Рубрика: Рубрика Blog

1. Adaptive Learning

Adaptive learning refers to embracing a growth mindset, continuously learning, and adapting to new challenges and opportunities.

Executives who cultivate a growth mindset embrace challenges, persist in the face of setbacks, and see failure as an opportunity for learning and improvement. By shifting from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset, you will open yourself up to new possibilities and become more resilient in the face of obstacles.

2. Emotional Intelligence

Emotional intelligence (EQ) is a critical mental model for executives. It involves the ability to understand and manage your own emotions while effectively recognizing and responding to the emotions of others. By enhancing your EQ, you can build stronger relationships, foster collaboration, and navigate complex interpersonal dynamics. 

Developing self-awareness, empathy, and effective communication skills are key components of EQ that can significantly impact your executive presence and leadership effectiveness.

3. Strategic Thinking

Strategic thinking is a mental model that allows executives to see the bigger picture and make informed decisions that align with long-term goals. It involves analyzing complex situations, identifying patterns, and considering various possible outcomes before taking action. 

Strategic leadership involves setting a clear vision, defining objectives, and making decisions that align with long-term organizational goals.

By developing this mental model, you’ll learn to analyze the external environment, identify trends, and anticipate future challenges. It will allow you to make strategic choices that lead to organizational success and gain a competitive advantage in your career.

4. Resilience and Mental Toughness

The executive journey often involves facing significant challenges and enduring high levels of stress. Developing resilience and mental toughness is crucial for weathering these storms. Resilience is the ability to bounce back from setbacks and adapt to change, while mental toughness encompasses perseverance, emotional control, and a positive mindset. 

Cultivate resilience by reframing setbacks as learning opportunities and focusing on solutions rather than dwelling on problems. Build mental toughness by setting goals, maintaining a positive mindset, and practicing perseverance.

5. Systems Thinking

Systems thinking is the ability to view organizations as interconnected systems, understanding the relationships, interdependencies, and feedback loops between different components.

Developing systems thinking allows executives to obtain a holistic view, identify leverage points and opportunities, anticipate needs and create long term strategies.

They learn to find patterns and cause-effect relationships and understand the broader implications and interdependencies of decisions and actions.

6. Bias Toward Action

Executives are known for their ability to execute and drive results. To cultivate this mental model, develop a bias toward action. Rather than being paralyzed by analysis or fear of failure, embrace a proactive approach that focuses on progress over perfection. 

Taking calculated risks, making decisions efficiently, and seizing opportunities are key components of this mindset. By adopting a bias toward action, you can accelerate your career growth and demonstrate your ability to deliver tangible results.

If you want to reach the executive suite, it’s crucial to develop a range of mental models that empower you to overcome challenges, understand human psychology, communicate effectively, build resilience, and take decisive action. 

By embracing these mental models and integrating them into your day-to-day work, you can position yourself for executive success.

Start now! Let’s GO!

4 Steps to Create Your Career Plan📈

1. Identify the list of qualifications you need to work on. For each qualification gap, come up with a few suggestions to demonstrate how you could gain the experience you need. It’s time to turn yourself into that ideal candidate. 

2. The ideas you outlined are most likely high-level goals like “get a certification” or “build a website”. Big goals can be overwhelming and scary, and that could stop you from taking action.In this case you’ll need to simplify every high-level goal and turn them into small, bite-sized tasks that you can perform in one to two hours. This way, your tasks won’t seem overwhelming and you’ll know exactly what you need to do on a daily basis. 

For instance, say, I needed to gain more public speaking experience. Instead of working with a task that says “gain public speaking experience” (which is too vague), I would pick the task apart and outline the different steps I need to take in order to actually complete this goal.

— Decide what you can talk about.

— Research to see what is currently out there.

— Create a high-level outline for your speech.

— Map out industry events/event platforms/local communities.

— For the relevant events, find the contact person.

— Create a pitch to convince event planners to have you as a speaker.

— Reach out to event organizers with your pitch and book a keynote.

— Write your speech.

— Practice!!!

