, have consistently characterized the unmatched and unique value she delivers. She is that special creative consultant with whom

of you. 4) Even the strongest marketing strategy, can not save a personal brand with an image of poor value. Companies that manage their image carefully increase their value. You can increase your own brand value by effectively managing your image controlling how you look and present yourself in public, who you’re seen with and whom you see, the way you act and respond to people, basically controls the impression you have on people.

clients often feel most comfortable as she addresses all the nuances and details of their unique challenges and develops fitting solutions to bring out the best they can ever be. For more Information and Enquiries Contact us at: www.demeanoronline.com info@demeanoronline.com

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Big Brother Africa 2012:

Bigger, better, juicier!

new season of the reality TV show, Big Brother Africa is on now. And this time, it is much bigger and better! Now that the prize money has been raised from $200,000 to a mouthwatering $300,000! Reportedly, the organisers of the reality television series, M-Net, announced that apart from the increase in the prize money, there are other

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changes to the 2012 edition of the popular series. According to reports on Nollywood uncut, the prize will be won by contestants from two countries, like 2011, but this time, housemates will come in pairs. So be it couples, married or otherwise, siblings and besties, the contestants will be coming into the Big Brother Africa house in pairs.

Liberia and Sierra Leone will also be joining the cast â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a first for both countries â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and Ethiopia has opted out of the edition, M-Net managing director Biola Alabi said. Participating pairs are from the same country, over 21, fluent in English and in possession of a valid passport to even stand a chance at the new and improved grand prize.

Produced for M-Net by Endemol South Africa, the new season of Big Brother Africa which started on 6th May, 2012 is sponsored by CocaCola for the second consecutive year and will be screened to 47 countries across the continent, live 24/7 for 91 days on DStv channel 198.

Nigerian novelist wins World Fantasy award Here is another daughter of the soil making us proud! Nigerian-American novelist and professor of creative writing at Chicago State University, Nnedi Okorafor, has won the World Fantasy award for her novel Who Fears Death. Who Fears Death is the story of Onyesonwu – her name means “who fears death” in Igbo – a woman with great magical powers who was conceived when her mother was raped during a battle. It beat South African novelist Lauren Beukes’s Arthur C Clarke award-winning Zoo City, acclaimed Canadian author Guy Gavriel Kay’s Under Heavenand many-time British Fantasy award winner Graham Joyce’s new novel The Silent Landto win the best novel award, judged by five authors and editors from the science fiction and fantasy genre. Okorafor, born in the US to two Igbo parents, said it was “good to see a black writer win the prize in a genre dominated by whites”, as well as to see a woman triumph in the male-dominated fantasy milieu. Congratulations!

Business Etiquette in Africa The northern countries countries bordering the Mediterranean are Islamic, and you can expect that the kind of lavish generosity, indirect business discussions, expansive sense of time, and second class citizen status for women found in the Arabic countries is found here too.

easing up on the dark business suit is permitted. And, of course, your host will not be bound to Western dress. He may show up in dressy traditional attire.

thumbs and then return to a full handshake. In the Muslim countries of northern Africa, you may find men holding handshakes so long that they become a handhold. Do not be offended. This is a common practice.

Dining and Entertaining Africans are justly famous for the pleasure they take in eating and entertaining and for their generosity. If you are invited to someone’s home almost anywhere in Africa, be prepared - your host will go all out to impress you. In many countries, you will find no utensils of any kind and will be expected to eat with your hands. Remember, in Muslim countries, not to eat with your left hands. Watch your hosts in other countries for similar taboos. When in doubt, do as your host does. Gifts

Handshakes Soft handshakes are common across Africa. In countries with large populations, such as Kenya and South Africa, you can expect European style handshakes from the white people you’ll meet. In South Africa, handshakes between whites and whites, in the one hand, and blacks and whites on the other differ. Although white people shake the hand of another white person in much the same way as in northern Europe, whites and blacks shake hands with an additional flourish. After shaking the full hand, they grasp

Names and Titles You can never go wrong by using last names and titles when you first meet. Academic titles add a great deal of luster. Business Attire Conservative is the keyword. In particular hot countries, some

In Jewish homes, a gift of flowers to the host is preferred. but gifts to the host are frowned on in Muslim homes. and under no circumstances, should you give a Muslim a gift of alcohol, a picture of anyone or of any animal or anything made from pigs. Social Taboos In most of the Middle East, it’s bad manners for an outsider to discuss politics or religion. Showing the soles of your shoes or feet is rude in Turkey and in the Arabic countries, as is openly disagreeing with someone. And in Turkey, fist names are only used when you know the person very well. The thumbs-up sign is rude in Muslim countries.

