homeWork Gets Hard Without Feedback and Encouragement 07 September 2010
Written by: Francis Wade
I recently led a workshop for a cross-regional company in which I confirmed an earlier observation. The Caribbean workplace is critically low in both positive encouragement and feedback.
I say this as someone who lived in the US for 20 years and has worked here in the region for 12. Many who work here as expats echo the same sentiment - they are used to a great deal of feedback and feel lost when it’s missing.
Unfortunately, most of us who live here have not worked outside the region, and don’t know what it’s like to have a boss who gives both positive and negative feedback in a clear manner, and also takes the opportunity to praise the work we do not only in private, but in public. In Trinidad, a manager who gushes forth with public praise for an employee’s performance would be likely to produce snickers of derision, a humorous biting comment, or outright reprisals in the form of heavy, unrelenting fatigue.
WOMEN AT THE TOP 07 September 2010
Written by: By Lara Quentrall-Thomas
As AFETT embarks on our 2010 Business Leaders Survey, to celebrate the Trinidad and Tobago companies that provide the best opportunities for women to succeed and thrive, it is timely that we focus this article on the current status of ‘women at the top’ in the business world.
After more than three decades of the women’s movement, when universities and business schools graduate thousands of qualified women annually, when the pipeline is stuffed with capable, talented female candidates for senior positions, why are there still so few women at the top?
The answer may lie in lingering bias. Women interviewed for a survey by Fast Company magazine said that overt discrimination is rare but the executive suites of most major corporations still remain largely boys’ clubs. Catalyst, the USA based women’s business group, blames the gap on the fact that women often choose disciplines such as marketing and human resources, while senior executives are disproportionately plucked from the areas such as Finance, where managers have critical profit-and-loss responsibility. Others fault the workplace itself, saying that firms don’t do enough to accommodate women’s family responsibilities.
Leading with Emotional Intelligence 07 September 2010
Written by: By Dr. Kwame R. Charles
Do you know what you EQ is? No, not your IQ. Your “Emotional Quotient.”
All of us at some point, have taken some kind of intelligence test: whether it was Exhibition, Common Entrance, SEA, SAT, etc. And we may even know what our IQ is. But most of us have never done a test to measure our Emotional Quotient.
The term “Emotional Quotient” or “EQ” is derived from the concept “Emotional Intelligence.” Emotional Intelligence, in turn, comes out of the work of several psychologists, but was most widely popularized by Daniel Goleman’s 1995 book: Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ. In that book, Goleman defines Emotional Intelligence as “The capacity for recognizing our own feelings and those of others, for motivating ourselves, and for managing emotions well in ourselves and in our relationships.” Essentially, Emotional Intelligence is our ability to identify, assess, manage and control our emotions; and at least to identify and assess, if not manage and control, the emotions of others. At the base of Emotional Intelligence or EI is the idea of knowing and understanding yourself.
Leading Educational Change and Improvement 07 September 2010
Written by: Dr. Freddy James (freddy.telmas@gmail.com)
Improving and changing schools in Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) requires sustained leadership. Research has shown that three factors impact school improvement (SI) most significantly. These are shown below:
- Socio-economic factors strongly influence student outcomes
- Classroom teaching is the next main factor
- Leadership is the third biggest factor
POLITICAL PUNISHMENT 04 August 2010
Written by: Dennise Demming – Public Relations and Training Consultant
“Mrs. D, dey send me home!” … this was the mournful cry of a young Communications Professional whose services had been unceremoniously terminated. Why should a change in political party translate into dismissals of career professionals?
Board appointments are generally given as rewards for supporting the party while career professionals are persons whose livelihoods depend on their employment. Indeed the government has a social responsibility to protect persons from discrimination. Political affiliation should not determine whether or not you retain a job. Maintenance of employment should only be based on performance and merit.