Here's what stops women managers from making it to the top!

Being successful in career development is generally more difficult for women than men! Here are some conditions you have to fulfill if you are a woman manager and wish to make it to the top:
Enter management at an early age! The early twenties would do so that by the time you are in your early thirties you would have some measure of experience.
Have appropriate management qualifications. A bachelor's degree is good, an Master's is even better. Women tend to hold back on their education in Africa and Asia for fear of not being able to attract the right man to marry them. So the way out is probably to get the first degree and try for a master's from hubby's home.
Have experience and rapidly gain experience in functions meant to be core to the organization.
Be continuously employed and work long hours and conform to the organization's age related concept of career. Going by Best Practices HR, women managers are expected to be in middle management by their early 30's just like their male counterparts.
Be geographically mobile and conform to promotional criteria. Can a woman be moved to head a major branch of offices and the shortest possible notice? Men usually dominate the committees that consider women for promotion. This is a major challenge!
There are a few barriers that could hinder women at an individual and institutional level:
Attitude and behaviour of female managers. There is a lack of confidence among female managers because of their behavioral tendencies such as pettiness among their gender, low career orientation and lack of competition. Women are often favored when strict merit based assessments are applied.
HR policies and practices which discriminate against women managers foreclose selection of women for certain positions.
There are certain organizational cultural factors and attitudes of male managers and informal clubs as well as networks in which women are excluded. Such stereotype behavior limits the chances of women managers.

Supercharge your thoughts with Possibility Thinking!

No situation is totally hopeless! One thing you have to do when you find yourself in a quandary is to supercharge your thoughts. If you can take control of the way you think, there is a possibility that you will find your way out of tricky situations. Politicians, strategists of warfare and lawyers have consistently used this simple method in their line of duty. It does not always seem to be honest and pure, but it does work a lot of time. Here is a step by step approach:
1) Create a mind set that accepts that an answer to the problem or challenge at hand exists. The sooner you believe it yourself the quicker your mind will help you find a way out!
2) Eliminate any crippling concept of hopelessness or helplessness
3) Highlight your needs: what do you want?
4) Tools are always available: The question is: what can we use to remedy the situation?
5) What makes the situation positive? Even in the darkest of times, the most difficult situations we could find something good if we look for it. All we need to do is look beyond the gloom.
This mind controlling approach works wonders. Try it!

How do you identify the best job in the world?

 Often candidates who line up for job interviews and selection processes are undecided or simply overwhelmed by what they think a new job should have in store for them. The desires vary according to the person who is applying. Fresh graduates are more into the money. Years of toiling at studies has sharpened their tastes for cash and all the things money can buy! Experienced executives want higher incentives as well as money they also want some measure of stability on the job so as to guarantee their ability to pay bills and meet demands on the side of the family.
Top level managers are perhaps looking towards retirement and want to be sure that they would be comfortable after they have worked for the number of years expected of them. Even though we can categorize the various desires of different classes of workers there are basic things that each person who is employed should look out for. We seek to highlight these necessary guidelines so as to ensure that when you are looking at taking on a new job, you do not allow the money alone to seduce you. There are various other things to consider.
A) A boss you can respect Its important that you are able to naturally respect the person responsible for supervising you on the job. If you work for a slow witted person this may be difficult in the sense that you would have act or pretend to have a good relationship with your boss.
B) A job that is worth your while and is of interest to you. If you for one day lose interest in the job you do there is a danger of fatigue and below par performance. Interest leads to passion. Passion would sustain you on the days that things are bad and do not work out the way you would want them to.
C) Enough basic pay. Everyone wants good remuneration. With out it there is always a feeling of dissatisfaction. Knowing you are being paid well is always a strong argument for inconveniences and sundry hazards of your profession.
D) Being part of a good team. A sense of camaraderie is strong link to job success. If you work with a team that does its job well you build momentum and find it easy to succeed at what you do. This is opposed to a group of people who are mediocre and inconsistent with the goals and objectives that are pursued by your organization.
E)Being well trained to do the job A lot of people disregard the importance of training. We all ought to seek to top our skills and go for refresher courses as often as possible. Not only are such activities motivating, but they ensure that we are up to par in performances since we are in touch with new concepts and cutting edge approaches to solving problems.
F) Having sufficient resources to carry the job out is also important. In today's work environment, the mantra is often that of limited resources. Even though resources for work are perpetually supposed to be limited, within the context of this limitation we ought to have enough to get by and do the job the way our employers want it done.
 G) Every worker should desire a reasonable degree of stability and security on the job. In times of economic turbulence workers should be able to have some level of comfort knowing that their jobs are secure and that tomorrow the company will still be there!
H) Being involved in decision making helps the commitment level of the worker to heighten. Discussing and agreeing to deadlines, targets and methods of work makes the executive more confident and comfortable on the job. 

