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Showing posts from October, 2024

Dear Employers, Let’s Attract Top Talent Together!

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To help you attract the best possible candidates, we recommend including some key details about your company’s work environment, benefits, and culture. Today’s job seekers are looking for more than just a job—they’re seeking a company where they can thrive. By offering information on things like parking availability, work hours, your training structure, and more, you’ll give potential applicants a better understanding of what it’s like to work with you. This helps ensure that the candidates who apply are not only qualified but also genuinely interested in your company. Providing such information has been shown to significantly improve the quality of applicants and the overall hiring process. We’d be happy to help you gather and structure this information to make the process as smooth as possible. Including detailed company information in your listing form can certainly help both companies attract talent and job seekers make more informed decisions. Here's an expanded list of fields...

System Overload: When Consultants Sell Solutions and Owners Buy Trouble

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Business coaches and consultants are often viewed as saviors for companies, especially when owners are grappling with challenges in streamlining operations and making their businesses more efficient. While there’s no denying the value they can bring, there is a darker side to the relationship that isn’t talked about often enough. Many of these consultants are acutely aware of the underlying fear that drives plant owners—the fear of being manipulated or blackmailed by their own people, or losing control over their business. This fear is fertile ground for business consultants to sell their services or products, often offering a "silver bullet" solution in the form of systems and processes that promise immediate improvement. How Consultants Leverage Fear Business consultants know that fear sells. They often capitalize on plant owners' anxieties about inefficiency, losing control, or being taken advantage of by employees. By tapping into this insecurity, they are able to pit...

The Obsession with Systems: A Double-Edged Sword for Plant Owners

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There is a growing obsession with systems among plant owners, and I’ve seen this firsthand during my career in various organizations. While systems have a vital role in ensuring efficiency and smooth operations, there is a deeper reason for this obsession—fear. Many plant owners fear that without well-defined systems, they could be blackmailed or taken advantage of by their employees. While this fear may occasionally have a basis in reality, most of the time, it’s far from the truth. Unfortunately, in the quest to protect themselves, some owners become overly reliant on rigid systems, often to the detriment of the very organization they’re trying to safeguard. Who are the villains? Is the Obsession with Systems Good? To answer this, let’s consider some ancient wisdom: nothing in excess is good. It’s a principle that has stood the test of time across cultures. Be it food, money, power, or control—too much of anything tips the balance and creates more problems than it solves. Systems in ...

Offering to help is easy, asking for help is the hard part.

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If you think it's hard to help the people who asks help from you, it will help. I completely understand how challenging the current job market can be, and I know it's not easy for freshers or junior positions. I wish I could help everyone, but as much as I want to, securing a job is something that involves many factors beyond my reach. While I may not be able to get you a job directly, I can definitely help you improve your chances by offering some tips on networking, updating your CV, or identifying potential employers. There are also some excellent resources I can direct you to, such as LinkedIn groups for the cement industry or job boards that regularly post openings. These might help you find opportunities faster. Building your network is one of the best ways to find job opportunities. Try reaching out to industry professionals, and attending webinars or industry events—this will help you build connections. I genuinely want to help, but please understand I may not be able t...

What am I feeling today?

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For the past few days, I am scared of being online on social media. Whenever I get a new message, it is job related. That is, the person needs a job. It is still a little easier to handle senior people, but when such requests come from people in fresher or junior positions, it becomes very difficult. I feel very bad because this is a bit of an emotional issue. They want me to get them a job as they know that I am a very experienced person and I have been in the industry for many years, so I have a lot of contacts and I can easily get them a job.  I cannot tell them so many technical things because I know that it will disappoint them more or make them sad.  I cannot even tell them about many other options because they will think that I myself being in the cement industry am just diverting attention from them.  What should I do in this situation? I want to help them. --------------------------------------- पिछले कुछ दिनों से मैं सोशल मीडिया पर ऑनलाइन होने से डर रहा हूँ। जब ...

Confessions of a 'Defective' Engineer: Why I Make Things Look Too Easy

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Me to ChatGPT: I am a "defective" piece. Over time, I’ve come to understand some of the quirks that define me. I'm a quick troubleshooter. I find the root cause of any situation (I don’t call them problems) instantly. This makes others believe there was never an issue to begin with, leading them to underestimate my contribution. I keep smiling, no matter the situation. This makes some people think I’m carefree or not serious enough. I speak less. And that often gets mistaken for arrogance. I build systems that run smoothly from the ground up. And because everything works automatically, people assume I’m not doing anything at all. I don’t blow minor issues out of proportion or panic. And because of that, people assume their plant is running super-efficiently on its own. While I continue to reflect and add more insights to this list, I’d appreciate your help in analyzing where I can improve. There’s always room for growth, even in "defective" pieces. ChatGPT ...

So, You Want to Work in Africa? Buckle Up!

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It seems my inbox is overflowing these days. Ever since I joined a cement company in Africa, my phone has turned into a hotline for job inquiries. "Bro, any vacancies in Africa?" "Sir, how can I get a job in a cement plant there?" "I heard the pay is double!" Ah, the dream! The illusion of working abroad, basking in a higher salary while effortlessly sipping cocktails by the beach after a "hard day’s work." I hate to burst your bubble, but it’s time to get real. Let’s talk about the real expat life in Africa: First off, let’s tackle the big myth: "You're not getting paid more. You're getting paid for overtime you never asked for." Yes, you might see a nice salary figure, but let me translate that into the expat currency – work till your eyeballs fall out . Got your attention? Good. Here's the reality, dear friends: 1. Expats Are the Last Resort Let’s be clear: companies don’t wake up thinking, “Oh wow, let’s hire a foreign...

Welcome to the WhatsApp Factory – Where Productivity Meets Thumb Power!

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When I joined this company, I was quickly introduced to its most vital department: WhatsApp. Oh yes, you heard that right. Forget production floors, board meetings, or even control rooms – the heart of this organization was buried deep within the endless cascade of WhatsApp notifications. Let me paint you a picture. There were double-digit  groups. No, not two or three, but enough to make me question whether I had mistakenly joined a social media management company instead of a manufacturing plant. My first thought was, "Okay, maybe these groups are for quick coordination. Cool!" But boy, was I in for a treat. And no, this isn’t the kind of company where the MD is in every single group, sending motivational quotes and reminding you to "give your best." Oh no, that would have been easier to digest. Instead, this was a place where my Plant Head actually scolded me for not reading messages fast enough.  "You need to be active! " he declared, as though my ver...

Why Do People Quit Their Jobs? Why Did I Quit Mine?

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There are countless reasons why people stay in a job and just as many reasons why they decide to leave. In fact, let’s break it down simply: A represents the reasons for staying in a job. B represents the reasons for quitting a job. In every job, there will always be a list of both A’s and B’s. The Balance Between A & B Now, the interesting part isn't when A > B. If the reasons for staying outweigh the reasons for quitting, everything is going well. You enjoy your work, you feel valued, and maybe the pay is great. That's the ideal situation. But what happens when A = B ? Things are stable, but you're on the edge. It feels like a balancing act, and you’re not sure if staying or leaving is the right choice. You could go either way. When B > A This is when quitting becomes inevitable. The reasons for leaving have surpassed the reasons for staying. It could be frustration, lack of growth, a toxic environment, better opportunities, or simply the feeling of stagnati...