Traits to Consider Before Settling on a Business Partner for your startup
You have been working for five years, in this time you have set out a plan to help you become a Motherland Mogul. The plan is getting into the business. You have gone as far as saving up for a couple of years to finance your to be start-up. Recently, you have been toying around with various business ideas, the idea that encompasses both your passion and need to make some extra cash on the side wins. You have looked at the various ways you can implement this business idea and realised you need a partner to do so. This could be because you are a good accountant but for the business to be a success you need a partner who will be the face of the business. Or you are the sassy lady who is good at communication and drawing in the customers, and a manager is needed to make sure all that money you are raking in is properly managed. So currently the idea and the money are in place the only thing that remains undone is getting a business partner on board. What are the things that you should consider to ensure you end up with the right person as a partner in your business? Sharing the Vision of the business. At the beginning, the business is usually just an idea. If implemented correctly, it could impact your lives and those of your clients tremendously in a positive way. The person or people you choose to work with as partners in the business must own the vision of the business as much as you do. If your partner does not agree with you on the levels to which you want to take the business. They will always have negative vibes on the job that will result in your business losing money. A partner is part of management, and if they are pessimistic with regards to the business, the employees will notice and get demoralised. The vision is the business. It’s what positions you strategically against competitors. It is thus a prerequisite that before you decide to partner with someone on a business, be in sync on where you see the business going to in three months’ time or in five years’ time. Honesty and Transparency Honesty is a virtue that is a must-have in business. Individuals who are shrewd and unscrupulous ruin your business. You could have been saving for a really long time to start off this business or you got a loan from your bank to get it running. Therefore, you cannot afford to lose the money or destroy your business name. It is therefore necessary to vet the person you intend to partner with. Inquire into the person’s character from others who have worked with them prior to you considering to partner with them. If the feedback is positive you have a partner. If not, find your business train another station to disembark, as this one is a definite NO! Hard work and Resilience Start-ups are a mountain to climb on their own. The faint-hearted cannot survive this climb. Setting up a business from scratch is not a walk in the park. A partner will share in the business profits. This means they have to put in the work and the time needed to get the business to the top in your chosen field. There are qualities that you will compensate for each other but working hard and smart is not one of them. One could be unquestionably talented but if they never take time to create and get their skills or work to the market no one will ever know of their talent. Moreover, if you partner with a lazy person you will shoulder the whole burden of the business which beats the logic of having a partner in the first place. Resilience is also key in your partner. Quitters run at the first sight of trouble. With new businesses, you will meet challenges that you never anticipated at the start of your journey. This will not mean that you quit. Overcoming this challenges is exactly what you will need to do to solidify your position in the market.
How to Spot and Manage Employee Personalities
We all say that we want to be leaders but many times we forget that to be a successful manager, you must learn to adapt your leadership style to suit different types of employee personalities. Employees have a range of behaviours ranging from normal to extreme. When confronted with these different personalities, managers sometimes aren’t quite sure how to manage this. In this article, we look at seven types of employee personalities and how best to manage them. The Employee Personalities The Slackers They can be found lingering in the break room, openly surfing the net, or parked in someone’s cubicle for a lengthy chat (which proves that slacking off can be contagious). They may find legitimate reasons to leave the office, then take time to run lengthy errands. This personality may be as a result of an under-developed work ethic and lack of good role models or they don’t just like their jobs so have trouble bringing any energy to it. The Space Cadets These employee personalities frequently seem to be lost, thinking of something else except the subject matter. They make seemingly off-the-wall comments in meetings and may start discussions in the middle of a thought. They may come up with ideas that, at least on the surface, seem rather impractical. They are usually abstract thinkers who are more focused on the future than the present. The Power Takers These employees tend to get into power struggles with their bosses. They often act like they’re managing you, instead of the other way around. These employee personalities would naturally take over a meeting or quickly step into the lead role on a project, brag about their accomplishments, so titles, perks, and public recognition are important to them. A strong fear of failure often lies behind this bravado. The Loners They are quite easy to spot. Look out for those who prefer to spend the day working on the computer and talking to no one in a little corner they carved out for themselves. They never want to attend conferences, meetings or workshops, because they look for any excuse to duck out. They don’t dislike people – they just don’t find social interaction to be a very enjoyable activity. The Drama Queens (or Kings) The dramatic ones thrive on excitement and attention, so spotting them is easy. A calm, peaceful workday is just not very