Excellence Never is Enough

Tag: making employees lives better

Blog

What a Man Can Do, a Woman Can Do

Akide Grace the female builder walks towards me so calmly, with an anxious face that had no idea what to expect from the interview. As she drew closer, Grace is dark skinned with a smooth and clear skin complexation, a beautiful wide smile and medium sized 25 year old lady,  born from a family of 3 children, Grace is the only girl .She is a resident of Kilokoitio village, Nyekidi parish, Laperebong Sub County, Agago district. Grace is a student at Adilang vocational training Institute (AVTI) pursuing a national certificate in building and construction year one. Grace and her course mates have practical part of their studies from Rostwa Engineers company sites in Adilang where several AVTI school blocks are being constructed.

Grace during work
Grace during work

On Fridays which is the only day with full time practical lessons, she normally wakes up at 5:30 am, freshens up, leaves for morning preps that runs from 6:00am-8:00.am.The practical lessons start off at 8:00am till 5:00pm with only 30 minutes breaks at 10:30am then an hours break from 1:00pm.She says working with men is not bad, since they are willing to share knowledge that she might not have understood in class hence polishing her skills. During work most of students and site workers share a lot of stories both educative and comical which makes work push on easily.

When asked about her how she finds working with men being that she is the only female, She smiled and said, ‘‘whenever I go to site, workers get so excited to see me, I don’t know why’’. Her School Administrator Mr. Okello Tonny says, ‘’Grace is one of the best performers in her class, she is very active in and outside class and holds the position of UNSA(Uganda National Students Association) president at the institute’’

Her future plan is to be an independent lady so that she can encourage other ladies who aren’t independent that it’s possible. She wants to get done with the certificate, upgrade to diploma then degree. She hopes to be an instructor of Building and construction or Administrator of an engineering company. Grace hopes to be married one day after all the studies are done and she chose being an instructor or administration because it doesn’t need much movement hence stable marital home.

Her advice to young girls is, ‘As long as you are alive, as a girl you need to try to get something to keep you independent, what a man can do a woman can do’. Her slogan for life is ‘start from nowhere but hope that you will reach somewhere’

News

How Will Your Story Unfold from 2023 to 2024?

As we stand on the cusp of a new year, it’s an opportune moment for the members of our esteemed engineering community to pause and reflect on the strides we’ve made throughout 2023. Beyond the realm of technical innovations and project accomplishments, our personal journeys within the professional landscape deserve acknowledgment and contemplation.

Acknowledgement: Let’s take a moment to acknowledge the collective wins we’ve experienced within our professional and personal spheres. From successful project completions to earning certifications that elevate our expertise, each achievement contributes to the tapestry of our shared success.

Navigating Challenges – In the dynamic field of engineering and of course personal life, challenges are not roadblocks but rather opportunities for growth. Reflect on instances where adaptability, problem-solving, and leadership skills were put to the test. It’s in these moments that true resilience emerges.

Learning Every Day –Our commitment to excellence in engineering and personal aspects of life necessitates a dedication to continuous learning. Consider the new skills you’ve acquired, the courses you’ve engaged with, and the knowledge you’ve sought to remain at the forefront of our ever-evolving industry and the personal life you’re living.

Balancing Work and Personal Well-being: As we delve into our reflections, let’s not forget the importance of maintaining equilibrium between our professional pursuits and personal well-being. Strategies for a healthy work-life balance, stress management, and overall well-being should be woven into the narrative of our professional narratives.

Strategic Vision for the New Year: Now, let’s cast our sight towards the horizon of 2024. It’s time to set intentions and goals that align with our professional and personal aspirations. Consider formulating S.M.A.R.T. goals — Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound — that will propel your career and personal life forward.

Being Positive and Open to Change In the face of challenges and opportunities alike, let’s collectively embrace a growth mindset. The professional and personal landscapes are ever evolving, and the willingness to learn from challenges, seek feedback, and continuously adapt positions us for sustained success. Its literally a fulltime job to have a positive mindset.

Cultivating Professional Networks Recognize the strength in our collective connections. Consider expanding your professional network, engaging with peers, and participating in industry events. Our collaborative efforts fuel innovation and mutual advancement.

Conclusion: As we bid farewell to 2023, let the insights gained from this reflection guide your path toward a future marked by both professional excellence and personal fulfillment. The journey is ongoing, and each step forward is a testament to our collective commitment to professional and personal excellence.

We would like to hear from you our esteemed community members, to share your reflections, goals, and strategies for the upcoming year. We believe in the exchange of insights; we strengthen not only our individual paths but also the fabric of our collaborative professional community.

Here’s to a new year filled with growth, achievements, and collective success.

