The best way to earn big bucks| enhance your earning power| Professional Certification

A leading job portal screamed about PMP certification “Get up to 23% salary hike.” Are you professionally certified? If you are a project management professional, its best recommended to pursue a professional certificate, the most popular being PMP.

Courtesy: http://www.payscale.com/research/US/Certification=Project_Management_Professional_(PMP)/Salary

The figure above features the latest from PayScale about the average salary for PMP certified professional. How does compensation get impacted by virtue of certification? That’s a fair question.

Differentiator

The PayScale’s image clearly differentiates the average pay of a PMP certified professional. So one can make out the difference between an uncertified and certified professional. There are many a professional who despite experience are unable to stand out for the fact that they aren’t certified. Hence, there is ‘that’ distinguished factor that sets one apart.

Win-win for You and your Company

These days, a company is known by its workforce. Clients are setting the minimum requirement of ‘PMP certified’ for manager, and hiring companies either enforce or set as their basic requirement even at the shortlisting stage. Hence, the certification on your profile is not only a value-add to your person but to the company you are associated as well.

Higher pay

The candidates armed with a PMP always command a higher compensation as compared to their peers. The image above speaks for itself.  The certification is a terrific combination of experience and expertise, and hence commands that kind of pay. Why do experienced hands get overlooked for want of certification? May be, it is the official stamp by a well-recognized and respected governing body to endorse your skillset. PMP is one example that shines out, with the certification from Project Management Institute (PMI). The recognition leads to reward. The earning power soars. In a study sometime back, project managers with a PMP certification earn 20% more on average than project managers that do not have their PMP certification.

Job opportunities

Many doors will be opened. A whopping 93.5% of PMI certification holders is PMP. Its quite close to 93.5%, out of which 50% is from the United States. The job market is skewed with an imbalance in supply versus demand. The difficulty in sourcing skilled professional is scarce in the industry. As a result, PMP holders are considered niche. With fewer in number, something close to 80000, PMI holders are in demand given the growing demand for certified professionals.

Career advancement

The competitive edge, undoubtedly, stems from the knowledge acquisition. Advanced certification is the measure of depth and applied across domain. The principles and concepts are applicable to varied industry. Be it a computer or civil background as the job necessitates, a PMP will hold good for both. This cross platform is what makes PMP distinct and deserving. The reason for the companies to hire PMP holder is for the credentials in terms of knowledge and understanding.  You can move places and scaled up the ladder, and always the threshold will be an acclaimed and accepted qualification.

Professional certifications can vary and differ from domain and industry. We have addressed the ‘niche’ and elite aspect by voicing through ‘PMP’. There are many such professional certifications depending on the subject matter and areas of interest. The common thread that sews up is the success factor: professionally certified profiles are head above shoulders.

Classroom Training Is Still Required And Relevant? What Do You Say?

The technology outreach is phenomenon today. In every sphere of life, there is impact of technology. That probably could spell the sophistication in learning approach and mode.

Nowadays, individual and more companies and corporate switching to online mode in training and knowledge transfer. all the more reason to leverage technology and its benefits. So given all the advantages, the need for more traditional learning is losing its touch? This point is subject to debate and deliberation. Why do we have classroom training still?

Have you stopped using a pen or pad?

Seriously. This is not some data point. If you look around, have we disposed all stationery? With the advent of touchpads and novel laptops with touch-enabled screens, there is no need of pens. Why then pens around? The answer is obvious – a matter of convenience and reach. The classroom setting makes sense in some cases – what happens if the internet is down or beyond reach? Why do you need online classes when the team can be assembled in a room? Besides, the tutor-led instructional set-up is more conducive for brainstorming, sharing and dissemination knowledge. Learning can be different – with different kind of people.

Competitions compliments coaching

The positives of classroom training are the infusion a competitive streak, which is identified as healthy as it promotes learning. Constructive criticism is welcome. Where there is scope to exchange ideas and deliberate on thoughts, won’t you agree it is healthier? Only when you are challenged, can you expect real growth.

