Don't Fall Prey to Professional Bullying

Be Assertive to Advance in your Career

Don’t Fall Prey to Professional Bullying

By Sathya Menon

In a competitive workplace where multi-tasking, peer pressure and dynamic role plays are often punctuated by conflict, anger and hurt egos, it is important to learn the right assertive techniques to advance in your career.

There is a cliché: “If you don’t stand up for something, you will fall for anything-” and it rings true even more after the global financial crisis, when the fear of losing jobs or being unfairly victimized has pervaded the employee psyche.

Research shows that increasing number of talented employees are falling prey to professional bullying, feeling drained out and are finally quitting their much-need jobs. That is because they lack self-assurance and are unable to assert themselves when they need to.

You are assertive when you have the confidence and the ability to stand up for your own rights without violating others;  when you beg to differ with someone you respect while putting forward your own opinion; when you are able to turn down unreasonable requests from a boss, a peer or a friend, firmly yet politely.

It all starts with that all important step – ‘saying no’ when it is justified. Here, be soft on the person, but tough on the issue and put forward a clear and concise explanation supported with facts.

Once that is done, accept the consequences. Don’t wait for acceptance or allow the other person to make you feel guilty for being assertive. No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.

 Anger at the workplace only leads to a loss of credibility. The moment you get angry, the strength of your argument is lost. Resorting to humour, instead, is a great way to reduce resistance and diffuse tension.

To avoid direct confrontation,  and also prevent hurt egos, use techniques like clouding  (respond without any logical connection) or camouflage (limited response).The right body language and effective use of eye statement while putting a message forward is another assertive technique that works well with superiors.

 Now take the test to see if your assertive skills will work for you: Do you usually have confidence in your judgment? If someone has a better solution do you accept it easily? Do you accept positive criticism and suggestions? Do you ask for assistance when you need them?

If you are ticking all the above boxes, then you have discovered the winner in you. You are as good as anyone else, affirm these thoughts in your mind and you will go places.

 

Handy Hints

 

·         While saying ‘no’, put forward a logical explanation supported with facts.

·         Be soft on the person, tough on the issue.

·         Anger leads to a loss of credibility.

·         Resort to humour to reduce resistance.

 

 

 

(END)

 

Sathya Menon is Executive Director (Academics), Blue Ocean Academy, Dubai.

Six Sigma Movement Gaining Momentum in the UAE

Promising Career Opportunities for Six Sigma Professionals

Six Sigma Movement Gaining Momentum in the UAE

By Sathya Menon

Six Sigma training and certification is gaining momentum in the UAE. International certification in Six Sigma is clearly a “differentiator” when it comes to pushing a resume on to the top of a heap.

Taking its name from a Greek symbol to validate the performance of a company, Six Sigma was first introduced by Motorola in the US and has since become a powerful tool to eliminate defects and cut costs in large business organizations worldwide. The overall success of Six Sigma globally has spawned promising career opportunities for certified Six Sigma professionals in the Middle East.

A Master Six Sigma Black Belt can demand a salary of US $ 25,000 (AED 91,250) per month while a certified Six Sigma Black Belt is worth US$ 20,000 (AED 73,000). A certified Six Sigma Green Belt can demand a salary of US $ 15,000 (Aed 54,750). (These are the world- -wide salaries for Six Sigma professionals as mentioned on various research and job portals).

The world’s top institutions like General Electric, Bank of America, Honeywell, Johnson and Johnson and JP Morgan Chase have implemented Six Sigma methodology resulting in savings worth millions of dollars. At least 25 per cent of Fortune 200 companies have a serious Six Sigma programmes in place.

The entire company needs to embrace the concepts of Six Sigma for it to work properly. If employees are willing to learn it and apply it skillfully to their jobs, costs will be reduced by 50% or more. Six Sigma also helps in understanding customer's needs better.  It improves performance and delivery.

The Six Sigma concepts can be applied to finance, production, sales, marketing, supply chain and logistics design, administration and service. Six Sigma is used most often to help eradicate company malfunctioning through its use of business, statistic and engineering principles.