News

Effective management

The first thing a good manager must know is that the skill set is a process. You don’t become a good manager overnight. It takes time. It takes failure, but without that failure you’d never learn from you mistakes and grow. Here are some ways to be as effective as possible as a manager.

Time Management: A good manager can then manage that timeline and break it down into large phases of the project, called milestones, and then into smaller parts that are called tasks. But it’s not merely creating a plan, it’s also monitoring that process and adjusting accordingly to stay on schedule.

Communication – Communications isn’t giving orders, though that’s part of it. Communications is a two-way street, with as much emphasis on listening as there is on talking. If you can get your message across then you’re working efficiently.

Site meeting, Bushulo Ethiopia

Team Building – Individuals can work in groups, but not without some real bonding through team-building exercises like having meals together, having casual chats during breaks. If you put this work in before the project, you’ll have less issues during its run.

Be inclusive: To build a diverse team, you need to create an inclusive and positive organizational culture. When every team member feels respected and valued, you’re naturally going to boost employee engagement and (by default) produce better work. An engaged team is a happier team. 

Be decisive: As a manager, you are responsible for making decisions that affect the entire team. To avoid conflicts when making important decisions, it’s important to coordinate with your team and communicate properly by.

Negotiations – You need to attain negotiation skills and it’s your responsibility to find a technique that works. The better you can negotiate with your team, the more likely you are to stick to the planned project goals.

Conflict Resolution – When you put a team together and there will be conflicts, which you’ll have to resolve those conflicts fairly and quickly to keep the project on track. You should allow people to be heard and create an environment where people come together for the greater good of the project.

Tips on how to plan your day at work

Planning can help you maximize your time at work, handle challenges better and increase your motivation. Here are few tips to help you plan your workday:

 Keep a to-do list: Taking five to 10 minutes at the beginning of each day to write out a to-do list, on paper or digitally, can help promote focus and increase productivity. Adding to the initial to-do list throughout the day can help you keep a clear idea of your goals.

 Find a schedule and stay with it: Determine the time of day when you feel you’re at your best and try to get most of your work done during those hours. Staying consistent with your schedule can also help you be more productive. Just as important as choosing a schedule is making sure you can commit to it.

Take breaks: Taking 10-15 minutes every couple of hours to stretch your body and focus on something other than work can help keep you energized and excited about your job.

Reduce multitasking: Multitasking may sound like the perfect way to get many things done at once, but unfortunately, this not true in many situations. You may even find that multitasking can actually take longer than completing tasks individually.

Identify distractions: Emails, texts and phone calls are a few common reasons behind distraction. Schedule specific times to take care of emails, for example, to stay on task and not get distracted by every new message in your inbox.

Tackle tasks in order of importance: Instead of starting your day with smaller tasks like answering emails, begin by addressing your largest or most stress-inducing task. This might take the largest amount of time in your day, but it ultimately will help your workflows move faster.

Set goals and reward yourself: Setting goals can help you become better at your job through motivation. You can set goals for staying organized, like challenging yourself to make a to-do list every day. Or, you can set professional goals that can help you stay engaged at your job.

Conflict resolution at work.

The fact of the matter is conflict in the workplace is unavoidable. The ability to recognize conflict, understand the nature of conflict, and to be able to bring swift and just resolution to conflict will serve you well as a leader , the inability to do so may well be your downfall. Here are some ways to manage conflicts at a work place.

Define Acceptable Behavior: Just having a definition for what constitutes acceptable behavior is a positive step in avoiding conflict. Having clearly defined job descriptions so that people know what’s expected of them, and a well-articulated chain of command to allow for effective communication will also help avoid conflicts.

Hit Conflict Head-on: By actually seeking out areas of potential conflict and proactively intervening in a just and decisive fashion you will likely prevent certain conflicts from ever arising. If a conflict does flair up, you will likely minimize its severity by dealing with it quickly. Time spent identifying and understanding natural tensions will help to avoid unnecessary conflict.

The Importance Factor: Pick your battles and avoid conflict for the sake of conflict. However if the issue is important enough to create a conflict then it is surely important enough to resolve. If the issue, circumstance, or situation is important enough, and there is enough at stake, people will do what is necessary to open lines of communication and close positional and/or philosophical gaps.

View Conflict as Opportunity: Hidden within virtually every conflict is the potential for a tremendous teaching/learning opportunity. Where there is disagreement there is an inherent potential for growth and development. Divergent positions addressed properly can stimulate innovation and learning in ways like minds can’t even imagine.

Laboratory block at Mater Ecclesiae Nursing and Midwifery School Luweero.

Bottom line is I believe resolution can normally be found with conflicts where there is a sincere desire to do so. Turning the other cheek, compromise, forgiveness, and compassion, empathy, finding common ground, being an active listener, service above self, and other approaches will always allow one to be successful in building rapport if the underlying desire is strong enough.