‘The more things change, the more they stay the same.’

It is a French quote by Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr, which is true in this context. So much has changed with regard to learning but the fundamental aspect of classroom still remains relevant. There is a need to retrain on new tools or learn new skills in the digital disruption. Agreed. But has technology good enough to do away with classroom? No, if at all, there is virtual classroom. Why? The system is hard to replace. We still need a white board for discussion and analysis. it is hard to dispense with the essentials. One doesn’t wish to tamper the time tested mode. May be chalk is replaced with marker, and white board to smart board. Call that incremental innovation, in terms of technological advances.

From generations to millennial to centennial, the system has preserved and persisted using conventional classroom mode for education, Man has witnessed the agricultural and industrial revolution and stands witness to scientific upheaval.  And with time, moved along the changes.  Some, though, remains.

Learning – And Learners | Knowledge Management

image courtesy: https://goo.gl/sP4HCx

Learning is for a lifetime. Learn from your mistakes. Learn, learn and learn. Do you ever stop listening to such suggestions or at times, sermons? Be it office or home, professional or personal, the aspect of learning never ceases. Unbeknown to us, don’t we learn?  We do. But do we apply? That’s questionable. Take it from day-to-day life; there are many facets of learning. In fact, we are shocked at the level of our learning and also of ignorance. ‘My son’s sixth grade teaches me a lot many things which I didn’t know it existed’ remarked a colleague. ‘I was ignorant until this moment, but no more’, said another.

image courtesy: https://goo.gl/rHB14e

              

Learning Passionately

Some have never-quenching thirst to learn – willfully, without any constraints. They spend the time liking what they do - the kind of people who are passionate and take pride and personal ownership in their engagement.  There is self-investment in the form of time, energy and other utilities. The one interested to learn won’t mind the investment. For the learned and informed are more equipped and well-prepared to make good of opportunities. In the best-seller, ‘Corner Office’, the same subject is taken up the author while asking some 700 leading CEOs about their success and the response amazingly was “passionate curiosity.”

There are the kinds that can view ‘failures’ as part of learning. Nothing succeeds like success but there can be no better trainer than failure. To take failure in your stride and move on with learning is the mark of an experienced mind. It is easier said than done. All it takes is just a stone to break the glass ceiling. There are many examples of the most successful when stricken with failure to fumble and fall down. And there are some who can still stand up and face it – the notables. Check with them and they will attribute learning as key takeaway.

 “Man does not simply exist but always decides what his existence will be, what he will do in the next moment. By the same token, every human being has the freedom to change at any instant… One of the main features of human existence is the capacity to rise above [our] conditions, to grow beyond them.”  -Victor Frankl

The Reluctant Learner

Not all have the same interest or inclination. Not all are interested in reading, which doesn’t discount their abilities. But there are some poor learners- failing to learn from mistakes and past experience. Some need to be enticed with incentives, for instance, ‘promotion’, ‘pay hike’ and other perks. Some companies, these days, are making it a mandate for working professionals to be ‘professionally certified’ to be ‘eligible’. Some companies make certification a prerequisite in screening resume – this type of pruning can be observed when there exists a skill gap, whereby the supply greatly exceeds the demand. For want of better profile, certification is set as a criterion, failing which you don’t make the cut. The typical carrot-on-top method employed by some companies is to ‘make them learn’ by enlisting for programs or become certified in some practices. PMP is one typical example for companies of repute to insist as a minimum requirement for their Project Managers or only hire those who are PMP certified. 

To their defense, not all are reluctant. "Show me the space to allocate bandwidth for learning and I will gladly enrol." And to some extent, it cannot be denied that those wanting to pursue higher education or certification

Turn the Threats to Opportunities | Risk Management

image courtesy: https://14415-presscdn-0-52-pagely.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/iStock_71349887_SMALL.jpg

Sometime back GE’ CEO hit headlines with a zinger that threw even the reader off the rails.”If you are joining the company in your 20s, unlike when I joined, you’re going to learn to code, "GE CEO Jeff Immelt wrote in a LinkedIn post on Thursday. "It doesn’t matter whether you are in sales, finance or operations. You may not end up being a programmer, but you will know how to code. We are also changing the plumbing inside the company to connect everyone and make the culture change possible. This is existential and we’re committed to this."

