Over the years, while deeply engaged in designing team alignment programs, I've interacted with numerous dedicated business owners and recruiters, all driven by the quest to secure the finest additions to their workforce. However, what struck me profoundly was the unwavering determination exhibited by each of them in pursuing remarkable individuals who could contribute to their enterprises. This phenomenon often seemed to transform the recruitment landscape into a fierce battleground, where securing the right talents bore semblance to a relentless competition for achieving nothing short of sustainable organizational growth. As much as the recruiters in their job advertisements were looking for talent, when I interacted with job applicants, most did not discuss their talents but skills, know-how, and competencies. Isn’t that strange? Our education system never delivers a diploma for talent but always certifies abilities. I noticed a big misalignment between what companies were looking for and what the applicants offered. In this article, I will share my discovery of the misconception of these two terms to help applicants understand what the recruiters are looking for by answering the following questions: Are talent and competence the same thing? What are the differences between these two terms? How do they affect the life of the individual and the team in the long run? What is talent? Talent is a natural ability or aptitude that allows someone to shine in a particular activity, especially without training. According to Etymoonline, the word talent comes from the Medieval Latin talent, which meant weight, the sum of money. The meaning of "special natural ability, aptitude, a gift committed to one for use and improvement" was developed by mid-15c. in part perhaps from the figurative sense of "wealth," but mostly from the parable of the talents in Matthew 25:14–30. A talent is something a person is born with. It has to do with the innate qualities they possess. It is the role they tend to play naturally in life and most of the time in their work. The person having the talent may not necessarily value it. It is second nature for them, and they don’t seem particularly excited. Knowingly or unintentionally, they find themselves involved in situations where they use their talent. Other people end up soliciting them for their talent even if they don't promote it. For example, we can all talk, but you can see that some people are naturally talented at communicating. Those people excel best in sales and marketing jobs. What is competence? Competence is the ability to do something well or effectively. Competence derives from the French word “compétence,” which meant "sufficiency of means for living at ease” in the 1630s. The meaning "adequate range of capacity or ability, sufficiency to deal with what is at hand" is from 1790. One develops competencies through school, training, and practice. Competence is not static; it continuously evolves and grows. For example, a programmer's skill grows as he continues working on various projects. The more you use a competence, the sharper and more potent it becomes.…

Your present circumstances directly result from the choices you've made along your journey. Every decision, whether a resounding "YES" or a thoughtful "NO," has played a role in molding the trajectory of your business and personal life. Today, you find yourself reading this article because you've deliberately opted to explore valuable insights – particularly regarding the art of saying "NO" wisely. This crucial aspect of decision-making has the potential to redefine your ultimate path to success. Looking back at the success stories and struggling businesses of people I have met during my coaching career, I wanted to identify the common factor that led to the success or failure of companies. That is when I realized one thing that stood out: the ability of a business owner to say NO or accept the word NO. Yes, you read that right; saying NO was the last piece of the puzzle. In this article, I want to share this fantastic discovery of why saying NO or accepting the word NO is one of the most coveted superpowers of an entrepreneur. In my career, I have met many people who had difficulty saying NO, which has gotten them into big problems. Think of it this way, the quickest way to stay away from alcoholism is to say NO to the first drink. The best way to uphold respect in an organization is to say NO to matters that corrupt your integrity. Even though we underestimate these concepts, in most cases, the word NO has had a lot of positive effects in a working environment, eventually leading to infinite success. A decision is a way to say YES to one thing and NO to many other possibilities. When making a decision, people overlook that each YES corresponds to countless possibilities to which you say NO. When you choose a specific job, you automatically say NO to numerous job opportunities you could work on during the same period. We can apply this to real life, too. For example, when you say YES at your wedding, you have committed to saying NO to other people who would otherwise want to marry you. Said differently, you are ready to say countless NOs to keep your YES. This realization opened my eyes, and I wished someone had pointed this out to me earlier. I wondered why no one hadn't cared to stress the issue despite the high number of coaches teaching about decision-making in the business world. Teaching somebody how to decide without making them aware of the number of NOs he needs to say to keep his decision or achieve his goal is like sending somebody to the front with a gun but not giving him the bullets. The value of a NO Saying NO ensures you are not derailed by any sideshows that can negatively impact your road to success. When you say NO to something not aligned with your goals, you reinforce your YES on the earlier decision. Therefore, you should be okay and enthusiastic about…

What if we invest in building a sustainable business that drives unemployment down? Imagine a society where only 1 out of 100 children survives past the age of 15. Such a scenario would spell the end of humanity's long-term survival. Similarly, the current trend of short-lived businesses threatens economic growth. Startling statistics reveal that only 1% of companies endure beyond 15 years, with a mere 20% reaching the 5-year milestone. This blog post explores the significance of sustaining businesses, addresses unemployment, and proposes a novel solution: recycling human capital through sustainable entrepreneurship. The number of businesses that started and existed over some time determines economic growth. If the companies do not exist over a long period, there is no chance of economic prosperity. Why is our society not doing enough to ensure that more than 1% of businesses survive for over 15 Years? Then, what happens to the people who have been working in these businesses? Where do they go? You are right. They become unemployed, and their skills become dormant, a significant loss to the labor market. My next concern was what we could do to end this menace and promote economic growth and prosperity. Then the thought of recycling human capital came into my mind. Today we recycle nearly everything: papers, computers, water, fabric, steel, glass, wood, food; you name it. Yet, we fail to help businesses survive over a more extended period. Isn’t that strange? What if we use the same idea to create sustainable businesses to run for more extended periods so that the employee's skills are not wasted but used over and over? Isn’t this the same as recycling? Sustaining a business over a more extended period is not easy; however, with the right mentorship and training, we can have real entrepreneurs to make this dream a reality. To achieve this dream, we have to fix the reasons causing these businesses to fail. How do we end unemployment in society? Unemployment is one of the biggest problems in society today. The journey to end unemployment starts with ensuring we have companies that can last for over 15 years. Achieving that will automatically take care of the population that loses jobs once a business collapses. Let’s have a look at the below assumption to be able to digest this better: Assuming 20% of startups fail because the business ideas were not viable in the first place, we still have 80% of businesses going past the 15 years mark. Let’s now imagine that these businesses can exist and prosper past the end of the careers of their creators. In other words, 80% achieve longevity and are self-running beyond their creators. Can you see the number of jobs each company will create over this period? Can you agree with me there are at least tens of jobs? If you multiply these by the number of small businesses in your area, you will notice that most of the population will be employed. These people stay employed as long as…

