Personality and Work Performance

Personality is very stable after around eighteen years of age. If you’re a parent, you probably think it’s more like eight! In fact, some personal psychologists are now saying that the child you see at three will be the adult you see at thirty – frighten if you have an unruly three year old! But it’s safe to say once we hit eighteen we are “stuck” with who we are. Can we change our personalities to “fit” certain situations?

Yes, we can but we will always revert back to “home-base.” Let me give you a workplace example.

Suppose we had an accounts clerk whose personality was very accommodating, they lacked high assertiveness and strong resilience. The company they work for has suppliers who were late paying their accounts. The boss gives the administrator a list of these bad debtors and asks her to call all of these people and tell them their supplies have been stopped, effective immediately, unless they settle their account within 24 hours to reinstate delivery.

An analogy for personality is folding your arms. People will always fold them the same way. But if asked to fold them the opposite way, they will find this difficult and uncomfortable – it can be done, but as soon as practical, they will revert to a comfortable fold.

Moving to our second question, is personality genetic or environmentally shaped? In psychology, this is the famous ‘nature/nurture’ debate. A new study completed by a team of psychologists at the University of Edinburgh, lead by New Zealander, Tim Bates found compelling evidence that our personality is equally influenced by our genes and the environment. What the study showed was that identical twins in a family were very similar in personality and in well-being, and by contrast, the fraternal twins were only half as similar. This finding strongly implicates genes as a major driver of personality traits.

So, if you’re a worry wart, you can lay 50 percent of the blame on your mum or dad and probably the other 50 percent on the way they brought you up! As psychologists, we have always known the huge role personality plays in a person’s work performance. As a lay person you can observe this in action every day. Stop right now and think about your problem employees. I bet the issue is attitude, their personality – the “who they are,” not “what they know.” Most managers will always hire on aptitude but fire on attitude. Personality influences attitude and attitude drives behaviour.

The problem with most hiring managers is that they tend to rely on gut or emotional judgement to assess attitude during the job interview. It’s impossible to “read” a person’s personality when we first met them. Yes, as humans we are predisposed to do this – known as the ‘flight or fight’ concept. Sometimes we get it right, many times we get it wrong. It is often dangerous to jump to instant conclusions.

When selecting new employees, it’s important to ascertain if the person has the knowledge, skills and experience to do the job. It is probably more important to understand how that knowledge, skill and experience will be put into practice. What are their personality characteristics and general mental abilities of the candidate and does this “fit” the job? There are many personality and mental ability measures available. It’s vitally important that you choose the right ones for the role and that the instrument is specifically designed for selection. There are many cheap, or free, pop psychology tests available on the internet or sold by people with no psychological background. Using teambuilding tools like Myers Briggs and DISC should never be used for hiring.

These tools cannot be normed against specific populations or jobs, plus they lack reliability. They are great at telling you the ‘make and model of the car’, but poor at telling you the condition of the ‘engine’. Using valid personality and general mental ability assessments, benchmarked to the job, alongside a multi-rated, behavioural interview based on the competencies required for the role and a diligent background check will ensure you get an excellent performing employee about 75 to 80 percent of the time.

These are damn sight better odds than relying on a general meet-and-greet and unstructured interview that is at best a friendly chat. Your odds of a successful hire in the latter case is about 5 to15 percent at best. There is a big difference between whether a person CAN and WILL do the job. Given that the person CAN do the job, measuring their personality will explain how they WILL do the job and this is the key to successful work performance. Rob McKay Director of AssessSystems Aust/NZ Ltd, Leaders in employee assessment for selection and development Promota readers can download a complimentary copy of his eBook, “How To Avoid Putting Square Pegs Into Round Holes” at www.tipsforhiring.com/profiling

I bet this person is going to hate doing this task. It’s not in their nature to be so forthright and aggressive, but they will force themselves to do it – it’s part of their job. However, if they had to do this task day-in and day-out, they would soon lose internal motivation and decide this job is not for them and leave.

Ghana’s budding Fashion & Textiles Entrepeneur

Enam Gbewonyo talks to Promota about aesthetics & living in New York.

Clare Eluka: When did you discover your passion for art? Enam Gbewonyo: I always enjoyed art from a very young age but I think I really developed a passion for it at Secondary School. I remember staying up late many nights working on projects. I just couldn’t stop; it became an addiction. CE- What was your internship like in New york? EG: Living in New York alone was an education. It was such a culture shock. We may speak the same language but there are many differences. The internship was an amazing experience. I was so green when I finished university and not only was this my first real job in a corporate field, it was my first real taste of the fashion industry. I certainly gained an invaluable insight into the inner workings of the industry, which stood me in good stead for the future.

Xtreme 3 Ministries

Xtreme 3 is the success story of a Christian musical group risen from scratches and formed by a group of talented youths, all coming from disadvantaged walks of life. Xtreme 3 is a   non-profit legal organisation of  vulnerable, disadvantaged and orphaned youths who embrace music, dance and theatre as a spring board to showcase not only their emerging talent, but also to use the same as a channel to determine their own future and the future of others. A crew of over 40 dancers, percussionists, musicians and aids form the current active group Xtreme 3 Ministries Musical, who, with music and dance, take you through a journey of  the rich African cultures and lifestyle.