Become multi-skilled. Expand career options.

One can’t figure out the relevance of code with someone handling compensation or making cold calls in the hope of a prospect. How does coding propel a career in finance, HR or Sales? It’s hard to connect and yet the call is to ‘code.’ Is that a threat or opportunity? Look at the plus side; if you become competent to code, hailing from a finance background or pursuing a sales career, isn’t that a shot in the arm, with ‘soft skills” making your profile more sophisticated. Besides, in terms of career choice, you have more than one option. The choices presented upfront are just wide and varied. Turn that threat to an opportunity.

Don’t rely on one individual. Transition.

From newly found start-ups to deep grounded companies, this curse of leaving the core knowledge in the hands of very few, or someone reliable and then totally rely on that person is a paradox that remains unsolved till date. Can Manager code? It could be the pitch to the millennial, but from experience, can senior-level managers ask the programmers to move aside and start coding? Then who will manage? 

Some of the tools and even languages that were potent and popular during their times have either faded or obliterated, distanced or disappeared. You don’t get to hear about BASIC or FORTRAN or Pascal.  Where are they today? They had their hour of glory, shone in limelight and stepped offstage for some other language to become prominent. The show goes on; the actors change and so does the costume.

Besides, Managers have a higher calling than coding. They have to manage overruns and burn rate, keep cost within budget, cope with  scope, rein risk and always an eye on the bottom-line. Leaders are expected to extract the best/optimal outcome from the team. Lead the team with strategic vision. As long as leader keeps their next level or second-in-command motivated to take care of things, they can focus on other responsibilities.  

Today Leadership is about connecting with everyone and not the peers and reporting heads. That aside, isn’t it a threat to depend on someone or identified few? Over-dependence or too much reliance is harmful to the interest of any organization. It is a threat. Pooling all information in one server or maintaining multiple mirror servers spread across different geographical locations so that they will come in handy should one server crash - which makes more sense? Knowledge in the hands of one or concentrated  few is a serious threat. To mitigate this threat, start transitioning.  Disseminate. Distribute. Decentralize. 

Let Us Agree To Disagree | Stakeholder Management

image courtesy: http://q.likesuccess.com/70/3466806-can-you-agree-to-disagree.jpg

Disagreements can turn toxic. Those who are confrontational by nature tend to handle disagreements differently and that usually is far from friendly. How do you handle disagreements?

 It can be a clash of ego when emotions run high and are not kept in check, resulting in aggression and confrontation, which can be potentially disastrous. How do you handle confrontations?

The best way to avert the head-on collision is to avoid the collision. Many a seasoned HRs would advise on the ‘discussion and dialogue’ mode, rather than ‘returning the fire’. One HR opined, “Confrontation takes you nowhere and leaves those involved with heartburn that’s going to take some time to heal. Instead resort to conversation which doesn’t get heated as altercation. There is a fine line between conversation and argument. Debate is encouraged and so is deliberation. Those who tend to be too argumentative are going to making things difficult for themselves and those around them."

Find resolution; not reasons to justify.

Meetings with pain points can drag on and on for hours together tossing back and forth with both parties either reasoning why ‘they are right” or typical cat fight to clamor for the attention. The lie when uttered the loudest becomes the truth kind of maxim. Don’t turn meetings to shouting matches, instead gain control and aim for closure at the earliest possible. If you don’t have the authority to take decisions, then collect data points and carry the conversation assuring action by escalating to the next level. There is always a way – when you are composed and collected unwilling to pick a fight, how can someone start a fight? Experience plays a critical role as profiling of employees is possible to a mature professional. They know how to give and take; accede and agree; identify common ground and settle as well. Typical trade-off.

Negotiate, but don’t negate.

