Six skills that are vital for the workforce of the future

by Organisational CultureSkills developmentTraining and Development

The world of work has changed considerably in a relatively short timeframe thanks to technology and innovation across industries, propelling the world and its markets ever onward and upward. Covid-19 has of course also played a crucial role in the direction that careers are taking, having changed how, where and when people work, but also dictating the skills that are required from here on out.

While most predictions typically focus on the technical skills needed for workers to thrive in the future – such as digital literacy and data analytics – research bodies, companies and HR departments are increasingly paying attention to the soft skills too.

In fact, in the Soft Skills for Business Success report, Deloitte analysts estimated that by 2030, almost two-thirds of all occupations would be based on soft skills. The automation and digitalisation of work processes has a lot to do with this, pushing employees to develop and deepen their soft skills to stay ahead of competitors and bring value to their organisations.

These are some of the top soft skills that are already growing in demand among employers.

  1. Problem-solving – employees with problem-solving mindsets, no matter what department or field they operate in, are an asset to organisations. These employees see a problem as an opportunity to grow and are motivated to find solutions, thereby focussing on growth and achieving positive results.
  2. Negotiations and reasoning – Being able to deal effectively and sensitively with conflict, as well as understanding the social, political and cultural contexts that organisations operate in, is crucial, particularly among managers.
  3. Critical thinking – this skill allows an individual to make logical and informed decisions without being swayed by personal opinions, emotions or inherent biases.
  4. Time management – Stress, anxiety and burnout are on the rise among workers, particularly as remote working has blurred the boundaries of normal working hours. Having good time management skills ensures workers are using their allotted working hours wisely  and effectively.
  5. Resilience – Resilience is the ability to face and adapt to challenges to overcome them. A person with strong resilience skills can handle disappointments because they don’t let setbacks keep them from progressing.
  6. Leadership and social influence – The ability to influence is an essential skill, especially among managers and leaders. To influence is to have an impact on the behaviours, attitudes, opinions and choices of others, which is not to be confused with power or control – it’s not about manipulating others to get your way.

As a Services SETA accredited training provider, Awakening Excellence has designed and developed material incorporating positive psychology, emotional intelligence, Appreciative Inquiry, Neuroscience and Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) embedding a growth mind-set in the way we facilitate and train. We offer both SETA-accredited and non-accredited training; our courses range from short one-day training workshops to 12-month training programmes.

Get in touch with us at info@awakeningexcellence.co.za for more information.

Staff Members

Your staff may be unhappy – here’s why you should care

by ArticleBusinessCoachingTraining and Development

From office politics, cliques and favouritism to employees being overworked and feeling under appreciated, an unhappy, disengaged workforce is one of the main reasons many businesses will not reach performance targets.

Through my experiences in training and executive coaching, I have often noted with surprise how, time and time again, c-suite executives overlook the very obvious connection between toxic culture and poor business performance. What could have gone wrong, when all the boxes – strategy, innovation, forward-thinking – were all ticked?

There are many factors constantly at play and contributing toward the overall culture of an organisation. Leadership teams have an important role to play in this regard, ensuring there is effective communication and dialogue taking place between employees and management, that there are measures in place to prevent favouritism, bullying, and unhealthy workplace practices. 

The truth is that Peter Drucker’s famous quote, “culture eats strategy for breakfast”, rings truer than ever, reminding us that no matter how well considered your strategy may be, it’s nothing more than a paper exercise without engaged employees who contribute meaningfully to company culture to execute it.

What do we mean when we talk about a ‘holistic’ approach? Find out more over on the blog. 
On our blog, you will also find a case study in excellence, JET Education Services journey to overcoming the challenges dealt by Covid-19. And, in keeping with our theme of positive organisational cultures for positive bottom line impact, our insights into the importance of creating a coaching culture are an absolute must read for organisations preparing to brave the socio-economic impact of the Covid waves.

I sincerely hope you enjoy our content this month. Reach out and let me know if there’s anything else you’d like us to cover in upcoming newsletters and blog content – or even if you would like to collaborate!

Warm regards, 
Dr Mariam Sha,MD at Awakening Excellence
Author of The Engaged Workforce: 6 practical steps to creating a coaching culture

Business Coaching

Improve business bottom line through coaching at work

by ArticleBusinessCoachingTraining and Development

“Improve business bottom line through coaching at work.”

One of the fastest growing industries in the world, coaching, is embedding itself as a widespread development tool. It is being used by organisations across the UK and increasingly worldwide. In South Africa, a number of larger organisations encourage and pay for their management teams to receive coaching, whether it is from an internal or external coach. Many leading organisations in South Africa have also empowered and developed managers to become coaches at work. Coaching is being used in numerous areas, both in and outside of the corporate environment, including for personal development, change management, performance management, communications, team development and career development, personal wealth, stress, relationships and, most recently, for work/life balance and lifestyle  change.

Why Coach?

Coaching is unique in that it is based on the belief that every person has all the mental, physical and emotional resources they need to be successful doing whatever they choose to do.

What then, are the impediments to achieving our goals? Often, as individuals we question our journey direction and experience challenges in meeting our life goals as we easily get side tracked. Often we give up because of our own limiting beliefs, irrespective whether these have been acquired through circumstance or self imposed.

A coach can help us to unpack limiting beliefs, embrace supportive beliefs and ensure we are accountable for actions agreed with the coach. Furthermore, a coach assists to unlock any hidden or as-yet-unrealised potential. With the use of effective questioning techniques a coach can help us to clear any limiting beliefs by bringing clarity and purpose to our lives.