The power of Public Relations – reaching the masses

By Mavis Amankwah For many people, when you mention ‘PR’ there is an air of confusion. The use of PR (Public Relations) is often misunderstood or seen as a negative. Good PR however is invisible and influences perception subtly. What is PR? PR is about reinforcing your name/brand and reputation. It tells your audience about what you do, what you say and what others say about you. It is used to gain trust and understanding between you, your brand and your various stakeholders – whether that’s employees, customers, investors or the local community.

Most Companies Get Leadership Wrong

Most companies take a good approach to developing leaders, but generally miss the point.  There’s a lot of emphasis placed on good decision making, effective communication, and team building.  And all those are important, but don’t address what matters most. When you get right down to it, the essence of leadership - the thing that best reflects good leadership - is when a leader is able to bring out the best in others.  If a leader is able to elicit excellence from the people around him or her, then that person can truly be deemed a great leader. In order to be a great company, the culture of bringing out the best in others must permeate the entire organization.  Let me offer some perspective on how to make that happen.  In order to do that, three questions need to be asked and answered. The first question that needs to be asked is, “Who is the most important person to your company?”  (Notice I didn’t ask “in” your company, but rather “to” your company.)  The answer, of course, is your customer.

No Customers = No Company. The next question is, “Who is the most important person in your company to your customers?”  Clearly the answer is not “the CEO”.  No... the most important person to a customer is the person they come in contact with - the “front line”. And the final question is the one that really drives the leadership point home.  Here it is: “What then is the job of the manager of those front line people?”  The job of that manager is to bring out the best in the people he or she “manages”.  (Read that as “leads”.)  The manager must ensure that his team has the training and knowledge they need.  He or she needs to provide the support and environment to allow them to be their best.

The whole goal is to make their work as enjoyable, productive, and rewarding as possible. If this philosophy is taken up one level and applied to the manager of the managers, and then to the leader of the managers, and ultimately to the leader of the leaders one ends up with a servant leader organization.

It results in an organizational chart that looks like an inverted pyramid; an organization that acknowledges the importance of the front line and reflects a philosophy of service throughout. This isn’t simply a theory or a type of feel-good culture that compromises profit and performance.  Far from it; it is a practical, proven, and extremely effective approach to conducting business.  I can point to three businesses that have embraced a servant leader philosophy and have not only done well, but are out-pacing their competitors by orders of magnitude.

The first example is a relatively small company in Denver.  It’s in an industry where many of their competitors are struggling just to survive.  However, this company is making a seven-figure profit!  The owner has adopted a philosophy of helping those around him to become successful.  He applies this philosophy to his employees, his customers and even his vendors.  I’ve interviewed the owner and his employees, and found his team to be loyal, enthusiastic, professional, free from stress, and highly productive.  The results speak for themselves.

The second example is Frontier Airlines.  In an industry plagued by stagnant growth and evaporating profits, this company adopted a servant leader approach to business and out-paced its competition by leaps and bounds - both in growth and profits.  By way of example, when the office closes for a holiday, many of the office staff will go into the field to help the front line folks with the heavy holiday workload.  Servant leaders abound within the organization.

The third example is Nucor Steel, which ended up dominating the U.S. steel industry by adopting a servant leader, almost egalitarian, business model.

The leadership of the company minimized the perceived differences between the front line and the management/executive team.  It became a company that recognized the important role each person plays in the success of the organization. Adopting a servant leader philosophy can make a tremendous difference in the productivity, growth and profitability of an organization.  Bringing out the best in people always yields excellent results.  It advances the people doing their best, it advances you as a leader, and it advances the company.

This is a smart and savvy approach to business that should be adopted and implemented in any company, no matter what industry or size. Written by Michael Beck (inpicture) , Business Philosopher & Strategist.

For more articles on leadership, personal effectiveness and personal productivity, and to subscribe to my free monthly newsletter, “Full Potential”, please visit www.mbeckweb.com. © 2010 Michael Beck International, Inc.

Parenting Your Kids with Love and Affection

Parenting is an onerous responsibility and there are no shortcuts to good parenthood. We all know that a smile is contagious and when a child smiles, the beauty and shine of the whole universe sparkles in his eyes. This moment of utter bliss gives the parents the happiness of lifetime and every parent wants the best for his child and wants to see him happy.

“Your children need your presence more than your presents”- Jesse Jackson. Parenting is a process of raising and educating the child. It involves imparting the right values to the children and not just fulfilling the basic needs of the child.

It includes providing emotional strength and security to the child. Today, the scenario has changed with mother and father playing equal roles in the upbringing compared to earlier times when parenting was considered the duty of the mother alone.

A child is like a flower which needs to be nurtured with love and affection. The values to be inculcated in the child need to be considered with utmost care. These values differ from parent to parent. Children can be taught to learn. However, we should never ever thrust our viewpoint on the child. Let him learn by his own mistakes.