What is meant by trade-off? Go for a win-win situation. Sometimes, the employee might be a valued asset and hence losing will not be a profitable proposition. In such cases, companies do tend to go for the mutually settlement whereby both the interests' are protected. There is no need to negate the grievance; hear it out and if and where possible, negotiate. And outright rejection is refusal to entertain any request or remedy.  

Leave room for Disagreement

The work place is made up of people, not puppets pulled by strings. So as individuals, everyone is entitled to their opinion and its highly likely there might exist difference in opinion. A progressive culture will call for debate and disagreements. If dissent is the essence of democracy, then disagreements should be heard and sorted. Sweeping aside or dismissing those disagreeing would make the culture regressive, suffocative and stifling. Everyone must feel that they have a voice – which may agree or disagree with the views/opinions presented. You can’t force someone to think on the same lines as you do, and you can’t be always right, and neither can you force someone to think right. Agreeing to disagree is a challenge and you better be up to it, if you want to be successful in whatever you are engaged.

Honest disagreement is often a good sign of progress. -  Mahatma Gandhi

As an Employee, What Are The Returns On Your Investment (ROI) To The Company? | Stakeholder Management

image courtesy: https://i.ytimg.com/vi/026W1DKtmFA/hqdefault.jpg

You draw salary ever month, right? how it is accounted? as CTC – cost to the company. Everything comes at a cost. Be it a server or computers – all of these fixed assets or movable assets come at a cost. What about human assets? Of course, they come at a cost. But expensive as compared to any other.

As employees, there are so many expectations. Likewise, the employer too harbours much from the workforce. Harmony is when both the expectations are met. In many cases employees whine about a lot many things – some just need the perfect excuse to complain and the whining begins, and at times never ends.

When things are not to your satisfaction, accept and adapt.

Human psyche is such that nothing satisfies – ‘when one need is meet, another crops’- Maslow’s law and very much applicable in all places. We don’t live in a perfect world. So expecting a Utopian set-up is worse than wishful thing or simply aid ‘unrealistic’. From a small startup to established behemoth, there are always possibilities for people to complain.

Always contribute more than your job description.

When you work to your true potential, you can do more than that’s specified in the Job Description. Meeting expectation is breakeven. You are compensated to the services rendered and company CTC is justified. No loss. No gain. When the equation does become beneficial? When your contribution becomes more in scope and involvement on a higher scale.

Widen your horizon and Broaden your Base.

When do you, as an employee, exceed expectation? When you complete tasks ahead of time; when you rise far and above to the call of your duty; when you go out your way to accommodate more work. But if you are comfortable doing the same job, then get out of the comfort zone as you tend to become complacent and soon a replacement to fill you slot will be lookout.

Wear Multiple Hats and Multi-task.

The demand versus supply is skewed. The competition is cut-throat. The more skilled and more ways of skilled will make you outstanding. Now complementing a ‘specialist’ role with ‘add-ons’ draws more eyeballs as end of the day, like it or not, companies do tend to question ‘what more do I get from this resource?”. It was about primary and secondary skills. Since the competition has intensified, so have the expectations. So how many primary skills and how many secondary skills are calibrated by the recruiter in terms of proficiency: elementary, Limited Working, Professional Working, and Full Professional working. These metrics are just a sample and companies have their own systems of measurement to score marks for profiling. The more, the better are your chances to get past screening to selection.

The Budget on you should not become a burden.

The company apportions budget on its requirement. Spending on salaries is huge slice of the pie as it’s a recurring cost. The investment of other things can be a one-time or yearly (like renewals) but salaries are paid monthly. So unless, there is appreciable returns from the employee’s output companies will start bleeding and remain in red. Forget breakeven, the company is headed towards loss.

So what are we driving at?

Since you, as an employee, come at a cost, ensure your returns to the company IS ALWAYS HIGHER, else you become a liability. All those trainings and workshops and knowledge sharing are meant to shape you up for stellar performance, and the when you fail to deliver, what happens to the investment on you? Many companies ask such employees to leave or quit, and they come out and crib  as ‘injustice’ without justifying their cost to the company.  Increase you value-add. Become the game changer. Bring more to the table. Do more. Let your action-items increase in number, and add to the revenue.