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PERSONAL PROFILE

Upcoming Nigeria HR Professional

Chika Uwazie N

igeria is undoubtedly endowed with great natural and human resources. Interacting with 23 years old Chika Uwazie, a Human Resource Professional with experience in recruiting, human capital management and organizational development leaves you with a strong impression that she is indeed an asset. She is doing us proud both in Nigeria and at the Diaspora, through her efforts in helping young people and organizations become more resourceful to themselves and to the society. She shares her story with Saturday Vanguard Youthful Vibes. I actually chose HR as a profession while I was looking for graduate schools to attend in my third year of college. My first degree was in psychology and I realized I wanted to have an impact on people, but not just from a research background. I am a people person, I love hearing peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s issues and creating solutions for their issues. It is not easy bearing all the weight of employment relation issues on your shoulders, but it is challenge that ignites my passion. Secondly, it is a good thing to be an HR professional. We are now viewed as strategic business partner and I have seen a need to understand human capital in Africa. I feel it is a space that has not risen to its full potential in Nigeria, and I like going on the least travelled path. What is growing up like for you? I grew up in a family of intellects. My motherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s background is in Pharmacy while my father, Dr. Uwazie, owns a leading IT

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firm in Lagos called Netsolutions. They both have always told me to value my education, and foster my entrepreneurial spirit. Out of this I created the Naija careerist, a space for young Nigerians to get career advice that they need. I received a full scholarship to Bethune Cookman University as well as a scholarship from the Black Congressional Caucus. There I studied Psychology. Currently I am obtaining a Masters in Human Capital Management at Georgetown University. I am currently 23 years of age.

CHIKA UWAZIE What has been your experience working as a Recruiting Project Associate? The recruiting project associate position was specially created to fufill a new need at my organization. On a day to day basis I handle their recruiting initiatives at career fairs and conferences. At the background, I conduct data analysis with their recruiting data. I look at how we recruit, and what are more strategic methods for us to recruit top PhD students that do research for our organization. It has been a rewarding experience and I finally feel I am in my element. I also get to lead their efforts in social media recruiting by collaborating with our communications team to have a presence on facebook, twitter, and Linkedin. What’s your experience with the World Bank and how can you change the experience of young professionals? At the World Bank, I was a contract Human Resources (HR) analyst that worked with the youth mobility special team. I gave consultation from an HR perspective of how the World Bank can create a more inclusive environment for young employees. This initiative helped young employees become

more engaged in their task as well as have a fulfilling work environment where they feel they can make meaningful contribution(s). When was your last visit to Nigeria and what has been your experience? The last time I was in Nigeria was in August for personal reasons, but in April I went there as an international observer. I was impressed by how much Nigeria has grown, but I have seen Nigeria as a country that still has a long way to go. During my time observing the elections in my home state (Imo), I first hand saw politicians trying to rig the elections. I have seen that the people are no longer motivated by bribery and will fight for a fair election that has worthy leaders representing their states. Would you say that there are many young skillful Nigerians vis-à-vis the political climate in Nigeria? I feel everyday young people are stirred into the political climate. It can be as simple as trying to start their own business and facing the obstacle of registering because of the government restraints on starting a business. They also may be put in uncomfortable positions to have to bring as we say “brown bags” to bribe a politician to close out a contract. Unfortunately the mentality of business as usual is not going away anytime soon. It is an uphill battle that the youth will continue to face. What skill gap do you find in the course of your work interviewing young people for jobs? There is no doubt that Nigerians are very smart. We even beat other ethnicities in the diaspora in regards to the most educated. The skill gap I see is the ability to