How can you make yourself more valuable to your employer: SKILL SET!

In human resource management we often summarize the assessment of a new candidate via an equation that helps analyze the key areas that would be considered: (Attitude+Skill+ability+experience). Often we extend the equation to include the variables that the candidate has to grapple with in the work place: (Environment+Motivation+Tools) What this means is if the candidate has all these variables at his behest he is likely to be able to do his job optimally! Attitude comes first because without the right attitude, no matter how skilled the candidate is, he would not be able to do the job properly. What we mean is his attitude will get in the way of his skill. Let's focus on skill here. What's in your skill set? We could categorize skills into three main categories: Manual skills, Clerical Skills and Higher Mental skills.
Manual skills include:
Reflexes
ability to work with machines and tools
Clerical skills: How good are you at drawing up relevant checklists for your work on any kind of activity you seek to engage in? Mnemonics: This has to do with your memory and your ability to remember things. There are people who can commit volumes of useful information to memory with out much effort. Its an invaluable skill. Algorithms are a set of instructions that lead to a predictable result. A common example of an algorithm would be instructions for assembling a model airplane. Given the starting set of a number of marked pieces, one can follow the instructions given to result in a predictable end-state: the completed airplane. Misprints in the instructions, or a failure to properly follow a step, will result in a faulty end product. There is also what is known as computer based learning. A lot of people in the present age are learning new things via training themselves with the help of a computer.
Higher mental skills  include: the ability to comprehend concepts, problem solving skills , communication skills: listening, persuading and observing. All of these skills can be rapidly improved upon. The better you become at them, the more valuable you become to your employer.

So you lost your job? Do's and donts you ought to know!

The greatest fear of any hardworking executive is to be laid off especially when there are dependents to cater for. But losing a job that you have worked at for some time does not necessarily mean its the end of the road! For starters here are some do's and don'ts you ought to know if you are in that category of people!
Dos
Take stock. What do you have in terms of talent, skill and finances and other resources? You would note that we did not put money first here. That is because there are some things more valuable than money. Taking stock would help you know where are you are it will also help you know the way forward.
Research; So where can I head next? In other words where are they hiring? Is there a job out there that fits my basic skills, talent or training. The good news is: if you look hard enough there is! Some times you may have to take a pay cut on a new job, other times you will have to consider doing things that you have not necessarily been used to in the past. Not to worry. Just make sure they are all in the area that you are familiar and comfortable with.
Tell People. Its good for you to tell people. Especially confidants and dependents so that they can learn to give you some space in terms of their demands and in terms of the confidants they could keep an eye or an ear open for you just in case opportunities should arise.
Be positive. Its not the end of the world. Remember that when one door is closed, many more are open . No matter how bad an economy or sector may seem to be, recruitment and selection is definitely going on somewhere else. You ought to find out where.
Count you blessings. Look at the good things you have to your advantage. Perhaps an education. Maybe some money you put aside as savings. etc
Leverage your network. It sounds like a IT/social media term well you may have to apply both the physical and the IT capabilities to your advantage. Get involved in discussions online. Showcase you skills and talents at every opportunity. You never know where the next job or contract will come from.
Do away with luxuries. Its time to cut your coat according to your cloth!
Don't
Cry to friends and relatives for help. If you must seek help do it in a dignified manner you do not want to appear helpless.
Seek sympathy from coworkers. The last thing you want is a pity party. There is always a way forward. Look for it.
Isolate yourself. Isolation is a dangerous. Reach to people. Frequent social circles. You'd be surprised what gets discussed at weddings, funerals and naming ceremonies.

