An Employee Ascending Is A Leader In Waiting

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The working world is not two-tiered. It’s not workers and seniors, it’s a multi-layered and complex professional world. It’s akin to a soup, you need the overall flavor to come through, and the base to provide body but, there are lots of other different components that bring out the best in the dish. Here’s where people get flustered. Sometimes there are unofficial roles that have almost the same power as the intended purpose they serve. However, since they’re not official, this means that there are many people that hold greater power than the average employee, but aren’t quite middle management or senior higher-ups. It’s called employee ascension. Slowly, you’re being recognized as someone who potentially has leadership qualities, but since there aren’t roles open in the middle management and no positions open for middle management to be promoted to a senior role, then you are in effect in limbo. Don’t worry though, you need to keep up your progress and maintaining your upwardly climb.

How do you know

Are you getting more and more tasks to do, despite no official word with you about them? This could stir up the feelings of resentment because it can seem as if you’re being bullied or perhaps being taken advantage of. However, if you can see that the other employees are getting the same amount of work as you used to, then perhaps it’s far from bullying. Notice that you are being asked to check over someone else’s work? Some work can seem like it’s in the middle of being classed as something the management should do and something that employees may also do. These are clear signs that you are being trusted to do work that requires a little finer touch and an increased skill level from the other employees. Continue doing this work for a few weeks, and then have a chat with your superior. Inform them that you have no issue doing the work but that it seems odd to be giving you a higher class of work. Most likely they will inform you that you’re being tested, which is basically a confirmation that a promotion is waiting in the wings for you.

StrategyDriven Professional Development Article
 
In your stride

Promotions can sometimes be a rocky road. Companies may want you to take on more work but they don’t have the salary expectations of a middle management or top worker to give away. Instead, you should take it in your stride and relish the opportunity to play a larger part in the company. If you work in the construction industry and your employer is looking for someone to take on a large role, you can apply for an excavator license test. The course teaches you how to use the latest machines and abide by the latest safety rules as well as effective techniques to speed up the work. You should be jumping at the chance to play a larger role while and based off of your performance, be ready to accept a promotion.

Ascending through the career ladder to get a better job is at first daunting. The first thing, however, is to get noticed and want to get noticed at that. This means taking on the added responsibilities when they’re given to you. Remember that it’s a test and should you pass you are in line for a leading role.

How to Encourage Teens to Get Jobs and Save Their Own Money

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StrategyDriven Professional Development ArticleInstead of allowing your kiddo to laze around the house this summer, encourage your teen to get a job and save their own money instead. How so? Here are a few methods for talking your teen into taking on responsibilities and making their own cash this summer.

Encourage Your Kids to Search for Local Part-Time Jobs

Older teens, around 15 and older, can apply for part-time jobs. Check bulletin boards, encourage them to look at reputable online resources for hiring positions, and take them to fill out applications at local grocery stores, fast food restaurants, or retail shops. There are plenty of places that would be happy to hire a teen for the duration of the summer, on a part-time basis.

Or, for Younger Teens, Set Up a Chores and Rewards System Around the House

If your teen can’t apply for a job outside of the home yet, set up a list of daily chores and offer a rewards system for around-the-house help. Sure, they have the average chores that they should be doing anyways, such as cleaning their room, making their own breakfast, and doing their laundry.

Make it a Rule to Set Back 30-Percent of Each Paycheck

When your kiddo gets a job, even if it’s doing chores at home, you should implement a 30/70 rule. They should put 30-percent of their paycheck into savings, like a lock box or bank account, and then they can keep 70-percent for whatever they need, want, etc.

Help Older Teens with Resume, Job Prospects, and Goals

Older teens need to get a little more serious about job prospects and cash management in general, so help them make a resume for their part-time applications. Then, help them pinpoint both short-term and long-term job goals. For example, where would they like to work as a starter job? But where would they like to end up, career-wise, in the long run? You could even suggest recruitment agencies Boston for start-up opportunities in a plethora of niche markets.

Yes, your teen probably works hard in school, but a part-time summertime job will ensure their summer is productive. AND they still get some summertime downtime when they get home.

Top 8 Languages You Can Learn to Strengthen Your CV

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StrategyDriven Professional Development ArticleYou can be absolutely brilliant in your field of work and yet miss out on the most lucrative career opportunities abroad, just because you don’t know the right language. Now, what if you are not the absolute best in your field? Most of us are not and that’s okay, but what it means is you probably can’t afford to miss out on any opportunity that could come your way, including that lucrative offer outside the country. As a student, it is important to add as many useful skills to your repertoire as possible because you will probably need them all down the line to broaden your career in this extremely competitive world that we all are trying to work in.

However, a foreign language is something that most of us cannot just learn without some guidance from an experienced teacher. The good news is that you won’t really have to leave your room after a busy week at college or work to go to your foreign language class because you can find a tutor from your laptop using a website such as Superprof. Home tuition is great, but if you would rather take your language classes face-to-face, that option is also there, and the best part is that you will almost always find tutors in any given location on this website. It’s the more time-efficient and cost-effective way to learn just about any language in existence. You can also use a language app such as Duolingo if you have less time to work with a tutor. You can do this anywhere – for example when you’re sat on the train – and it will send you reminders to ensure you keep up with it. Both of the options mentioned above are great ways to learn a language and strengthen your CV as a result.