think on your feet and being able to adapt to change. I have seen that people know the book and are able to explain to you the theory, but their mentality is to tell me what to do and I will do it. Quite a number of youth fail to see that you have to have multiple solutions for one problem, and you have to be able to see things from different perspective. This also ties back to being creative and thinking outside the box. Young people fail to regret one job can get thousands of applications. How will your resume stand out from the rest of the resumes? I have seen too many resumes that do not articulate their particular skill set that will be valuable to my organization. What would be your recommendation for Nigerian youths to becoming more resourceful? Young people need to get creative on how they present themselves and use social media outlets to create a unique value. I always tell young people to create a Linkedin profile and use this tool as a way to connect with other like-minded people. It is also a way to learn more about your industry, and it puts you ahead of the rest of the pack. Also, always invest in yourself. Instead of trying to buy the newest blackberry take that money to enroll in a training course or a seminar that can teach you a new skill. As we go forward 60% of companies will be looking for skills that only 20% of the population. Constantly updating the skills you have will be invaluable asset to an organization.

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419 The Tax Connection There is a lot of wisdom in the body of original source tax material. I dredged up a case from 1952, when I was just born and dinosaurs roamed the earth, to show that so-called Nigerian 419 scams were ancient even then, being a variation on a scam known as the “Spanish Prisoner”. That led to several pieces. The whole thing as it relates to this blog is summarized here. For the final piece I have invited Chika Uwazie, who did a video response to Fraud Has No Nationality. I came up with 150,000 reasons to like Nigeria without even counting Chika, but she should be on my list too. I think Dr. Muncie, who was the victim of what would have been called the Mexican 386 Fraud, if the internet service in Mexico had been better in 1947 and the scammers hadn’t had to use snail-mail, has done enough. I’m supposed to be blogging about taxes for Forbes so I am moving further discussion of the good name of Nigeria to my bizzarro blog. Enough about me. Here is what Ms. Uwazie has to say: I am Nigerian When someone mentions Nigeria, what words automatically pop into mind? As a Nigerian, it is frustrating that when I Google search “Nigeria and money” Google instant graciously completes my search terms with “laundering” before i can type the letter “m”. Apparently, it is not uncommon to see the word “Nigerian” associated with the words “corruption”, “scandal”, or “scam”. These associations between these practices and Nigerians are at best and completely unrepresentative of the true nature of Nigerians. Today, I want these words to become but fleeting thoughts as I reveal the unadulterated truth about the Nigerian people. We are represented in all facets of life. How can we forget people like Fela, who used art and music to tastefully fight for Nigerian rights? Then there is Chimamanda Adichie a young talented writer that paints the true beauty of Nigeria through her pen. We have

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Reasons to Like Nigeria and Nigerians Chika Uwazie featured on Forbes Magazine

savvy business men such as the likes of Adebayo Ogunlesi who bought one of the busiest airpots, the London Gatwick airport. Our ingenuity has turned simple home videos into the thriving industry known as Nollywood. Nollywood has captured the hearts of viewers all over the world and is now worth an estimated 250 million dollars. It has joined the ranks of Hollywood and its films have become some of the most distributed in the world. These instances are only snippets of the creativity and innovation produced in my country, Nigeria. Despite an uncertain economy, corrupt political leaders, and high prevalence of poverty, Nigeria is the home of a generally content population. According to a gallup poll among 53 countries, Nigeria rated 70 points for optimism. The hope that instilled in us for a better tomorrow pushes us to get through today. We work hard to get more out of life. No matter where you are from or where you may rank in the societal ladder, we all share the same mindset. We envision ourselves at the top, and the work we do for to improve ourselves every day in our developing nation inches each of us that most closer to the peak of our individual potentials. Recently, as I was driving through the crowded streets of Victoria Island, I encountered a young man selling magazines. As I declined his offer, I observed