rewarding, so they try to spice things up with dramatic pronouncements, juicy gossip, ominous rumors, personal traumas, or emotional breakdowns. When talking with others, they are expressive and animated. More subdued coworkers find the dramatic employees exhausting and try to avoid them. They thrive on emotional stimulation, regardless of whether the emotions are positive or negative. The Challengers Challengers are programmed to be oppositional. When presented with a proposal, suggestion, directive, or idea, they automatically point out flaws, obstacles, and potential problems. In fact, they enjoy challenging management, because they feel it establishes their independence. They resent authority and never show respect just because the person has a title. Their focus is on winning arguments, not resolving the problem. Challengers have a high need for control. The Clingers The major quality of people with this personality is dependence. They like clear instructions, ongoing communication, and frequent positive reinforcement. Uncomfortable making independent decisions, because they are afraid of doing the wrong thing. Clingers are reluctant to express disagreement because they fear making others angry and losing their support. As a result, they sometimes withhold their opinions or harbor resentments that they never express. The Clinger’s main need is to feel safe. Management Techniques Management may differ for each personality but here’s a brief summary of tips that may aid in effectively managing employees that fall in these categories listed above: Clearly define expectations in terms of results that must be accomplished. Help the employee break down large projects into smaller implementation steps. Set regular times for feedback and follow-up to ensure that work is on track. Explain why more mundane or tedious tasks are important. Provide regular feedback to encourage more concise verbal and written communications. Stress the importance of each team member to the overall organizational success. Take time to understand individual ideas, as sometimes they often have benefits that are not immediately apparent. Provide opportunities to be creative. It is important to note that in any organization or sector, asides from identifying the multiple personalities within you must first define the culture and type of leadership as a step to effectively manage for success. To be categorized as a Great leader, you must actively listen, build rapport, ask questions and give constructive feedback. Communication and flexibility are key.
9 Tips On How To Manage Startup Employee Turnover
There’s a common saying in the business world: “A business is only as good as its people.” This is why a high employee turnover rate, especially for good employees, can be detrimental to a business. So what happens when one of your key employees wants to quit? This is not a piece of news any business owner wants to hear but it’s an inevitable part of doing business. I’ve learned that exits are always challenging for teams, their leaders, and for the company as a whole– and costly. Employee turnover can quickly run up costs ranging into the hundreds of thousands– or more. Talk about a big financial hit. According to a study published by the Society for Human Resource Management, when an employee leaves, it costs an average of 6-9 months of your former employee’s salary to identify and onboard their replacement. Here’s how you can handle exit/team member’s resigning in the start-up environment: Study the employee turnover pattern To understand how to stop a wave of departures from happening, you first need to understand why these waves happen in the first place. Are they leaving as a result of wages, minimal growth opportunities or culture? In startups, most times whatever is bugging one person is usually bugging the others; they just haven’t told anyone yet (or you missed the signs). Over time, issues build on one another enough to lead people to consider leaving. Create a habit of regular pulse check Make a continuous habit of checking in with team members. Conduct anonymous surveys using tools that allow for this and regular coffee check-ins to discuss a variety of topics about how you are doing as a leader, things going on in the company, and so on. You will be shocked at what people have to say. When you address the issues, you find that you are fixing something that everyone will appreciate. Change your Mindset Assume everyone is leaving and interviewing. Don’t set the standard that the only way to get attention is if you fear they’re interviewing. Realise as well that even those that stick around may only be doing it out of necessity. Employees could also be staying due to any of the following reasons: Visa or immigration restrictions Big life event approaching–wedding, baby, buying a house, etc The promotion they are hoping for before leaving so they can get a better title and salary elsewhere. Accept change When multiple team members are leaving, it’s a sign that change is needed. Accept that this change must start with you and embrace that mindset. If your employees are leaving, it’s a huge signal fire that there are problems to be dealt with. Be open to their feedback and the issues they bring up (especially if they’re about things you do) It may be difficult to hear, and the solutions may be difficult to implement, but realise that the situation is dire. Follow-through & take action The best way to build trust with employees that might leave or as a whole is to swing into action on the feedback they give you. You may not be able to fix all the problems, but even small, incremental progress can improve morale and decrease employee turnover. Make a counteroffer when necessary If the employee is extremely valuable to your business, you may consider making a counter-offer depending on the situation (it could be that they have opted for a career change that you cannot accommodate). When making a counteroffer, you must consider your budget, do the right market research and compare this with the cost of hiring fresh talent. The good news is that counter-offers are not only about money as they might be leaving for different reasons. So