Self evaluation at a work place.

As the year comes to an end, employees needs to have a self evaluation in order to better in the different tasks in which they perform. Periodic evaluation is a chance for employees to review the recent past and discuss future expectations. An evaluation also serves as an opportunity to set goals as individuals and a team. we’ve created a sample self-assessment to guide you as you create your own.

Strengths: Clearly point out your strength that you feel is your strong point at work. Their is need to also get better ways to use your strength in order to meet your work goals.

Weaknesses: Every one has weaknesses and their is need to clearly list them especially when it affects your work. Every employee has to find away to work on their weaknesses since it always sabotages work.

Core values: Have a list of your values, beliefs and check if all you did through out the evaluation time period is in line with them, if not their is still a chance to align your self with them again.

Accomplishments: Their is need to look at your accomplishments and be proud of them, this is a source of motivation to strive better. No matter how the evaluation period was their was a point where you strived this means you can even strive the more.

Goals: During self evaluation at work their is still need to look at the goals set during that period and check if you aligned with them, their is also need to set more goals/targets higher than the ones set hence hard work.

Feed back: Feed back from superiors at work is also an important element during self evaluation, it gives you a genuine report about your performance and areas of Improvement.

Note: Keeping things simple and using short, declarative bullet points are key to writing an effective self-assessment. While the exact nature of your self-assessment might depend on your position and job description, this basic model can help guide you in writing a self-evaluation.

Team players and their qualities.

If you have chosen team members for a project in your organization,but still one feels their is need to make check list on the qualities of a good team player ,below are some of the few qualities of a good team player;

Communicates constructively Teams need people who speak up and express their thoughts and ideas clearly, directly, honestly, and with respect for others and for the work of the team. That’s what it means to communicate constructively. Such a team member does not shy away from making a point but makes it in the best way possible in a positive, confident, and respectful manner.

Works as a problem-solver Teams, of course, deal with problems. Sometimes, it appears, that’s the whole reason why a team is created to address problems. Good team players are willing to deal with all kinds of problems in a solutions-oriented manner. They’re problem-solvers, not problem-dwellers, problem-blamers, or problem-avoiders.

Functions as an active participant Good team player are active participants. They come prepared for team meetings, listen and speak up in discussions. They’re fully engaged in the work of the team. Team members who function as active participants take the initiative to help make things happen, and they volunteer for assignments

Shares openly and willingly Good team players shares information, knowledge, and experience. They take the initiative to keep other team members informed. Much of the communication within teams takes place informally. Beyond discussion at organized meetings, team members need to feel comfortable talking with one another and passing along important news and information day-to-day.

Exhibits flexibility Teams often deal with changing conditions and often create changes themselves. Good team players roll with the punches; they adapt to ever-changing situations. They don’t complain or get stressed out because something new is being tried or some new direction is being set. In addition, a flexible team member can consider different points of views and compromise when needed to offer.

Shows commitment to the team Strong team players care about their work, the team, and the team’s work. They show up every day with this care and commitment up front. They want to give a good effort, and they want other team members to do the same.

Team building for employees in a company

Every organization needs to make employees feel like they are important members of the team, and not just another body. You can do that by encouraging your staff to participate in a team building because it has impacts  that builds the company. Here are some reasons why team building is important for the workplace.

Reveals Hidden Skills Many employees sometimes feel they’re not given an opportunity to show everything they’re capable of doing. But in a more relaxed environment, they might lose some of those inhibitions and reveal some of their hidden skills. Plus, you will learn more about who they are as individuals.

Boosts Team Work As simple as a team building event might be, it gives employees a chance to work as a team. So, when the time to actually work as a team comes, they’ll know what to do and what is expected of them. While many of your employees know how to work independently and take direction from their supervisors, some of them might find it more challenging collaborating with their colleagues.

Improves Communication Employees might feel comfortable communication with people around them at work or with their direct supervisors. The question is, are they comfortable communicating with employees who work in different departments or with people who work on the other side of the office? Team building helps bridge this gap and gives employees the tools to be able to better communicate with one another this gives them security that they don’t have to face challenges alone.

Builds Trust Employers  might be surprised by the lack of trust among employees in the workplace but by allowing team building practices in your company, you will give your employees the change to build trust with their colleagues. When employees feel more trusting, they’re more likely to bounce ideas off each other and this could potentially increase productivity.

Better Conflict Resolution Conflict resolution is a big part of any job. However, how employees’ approach and handle conflict can be significantly improved if team building is in place. This is true for conflict resolution. When they feel like they can trust and communicate with their peers, they’ll be able to solve conflicts in a more efficient way.

EXCELLENT IS NEVER ENOUGH