The key here is to focus on primary tasks—tasks that cannot be simplified further. In the example above, a task could have been phrased as “Apply to speak at events”, but that’s a complex task. In order to apply, you first need to evaluate and choose a topic that you can speak about. You need to figure out how to “sell” your keynote and then work on pitching yourself as a speaker. Each of these tasks can be completed in a matter of hours, not days or weeks, which makes them actionable. When your entire list is stripped down to its elements and all you have are bite-sized tasks, then you will be more likely to follow through.

3. Once you have a list of actionable tasks, it’s time to prioritize them and set up a timeline. 

You can prioritize:

— By urgency: Start with the tasks that require the longest time to be completed.

— By ease: Start with the tasks that you can execute quickly in order to gain momentum and feel accomplished.

— By importance: Start with the tasks that you ranked the lowest for because those are your biggest gaps.

Someone prefers to work on one goal at a time and complete all of the tasks related to that goal. Other people like more variety, so they work on tasks that belong to different goals in parallel. It doesn’t matter how you choose to tackle your tasks as long as you work on them regularly.

4. Add due dates to each task and create a timeline. You will end up with a repository of prioritized tasks with clear deadlines. This way, every time you review your career plan, it’s easy to choose which tasks you want to work on. 

5. Set up a weekly reminder to review your tasks and choose which ones to work on every week. If your tasks are very neatly organized, then it shouldn’t take more than five minutes. You can set up a reminder for Sunday, which is when you plan the week ahead, and you can choose one to two tasks to work on. You can also plug them into your calendar to ensure they will get done. 

In order to keep you organized, You can create a sheet to track your progress. It’s a simple spreadsheet with tracking options to mark tasks as either “in progress” or “completed”. All you need to do is add your tasks to the spreadsheet and you’ll have a working repository.

Congratulations! Your career plan is complete! 

All you have to do now is start executing and you will start seeing results. It may not happen overnight, but very soon, you’ll start seeing the compounding effect of gaining small wins. The only thing standing in the way of you getting the job of your dreams, the raise or the promotion you want is your ability to stay committed and work on your goals.

Good Luck! 🍀

10 TEAM MANAGEMENT TIPS 👥

#1: Make your team feel comfortable to speak up
No matter their level of seniority or expertise, building an inclusive and safe environment for your team to share their viewpoints, ask questions and contribute actively to the conversation is one of the biggest unlocks for them to feel truly empowered.

#2: Inform your team of the «why» behind your asks.

Don’t just tell them what you need them to do. Share the bigger picture context behind why they need to do this. It will allow them to associate a true purpose to the work they do and be more involved in the end outcome.

#3: Don’t assume what your team wants of you. Ask.
Managing effectively means understanding your individual team member’s needs and ensuring the structure and projects tied to their role line up well with that. Otherwise, you run the risk of having a demotivated team who feels disconnected with the work they’re doing because it doesn’t match their core motivations.

#4: Lead by example.

Let your team see that you are no stranger to handling obstacles and willing to get your hands dirty to do what needs to get done and make the hard calls. Never be «above» the work. Value post-mortems and learnings from setbacks & failures, just as much as you value major wins and successes. It’s in the most difficult of times that your team’s true strengths shine through and you need to help them uncover that.

#5: Celebrate your team for the small and big wins.

It’s so easy to get caught up in the day-to-day work and forget to acknowledge rightful wins. Recognition goes a long way and can come in all forms, from a small shout-out in a team meeting, to 1:1 feedback, to further exposure for the projects they’re leading. Take the time to celebrate your team vs. just giving constructive feedback of what can be done better.

#6: Encourage your team to take their vacation and time off.

A good manager knows that their team will operate at their best when they prioritize self-care and their well-being. Time off is not just a nice-to-have, it’s absolutely essential.

#7: Create intentional moments for team togetherness, sharing of best practices and communal learning.

It’s really easy for your team members to feel like they’re working in silo and as a result, feel disconnected from the bigger vision. That’s why bringing your team together and helping each other understand their role in the grander scheme of things is critical. Not only that, by doing this, it encourages a more seamless flow of idea sharing, challenging of ideas and driving better, unified business outcomes.

#8: Invest energy in your team’s development.