you can get creative and think of ways to solve that person’s problem in a way that helps them to stay with you. Fix your processes An example of a process could be your onboarding methods. Research shows that new employees are 58% more likely to stay longer at their employer if they had an effective onboarding experience. Make them feel welcomed and accepted as a new team member. Give them everything they need to get off to a fast start. Set clear objectives and expectations Clear objectives and key results (OKRs) on a company-wide level will enable aligned clarity and prioritization throughout the organization. Share long-term product roadmaps, to enable greater visibility (and excitement) about growth trajectory and development plans. This encourages team members to feel like a part of the business development and success story. Reform your Human Capital Initiatives This involves taking a closer look at the people you are working with. Proactively weeding out low performers and people whose skills/goals were misaligned with the company’s needs/goals plays an important role in reducing future turnover rates. In summary, If you’re working on a huge employee turnover problem, you’re probably under a lot of stress and have a lot on your plate. The best thing you can do to help yourself and reduce your employee turnover rate is to be attentive to issues within, intentional, and diligent in your communication methods. In reality, all startups are built on change, and change is good. To create something where nothing existed before, growing companies need to experiment, to give new ideas a chance to fuel exponential growth. What this means is that the focus of the business might change often. As much as hiring new talent at a startup can bring a new level of skill and expertise, if you aren’t making the most of the talent you have at each stage, it can leave a negative impact on your business.
Team Building – A necessity or waste of time
Despite the misconception that team building is lame and barely seen as relevant, did you know that team building is the most important investments you can make for your team? It builds trust, mitigates conflict, encourages communication, and increases collaboration. Effective team building means more engaged employees, which is good for company culture and boosting the bottom line. In this article, I will be talking about the importance of team building and sharing some valuable tips on how to plan effective team building activities. Why Team Building? 1. Networking and socializing Socializing and getting to know your team in the workplace is one of the best ways to increase productivity in the office. Team building boosts morale and also allows for team members to work better at solving everyday workplace issues. 2. Teamwork and boosting overall performance Employees tend to understand each other better after completing a team-building activity. It becomes easier to identify each other’s strengths, weaknesses, and interests. This collaborative spirit and team effort helps everyone work even better together on future projects vital to a company’s progress. 3. Fostering of innovation and creativity Successful team building events not only bring people closer together, but they also contribute to a more successful and creative workplace. Games and competitive exercises become more challenging as people tend to have a larger imagination when they are around people they are comfortable with. 4. Communication To no surprise, communication and working better together is the top reason why people choose team bonding. Everybody desires a friendly work environment, where people are comfortable and happy to talk to and collaborate with anyone. One of the results of team bonding is that the activities actually work to improve communication. Are you looking to improve your team’s communication skills, collaborativeness and performance? Why don’t you try these tips when planning your next team building soiree: Identify the goal of this event This includes identifying what you want the focus to be on. It is best to plan an entire team-building session around key objectives. For example, if you want to foster better communication among group members, then your activities should include initiatives that call for various combinations of players taking a leadership role in giving directions, commands, or ideas in both verbal and non-verbal mediums. Replace the usual team dinner with something new Choosing something unique and slightly outside of people’s comfort zones can encourage them to come together in new ways. Take your team paintballing or maybe to a boxing ring to let off some steam. A little physically challenging activity might be all you need to get people to destress. Quit looking at it as a favor but as an investment This event isn’t fluff. You don’t have to break the bank for something fancy or to go on expensive trips or experiences, but don’t skimp either. Be willing to make a real investment. Bad experiences stick longer than beautiful memories. Keep it up Most team-building events fall flat because it’s a one-time activity that is done and then forgotten. It’s key to find ways to keep organizing these events. The challenge is creating opportunities for people to connect and interact in meaningful ways, outside of regular meetings or presentations. One way we do this is to have a monthly team hurdle. At this event, team members can celebrate achievements and show appreciation to their co-workers. Assessment/ Evaluation After team bonding exercises, you must evaluate and measure impact. For you to measure a team member’s ability to collaborate with other departments on projects, I would recommend that this be evaluated or assessed during performance appraisal. This can be done in the form of a questionnaire, survey or during 1-on-1s with other team members. This is the easiest way to track improvement when it involves showing team effort. How do you know you’ve gotten team building right? If there was laughter, a sense of excitement and accomplishment, and maybe a few Instagram moments, you’re definitely on the right track! A little adventure can unlock many levels of creativity.
