My eyes opened more widely recently, more than usual, and I am not talking mascara.
It was a discussion in a workshop of high growth microbusinesses about waste.
Waste is everywhere, sometimes obvious, sometimes hidden until you shine a light on it.
Common waste includes:
• Having a gym membership and not using it
• Buying too much food and throwing it away
• Meetings with no agenda where nothing is decided
• Houses where nobody lives when many are homeless
• Procrastination because of fear and worry
• Lack of focus when spreading yourself thinly
• Queuing – for anything
• Cars on the move with one passenger stuck in a traffic jam
• Energy worrying about things you can’t influence
A lot of the time, waste in many situations is preventable or reducible.
What is your biggest waste?
What is it costing you? Time, money, potential?
Waste of talent in business and in careers is scarily common too:
• Talented mothers leaving careers because of inflexible working practices
• Employees feeling disengaged because their skills are being underutilised or promotion prospects blocked
• Graduates doing a menial job because there can’t get one of a higher level
• Cruising in a dead end job because of lack of confidence or fear of change
What would you add?
No wonder self-employment and portfolio careers are growing!
Research recently got my brain ticking over faster than a lawnmower’s first outing in Spring. Employee churn is reducing, employee engagement reducing, stress increasing, trust in management declining.
So where are the policies for job redesign, where do portfolio careers fit in workforce planning? Where are the career conversations around an individual’s values? From the outside looking in, hasn’t the world of work as we know it passed its sell-by date?
Do you feel your talent is being wasted, for whatever reason?
If so, isn’t it time we talked? My job is a talent liberator; I do what it says on the tin. Get in touch. rachel@liberateyourtalent.com
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“It isn’t where you came from; it’s where you’re going that counts.”
Ella Fitzgerald