Using performance reviews alone as an opportunity to discuss your team members’ growth is simply not sufficient. As their manager, you need to encourage and create an open space to build them up to where they want to go.

#9: Don’t over-shelter your team.

This can often happen in work meetings where, as the manager, you feel the need to «come to your team’s rescue» if they are getting challenged or receiving pushback. But doing this only handicaps them from building the needed backbone and resilience to fight their own battles. If you give them more space to do this themselves while supporting them on the sidelines, this will be much more favourable for their growth.

#10: Ensure there is a 2-way feedback loop.

Helping your team to feel at ease in sharing upwards feedback to you just as much as you share feedback to them is an absolute must. This is where you will keep a constant pulse of what’s going on for the business but even more so, what’s going on with your individual team members and how they’re feeling. Don’t wait for «shit to hit the fan» for you to check in on your team. This needs to be an always-on approach so you avoid being in situations that are harder to backpedal from.

MISTAKE 1: MAJOR BLIND SPOTS THAT HINDER YOUR CAREER PROGRESSION.

You’re too passive in taking control of your career. This is the #1 mistake that prevents you from setting yourself apart from your peers. Learning how to proactively capitalize on the right moments, with the right people, at the right times is key!

MISTAKE 2: LACKING CLARITY ON HOW TO CLOSE THE GAP TO YOUR NEXT ROLE.

You’re too focused on the short-term without realizing what you do today directly impacts where you want to go. This leads you to miss out on getting the guidance needed to concretely help achieve your next promotion as fast as possible.

MISTAKE 3: DOUBTING THE VALUE THAT YOU BRING IN YOUR ROLE.

You equate being young or junior in your role with not having enough value to bring forward. This is exactly what will keep you from creating a strong personal brand and allow self-doubt to get in the way of your impact. 

MISTAKE 4: NOT MAKING YOUR VOICE HEARD DUE TO LACK OF CONFIDENCE.

You feel like what you say will be judged, ridiculed or discounted, so instead of speaking up, you choose to remain silent. This is a huge watch-out as becoming a confident speaker in all work settings is key for your career progression. 

MISTAKE 5: LACKING THE SUPPORT SYSTEM TO HELP PROPEL YOU FURTHER.

In these early years of your career, you’re more focused on delivering good work vs. getting on the radar of those who can directly influence your future promotions and help get you ahead faster.

MISTAKE 6: A «NEED TO PROVE MYSELF» MINDSET COMPROMISES YOUR WELLBEING.

Achieving work life balance isn’t something that feels realistic for you, so being overworked and overwhelmed is your «normal». You’re lacking the skills to help prioritize yourself, which is essential for sustainable success.

Crushing your next performance review starts way before the meeting is on your schedule. It’s an ongoing process that will empower your career growth.

You need to understand that a performance review is something that is happening for you, not to you. It’s an opportunity to grow and shine, not something to worry about and try to avoid.

If you play your cards right a performance review can be the ticket to your next promotion

Here is 4 tips how to use performance review to your advantage:

1. Have a clear strategy 

Acing your performance review means exceeding expectations. To do that you need to know what is expected of you. Whether it is your job description, your managers’ priorities or your own growth agenda, you need to have a plan you can follow in order to make progress and grow.

Especially if you are aiming for a promotion, you need to know what is required at the next level, and start demonstrating you have what it takes. 

2. Track your success

This is one of the biggest mistakes people make. They wait till the last minute to put together a brag list that demonstrates their achievements. There are two problems with this approach. First, you need to share your wins all the time, not just during performance review. People form opinions as they interact with you, if you want to influence their perception of you, you need to do it on an ongoing basis. Second, who remembers what you worked on 8 months ago? I bet you don’t. Capturing wins as they happen is the best way to make sure you get all the credit you deserve.

3. Get feedback in advance and align with your manager

It makes no sense to wait for a yearly performance review to know how you are doing. You could use the time to grow and improve. You should be getting meaningful feedback all the time, or at least on a quarterly basis if your manager isn’t forthcoming with their feedback. You can use this guide to solicit constructive feedback.

Not to mention, when you have regular feedback check points you won’t be surprised during performance review.