This woman-led startup bets it can help African businesses grow faster
As Sub-saharan Africa lags behind in the World Bank’s 2020 ease of doing business report, one woman-led startup thinks it can help entrepreneurs grow their companies in this tough environment. After years of mentoring startups and running businesses in Ghana and Nigeria, Munachim Chukwuma started IB Consulting in February 2019 to help founders overcome operating challenges she also had to face as a young entrepreneur. Munachim and her team believe they’ve found the recipe to help African business grow quickly with their innovative and affordable service model. Why Nigerian startups are struggling to grow. According to experts from Harvard University, startups that want to stand the test of time must learn new ways of operating and behaving. This is difficult for a lot of entrepreneurs because these new ways tend to be completely different from their start-up roots. Most startups struggle to grow and scale either because they do not know how or lack the proper structure and strategy. This is where we come in. Munachim Chukwuma – Founder, Ibobo Consulting IB Consulting believes that African entrepreneurs struggling to grow their businesses must realize they are in a different phase of their business life cycle, and therefore must change. IB Consulting’s growth recipe for startups. To help entrepreneurs struggling to scale, Munachim and her partners created a service model that combines strategy consultation, negotiation, and content creation. IB Consulting bets its 3 service tentpoles are what entrepreneurs need to grow faster despite the difficulty of doing business in Africa. We decided to focus on strategy consultation, negotiations and content creation as a company because we realized most of the challenges most businesses face in today’s society are tied to those three areas in one way or another. Munachim Chukwuma – Founder, Ibobo Consulting In addition to its unique service model, IB Consulting promises clients efficiency, personalization, and great service. Why you should watch out for IB Consulting. In less than a year, IB Consulting is proving it is not just all talk. The company reports that since February, it has helped over 10 business owners rebuild their structures and execute action growth plans. It’s also not just about the money for this company this woman-led company. They have done some pro bono work for new entrepreneurs who could not afford to pay for some of our services. In 2020, the company plans to expand aggressively to reach, help and educate help businesses across Africa. We intend to grow over the next year of business and reach more people across the continent, as we also reinvent our business and launch more products that can meet the needs of our prospective clients. Munachim Chukwuma – Founder, Ibobo Consulting Visit https://iboboconsulting.com/ for more information on how IB Consulting can help your business. Sponsored Post.
SheaMoisture Spotlight On Award-Winning Midwife: Tolu Adeleke-Aire – CEO ToluTheMidwife
SheaMoisture is the enduring and beautiful legacy of Sofi Tucker. Widowed with five children at 19, Grandma Sofi supported her family by selling handcrafted shea butter soaps and other creations in the village market in Sierra Leone. Sofi became known as a healer who shared the power of shea and African black soap with families throughout the countryside. She handed down her recipes to grandson Richelieu Dennis, who founded SheaMoisture and incorporated her wisdom into the brand’s hair and skin care innovations. SheaMoisture products and collections are formulated with natural, certified organic and fair trade ingredients, with the shea butter ethically-sourced from 15 co-ops in Northern Ghana as part of the company’s purpose-driven Community Commerce business model. SheaMoisture has partnered with She Leads Africa to support and showcase Nigerian women who support their communities. About Tolu Adeleke-Aire Tolu Adeleke-Aire is the CEO and founder of ToluTheMidwife. She is an internationally trained, dual-qualified healthcare professional. Tolu is an accomplished senior midwife and nurse. Tolu has over ten years of clinical and management experience. She completed an MSc in Healthcare Management, after which she worked with the reputable UCL (Department of Nutrition). Tolu founded ToluTheMidwife to create a holistic experience for families. One that included preparing, supporting and empowering expectant parents as they transition to parenthood. She does this through evidence-based health education. One parent at a time, Tolu is living her business mantra, “save a mother, save a child, save a community.” To learn more about Tolu’s business and connect with her, visit her Website, Instagram, Twitter, and Youtube. ToluTheMidwife Healthcare Solutions, how did you start? I started ToluTheMidwife Healthcare Solutions (officially) in 2018. The aim is to prepare, support and empower expectant parents as they transition to parenthood through evidence-based health education. At ToluTheMidwife, we offer Antenatal Classes, Postnatal Classes, exclusive “With Woman” services and Dads Antenatal Classes #DadsAntenatalNg. Through effective health education, we can influence a positive change in health behaviors. This will drastically reduce Nigeria’s maternal and neonatal mortality rates. We truly believe that informed and empowered parents will Save a mother, Save a baby and Save a Community. What was your motivation? While still working in England, I visited Nigeria often because I always wanted to move back. So during one of these visits, I read an article about the atrocious maternal and neonatal mortality rates. I instantly became obsessed. That article made me struggle to understand why so many women die just because they are having a baby. On further research, I noted many women lack basic evidence-based health education. As a result, I created Tolu the Midwife to fill this gap, with the hopes of saving mothers, babies, and communities. What makes your brand stand out? I would say our dads