Here are eight important languages that would very likely help you improve your life.

Mandarin

Most people get it wrong when they are asked what the most spoken language in the world is because they end up saying English or Spanish. However, the right answer is Mandarin (including all the various dialects) because China has the world’s largest population and everyone speaks Mandarin there. Given that China is right now one of the largest markets for just about everything and it’s growing bigger with each passing year, learning Mandarin is definitely a sure shot way to boost your CV and increase your chances of landing a job in a multinational company. After all, it’s a very tough language that in spite of being spoken by over 16% of the world’s population, is hardly spoken by anyone in the English-speaking nations.

Arabic

Arabic is one of the six languages officially adopted by the UN and about twenty nations use Arabic as their national language. However, the completely foreign nature of the language is one of the prime reasons as to why dealing in the Middle-East is a lot more challenging than it should be for businesses originating from other sections of the world. The wealth in the Middle-East has drawn the attention of several multi-billion-dollar companies from all parts of the globe over the years and if you know Arabic, then rest assured that it will instantly put you ahead of the competition when appearing for an interview for one of those companies.

Spanish

The second most spoken language in the world is Spanish and if you plan to work in any of the South American or Central American countries, you will probably need to learn Spanish before going there. In Europe, there’s Spain that you need to consider as well. A lot of native English speakers who know Spanish end up as English teachers in the US, where there’s a big demand for such jobs. While one may argue that the same logic applies to all the other languages as well, Spanish-English teachers are the most in-demand English teachers in the West.

French

Writing French is a lot easier than pronouncing it because there are visible similarities between English and French, but as far as the pronunciation is concerned, it involves a different phonetics altogether. From the perspective of building a career outside the UK, learning the French language could come in very handy since France is one of the premier places to work in within the European Union. Aside from France itself, there are a number of regions around the world which use French as their first language.

Russian

The Russian language is another very important and widely spoken language within the EU territory. The main reason behind the widespread nature of the language is because a number of the independent nations in the region only came into existence after the Soviet Union broke down. While the politics might have changed, Russian is still the dominant language in areas such as Latvia, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine. If you ever need to work in Russia or the nearby locations to boost your career prospects, learning the language would make you more acceptable to the 250 million+ Russian-speaking population there.

Sign Language

Learning sign language, or at least the basics of it, is a life skill that should come in handy in more than just one situation. Even just from a professional perspective, it opens you up to a whole new range of job opportunities such as teaching disabled children, acting as an interpreter at a number of government and private agencies, and working as an audiologist. If you are a therapist or a counsellor, learning sign language is particularly important as it will allow you to communicate with and provide help to people who are mostly unable to express their feelings in any other way.

English

If you were born and brought up in the UK, English is possibly not something that you will ever have trouble with. Then again, not everyone who lives in the UK was born there. If you happened to have migrated here from some other country where English was not the first language, then this could be a very big problem. While English may not be among even the top three most spoken languages in the world, rest assured that it is the language of the internet and the easy to learn nature of the language has also made it more internationally accepted than any other tongue in the world. Almost everywhere in the modern world, most people understand at least a few common English words, but despite Mandarin being spoken by over 16% of the world’s population, it is very unlikely that you will find too many people in the UK that understand a word of it! Therefore, take some time out to learn a bit of the English language and if possible, master it. Learning English will also make it easier for you to learn other languages such as French and German.

Latin

The final entry on this list is a somewhat controversial one because some people are of the opinion that Latin is a dead language and there’s no point in learning it. While there’s some truth to Latin being (almost) dead, that’s precisely why you should consider learning it. While you won’t be holding business seminars in Latin, knowing this rare but extremely potent language instantly makes you a member of an elite group. However, what makes Latin the most useful language to learn is the fact that if you have a good hold of it, you will be able to learn other languages such as Italian, French, Portuguese, Spanish, and Romanian quite easily and much faster. Latin is the parent language from which a number of these modern languages have evolved and it is also the most complicated one of them all.

Communication is one of the keys to success in work and life in general and learning even just one of these languages is like getting one of those keys for yourself.

Where Do They Go To Get Business Advice?

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StrategyDriven Big Picture of Business ArticleBusinesses operate at a pace such that they grab for help wherever it is available. More often than not, they reach toward the wrong resources, the untied advisors and sources that send them down rabbit holes.

It is lonely at the top. There are many demands upon entrepreneurs and senior management of companies. Each organization is confronted with challenges and opportunities, both real and perceived. It is tough to tackle all the obstacles and feel that substantial progress is being made.

Businesses spend so much time on momentary pieces of their puzzles that they neglect long-term Strategic Planning and miss potential successes. Costs of band aid surgery and make-good work cost six times that of planning for business on the front end.

