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ADAM THE GRUMPY GRUMP

Adam was an amazing worker but man was he temperamental! Any small thing Adam would be pouting like a 7 month old toddler who had his favorite toy snatched from him. Adam was starting to annoy his colleagues with his attitude because when he was moody his and everybody else’s work suffered. What’s a boss to do? Fire him or hide under a rock and pretend everything was ok?
While you might have a high emotional intelligence quota, a few of your coworkers might not and therefore its not so easy for them “leave their problems outside the door” when they come into work. Moodiness is natural, we can all be out of sort, pissed off, hormonal or just not in the mood for any type of nonsense. However, when dealing with a coworker who is persistently in a bad mood, you must take steps not to let it affect your productivity and lower your morale.

URGENT VACANCIES NEED TO BE FILLED IN ABUJA

Hola everybody! Hope you have had a fantastic year so far? With elections coming up a few people have complained that jobs are few and far between but let’s try and hang in there we just have a few more weeks to go and we know that we will have loads more vacancies to share with you. HOWEVER we do have a few vacancies to share with you guys. If you are interested in any of these positions listed below, please send your CV to cv@insitefulsolutionsconsult.com and indicate the job role you are applying for in the subject line of the email. Kindly be advised that only qualified candidates will be invited for interviews that will take place on Friday the 6^TH FEBRUARY 2015.

 

RESTURAUNT MANAGER

A high end restaurant located in the heart of Wuse 2 is looking to immediately hire a manager (front of house) to ensure the restaurant operates efficiently and profitably while maintaining its reputation and ethos. The Managers will also be responsible for ensuring the restaurant’s achieves or surpasses its sales targets as well as maintaining high standards of food, service, and health and safety. He/she will coordinate a variety of activities including: taking responsibility for the business performance of the restaurant; Analyzing and planning restaurant sales levels and profitability; Organizing marketing activities, such as promotional events and discount schemes; Preparing reports at the end of the shift/week, including staff control, food control and sales; planning and coordinating menus; Coordinating the entire operation of the restaurant during scheduled shifts; Managing staff and providing them with feedback; Responding to customer complaints; Ensuring that all employees adhere to the company’s uniform standards; Meeting and greeting customers and organizing table reservations; Advising customers on menu choices and training and motivating staff. The salary for this position starts from One Hundred Thousand Naira  and to qualify for an interview, you must have relevant experience and pass our personality assessment.

 

SALES AND MARKETING EXECUTIVE

A reputable company is looking to hire a Sales and Marketing Executive to resume work immediately in Abuja.  In this job role, you would be responsible for identifying new business opportunities, making sales, maintaining and expanding the existing customer base as well as overseeing all marketing activities and meeting all marketing targets. Please note that this is a target driven job role for a company that deals with FCMG. Experience with marketing and selling FCMG in the pharmaceutical industry will be a definite bonus. The salary for this position starts from Eighty Thousand Naira and commission payments are also made in line with an in-house commission scheme. To qualify for an interview you must have relevant sales experience and a valid driving license.

 

SALES AND MARKETING MANAGER

A reputable company located in the heart of Abuja is looking to hire a sales and marketing manager to head its business operations and sales team. The manager will be responsible for creating and overseeing the deployment of strategic marketing activities and he/she’s duties will include: Developing and implementing marketing campaigns; Providing weekly and monthly sales/marketing reports; Advising management as regards new business opportunities; Creating strategies for meeting marketing targets; Sourcing opportunities; Creating and maintaining a database for marketing activities; and undertaking marketing research and competitor analysis. The salary for this position starts from One Hundred Thousand Naira  (commission payments also available) and to qualify for an interview you must have relevant sales experience and a valid driving license.