antenatal classes, #DadsAntenatalNg. We are the first to incorporate antenatal classes for dads in Lagos and possibly Nigeria. Society expects men to understand the beautiful yet challenging changes that happen to women during pregnancy. To support their partners in labor and in the postnatal period. All that without being taught, educated, informed or even supported. This is grossly unfair, drives men away and generational patterns are subconsciously repeated. Our holistic approach covers the transition to parenthood right from conception for both men and women. Another thing we do is offer our couples, round the clock online maternity support through our exclusive “With Woman” packages. Couples feel very reassured knowing there is a midwife available to answer all their questions and alleviate any anxiety or refer them to the hospital (if required). Can you tell us one 1 to 3 things you struggled with as a business owner and how you overcame them? 1. Time management: I had a demanding full-time job and was starting a business in Nigeria. It was very challenging and I found no matter how hard I tried, the “naija factor” would disrupt my plans. I am currently working part-time, as this gives me enough time to focus on building ToluTheMidwife and The Maternity Hub (Nigeria). I am also able to attend various courses which have been extremely helpful in building my brand. 2. Funding: I was unable to secure a personal space as I had planned and this threw me out of sync. I froze the plans I had for the classes for a while. However, I am currently leasing spaces as required for my classes (pay-as-you-go) and this is working out really well. How have you managed to stay above the noise in this industry? As a brand new start-up, we are trying new and exclusive services such as dads antenatal classes and baby massage classes and evaluating the response we get from our clients. We also constantly monitor maternal needs and trends. Do you have a personal experience that taught you a business lesson? I didn’t consider the third party factor and it left me devastated at the start of my business. As an example, I write the handbooks for the classes and have them updated throughout the year. I gave the first book to a printer and I didn’t receive them on time for the very first class. It made me upset because when I did receive them, they were not fit for purpose. So when I updated the books again and sent them to the printer, I monitored every single step to avoid a repeat of what happened before. It was a really helpful learning experience for me because as a startup, I can’t afford to have a stain on my reputation, so I take all the necessary steps to ensure it doesn’t repeat itself. What impact have you made on your community since starting this business? I would say being able to make pregnant couples feel informed and empowered about their pregnancy, birthing options, and postnatal care. Most of them report feeling less anxious and worried because they know we are one call away. They also ask the midwives and doctors to complete all aspects of their antenatal check-up. The women have their personal antenatal
Top 5 ways a Diverse Workplace can Help Companies Thrive
Leading companies know that having a diverse workplace and culture is the key to boosting employee morale. As the workforce demographics shift and global markets emerge, workplace diversity becomes harder to ignore. Companies are beginning to see its importance and are beginning to embrace it. What you need to know about workplace diversity… The word ‘diversity’ connotes different things. It could be age, gender, race, color or even culture. A diverse workplace represents an inclusive company. It is important to the employers that employees feel like they make a significant contribution to the organization using their unique qualities. If organizations want to improve their competitive advantage, they must learn to manage a diverse workforce. A diverse organization creates a positive image for businesses as it shows inclusivity and equal employment opportunities. 1. Increased exposure A highly diversified workplace comprises of people from different culture and backgrounds. This gives room for increased exposure as employees learn from each other. 2. Innovation Inclusive companies are 1.7 times more likely to be innovation leaders in their market. You can never run out of ideas when you have a diverse team. Why? This is b Juditecause they all bring something to the table. Having different cultural backgrounds means the way they think differ; the beliefs that shape their thoughts are not the same. This vast difference, even between gender breeds innovation. Creative concepts are born out of each one offering a solution or suggestion. People from different backgrounds have different experiences and perspectives. This leads to creativity. 3. Grows the organization’s talent pool Embracing diversity means you’ll attract a large number of candidates from all walks of life. These are people well versed in different diverse skills set and knowledge. As the number of candidates increases, the chances of finding a suitable candidate will increase too. 4. Employee retention Who doesn’t want to work for a company that embraces diversity? They don’t discriminate but accept employees from all backgrounds. In the long run, this promotes quality and boosts the morale of the employee. 5. Employee performance The chances of being happy in an environment that is open and inclusive are higher than one which isn’t. Employees are more likely to feel comfortable, happy and safe in an organization that embraces diversity. This boosts the confidence of the employee as they feel confident in putting their best. The higher your employee’s morale, the more productive he or she is. Organizations who have a range of employees enjoy the benefits of having a broad skill set and experience. All of these gives the company an advantage over others. Join our Facebook Live on August 22nd to learn how to drive social change through your business/ Career. Click here to sign up.