his tattered disposition in the heat of the Lagos sun as he moved to the next patron. Many would look at his poverty with sadness, but I was uplifted by his entrepreneurial spirit in a land where there is a dearth of opportunities. I was practically in the midst of an entrepreneurial convention. On the streets of Lagos, there are people selling everything from food, to magazines, even watches. In the markets at Yaba you will witness hundreds of women with barely with a sewing machine ready to cater to your tailoring needs. In Ikeja, we even have our own Silicon Valley called Computer village, where people are selling the latest software, computer gadgets or IT needs. Did you know that 67% of Nigerians have thought of starting a business and 45% of them have said to have started one? In a country of 154.7 million people, that is a lot of opportunities created for individual progress. There is a certain type of energy that runs through the blood of a Nigerian that gives them ambition to persevere. Nigeria has it challenges, but what country doesn’t? We are some of the hardiest of individuals, and as our country continues to change by force or otherwise, we will adapt to it. When it comes to Nigeria, let us look past the few negatively biased stories and focus on the truth. We are a nation of people collectively moving forward, and I am proud to be one of them.

Beware of what you put on Facebook Chika Uwazie

acebook is a great way to find friends from the past, connect with friends from school, and to even make new friends. I love posting pictures of my new adventures, birthdays, and yealy vacations, but did you ever think your employer was going to go through your facebook before they hire you? A new poll suggest that 60% of companies google, and go through a prospective candidateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s online presense before they hire them. A even more shocking trend is that 39% of employers did not continue with a prospective candidate because of what they found. I remeber my first real internship I applied for at a law firm, I was so excited to get an interview. I walked into the office, and the guy hands me a print out of an old My Style Article written about me in Bella Naija from 2009. Nontheless he still hired me, but what about if I had some risque picutures of myself plastered all over the internet. Ever since that situaion has happened to me, I am very careful of

what I put on the internet. Here are some tips you should think about for your online presence. Monitor the pictures you post on facebook No one is saying to not have pictures of yourself having a good time with friends, but proceed with caution. Yes, facebook is your own private space, but you should think to yourself, would I want an employer seeing this? If you are admant of keeping all your pictures on facebook, put it in a private setting, and monitor who you accept on facebook. Think about what you say on social media sites Not only can you be penalized for a future job, but also for a current job as well. It is not a smart idea to tweet about how much alcohol you are having on the job, or what porn websites you are going to. You do not have to censor everything you say on social media sites, but be mindful who is watching. A woman almost didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get a major VP position in

a different country, because of the radical view points she had displayed all over the web. Be in control of what is out on the web Have you ever googled yourself? You will be surprised on what gets pulled up in the search results. Every now again you should Google your own name to monitor what good and bad things are out there on the web of yourself. Ways you can change around a less positive image is by creating a yourname.com website with a virtual resume and listing some of the accomplishments you have reached. Not only do I monitor what is out there, but I also make sure that I am active in writing articles about my area of expertise so employers can see I am a thought leader in my industry. Think about what you have posted on all of your social media sites, will your future or current employer be happy with what they see?

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Learning

eLearning Africa 2012 eLearning Africa is the continentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest gathering of high-level policy makers, decision makers and practitioners from education, business and government. It is the key networking event for developing eLearning capacities in Africa. eLearning Africa 2012 which took place in Cotonou, Benin, was a rich cultural heritage and significant record of achievement in education over the last decade. eLearning Africa 2012 was under the patronage of Hon. Max AhouĂŞkĂŞ, Minister of Communications and New Technologies, Benin. Focusing on eLearning and Sustainability, eLearning Africa 2012 explored creative ways in which eLearning can support development and help to build asustainable future. eLA 2012 focused

on the key themes of sustainable technologies and infrastructure; eLearning for sustainable communities; sustainable change management; eLearning and sustainable resources; and sustainable economy, culture and society. eLA is a must for anyone involved in or wanting to find out more about ICT for development, education and training in Africa. As the largest gathering of eLearning and ICT-supported education and training professionals in Africa, participants are able to develop multinational and crossindustry contacts and enhance their knowledge, expertise and abilities. The conference was held in English, French and Portuguese. It included plenary sessions with world-class experts,presentation and special focus sessions, practi-

cal demonstrations, discussions and debates on specific topics, as well as various informal networking opportunities where participants can share their experiences, ideas, new information and perspectives. The conference was accompanied by an exhibition and demonstration area, where exhibitors can showcased their latest products and services and held meetings with important decision-makers within the African education and training community.