The success of your business hinges on the prevailing company culture, especially one that is results-driven. Every business inherently possesses a culture, whether by design or happenstance. From my own experience, I've come to understand that establishing a results-driven company culture for entrepreneurs necessitates more than mere instruction or discussion; it requires a fundamental shift in the mindset and behaviors of individuals within the organization. Creating a culture requires systemic organizational changes transforming how people think and behave. In this article, I will share my discovery on developing and cultivating a culture of results to improve performance in your organization. The work environment greatly influences people. Company culture can make weak people highly productive, and the stronger lose their edge. It is the primary concern and responsibility of every business owner, manager, or executive to create a culture of results inside their company. Every employee makes and maintains this through disciplined adherence to ensure profitability and continuance of the company's operation. Getting the right people that can come together with unique business systems to create a culture of results through discipline, enthusiasm, and high productivity is not easy. The magic begins once you find the right team, and performance shoots up the roof.   ((Efficient People + Motivation) * Accountability) = Effective Team Results HIRE THE RIGHT BEST PEOPLE The only proven way of getting good results is to ensure you have the right people to drive your dream. No matter how good your ideas are, you'll have difficulty getting the expected deliverables if you don't have the right people to actualize them. "Those who build great companies understand that the ultimate throttle on growth for any great company is not markets, technology, competition, or products. It is one thing above all others: getting and keeping enough of the right people. GET THE RIGHT PEOPLE ON THE BUS FIRST, AND THE WRONG PEOPLE OFF THE BUS, THEN FIGURE OUT WHAT DIRECTION TO DRIVE THE COMPANY" – Jim Collins, Good to Great. Results depend on employee performance, which is why every business owner or manager should only hire Top performers. Top performers have a history of getting results and are unafraid of accountability and scorekeeping. They are self-confident, can apply past successes to new assignments, and are teachable and eager to learn. Top performers make good things happen, especially when their personal goals align with your company goals. Note that you always pay less cost for the Top performer as compared to what you pay for the Poor performer. The Poor performer comes with a hidden cost of lower performance, poor decisions, and costly mistakes, which in the long run, eclipse the cost of keeping the Top performer. It would be best if you always went for the Top performer for effective performance and results. Take Away:  Hire and empower goal-oriented people. To achieve better results, you must ensure the team understands why you created the system, how it works, and how it will benefit them. Enlist their knowledge, talents, energy,…

Are you familiar with the constant lament about time being in short supply? A simple observation of daily life reveals an astonishing number of grievances centered around time. From the perennial complaint of insufficient time to the exasperated grumbling about excessive hours leading to sheer boredom – it's a narrative we've all encountered. But what if I told you that as a dynamic business owner, you possess the ability to rewrite this narrative? In this article, we will address these complaints head-on and equip you with invaluable time management tips tailored specifically to your entrepreneurial journey. Let's delve into the world of mastering time for entrepreneurs and discover how to make each moment count towards your business success. Why is it that we complain so much about time? In this article, I will be sharing practical observations about time that will help you put all time-related frustrations behind you and never complain about time again. “Time is what we want most, but what we use worst.” – William Penn The unfulfilled promise of time management training If you have been worried about time at a certain point in your life or career, then you have already done a course in time management. If not, you have at least done some research and read articles about time management on the Internet. Sometimes lessons learned from these courses or articles work when implemented, and sometimes they don't. More often than not, you will find yourself back on the drawing board with the same complaints like “I don't have time," "I am late," "I am under time pressure," or "I don't have enough time." This experience clearly explains that time management training is not the right solution to fix complaints about time. Shocking conclusion, isn’t it? I have completed several time management courses and read many books on the subject, yet I did not master time. Why do people often complain about not having time? Think about when you used the phrase "I didn't have time to…” ? Do you picture the moment? How did you feel? Think of a time when somebody told you, "I didn't have time to…." How did that sound to you? Credible? How did you feel then? In both cases, didn’t you have a vague feeling of something not being right? I used this sentence many times until I realized that when I said, “I didn't have time…”, I was giving an excuse for not doing what I needed. This realization was an eye-opener for me. I started observing when I used the phrase and when other people used it. I confirmed that in every case, it was just a mere excuse. Try it for yourself; think about any two moments described above when the phrase "I didn't have time" was used. Do you realize it was an excuse to cover for something else that was not easy to face? This excuse is so engraved in our minds that we find it normal and no longer question it.…