HAPPY 2015 MESSAGE FROM THE HR AGONY AUNT HERSELF

Dear beloved readers of my humble little blog,

It’s been an amazing year for me and for you as well I am sure. All through the year I have done my best to write on current trends within the business world, share tips to move your life/career forward and provide advice on how to improve your business by focusing on your most important resource, your human capital. Thank you so much for reading and interacting although I hope we can do a little more talking in 2015! I have so much more to say but I will leave all that yapping for my next article. for now I just want to say I am grateful that you allowed me send you emails, update you on what I've felt could push your business/career forward as well as providing me with data when I needed it. It has been an enlightening year filled with new possibilities that I plan to explore further. And from me and my entire team at Insiteful Solutions Nig Ltd, have a wonderful, productive, enlightening, enriching and safe 2015!!!!

 

READY TO MAKE MONEY - BRAND YOUR BUSINESS LIKE AN EXPERT!

Most Start-ups & SMEs fail to understand the importance of branding. I and my team cannot begin to count the amount of horrible business cards, poor logos, boring business names and ugly office interiors we’ve encountered over the years. Upon trying to convince the owner to invest a little money in a graphic designer we’d start hearing things like 

...“I’ll hire a designer when I make my first twenty million Naira”; “my business has been open for 20 years without a logo or website and we’re still here”; “Abeg I want to make money first, anything else can follow after”... 

They fail to understand that the difference between them and their competitor who may be making ten times the amount they see as profit may  only be because of a solid logo (which can cost as little as N10,000.00 to make) With the right branding & marketing strategy a company can easily triple its sales without adding to its manpower or resources! Let me give you a practical example. Who is your best friend? What do you feel when their name is said out loud?-Happy? Excited? Calm? This is the brand associated with your best friend…positive and there to protect your best interest. Wouldn’t you want the same for your company? You would want the public and clients to understand what you represent and believe the products and services you offer are second to none other and your company is here to stay. You  as a business owner need to understand that

1. Like larger companies, SMEs & Start-ups need an awesome brand name, “sweet” packaging and marketable products 
2. In order to create the right #brand & service, as a CEO you must put your ego aside so you can create something sustainable 
3. You must research, attend seminars, & think so you can create a 50 year plan for your brand image and subsequent marketing plan 
4. Your logo, mission, vision, people/ services/products, colors and offers make up[ your brand and its image 
5. You can’t have awesome services/products with badly behaved staff & no market visibility. That will ruin your brand 

What do you need to do before you embark on creating and deploying a brand strategy?

• Know client’s needs better than anyone else
• Fuel the strategy with a culture that reflects you 
•  Translate all these acts into an implementable internal and external communication policy 
•  Build a platform that incorporates both traditional and social Media plans 

You will then be ready to create your brand strategy but you must make it a priority and promise to stick to it for at least a year before you review and adjust it. Ready but don’t know what to do? Send us an email at info@insitefulsolutionsconsult.com Have a blessed and wonderful day everyone! 

HOW I STARTED MY BUSINESS WITH 120.00 NAIRA- CHISCO CEO

When it comes to entrepreneurship, Chief Dr. Chidi Anyaegbu, CEO Chisco group has not only proved himself but has blazed a trail that others can follow. He started out selling Spare parts but with a seed fund of just NGN120, goodwill, a detailed plan and a passion for excellence, Chief Anyaegbu has grown his transport business into the conglomerate, Chisco group having arms in Oil and gas, finance, hospitality, real estate, education, import and export.In the course of his business, he also attended several short Management and Entrepreneurial courses in France, USA, Brazil, Germany, and United Kingdom. He was conferred with a Doctorate Degree in Business Administration (Honoris Causa) by Penn State University, USA in 1996. He is a Fellow, Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (International) London and possesses the Business Certificate Award by University of Houston USA.

 

In this interview with Tobi Solarin from Vanguard Spark, this passion-driven entrepreneur shares his perspective on success, business and service to God and humanity which I’ve summed up as follows:

He stated his greatest achievement in life is his God-given opportunity to serve humanity across the globe and what keeps him going is the provision of over 4000 jobs to the Nigerian populace of which the youth segment is a clear majority. He started off with a spare parts business in 1978 and was very successful but the demand for transport and logistics services was overwhelming as cargo would always be stuck for days with no vehicle. Chisco Transport began its pioneer route with Lagos to Onitsha.  Hard work and a keen eye on customer satisfaction allowed the group to grow into supplying services within the hospitality, energy, haulage, courier and automobile sectors. We strive to live to the expectation of our loyal customers by being consistent in delivering quality service. And as for the N120.00 that he started his business with, guess where it came from? N150.00 that his master settled him with in 1978 after serving as an apprentice. So here is what I gained from this article:

• Before you even think about starting a business or career, acquire the skills you’ll need. Opt for an internship, apprenticeship or training program. It will be time well spent. 
• Invest in yourself! Everyone is looking for a venture capitalist to come and invest in the dream but do you really think anyone will invest in your dream when you are not willing to do so?
• Find a profitable business service but make sure it’s something that you absolutely love doing.
• Your customers are the reason you are making money. Give them the respect attention and dedication they deserve

That’s all from me folks, have a brilliant weekend!

 

INTERSWITCH LAUNCHES A NEW BUSINESS MANAGEMENT PLATFORM IN NIGERIA- SMES TAKE NOTE

Interswitch Transnational, a Pan-African integrated payment company, has launched Retailpay, a mobile business management platform. Retailpay provides growing businesses with the technology to remotely manage and monitor their operations via mobile devices irrespective of location.

Retailpay is an application that allows retailers have access to their business records from any smart device. A statement issued by the company in Lagos gave key features of the new offering to include; sales and inventory management, intelligent business reporting, online store front, records access, staff monitoring, among others.
“This new sales and inventory management solution enables the monitoring and control of stock movements thereby preventing revenue leakages and increasing business profitability. Available via web and mobile, Retailpay is compatible with Windows, Android, Blackberry and Apple iOS devices using Chrome, Firefox and Opera web browsers,”
According to the statement, with the new product, small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) can now be equipped with the technology they need to be completely efficient enabling them manage their daily business operations end-to-end.
Group Managing Director, Interswitch Transnational, Mitchell Elegbe, described the system as a revolution in retail business management. He said it was designed in response to identified gaps within the SME space in Nigeria. For more information on this platform click here http://www.interswitchng.com/#RETAILPAY

Article culled from http://businessnews.com.ng/2014/11/07/interswitch-unveils-business-management-platform/

 

JOBS IN NIGERIA ARE NOT SECURE - THIS HAS TO STOP!

Anti-labour practices are rampant nowadays in Nigeria and these practices by employers in their drive for profit maximization will soon turn workplaces across the country into a battle field between workers and business owners if feelers from labour movement are anything to go by. Casualisation, outsourcing, contract staffing and other non-pensionable employment has become the new norm. These are now fashionable practices in all private sectors of the economy; manufacturing, construction, banking, telecommunication, petroleum as well as many public sector establishments.

 Jobs no longer safe

However, like-minded unions and associations affiliated with the All Global Union Federation in Nigeria recently gathered to raise their voice against unfair labour practices in Nigerian workplaces. Affiliates included National Union of Textile Garment and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria, NUTGTWN, Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas, NUPENG, National Union of Chemical, Footwear, Rubber, Leather and Non Metallic Product Employees, NUCFRLANMPE, Petroleum and natural Gas Senior Staff Association, PENGASSAN, and Chemical and Non Metallic Product Senior Staff Association, CANMPSSA.

Speaking at the event, Chairman of African Region of Industrial Union, Comrade Issa Aremu, said jobs in Nigeria were no longer secure as employers opt for short-term, flexible employment as part of strategies to save cost and boost profit. He explained that these developments informed the decision of affiliates of Industrial global union in the country to use the occasion of the ILO’s decent work day to launch the “Stop Precarious Work Campaign.” Low income, job insecurity, delayed payments of salaries and pensions, long hours of work without overtime payment, denial of sick leave and payment for sick leave, denial of annual and maternity leave, job insecurity, lack of redundancy benefits, poor health and safety conditions and non-payment of compensation for injuries sustained at work, poor working conditions, poor motivation, lack of social protection, arbitrary deduction and non-remittance of pension contributions and taxes, denial of rights to join the union and bargain collectively are some of the effects of casualisation and other unethical employment practices currently embraced by employers.”Aremu, also a Vice-President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, and General Secretary of NUTGTWN, expressed concern over increasing disregard for the rule of law by several private sector employers, lamenting that violation and open disregard for the law is capable of creating an atmosphere of industrial anarchy and chaos. Speaking on the violation of workers’ rights, Aremu insisted that Nigerian labour laws in spite of the need for review still offer great protection for working class people. He lamented that the progressive laws were being violated with impunity by employers particularly in the private sector as workers were denied the right to organize.