Navshika Beeharry: Adding accountability and value to foreign volunteering efforts in Africa
Navshika Beeharry is a British-Mauritian blogger, speaker, and interculturalist. She shares her experience of volunteering overseas and advocates for intercultural awareness to be at the heart of charity and aid efforts to improve foreign assistance in the motherland. In this article, she also provides consultancy for sustainability advice, strategy development and/or content creation. Shika, as she is fondly called, believes it is important for NGOs to develop empowering stories of self-managed income/resources to challenge the mindset that success derives from external donors as opposed to the people themselves. In 2015, when she returned home from a volunteer placement in Tanzania, she founded “Becoming Africquainted” as an initiative to candidly recounting the life-changing memories she made, including some difficult observations of when Western intercultural communication goes badly wrong. Since then, it has grown into a platform of its own that provides discussion and resources to all aspiring volunteers or expats, encouraging them to undertake their service overseas responsibly and respectfully. Shika on Intercultural Awareness For Shika, intercultural awareness is an unmissable step that any foreign volunteer must be willing to take to better know their own cultural limitations and how to healthily navigate new ones. However, this must be reciprocated by host communities within Africa too, by ensuring they take responsibility for their own narrative and how they wish for it to be told and remembered long after any volunteer exchange has ended. It will take time to help visitors to form new associations of Africa they see, but the benefits to sewing two-way intercultural connections are fruitful and increasingly necessary for the prosperity of the interconnected world we live in. To be a successful foreign volunteer, Shika believes it begins with an understanding of yourself / skillset and a genuine desire to be of service to someone. Such a person is often thought to be self-sacrificing with care for their wider community and an unrelenting passion to contribute to a cause bigger than themselves. However, to be able to add accountability and value to foreign volunteering efforts in Africa, one needs to; 1. Have a good knowledge of the country and organization whose aims you would like to champion. Each summer in Africa, this ‘higher cause’ has all too often displayed itself as ‘saviourism’, ‘privilege’ and ‘Western ideas’ – to name a few. What usually begins as a selfless summer trip quickly manifests itself into self-serving behavior when culture shock takes over, conditions become unfavorable to live in and personal expectations are not met. These circumstances fuel a type of instinctive desire to fix things that do not exist ‘back home’. Though the intention may come from a good place, the means by which it is executed becomes misplaced and frequently results in misunderstanding and conflict. Why? A lack of intercultural awareness. A large number of young people in the West – diaspora included – are conditioned into thinking that volunteering overseas is a worthy extra-curricular life experience or a means of personal development. These reasons are problematic because they refer to an underlying tone of personal gain that volunteering is based upon. The emphasis is rarely ever to learn about culture itself – something which really should underpin any healthy volunteer exchange. 2. Acquire traits that enable you to observe, recognize, perceive and positively respond to new and unfamiliar intercultural interactions. Some markers of intercultural awareness within international development are: Humility – being receptive to, and accepting of, new and unfamiliar situations Patience – in recognizing that positive outcomes take time to reveal themselves Humanity – acting humanely with a trusted concern for the community being served. These traits are not something we can quantify or expect anyone to learn quickly in a crash-course. But volunteer exchanges can be measured by the quality of relationships being built, along with their participation and respect for our cultures once they arrive. One indication of this lies in how well volunteer behaviors are recognized and reciprocated by the communities which they serve. 3. Volunteers should be given guided self-reflection time. This is to serve like one-to-one inductions in a paid workplace where their observations and experiences are discussed to foster a dialogue which enables them to explain their realities so that they can be better understood. Doing this not only prevents them from distancing themselves from problems they see by claiming ignorance, but it also provides a space for healthy goals to be set, contributions to be assessed and accountability to take place. This is important to help redefine the negative African post-colonial perceptions that many foreign volunteers have unconsciously grown up with. After all, what better way to rewrite the story than if told it ourselves to those who do have a desire to listen, by virtue of visiting the continent first-hand? A good start for non-profit-organisations is to offer their own guides into standards of behavior that outlines an interpretation of volunteer ideas and expectations during their stay. This formalizes the process whilst mitigating the risk of volunteers unhelpfully referring back to their (often biased) perception of problems and methods of solving them. Join our Facebook Live on August 22nd to learn how to drive social change through your business/ Career. Click here to sign up.