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9 Tips for Managing Grief in the Work Place Darren L. Johnson

1. Identify the reason for grieving - for example - loss of family members or co-worker. The reasons to grieve are many. The key is to first identify the reason for the grief, if possible, because that will determine what needs to happen to help work through the grief. 2. Identifying the reasons also allows you to begin to accept and acknowledge the situation and your feelings. This is part of the first step in Letting Go of Stuff that may be causing the feelings of grief. 3. Make sure you have someone you trust in the work place, whom you can talk to in confidence. If that situation does not exist, then make sure there is someone outside the company you can talk to and share how you are feeling. It doesn’t have to be a counsellor, but just someone who cares enough to listen without judgment. 4. Take advantage of the employee assistance offered at work. These programs are designed to help on to work through any grief and depres-

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sion one may be experiencing. 5. Know who - not to talk to - about your feelings and situation. Talking to the wrong people, or to too many people in the work place could leave on open to criticism, judgment, and sometimes ridicule. So think carefully about whom you confide in. 6. Don’t blame yourself for what has happened, and for experiencing the grief. You have a right to feel the way you do and cannot process through this time until you allow yourself to experience the feelings associated with it. 7. Do not take on any feelings of guilt about grieving. Again, it is your right to feel the way you do. And for goodness sakes don’t let anyone make you feel as though something is wrong with you because of what you are experiencing. 8. If you have time off - vacation, sick time, and/or personal days - take them if you are getting a gut feeling you should. Don’t ignore that feeling; it is there for a reason. So act on it as

soon as you can. By honouring this feeling and need to take authorized time off, you will protect yourself from burnout, depression, and other challenges that could mount while at work. But remember that when at home; take the steps to move forward with your life as you work through this period. 9. Love yourself, be good to yourself, and if you have a personal journal write about stuff in it.

WORLD DAY AGAINST CHILD LABOUR 2012

Human rights and social justice... let’s end child labour

his year the World Day Against Child Labour will provide a spotlight on the right of all children to be protected from child labour and from other violations of fundamental human rights. In 2010 the international community adopted a Roadmap for achieving the elimination of the worst forms of child labour by 2016, which stressed that child labour is an impediment to children’s rights and a barrier to development. World Day 2012 will highlight the work that needs to be done to make the roadmap a reality. The ILO’s Conventions seek to protect children from exposure to child labour.

Together with other international instruments relating to children’s, workers’ and human rights they provide an important framework for legislation established by national governments. However the ILO’s most recent global estimate is that 215 million children worldwide are involved in child labour, with more than half this number involved in its worst forms.1 The children concerned should be at school being educated, and acquiring skills that prepare them for decent work as adults. By entering the labour market prematurely, they are deprived of this critical education and training that can help to lift them, their families and

communities out of a cycle of poverty. In its worst forms, child labourers may also be exposed to physical, psychological or moral suffering that can cause long term damage to their lives. On this World Day we call for: • Universal ratification of the ILO’s Conventions on child labour (and of all ILO core Conventions) • National policies and programmes to ensure effective progress in the elimination of child labour • Action to build the worldwide movement against child labour

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SA loses, Africa gains skilled resources

ccording to the Landelahni Recruitment Group, as foreign direct investment projects in energy, mining, transport, telecommunications and water supplies get underway on the African continent, South Africa could lose scarce skilled resources to other African countries. “Some US$ 150-billion of projects are planned on the Africa continent over the next three years and many countries are more attractive than South Africa in terms of their regulatory environment. “Research shows that 75% of investors across the globe believe Africa will become even more attractive as

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an investment option over the next three years. South Africa is a favoured hunting ground for skills,” says Sandra Burmeister, CEO of Landelahni, Africa partner of the global Amrop executive search group. “Retain talent in South Africa and Africa” “South Africa will need to produce significantly more skilled resources as growing numbers begin working crossborder. The challenge is how to find and retain talent in South Africa and Africa. The African economy cannot create sustainable economic development, if it has to continually import and pay a premium for technical ability from the US, Europe and Asia.”