He asked employers of labour to respect the law and where the law is observed in the breach, the Ministry of Labour and other agencies of government should enforce the law. “To the millions of workers subjected to inhuman and un-dignifying employment, we are determined to join forces to embark on unbroken struggle to force recalcitrant employers to respect workers right to join –

Read more at http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/11/workers-battle-employers-worsening-anti-labour-practices/#sthash.O1nYhDv0.dpuf

Change is on the horizon in Nigeria folks, very soon Nigerian employees will no longer be able to treat workers with impunity knowing that they can and they will get away with it. Proactive workforce planning and setting up of organizational structures will become the new norm. if youd like to sort your office out and don’t know how, send us an email at info@insitefulsolutionsconsult.com and we will help you out

 

Ciao folks

SOMETIMES ITS HARD TO BE A WOMAN

So you are determined to make it as a fabulous female Chief Executive Officer/manager/team lead by any means necessary and you keep hearing the same thing over and over again…stop being such a girl, be a man about things, be tough!! But being who you are is what will make you succeed at work, not becoming someone else, so it is important that there is a balance. However, have you ever been curious why people are so hard on women? Here are some of the things we are accused of:

 

Women are too emotional...any small thing and they starting crying

Women are petty. I missed one meeting and she wiped my details off the entire project

Oh! You don’t know why that female manager is so aggressive….she’s single and frustrated!

My female colleagues will fight and keep malice till the day they quit or are thrown out!

She’s always taken days off and skipping out working weekends…Haba is she made of salt?!

Yep, folks, from the moment people see a woman, she’ll be misjudged as being emotional, petty, flaky, fragile and if you’re single FRUSTRATED. It isn’t really about what you wear but being judged for who they assume you are. Sadly, a lot of times the assertions listed above are not that far off the mark for some females (and quite a few men too) So if you want to be taking seriously focus on being logical, proactive, and assertive without being aggressive, pragmatic, friendly, diplomatic, and ready to put in the extra hours when necessary. Sometimes that might even mean pushing through some aggressive PMS with an extra strong dose of paid medicine and a huge smile.  . 

Don’t be afraid to chart a course of action and firmly expect your team to toe the line. Expect backlash from some people but this can be dealt by playing some diplomatic office chicken were you face your aggressor in a diplomatic manner. Simply put, someone challenges you in the office, firmly deal with the situation, then brush it off and continue with business as usual. You can still be pretty in pink but try tailored pieces, longer sleeve shirts, and colorful accessories as opposed to crazy color blocking.  If you’re still not sure how this translates to how you can be a bold fabulous female at work, please do not hesitate to drop us a line at info@insitefulsolutionsconsult.com Remember, life is what you make of it and above all, always, always, to thine own self, always remain true

BECOMING A STAR PERFORMER WITHIN THE SME WORK ENVIROMENT

For the greater part of my teenage years and the same goes for a lot of us out there, we were first encouraged to go for certain professions (Lawyer, doctor, engineer, teacher, etc.) then it became get your first degree, go for your masters (and it must be abroad) and then come back to look for a “good” job in a big company. If you broke the “rules” and came back with an employment letter for a company no one had heard of, you may be faced with looks of pity or even a prayer the next day that God please give my child a job.  However with unemployment currently standing at around 24% (roughly ¼ of our estimated 158+ million strong population) and with economic forces shifting the very face of business in Nigeria, small to medium size enterprises now compete with the bigger companies as employers of labor and like the bigger companies, small to medium sized enterprises have their own unique work cultures and structures

Whether it is an IT firm, architectural firm, legal chambers or marketing consultancy, SMEs have unique features which usually include one or more of the following:

§  Much smaller workforces

§  Flatter work structures

§  CEOs and MDs being part of the management team

§  There being more responsibilities and duties than the people working

A lot of people who work in SMEs and who have worked in larger companies have also been surprised to find that their job roles are less defined, there is a lot more interaction between business owners and staff, and financial issues had an immediate impact on the organization. Simply put, SMEs are a very different place to larger co-operations but just like anywhere else, there are things you can do to excel at your job and safe guard your career.