What makes coaching appealing?

Coaches do not impose their solutions, opinions or products on the organisation or individual, they: –

• Specialise in and use modern continuous improvement and personal development tools and techniques (e.g. GROW Model, NLP, Inner Game, Self Assessment models, improvement planning)

• Create an ‘outside-in’ viewpoint and awareness, in which solutions and actions are seen very clearly
• Offer a non-directive form of development
• Focus on improving performance and developing an individuals’ skills
• Deploy activities that address organisational and individual goals
• Challenge the ‘normal’ way of doing and thinking about things
• Create an atmosphere of openness, honesty and the desired (but rarely achieved) states of ‘relaxed concentration’ and ‘flow’
• Focus on the specific needs of the person or organisation being coached
• Provide an independent sounding board
• Are able to hold people accountable to actions whilst maintaining rapport
• Do not have to ‘manage’ (e.g. enforce policies, standards and rules)
• Do not carry the baggage of previous relationships or the organisation’s history – in the case of external coaches

The Benefits of Coaching for organisations and individuals

According to a survey by the International Personnel Management Association, training and development has shown that, following training, employee productivity increased by just over 22%, whereas training combined with coaching produces an increase in productivity of 88%.

Many experts and I, in my own experience, have observed marked improvements in the individual’s focus, clarity and purpose, work life balance, confidence in abilities and future, being equipped with tools to effect real change in ones life whenever it becomes necessary, achieving goals they could never reach on their own and being more organised according to ‘first things first’ – after receiving coaching.

Corporate coaching is used in a number of different ways to achieve real value for the organisation and its people, including: –

  • Achievement of performance goals at organisational, team and individual levels
  • Improved effectiveness and efficiency
  • Successful change More effective leadership
  • Improved teamwork and partnerships
  • High impact communication
  • Robust, value-added performance management and continuous improvement systems
  • Maximising the return on investment from formal training

The basic structure of a coaching session is:

  • Looking at where the client is now
  • Setting goals for the session
  • Exploring possible options
  • Agreeing actions to move closer to the goal
  • Summarising what has been agreed
  • Reviewing previous actions

Contact us on Mariam@awakeningexcellence.co.za to book a coaching session.

coaching

Mistakes organisations make when implementing a coaching programme

by ArticleCoachingLeadershipOrganisational CultureTraining and Development

The need for coaching and training interventions within organisations is now widely accepted and acknowledged, with 75% of organisations currently offering coaching and mentoring, according to a 2014 survey report by CIPD*.

The impact of implementing a coaching programme is certainly significant and measurable, however there are a few common mistakes that organisations tend to make when applying a coaching programme. To ensure practices are embedded in the culture of the organisation and there is long term sustainability, consider the points below when implementing a coaching programme.

What follows is an extract from Dr Mariam Sha’s book, The Engaged Workforce: 6 practical steps to creating a coaching culture): – 

Ignoring the bigger picture, the larger map
Employees do not work in isolation, behaviour is impacted by groups and peers. In an organisation, cultural norms prevail that can either enable or prevent an employee from implementing change in a positive way. When offering coaching to an employee, an organisation should adopt a holistic approach. Employees being coached cannot change their behaviour if the system does not allow and welcome the change.

Set clear measurable objectives/goals – measure return on investment
Neglecting to set individual, team and organisational goals prior to commencing with a coaching programme leaves little room for measuring improvements and achieving outcomes. Track progress on the achievement of individual, team and organisational objectives. Encourage feedback on the programme and make the necessary changes to ensure that the strategic goals are met.

Participation is voluntary
Not every manager has the competencies or perhaps even the desire to be a coach. When deciding to implement coaching, an organisation needs to account for those managers who may lack the will or ability to coach their employees. Start with those managers that are committed to changing their style of management to a coaching style. Their success will encourage other managers to do so.

Skills and competencies
Workplace coaches should be carefully selected. The sponsor or HR need to be clear and in agreement on the specific competencies and behaviours of a coach, taking into consideration how these will be acquired and applied to ensure success.

Continuation of coaching after training
Training may be a step towards accreditation for a workplace coach. It’s vital that organisations provide ongoing supervision and monitoring for sustainability.

Coaches don’t have the answers
The explanations and expectations of coaching should be discussed upfront with all stakeholders. Everyone needs to understand that the coach should not be providing answers and solutions. The coach has the techniques and skills to listen, probe and question. If or when a coach responds to pressure from the coachee or the organisation to achieve ‘quick’ results, the outcome is likely to be superficial rather than a sustained behavioural change.

Coach and psychologist
Whether or not a coach is qualified in the discipline, psycho-therapy should not be brought into a coaching session. A coach can state and acknowledge the need for a psychologist where necessary, stepping away from the relationship. Note that people being coached may have major interpersonal difficulties, and, as such, it is essential that a coach determines at the outset why such a relationship would not reap the expected results.

Make time for coaching
Often managers raise time constraints as obstacles coaching their staff. Coaching is a style of management, it’s not an add-on requiring additional time. Create coachable moments: apply the coaching methodology during one-on-one meetings, performance appraisals or discussions on key issues. This serves to encourage individuals to think of solutions rather than the manager always providing solutions. Individuals are more likely to implement solutions they had thought of than those they have been instructed to carry out.

Order your copy of “An Engaged Workforce: 6 practical steps to creating a coaching culture”. Contact info@awakeningexcellence.co.za