Who Is The Boss? | People Management

image courtesy: https://appleofgodseye.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/1111.png

Usually, it is used as a moniker about the one who lords around or tries to throw the weight by trying to herd.

The Boss, in the titular role, don’t have to be bossy as mostly misunderstood. The Boss is synonymous with Leader and just that our perception of ‘Boss’ is more about command and control, somehow that title is very unsettling.

But just like different times calls for different actors, a boss to has to resort to the command and control if the situation mandates.

There are many leadership styles: Autocratic, Democratic, Strategic, Transformational, Laissez-faire. The boss can follow any such leadership style or may be all but applicable to the audience (read as employees).

Are all employees the same?

The 80/20 is very much present as inferred from the performance – meaning, 80% of the workload is usually assigned to 20% of staff. Why? Because they are ‘the’ performers. Notice carefully and you will find it hard to dispute that the one who is hardworking and consistent on deliver is always assigned more work. Why? Because of the delivery. Company needs employees who are an able, reliable and consistent in performance. Employees are always a mix and match . while some perform, some outperform and some don’t perform at all. Accordingly, the Boss to has to adopt different leadership styles.

It will be very unfair to portray the boss in a poor light just because he/she is unfairly and unreasonably demanding. Some Boss scream “I want it and want it now” without realizing the magnitude of work or plainly pushing their luck. But it can go as far as possible. If shouting and screaming works, then work place will be a street fight so chaotic that your differentiating factor as a Leader will be your decibel level.

Command and Control

This IS required to the ones who need jumpstart. They can’t do it by themselves and some push to move forward. In the worst case, push becomes a shove. That’s where the ‘Command and Control’ is exercised. “if you don’t do it, then..” might sound as a threat but with some staff this works. Whipping works. These are poor in self-esteem, lack confidence and hang in there for survival. And they know well, that getting another job or alternatives is hard to come by and hence respond to the command. It is the fear of getting fired that somehow extracts the work. Hence, it is useful to such work force – usually new  joinee, entry-level ,  fresher or experienced hires who are yet to adapt to the new surroundings.

Democratic

Leadership through consensus by winning confidence and gaining ‘buy-in’ of the team. This team is mature and self-starters. They don’t need someone to be behind their back to get the job done. Once delegated, they are on their own and ensure it is done with minimal intervention and supervision. Accountability is usually high, and the team takes pride in its performance.

Laissez-faire

This is not commonly practices and usually associated with researches and their ilk. Such resources are very independent from the start and don’t need any intervention or monitoring, mostly, the engagement will be time-bound and hence the Boss will have very less scope with regard to delegation or follow-up.

So what kind of a Boss are you?

Brutal, demanding, ruthless, callous, difficult, tough, harsh and aggressive? Just look around and how many faces can your eyes meet and count. The Boss is responsible for the cycle of business with the feet on the pedal. At one stroke the boss has to face so many faces. Possible? That why that person is the Boss. And yes, it takes some aggression and ruthlessness to get the job done weighing in the 80/20 rule. ‘The one who shows mercy on others denies oneself’ – doesn’t mean callous in attitude. Though caring, they appear callous else the workforce becomes complacent. Spare the rod, spoil the child. You might be all tall and grown up but at times the rod in the form of some penalty makes you what you are really worth.

Imagining the Boss as someone jumping up and down or hollering at the top of the voice in the hope that their voice will be heard amidst the din of the backdrop of expectations and projections is not the typical profile. Agreed, some Bosses are obnoxious, petty-minded, self-centered and can’t think beyond business. But then, it’s unfair to stereotype the Boss in such fashion. Some bosses are gentle, willing with en ear to hear, and simply wonderful.  The Boss, too, is a human with family to tend and friends to catch up. It is just that they burn more hours and sacrifice so much so that can draw a salary.