How Tamiko Cuellar monetized her gift and launched her business
Tamiko Cuellar is the CEO and Founder of Pursue Your Purpose LLC, – a global coaching, consulting and training firm for emerging entrepreneurs, corporate intrapreneurs, and leaders. She spends at least 6 months each year traveling throughout the continent of Africa where she speaks, coaches, and trains leaders, entrepreneurs, students, and women. In addition, Tamiko was appointed as a mentor to emerging entrepreneurs in Africa as part of the Tony Elumelu’s Entrepreneurship Programme in 2016. Tamiko has been a guest contributor on Forbes, The Huffington Post, amongst other publications. In this article, Tamiko shares with us her journey to becoming a smart boss lady, and how she’s helping ladies on the continent do the same. What made you decide to launch your own business? There were multiple catalysts that compelled me to launch my own business I had survived three rounds of layoffs (retrenchments) at my corporate job in the United States as a result of the 2008 economy. My job was becoming more stressful and adversely impacted my health, and I was only given a $700 bonus after helping to acquire a $30 million client for my company. Besides all of that, I felt that my potential was being stifled and I was not fulfilled. I then decided to monetize my gifts and skillset on my own terms, by launching my business to help other women transition from corporate and grow their businesses. On your journey to becoming a Smart Boss Lady, What are some exciting things while launching your business? Since there weren’t many coaches that were doing what I was doing when I first started, I looked for as many existing coaches as a template and tried to emulate them. I later realized that it was my uniqueness that caused my brand to soar internationally. I would encourage aspiring and emerging boss ladies to harness what’s unique about you. That’s your sweet spot. People don’t need a clone. They need you to show up in your authenticity What are some of the common problems entrepreneurs hire you to solve? The most common problems that women hire me for are helping them to narrow their focus, defining their target market, creating/refining a brand that attracts their target market, and also how to sell and make money consistently Established larger organizations usually hire me to develop their leaders. Why did you choose the business name – Pursue Your Purpose LLC? My company’s name was birthed from a common answer to a question that I would often ask people, which is, “What would you be doing if you could do something other than your current job?” The answer was always something different than what they were currently doing! Then my follow-up question would be, “Then why aren’t you doing that?” This was usually followed by a blank stare because people didn’t know why they weren’t getting paid to do what they love. It was then that I realized that most people that are working are doing what they have to do rather than what they want to do. I’ve mastered a system that creates entrepreneurs who get paid to do what they love and I simply coach others on how to profit from their God-given purpose. Tell us about your experience working almost exclusively on the continent of Africa. I absolutely love it! I am called to Africa. The Africa I see is very different than the Africa that is portrayed in the media. Africa is rising It’s ripe with potential because the majority of the population in many African nations is very young (ages 15-25) and emerging leaders are going to be at the helm of solving Africa’s problems very soon. Someone needs to develop and train these emerging leaders. I also feel a deeply personal and cultural connection to Africa being an African-American women of the Diaspora who can also bring a high level of skills to the continent that I’ve acquired in the States. Who is your dream client/partner? First and foremost, my dream partnership would be with SLA in some way to build capacity in its community of professional business women from a global perspective. As a former Adjunct Professor of Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management in the U.S., I also love working with Universities throughout Africa on entrepreneurship curriculum development as well as being a guest lecturer to business and entrepreneurship students. Additionally, I love working with agencies and the Ministries of Trade & Industry to teach sub-Saharan African businesses on how to export their products into the U.S. duty-free. Lastly, I love training corporate leaders and HR managers on how they develop innovative entrepreneurial thinking in order to be on the cutting edge of what the rest of the world is doing. I would love to do more of these three types of training and coaching. I’m very open to being contacted by your readers for partnership and speaking opportunities throughout Africa. What’s the most exciting project you’re currently working on? I’m very happy to say that my fourth book, “Cultivating An Entrepreneurial Mindset” should be out by the fourth quarter of 2019. This will help thousands of aspiring and emerging entrepreneurs both inside and outside the classroom to develop the right thinking that leads to having successful, profitable and sustainable businesses. My calendar for 2020 is filling up quickly with organizational partnerships, speaking and training opportunities with universities, corporations, and government agencies throughout Africa, so I welcome as many strategic alignments as my company can accommodate. I am also adding new Global Brand Ambassadors to my team all over Africa who are highly influential and can help us impact more people. This article was put together by Lungiswa Mzimba