The trouble with change

   THE TROUBLE WITH CHANGE
Because of the rapid nature in which the country is changing and the way we do business is also changing we added a detailed presentation of Change Management to our portfolio of training. It starts with this question: what are the basic things we know about change?
1.Change will not stop it will only go faster
2. No matter how well its planned it will never be trouble free!
3. Each of us is accountable to making change acceptable
4. Complex change is accepted if enough time is allowed
5. Rapid change can occur if its a small adjustment
6. Most people resist rapid, complex change

      The change “trigger” is often beyond the control of the people who experience it

         The central focus of managing change must be on the people experiencing the change

Actions, behaviors and communication are the keys to successful change management

To manage change, manage yourself  first, influence others later

What's your basic Management Philosophy?

What really is your basic management Philosophy? Do you:

Have a great Management Culture?
Treat employees fair, equitably
Give recognition and credit to whom its due?
 Encourage staff/Customer satisfaction?
 Emphasis the end result?
 Encourage positive action on an individual basis?
 Ensure management have a clear set of principles for operation
 Encourage consideration,. respect and trust during your operations?

These eight points could give rise to your management philosophy in your organization!

Banning hawkers in Lagos has adverse effects on the economy

On the surface, the ban on street hawking by the Lagos State Government looks good. Traffic flow would be great, people hawking would no longer get knocked down and possibly killed by moving vehicles. But have we put a thought to the economic perspective of this ban. Most of the products that are sold in traffic sell more in the traffic than in any other place. Such products as Gala and other sausage rolls, fan ice and the other forms of ice cream, fried plantain, pop corn and variety of soft drinks like Coca cola, Teem, Mirinda and Pepsi all sell in large volumes in traffic. So do newspapers and magazines, audio and visual compact discs handkerchiefs and face towels as well as sweets, biscuits and other confectionery.
Manufacturers of these products need to go to the drawing board and factor out other methods to sell their products since the streets of Lagos have been put off limits to them. There is bound to be a drop in sales in many of these products and this demands that a new strategy for mass sales has to be put in place by the various distributors.
The other part of the ban is that a myriad of street traders have lost their livelihood. It could be expecting too much for to say the government should find alternatives for these young men and women who run relays on the highways. But the government of Lagos needs to improve upon the environment in the city so as to enhance business activity in all its ramifications. It takes quite a lot to register a business in Lagos,. You could wait months on end to get approval papers, electricity is perpetually absent, rendering a variety of businesses that rely on the public source of power impotent. These are some of the palliatives that ought to be considered to help business flourish in Lagos.
Is a there a possibility of some of these organizations opening small stalls at major bus stops by the road so that intending passengers could buy what they desire to eat while they are in transit? One other strategy to out do the competition is to engage in discount sales. Its an irony that the sausage sold by UAC in wrappers is cheaper than sausage rolls that we find at their Mr. Bigg outlets! Cut the prices and they would probably sell more.
The other irony about the law is that those who purchase from the sellers would be fined a sum of N90,000 or go to jail for 6months. Those who sell could probably not afford this sum of money so in a way the fine is more of a deterrent than a fund raising notion. Like some analysts have rightly noted: its the law now and everyone in Lagos is expected to uphold it. Those who break law are liable.