Africa demand for skills takes place within the context of global skills scarcity, as well as a local shortage of an estimated 800 000 engineers and other qualified professionals and technicians. “We should be investing in technology and technology research as a continent, since technology underpins economic growth and creates competitive advantage. In addition, we need to find ways of winning back migrant students and professionals. Africa is a resource rich continent and increasing skills will elevate our potential for downstream, value-adding, wealth-creating opportunities.” Africa demand Since 2003, investment in Africa has

exceeded that of other emerging countries. Ernst & Young forecasts that new African fixed direct investment (FDI) projects will reach US$ 150-billion by 2015, creating 350 000 new jobs per annum. The countries, which will offer most FDI opportunities, include SA, Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana and Angola. Current projects underway in infrastructure (water, electricity, transport) amount to US$ 22-billion. Africa GDP growth is expected to average 5% through to 2015. “As the communications infrastructure has improved in countries such as Kenya and Nigeria, international companies are locating their Africa head offices in these countries so as to be closer to their key markets, frequently drawing on an already limited South African scarce skills pool for key positions.” Supply challenges • Diaspora The effect of the brain drain on Africa is enormous. Globalisation has led to the exodus of an estimated 17-million Nigerians (3.5-million in USA and UK alone). There are currently over 300 000 highly qualified Africans in the diaspora, 30 000 of whom have PhDs, according to UNESCO. More African engineers work in the US than in the whole of Africa. The annual amount of remittances received from the Africa diaspora is higher than the total foreign aid it gets annually. “This implies a significant impact on each country’s development. “Africa has relied heavily on expatriates over the past 50 years and organisations spend $4- billion annually to recruit and pay 100 000 expatriates to work on the continent. However, a combination of global shortages and changing regulatory environments on the continent may limit this source in the future. In any event, local companies should consider redirecting some funds to training longer-term local skills rather than importing shortterm high-cost expatriates.” • Tertiary education qualifications

Africa suffers from low numbers of adults with tertiary education qualifications. Across sub-Saharan Africa, only 0.38% of adults have a tertiary education compared with a South African average of 0.60%. Kenya leads the continent with 2%, against a global average of 3.94% of adults with tertiary education. Attrition in Africa universities compounds the problem. The estimated university dropout rate across Africa is estimated at 50%, against 60% for SA, 46% for the US and 16% for the UK. “In South Africa, the pass rate of engineering students is 12.5%, compared to the international average of 25%. “If we can increase the graduation rate, we can increase the supply of skills.” • Female graduates A recent global survey on women in emerging markets reveals that female enrolment in universities and graduate schools has increased dramatically. According to Burmeister, no data is available across the African continent, but female grad-

uates have quadrupled in SA over the past five years, albeit off a low base. Women make up 65% of college graduates in the UAE, 60% in Brazil and 47% in China - representing an outstanding way of expanding the talent pool.

strategies are required to buy, borrow and build the skills needed in core sectors. “People from different backgrounds, engaged in debating these issues can lead to groundbreaking solutions. Capturing new and expanding markets requires diversity among the leadership team. In any skills short market, effectively employing all available educated and skilled resources is an obvious choice to make. The business case for diversity is clear, whether gender-based or cultural. “Forward-thinking companies are systematically bridging the generation gap by creating work experiences that build leadership qualities and test resilience. Their models are custom-designed for the next generation, from building flexible career paths to creating compensation that match their values and work preferences. “Approaches to filling the talent pipeline include: • increasing bursary spend in core scarce skills areas of the business, • increasing graduate hiring and training programmes, • using objective assessment tools to assess potential of existing and prospective employees, • using secondments for mentoring programmes, • using contractors for short-term projects • implementing smart strategies such as cross-functional project teams and offshore assignments for exposure and accelerated training “These strategies can assist in generating the skills base required by business in South Africa and Africa to meet the challenges of a sustainable, expanding economy,” concludes Burmeister.