A ‘Maternity Leave’ Revolution is taking place on the continent
The topic of parental leave in Africa is a commonly contested issue that is brought to question time and time again. In many parts of the continent, actual maternity and paternity leave are non-existent. Distiller giant, Diageo have made a huge step in a positive direction regarding parental leave by being the first large scale employer in Africa to provide their staff with six months paid maternity leave and four weeks paternity leave on full rate pay in all their markets across the continent. Diageo made this announcement in conjunction with their move to increase parental leave in their Western and Asian markets as well. This is a big step in the corporate world given that very few (if any) employers in Africa are permitting six months of paid leave – which makes it easier for women in the workplace to be both mothers and have a career with little stringent time complications. The International Labour Organization (ILO) states that 80% of women in Africa and Asia are deprived of maternity leave. In terms of paternity leave, the numbers are even lower with only eight countries out of 54 giving fathers more than a week’s paternity leave. This debacle has made it difficult for African women who are/want to be mothers to progress in the workplace because it forces them to choose one or the other but never both. SLA contributor – Diana had a sit down with HR director of the Diageo Africa division, Caroline Hirst, and Clemmie Raynsford, Head of Market Communications to learn about the steps taken and reasons for making such an empowering initiative come alive. Why did Diageo decide to do this now as opposed to say 2 – 4yrs ago? Caroline: We have been really progressing on the gender diversity perspective, we’ve worked really heavily on representation on a leadership level and in every aspect of our business and in particular generally where women are underrepresented. That has been really successful. However, we have recognized that the gender diversity agenda can’t just be about how many people of which gender you’ve got doing what things. It’s much more a breakdown of stereotypes, how do you create an environment where everybody can succeed, that’s really our aim. I was really keen to bring this policy in Africa because I think you can be forgiven for thinking that the gender diversity agenda is all about enabling women in Africa to do what men do which is not the case. It’s about all of us think differently about how we work together and so having this shift around parental leave and particularly the shift around paternity leave across Africa has not only given men more benefits and women too but it’s also got people talking about the diversity agenda as something that’s relevant and a means to change for everybody. Clemmie: It’s about us being a supportive employer and saying you can take more time with your family. With the beverage industry being such an old fashioned industry, most of our big breweries in parts of Africa took it positively commenting that it’s a really pioneering step that’s actually saying we are an employer first and we care about our people and giving them the right to the environment to do their work in the best way possible. If they need to be at home they can be and have their family and have that balance. As a working mum, what does this new initiative by Diageo mean to you and your family? Caroline: I was fortunate enough that when I had my children, the UK legislation already allowed mothers to take up to 40 weeks off. When I had my daughter and took 6 months off leave, the main consideration for me as the primary bread-winner in my household was how would I afford to take that much time off? When I had my son, I took a year off, most of it being unpaid so I feel that if this policy was in existence then, it would have made a lot more financial sense. This new policy will make a difference for women across Africa. I also hope that more men will feel welcome to take the 4 weeks paternity leave and spend time at home with their families. One of the things that we are seeking to do in our business is to make it okay for anybody to be a parent as opposed to it being something that only women can talk about or experience fully. Clemmie: I think what’s great about this policy is that not only does it take the financial pressure off which probably is sort of 70-80% of the main factor. But also, in saying that your company will give you full pay for 26 weeks off, it’s also saying that slightly the company is expecting you to want to and is absolutely fine with you taking that extended period of time off. It’s the combination of being allowed and your employer saying – we support you and we know that you have a family, this is a crazy new stage in your life so not only will we help you financially but here is some extra time you most likely need. The feedback from a lot of our African markets included people just suddenly feeling that sense of support that never existed before. It has been very positive from our various East and West Africa businesses. Why can’t fathers get the same amount of time off as mothers do? Caroline: In the future, we could look at a possible potential for that. Our intention is to create an environment where men can be fathers. And we think that moving to four weeks paternity leave whereas before in most markets it’s usually just two weeks or less, signals a progressive step forward. We have operationally a few constraints around how we would extend that to six months here where the majority of the workforce is male, but