 Six Sigma can be used to devise any solution that can reduce risks for a company and increase profitability. An example is where a nurse tending to a HIV patient can prevent herself from catching the deadly virus with the aid of a superbly-designed syringe, using the Six Sigma methodology.

Six Sigma training helps employees in better utilization of resources. It increases employee confidence as it imparts new skills that can be easily used and built upon in the workplace. Companies who have successfully implemented Six Sigma methodology can definitely expect better services from each other.

 Six Sigma professionals

·         Cut costs for the company

·         Eliminate defects in the business process

·         Reduce risks, improve performance and delivery

·         Understand customer needs

Mr. Sathya Menon is Executive Director, Blue Ocean Academy, UAE.

Blue Ocean : Where Ambition Finds Direction

Blue Ocean HR Forum members learn the use of the MBTI tool

New Psychometric Test to Help HR Managers Evaluate Employee Behaviour in the Middle East

 

Blue Ocean HR Forum members learn the use of the MBTI tool

 

Dubai : For Human Resource professionals keen to spot the difference between “spontaneous” and “learned” behaviour among individual employees, Blue Ocean HR Forum’s free workshop on the “Myer Briggs Type Indicator” – proved to be an eye opener.

 An internationally acclaimed psychometric test based on the work of experts Katharine C. Briggs and Isabel Briggs Myers, the MBTI workshop was conducted by UAE-based HR veteran, Sangeet Ibrahim.

The seminar was held at the Park Regis Hotel in Dubai recently and well attended by the members of the Blue Ocean HR Forum who learned the new tool for personality assessment in the context of recruitment.

 The first and only Human Resources Forum in the UAE, the Blue Ocean HR Forum acts as a powerful platform for networking, learning new skills and head-hunting among committed UAE professionals in the country.

 The Blue Ocean HR Forum is headed by Dr. Jassem Ali, Director Dubai Economic Development and has on its 2013 agenda – a series of educative workshops and seminars to raise the bar of HR professionals in the Middle East.

 Speaking on the occasion Mr. Ibrahim explained: “Knowledge doubles itself every two years, so all professionals need to learn something new, pick up a skill, to remain relevant to their position and responsibilities.”

The Myer Briggs Type Indicator is a test that all HR Managers would like to put their employees through at the time of induction to gauge their response to the future challenges within the corporate scenario.

 The essence of the MBTI lies in answering a questionnaire and arriving at certain traits that describes and stereotypes personality. It involves answering simple questions like: “Does your head rule your heart or your heart rule your head.”

 “Knowing your own preferences and learning about others will give you an understanding of your own strengths, the kind of work that you enjoy and be successful in doing,” explained Mr. Ibrahim who works at the Sharjah Islamic Bank.

 “The MBTI is a very powerful HR tool because it shows how people with different preferences can relate to each other and be valuable to society.” It also helps HR professionals to gain insights into an employee’s mindset and choose the right individual  for the right job, Mr. Ibrahim said.

 Blue Ocean, UAE’s leading management training and consultancy organization has blazed a trail of success in the last decade with 40,000 plus alumni, a large bouquet of internationally certified courses, world class faculty and innovative training methods.

Blue Ocean conducts internationally certified training modules for HR professionals in UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. The Certified Human Resources Professional and the Certified Human Resources Manager from the American Certification Institute is a big draw among HR professionals employed in the Middle East.

(ENDS)

 

 

 

HR Forum Conducts Workshop on Myer Biggs Type Indicator

Pictures of Blue Ocean Convocation 2013

Get set for a salary increase !

A  6 % Salary Increase Awaits UAE professionals in the Middle East.

Middle East salaries are projected to increase by more than 6 per cent in 2013, according to a Aon Hewitt Salary Increase Survey.

Amidst speculations of US finding it difficult to negotiate its fiscal cliff and emerging trends indicating that economies in China, India, Brazil are already in recession, a mood of cautious optimism has enveloped the Middle East and North African countries.

An average salary increase of 5.4% is anticipated for the GCC, similar to previous predictions made for 2011 for 2012, indicating confidence in the economic stability of the region, according to Aon Hewitt's Salary Increase Survey.

The report has been compiled using data from over 500 organisations in 26 sectors from across the region.