4. Enlist advocates early on

Your manager is getting feedback about you all the time, not just during performance reviews. They talk to peers, managers, they see comments or/ and feedbacks, they talk to your team and they form an opinion. You need to make sure what they hear is what you want them to think about you. If they form an opinion during the year, the people you call on to vouch for you on your evaluation won’t matter. You need to shape your reputation all the time, not just 2 weeks out of the year. 

What to do during performance review:

This is where you can turn fruits into juice🥤

Use this time to listen and learn, not push back. This is where you finally get concrete actionable feedback that you can turn into a promotion accelerator. Instead of being busy defending yourself and making excuses, use the feedback you get to create an action plan for growth.

Ask questions like:

What Would it take to score higher? How Could I have outperformed?

If my goal is to be promoted into [role], what are a few things I can work on?

Are there any projects, training or resources I should look into? 

And then build an improvement plan like this one to start taking action and improving.

How you approach your performance review is a choice.

You can see it as a necessary evil or use it to your advantage. Either way, you’ll have to go through an evaluation, so why not make the most of the experience?

Instead of focusing on what you don’t want, focus on what you can get out of the situation to get what you do want.

Small change in perspective, massive impact on the result👆🏻

Do you often find yourself doubting your abilities at work?

Do you struggle with imposter syndrome or fear of failure?

Do you want to boost your confidence and move your career in the right direction?
You are in the right place! Let’s look at 5 KEY TIPS to make it happen.

TIP #1: Identify Your Strengths:

Take some time to reflect on your accomplishments and the skills that you excel at. Make a list of these strengths and keep them in mind as you tackle new challenges at work.

TIP #2: Practice Positive Self-Talk:

Replace negative self-talk with positive affirmations. Instead of saying, «I can’t do this,» try saying, «I may not know everything, but I’m willing to learn and grow.»

TIP #3: Set Achievable Goals:

Set realistic goals for yourself and celebrate your accomplishments along the way. This will help you build momentum and confidence as you achieve each milestone.

TIP #4: Seek Feedback:

Ask for feedback from your colleagues and supervisors. This will help you identify areas for growth and improvement, and will also provide you with opportunities to showcase your strengths.

TIP #5: Take on New Challenges:

Step out of your comfort zone and take on new challenges. This will help you build resilience and confidence as you navigate unfamiliar territory.

Remember, building confidence is a journey, not a destination.

If you are wondering where to find your next job opportunity and how to keep your finger on the pulse of new open roles.

Let’s look at the list of most popular job sites.

Glassdoor https://www.glassdoor.com/index.htm

Job is Job https://www.jobisjob.com/

Tyba https://tyba.com/

Hired https://hired.com/

Dice https://www.dice.com/

Ladders https://www.theladders.com/

Working Nomads https://www.workingnomads.com/

Remote I ok https://remoteok.com/

In particular in Poland:
pracuj.pl https://www.pracuj.pl/

praca.pl https://www.praca.pl/

justjoin.it https://justjoin.it/

NO Fluff Jobs https://nofluffjobs.com/pl

rocketjobs.pl https://rocketjobs.pl/

Jobs in Polish gamedev https://www.skillshot.pl/

Jobs For Geek http://jobsforgeek.com/

In Germany:

Jobs.de https://www.jobs.de/

Job Leads https://www.jobleads.de/

ictjob.de https://www.ictjob.de/

ITSTEPS https://www.itsteps.de/

In the UK: 

Reed.co https://www.reed.co.uk/

Adzuna https://www.adzuna.co.uk/

Jon and Talent https://www.jobandtalent.com/

In Spain: 

Infojobs https://www.infojobs.net/

TrabajarporelMundo https://trabajarporelmundo.org/ 

Empleate https://www.empleate.gob.es/empleo/#/

Infoempleo https://www.infoempleo.com/

Tecnoempleo https://www.tecnoempleo.com/

Jobandtalent https://www.jobandtalent.com/ 

XpatJobs https://spain.xpatjobs.com/

In UAE: 

Bayt UAE https://www.bayt.com/

Jobs in Dubai https://www.jobsindubai.com/

DubaiJobs.net https://www.dubaijobs.net/

FoundIt https://www.founditgulf.com/

GetThat https://getthat.com/

Edarabia https://www.edarabia.com/jobs/new/information-technology/in/dubai/

Good luck and remember the key to your success is a clear vision of what you want to achieve!