§   BE PROACTIVE NOT REACTIVE

A lot of people complain about not liking the insecurity in SMEs. They believe they can be sacked at any time for the smallest of reasons. This isn’t true. The problem is people do not understand that larger companies usually have a very large workforce that cushion errors, mistakes, and problems. For ex: if I work in a large company and there are 50 people between me and the head of the unit, and I make a mistake, how long will it take management to know what’s wrong? What’s the possibility of management ever even finding out about my mistake? However if I work in an SME where it is just 6 of us and I make an error for a document the CEO wanted, how soon will he/she know? Chances are, in a large firm I can get away with a lot simply because of the size and number of people there. In a smaller firm, I make a mistake and it cost me the same thing as if it was noticed in a larger firm, it’s just guaranteed it will be spotted and the necessary action taken almost immediately.

§   WORK WITH PASSION

Irrespective of why you took the job, the important thing is you took the job!!! You now have to be passionate about what you do. Love your job, embrace it. It’s a smaller firm so more than likely there will be more work, longer hours, and bigger responsibilities. You must as an employee be passionate about what you do and show it all the time. Also be passionate about what your boss is passionate about. SMEs are usually run by business owners and managers you interact with face to face. Remember to show you are passionate about what they are passionate about.

§   FOCUS YOUR PRIORITIES

When I worked for larger companies, I knew my responsibilities. I came in the morning and had my to do list for each day, finished them, and went home happy in the knowledge id done my bit. But its very different in SMEs. Although I had clearly defined roles, I would find myself doing a hundred unexpected things and I would still have my to do list that had to be completed!! Refocusing my priorities was very important and anyone working in an SME should keep this in mind. Make sure you have your to do lists. Always end each day assessing how it went and making plans to catch up with what you hadn’t accomplished.

§   START THINKING DIFFERENTLY ABOUT YOU “ME” TIME

A lot of people complain that in smaller firms they get calls, emails, and txt after work. Some people even go as far as to say their office and personal lines are turned off when they leave the office. I’m here to tell you that unless you own the company, make sure you are as available as much as possible out of office hours. If you have a blackberry, don’t turn it off at night and self righteously say, this is now my time! Make sure your phone is connected your office emails and you are accessible after work. Check you emails and be prepared to get and answer phone calls outside of official working hours. It is no longer unexpected for employees in SMEs to have to go the extra mile, so don’t be surprised and make room for work both in the office and at home. Be remembered for going the extra mile which gets you recognized for all the right reasons. Do not be remembered as the employee who is never available and is therefore disposable.

§   TAKE OWNERSHIP OF YOUR JOB

It is important in an SME that you take active ownership of your job and time in the office. You have to do the job you are paid for and spend time really studying your boss so you can stay one step or more ahead of their needs and wants. You also have to be aware of what is acceptable and more importantly, what is not acceptable because remember, the lesser the people the bigger the spotlight when you do something right and especially when you do something wrong. When there is a problem and you find out it is a lot bigger than you think (for ex: you committing an offence that could get you fired) remember disciplinary procedures are much shorter and can even happen in the space of hours.

Above all, In smaller establishments you are responsible for yourself at your job and this goes for the good, the bad, and the ugly that happens. Jobs are no longer lifetime guaranteed careers and every day has to be viewed as a new opportunity. Do not ever be complacent. Respect your bosses and colleagues. Take advantage of all opportunities to learn new skills so that you are always remain relevant. Go the extra mile at work and be noticed for all the right reasons.

Share your views/questions with me in the comment section and be sure to get it answered.

Do have a great day.