Children should never be treated cruelly in the process of being educated. However, if a child misbehaves, parents can show their disapproval without displaying negative emotions in the process as they can affect the psychology of the child and hinder his growth. Practice before you preach anything as the child imitates what he sees.

Virtues of honesty, sincerity, courage and endurance are best taught through the living examples of parents. Real learning takes place at home where the child is likely to spend a greater proportion of his time.

The heart of the child is like a photographic plate without any impressions on it, ready to reflect all that is exposed to.

So the family environment has a great impact in the development of the child. A relationship of husband and wife must be based on love and mutual understanding to provide an atmosphere which brings the best in a child.

Education is important for a child not for the bookish knowledge that it provides, but for enabling a child to live with a purpose. It helps to inculcate creativity and wholeheartedness in his personality.

Parenting involves guiding the child to become a complete individual. It is the duty of the parents to help the child in his all round development. We must have faith in the child to instill self confidence in him. We need to become flexible in our approach and nurture them with love, affection and understanding to help them become confident and responsible human beings. To quote Hodding Carter: “There are only two lasting bequests we can hope to give our children. One of these is roots, the other, wings”. by Harleen www.contentwriters10.com

sibling jealousy

And baby makes four – or more!

Baby gap… It’s always hugely exciting when a new baby comes along. With a first baby, there’s the anxiety of wondering if you can cope, because it’s all new. But when a baby joins an existing family of one or more children you’ll probably be less worried about managing, since experience tells you that you can at least muddle through!

That said, you may well feel a new kind of anxiety – wondering how your older child will adjust to the new arrival, and how your children will get on as they grow up.

Your Letters: Issue21

Long live Our Queen I was browsing through your website and came accross this article “the Nnabagereka of Buganda, The Queen with a heart of Gold. “ I will begin by saying an amen to all that! It is good to acknowledge the people who make this world a better place for all of us! With all due respect, I would like to add that HRH the queen of Buganda Kingdom truly deserves a standing ovation! Maria Namale - USA

Publisher’s Letter – issue21

Be yourself! Let us be proud Africans!

"Most people are other people.  Their thoughts are someone else’s opinions, their lives a mimicry, their passions a quotation.  ~Oscar Wilde, De Profundis, 1905" It has been a hectic month with a lot of good progress for the Promota, having on board a varied team of new contributors and sub-editors. This spring, The Promota was honoured to be invited to cover a seminar at the Saaid Business School – Oxford University on the theme “Africa is next”. We had the privilege to interview Mr. Zain who was one of the speakers on the day and who will probably open your mind to the investment opportunities there are in Africa. We also managed to interview another Oxford graduate sharing her passion and what it takes to be a student in Oxford.

Interview Wil Johnson

Talks Producing, Nollywood & Africa/Carribbean Unity with Promota! The star of BBC's 9yr series Waking The Dead, Wil Johnson talks to Promota's Beauty & Arts Editor Clare Eluka about his latest film "Disorientated Generation" which he co-produced with Nigerian CEO Christian Ashaiku, about discipline of children in today's western society and African Prosperity.

Interview: Rudolph Walker, OBE

The Eastenders star, Rudolf Walker talks to Promota’s Beauty & Arts Editor Clare Eluka about his success on the screen. CE: What bought you to London in 1960? RW: I came in September of 1960 to be exact. Just coming up to my 21 birthday. I was a very young man who had never left the island of Trinidad apart from sailing over to Tobago. It was an extraordinary feeling because I arrived in Britain and I said to myself, I am here to face whatever happens. There was no panic, I had this confidence. Nothing fazed me, not even the cold weather coming in the autumn. Somebody would say “Rudolph, It’s snowing outside” and I would look and say “Oh, Yes it is” and thought nothing of it.

Interview Ayo Johnson: Africa Specialist Analysit

The Promota was honoured to interview one of the world’s leading speakers and a specialist in African Affairs. He is the owner, founder and Director of Viewpoint Africa media house that deals with news from the continent. Viewpoint Africa sells Breaking news content from Africa to media outlets around the world. He went to South Bank University where he gained a Masters Degree in International Development. He is a consultant who has taught, trained and is imparting his experiences to 100’s of NGO on the ground in Africa.

Interview Zain Latif, An Investor Keen to transform the Lives of Africans

The answer for Africa’s underinvested health infrastructure. Mr. Will Mutenza the publisher of Promota magazine had a chance to meet Zain Latif, Principal of TLG Capital.  

Promota: There may be some folks who don’t know you so, if you had to introduce yourself, what would you say?

Zain: I am the principal of TLG Capital, a firm that focuses on frontier markets.

Promota: What is your background and what was it that motivated you to begin TLG Capital? Zain: To give some background: TLG Capital started in September 2009. But before that, I was an Executive Director at Goldman Sachs in the New Markets division focusing on Sub-Saharan Africa across all products. I joined Goldman Sachs from Merrill Lynch where I was involved in originating and executing a number of emerging market transactions in Africa.