1. Keep it concise

One or two page resumes for corporate jobs will be enough. 

Shorter resume means that important information is easy to find. Realistically, recruiters and hiring managers quickly scan through your resume, focus on your recent experience and tend to not even look at the second or third page. 

If you feel strongly about a longer resume, make sure that everything you add on there is valuable information about you. 

2. Use bullet points

Every experience you list on your resume should include bullet points, rather than paragraphs. Realistically, no one is going to read an essay of a resume. 

You want to make it easy for the recruiter and hiring manager to find key information. They will skim through your resume so having your experience organized in bullet points form is key. 

3. Focus on relevant experience

It’s quite common to change industries and careers in the corporate world. As a result, some of the experiences on your resume might not necessarily be relevant to the job you’re targeting today. 

It doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t include those roles at all. Instead, focus on parts of those jobs that would be important to the role you’re applying for now. 

4. Mirror job description’s language

Your goal is to show the hiring manager that you have the relevant experience required for the job you’re applying for – and make it easy for them to find it. 

Read the job description carefully and make sure to use similar language in your resume. If you have experience in that, make it your bullet point. 

5. Use power verbs

Start your resume bullet points with power verbs. These are action verbs that help you highlight the value you created in each role you had. 

Think verbs like manage, lead, create, grow, initiate, increase, reduce, develop. 

6. List achievements, not responsibilities

You resume should list your achievements, not responsibilities. 

A list of your responsibilities and a simple ‘responsible for’ or ‘took care of ’ don’t tell the hiring manager whether you were good or bad at your job – it’s just something you did. 

Instead, show the employer that you’ve excelled at those responsibilities. Your goal is to highlight all the amazing things you’ve achieved in each of your roles. 

7. Quantify your experience

The best way to highlight your achievements is to quantify them. Aim to have numbers in every (or most) bullet point you have. 

Think dollars, percentages, months, years, etc.

8. Make it easy to understand

Use simple sentence structure and avoid using vocabulary and abbreviations that are specific to a particular company you worked for. 

You can try giving your resume to a friend or a family member to read, someone who is not your colleague and doesn’t know much about your experience.

9. Be honest

While I encourage you to focus your results, I urge you to include the successes you actually achieved. A lie on your resume will always become evident, at one point or the other. 

It’s also important to be transparent about the dates of your employment.

10. Proofread and check formatting

Hiring managers skim through resumes, they don’t really read them. However, what always stands out, even if someone is just giving a resume a quick glance, is spelling errors and sloppy formatting. 

So, Spend extra time spell-checking your resume. 

By following these simple 10 hacks you can land your first interview sooner than you may imagine.

Hiring Strategy Trends in 2023

1. Economic uncertainties will affect hiring.

As a possible recession looms and inflation rises, candidates and employers can expect economic uncertainties to impact their ability to find work and hire this year. Many industries are experiencing budget cuts amidst slowed economic growth and inflated pricing — and across all teams, especially hiring, have to rethink their approaches for 2023.

2. Gen Z will be joining the workforce.

According to Forbes, Gen Z will make up 27% of the global workforce by 2025. The new wave of employees will come with a different set of workplace expectations and priorities than the generations before.

3. Streamlined interview processes.

54% of Gen Zers won’t complete an online job application if the hiring process is too long, antiquated, or complicated. Prioritizing a straightforward interview process, with proper communication through each step, will help recruiters reach talent while they’re still engaged.

4. Remote and Hybrid work.

The push for workplace flexibility will only become more popular in the new yea. The majority of recruiters believe that remote work isn’t going anywhere — and talent is poised to ensure it doesn’t. In fact, a study by ADP Research Institute® found that over half of workers are willing to accept a pay cut of up to 11 percent to continue working from home at least part of the time, and 64 percent will actually consider looking for a new job if their employer expects them to work in the office full time.

5. Salary Transparency.

This is a massive shift from the typical guessing game that candidates play as they’re well into interviewing. Candidates don’t have time to start interviewing for multiple businesses only to be presented with an offer that isn’t near their expectations.