Strategies for building talent Sustainable development demands that Africa develop its own skills base. Burmeister believes there is no quick fix solution to meeting the challenge of talent shortages and building a leadership pipeline. “Instead, multiple, innovative

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B o ok R ev i ew

THE SHIFT

THE FUTURE OF WORK IS ALREADY HERE Lynda Gratton

ith the publication of my new book The Shift: the future of work is already here - there has been much debate about what it really takes to craft a career that is likely to stand the test of time. In the book I talk a great deal about the five forces that will shape work and careers: ever greater globalization of innovation and talent; the development of ever more sophisticated connective technologies; profound changes in demography and longevity which will see many live until they are 100 and others live in regions where 40% of the population are over 50; broad societal forces that will see trust in institutions decrease and families become ever more re-arranged; and finally, the impact that carbon use and Co2 will have on how we think about our own consumption patterns. Taking this rich cocktail of forces into consideration here are my 10 tips about skills, networks and choices. 1. Don’t be fooled into walking into the future blindfolded - the more you know what’s in store, the better able you will be to meet the challenges and really capitalize on your options. So keep abreast of the forces that are shaping work and careers in your part of the world and think about how they will impact on you and those you care for. Making wise choices will in the end come from your capacity to understand – don’t rely on governments of big business to make the choices for you. 2. Learn to be virtual - we are entering a period of hyper technological advancements - avatars, holographs and telepresence are all just around the corner. If you are a young ‘digital native’ you are already connected to this – but if you are over 30 the chances are you are already behind on your understanding. Work will become more global and that means that increasingly you will be working with people in a virtual way – its crucial that you learn to embrace these developments and don’t let yourself become obsolete through lack of technical savvy. 3. Search for the valuable skills - think

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hard about the skill areas that are likely to be important in the future - for example sustainability, health and wellness, and design and social media are all likely to be areas where work will be created over the next decade. Also remember that jobs that involve working closely with people (chef, hairdresser, coach, physiotherapist) are unlikely to move to another country. 4. Become a Master - don’t be fooled into spread your talents too thinly. Being a ‘jack of all trades’ will mean you are competing with millions of others around the world who are similar. Separate yourself from the crowd by really learning to master a skill or talent that you can develop with real depth. Be prepared to put your time and effort into honing these skills and talents. 5. Be prepared to strike out on your own - there will always be work with big companies - but increasingly the real fun will come from setting up your own company. We are entering the age of the ‘micro-entrepreneur’ when ever decreasing costs of technology will significantly reduce the barriers to getting off the ground, and when talented people across the world will be connected and keen to work with each other. 6. Find your posse- to create valuable skills and knowledge you will need to quickly reach out to others who can help and advise you. This small ‘posse’ of likeminded and skilled people is a network that will be central to your really building speed and agility in your career. Don’t leave it too long to find and cultivate it. 7. Build the Big Ideas Crowd - the future is about innovation, and sometime your best, most innovative ideas will come as you talk and work with people who are completely different from you - perhaps they have a different mindset, or come from a different country - or are younger. It is this wide network, the ‘big ideas crowd’ that will be a crucial source of inspiration. Make sure that you don’t limit yourself to working

only with those who are just like you. 8. Go beyond the family - your career success will depend in part on your emotional well being and resilience. In a world of ever shifting relationships, it’s important that you invest in developing deep restorative relationships with a couple of people - this is your ‘regenerative community’ and they are crucial to your well being and happiness. Make the investment as soon as you can and make an effort to maintain and build these relationships over decades. 9. Have the courage to make the hard choices - your working life will be shaped by the shifting patterns of longevity (you are likely to live considerably longer than your parents) and demography (in many regions there will be a much higher proportion of people over 50). So you need a strategy for the long term. You have three hard choices: 1. Build a career that enables you to work longer (at least into your late 60’s or early 70’s), 2. Be prepared (like the Chinese who save around 40% of their income) to save a significant proportion of your income throughout your working life, 3. Consider ways to reduce your consumption and live more simply. It does not matter which hard choice you make – but you are going to have to make at least one of them. 10. Become a producer rather than a simple consumer - And finally... the old deal at work: ‘I work, to earn money, to buy stuff, that makes me happy’ is rapidly becoming obsolete. Engaging in meaningful work where you can rapidly learn will become a priority (although fair pay will always be important). So think hard about sharing and great experiences rather than simply building your working life around consuming.

www.hcamgroup.com 53 SKYLINES VILLAGE LONDON DOCKLANDS, E14TS UK TEL: +44 207 001 7678 www.hcamgroup.com 53 SKYLINES VILLAGE LONDON DOCKLANDS, E14TS UK TEL: +44 207 001 7678