The need exists for comprehensive business ideas and growth strategies. The need is ever-present for interfacing with senior executives and updating management skills, to avoid burnout and stimulate the seasoned professionals toward new heights. Top management regularly needs the creative inspiration to take the company to new heights. Cutting-edge executives (the very top and those about to take the mantle) need seasoned advice and inspiration.

Here is where they go to get ideas, strategies and help, in the order where they commonly go. The lower numbers represent introductory resources. The highest numbers are where they should be reaching.

1. Hearsay and third hand

  • Comments heard at parties and networking functions
  • Uninformed sources
  • Friends of friends
  • High participation networkers
  • Research and surveys

2. Special Interests

  • Websites containing educational material as a way to sell services
  • Surveys and their feedback

3. People Selling Stuff

  • Vendors who distract you, using expressions like “funding to grow your business.”
  • Online marketing firms
  • Internet solicitors and sellers
  • Website consulting

4. Internal Management

  • People you work with
  • Mid-managers and supervisors
  • Corporate leadership

5. Niche Experts and Consultants

  • Trainers
  • Freelance consultants, per industry niche
  • Banking, insurance benefits, human resources, etc.
  • Technology consulting firms
  • Researchers

6. Educational Programs

  • Speakers
  • Seminars
  • Panels at forums
  • Workshops
  • Conferences
  • Webinars
  • Material published or broadcast in the media

7. Books

  • Articles excerpted for meetings
  • Blog material posted online
  • Thin self-published books by people seeking to establish a platform
  • Online articles and blogs
  • Serious books in libraries
  • Cutting-edge books with original material

8. Advocacy Groups

  • Business clubs
  • Chambers of commerce
  • People with whom you work in community and charity leadership roles
  • Boards of directors
  • The Better Business Bureau
  • SCORE
  • Small Business Development Center
  • Trade industry groups
  • Associations
  • Political action committees
  • Community alliances
  • Professional alliances
  • Consortiums of business
  • Cross-industry cooperative initiatives

9. Mentors

  • Pier advisory groups such as Vistage, Silver Fox Advisors
  • One-on-one coaching
  • CEO roundtables
  • Corporate heir apparent training
  • Programs such as Shark Tank, Fox Den, Ted Talks
  • Leadership programs

10. Senior Business Advisors

  • Professional service firms, including lawyers, accountants, marketing, public relations, quality management

11. Major Business Gurus

  • Track record experts with many years in advising strategically

About the Author

Hank MoorePower Stars to Light the Business Flame, by Hank Moore, encompasses a full-scope business perspective, invaluable for the corporate and small business markets. It is a compendium book, containing quotes and extrapolations into business culture, arranged in 76 business categories.

Hank’s latest book functions as a ‘PDR of business,’ a view of Big Picture strategies, methodologies and recommendations. This is a creative way of re-treading old knowledge to enable executives to master change rather than feel as they’re victims of it.

Power Stars to Light the Business Flame is now out in all three e-book formats: iTunes, Kindle, and Nook.

Are You Looking for Advice to Improve the Performance of Your Business?

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It does not matter what type of business you have, sometimes it starts to feel a bit stale and as though it needs an uplift of some sort. This can often be achieved by better performances from your employees, who may be feeling a bit lackluster from doing the same job every day. They may need motivation to help them improve their techniques, and you may need help to assist you with improving your management skills.

Align Them to a Common Goal

Aligning your staff towards a common goal is vital if your business is to grow and succeed. This process often starts at management level, as if you involve your managers in the strategy, it will soon be passed on to the rest of the staff. The manager’s role includes the task of supervising the employees in their group to ensure that work is finished on time and on budget. This will happen if team members are working together, which has been proved by using this strategy at Rolls Royce.  They have seen improved collaboration, enhancing its reputation for luxury and quality, and a report by the Harvard Business Review showed that 70% of employees were in favor of working this way.

Communicating your vision for the future of your business can have very positive results.

Deal with the Problems

If a member of staff informs you or their manager about a problem, no matter how minor it might seem, it should be dealt with as soon as possible. Do not shrug your shoulders when someone tells you they have lost the My Favorites Toolbar on their computer, go to Myfavoritestoolbar.net and find out how to correct it. This might seem a trivial matter to you but dealing with their minor issues as well as any major ones will make them feel that you value them as a member of your team.

When a member of staff does not feel they are taken for granted, they will work more efficiently and help towards that common goal.

Keep Them Informed of Progress

Once the goals have been set, you should keep your employees informed of the results. Knowing if they are performing well can help them to aim even higher, and if they surpass the level of business that was being aimed for, they will all feel much happier in their work. Also, in letting them know what has been achieved, you are still involving them and that matters where employees are concerned. Keeping staff regularly informed of the progress of the plans, and when changes happen, helps to maintain engagement and make them more productive.

You should listen to their opinions as well. When they are working with your customers, they may well have ideas that you, sitting in your boss’s office, would never have even thought of. Do not fall for the mistake of not realizing just how clever some of your employees are, and what a help they can be to your business if you just listen to what they have to say.

It could be that your product or service needs improving to help your business grow, but first of all, look at how you can improve the performance of your staff, as that could be all that is needed.