6. Employer Brand.

No matter what your hiring goals are, your employer brand will always precede you. Be sure to showcase the reasons why people should want to work for you whenever you have the chance. From your social media to your recruitment website to even your job descriptions, you should constantly communicate what you have to offer and why your employer brand stands out from the competition. Give people the opportunity to see those who are like them at your organization, which will help them see themselves working there too.

7. AI Hiring Trends.

Artificial intelligence, or AI, is making its way into all types of industries. Despite fears that computers are coming for our jobs, our data shows that AI isn’t really taking away jobs, but instead, adding them. 

In 2022, the US, UK, and Spain all showed the highest interest in hiring for AI-related jobs. 

Hiring managers are looking to optimize their time better when scouting candidates. In fact, 67% of HR professionals believe that AI has many benefits and a positive impact on the recruitment process.

8. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion have been hot-button issues for some time, and employers are under increasing pressure to create a more inclusive workplace.

This trend will continue in 2023, and job seekers can expect to see more companies prioritizing DEI in their hiring process.

9. Focus on Internal Mobility.

Companies are realizing that they need to prioritize developing their current employees and giving them opportunities to grow within the organization. Not only does this lead to a more engaged and loyal workforce, but it also saves on the time and cost of recruiting new talent from the outside.

5 Key Roles of the Director of Training and Development.

Directors of Training and Development are responsible for developing, planning, and implementing corporate training programs within a company. These programs are created in line with the objectives and strategies of the company. They assess the needs of the company’s employees using surveys, focus groups, and meetings with various members of the company. They manage operational budgets and find the best ways to enhance a company’s training. Also, they evaluate the results of employee training to assess their performance levels. Additionally, they research new training methods to develop more efficient teaching practices.

What roles does he play?

1. Leadership Supervisory Role:  In this position, the Director of Training and Development oversees all activities of the department and identifies the business’s developmental needs ensuring that there is consistency with core competencies and goals.

He plans, organizes, and leads training programs, ensuring proper execution at all levels of the department. The Director of Training and Development also ensures consistency in the delivery and application of training standards across the business and oversees the planning, prioritization, and development of new training programs and initiatives, ensuring that these programs and initiatives are consistent with the business overall strategies, objectives, and needs.

He is also responsible for following up with the leadership and management of all departments in order to ensure that the parties involved in each training program complete their training. The Director of Training and Development plays mentorship role to key personnel in the training and development department, ensuring constant development in their professional skills, and readying them for the occupation of his position in the event of his absence or retirement.

2. Strategic role: The Director of Training and Development plays a strategic role where he is in charge of approving and developing effective training programs and materials, making regular modifications to programs where necessary. The Director of Training and Development also plays a leading role in the development and documentation of the training path for key positions within the business and communicating this information as needed.

3. Analytic role: The Director of Training and Development is tasked with an analytical role where he conducts research, approves, and makes further recommendations for appropriate learning management systems and databases. The Director of Training and Development additionally develops, implements, monitors, and maintains both initial and ongoing training programs across the business.

4. Collaborative role: He collaborates with other human resources departmental directors in defining strategies and ensuring their alignment in order to avoid conflicts of interest. In this collaboration, the Director of Training and Development also assists other HR professionals in their training needs specific to their areas of specialty.

He also liaises with various other departmental heads and managers ensuring proper execution of ongoing departmental training programs in order to achieve the desired results and ultimately improve the overall performance of the business. The Director of Training and Development also collaborates with these departmental heads and managers in order to establish and maintain training metrics and to evaluate the effectiveness of training.

5. Expert: In this position, the Director stays up to date with the latest instructional technologies through the establishment of personal networks, attendance of workshops, reviewing of professional publications, and participation in professional industry associations. This way, the Director is able to introduce the latest and most applicable trends in training and development for inclusion in the overall strategy, constantly maintaining and updating training programs within the business.

A company’s most important asset is their employees, bar none. And while it’s important to source and hire skilled candidates from the start, there’s always room for additional training, learning, and development. Although you could outsource training and development programs, your business may benefit from hiring a director of learning and development (or director of training).