On this edition of Citi FM/Citi TV’s Effective Living Series, the Founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Busara Africa, Taaka Awori, took us through the path of taking charge of one’s priorities in a professional working environment.
Speaking with host Bernard Avle, on the topic, “leading one’s self in the new world of work”, the CEO of Busara Africa anticipated that, the new world of work will be characterised by continued uncertainty, job insecurity, remote and hybrid working hours for companies, not only in Ghana but across the globe.
According to her, people in higher positions can only lead others, if they are able to lead themselves. “You can’t lead another until you lead yourself,” she said.
She anticipated that the new world of work is one of turbulence and opportunities, adding that the working environment will be a tough place to operate but can be a space of opportunities if one is strategic.
The leadership coach catalogued the following points to consider in leading one’s self at the workplace in the face of storms as one walks through 2023.
Grounding one’s self: People need to stabilise themselves in the office space in order to face any unforeseen turbulence. The principle of getting grounded is about repositioning one’s self, being resilient, seize opportunities. People need to bring out their anchors because the anchors stabilise people during crises and calm them down. People can fall on their families, faith and support networks during turbulence. Everyone needs to understand the anchors that stabilise him/her during crisis, in order to prioritise.
People need to plug the leak in their boats to overcome stress, uncertainty and anxiety, as people are not of themselves when under the crunch. If these are not checked, it might bring a person down at the workplace. People need to be proactive by investing in their well beings.
Getting connected: People need to get connected in order to push themselves up for greater opportunities. This is not the time for people to stay in their corners during working hours. Opportunities come to people with a wide range of quality relationships or communities.
People need to invest time in building relationships. They have to ensure that relationships are strengthened. Be in constant contact with people in order to grab opportunities thereof. People should desist from managing their social capital the way they manage their economy, to avoid owing plenty people. Give more than you constantly ask for help. Be generous, embark on volunteerism, and be visible on social media networks.
Be future-ready: In order for people to take advantage of the opportunities available to them, they need to be ready for the future. Ensure to understand the trends in your sectors/profession by reading to keep up with the future, whether in the engineering, banking, telecommunication, media space, amongst others. People have to invest in rescaling or upscaling to remain relevant. They need to get additional skills in their current roles. Get some digital skills in zoom set up etc. Be creative by going online for free resources to boost yourself. Try to stay at one particular job place for a while before quitting. Go beyond thinking of employment opportunities to work opportunities. Embark on different streams of work opportunities.