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Issue 6, September and October 2005
Message from CDC Manager
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Participants reflect on AmCham’s employment fair

The American Chamber of Commerce in Egypt (AmCham) organized late November 2005 its second annual Employment Fair for Middle Management. The event was more than an employment fair, as it provided a full-day seminar featuring guest speaker Gregory P. Smith, as well as a number of workshop sessions.The main objective of the fair was to provide opportunities for middle managers and executives to find paths to a brighter career future. This year’s event saw an overwhelming increase in the number of exhibitors and job seekers in attendance. All these job seekers had the chance to learn details about the activities of the various companies participating, and were also able to apply for the vacancies announced in the fair’s booklet.

The Employment Fair was sponsored by Vodafone, Al Ahram Beverages Company, Cairo Three A, BG Egypt and Banque du Caire. The fair’s first day was taken up by a seminar on “Creating the High Performance Organization” by guest speaker Gregory P. Smith, founder and president of Chart Your Course International, a US firm based in Atlanta. As a business growth consultant, he has addressed organizations in some seven countries, and developed training programs for some of the “Best Companies to Work for in America,” such as Yamaha, Delta Airlines, Maxell, Turner Broadcasting, Merrill Lynch, Ace Hardware, KMPG, the US Army and Chicago Federal Reserve Bank.

One goal that Smith underlined in his lectures was the need for companies to transform their workforce “from high-turnover to high-retention.” This technique has helped organizations worldwide with their retention and talent-management efforts. Smith explained to the middle and senior managers and executives in attendance the various ways to create a high-performance work environment that is able to attract customers and build organizations.

Seminar participants praised the professionalism of the guest speaker and the choice of topic, calling the “lessons learned” from the seminar essential for Egypt’s business community. “The seminar was very useful and informative. It is very important to apply such management practices in Egypt,” explained Hatem Al-Sherif, engineering coordinator at Emaart Misr.

Participants agreed that the topic, “Creating the High Performance Organization,” is highly important for Egyptian companies. “It was a very good seminar. The speaker was really good and the topic was well presented. Overall, I reckon it was one of the best seminars I have ever attended,” said Nagy Fayek Badir, product manager at Arab Banking Corporation (ABC). The speaker explained and discussed a new and different approach in Egypt, he added.

Smith presented numerous themes in connection with workforce management, many of which resonated with his audience. “It was very significant to explain how management can motivate employees and how to create a backup of young managers at businesses,” explained Al-Sherif.

According to Smith, supervisors must place the same importance on employee development as they do on guests and customers. “Reward and recognition programs are a vital part of creating a motivating work environment. A successful reward and recognition program does not have to be complicated to be effective,” he emphasized.
In his article “The Top 7 Ways to Develop an Incentive Program,” Smith notes that Disney World has more than 240 reward and incentive programs in place, and all good businesses have at least one or two. “Incentive programs serve a specific purpose. Some programs show appreciation to employees. Other programs are designed to improve performance and create behaviors management would like to see,” he explains.

Effective delegation and creating a second generation of young managers was another topic that attracted participants’ attention. Smith explained that effective delegation is an important tool that some managers hesitate to use. “Managers delegate work not just to relieve their workload, but to allow the employees they supervise to grow professionally. Effective delegation is a two-way discussion,” he said.

“If all companies in Egypt applied what Smith explained about management, Egypt would have the best organizations,” said Menna Barakat, HR specialist at Nortel.

In addition to his lectures, the speaker’s habit of engaging with participants during the seminar was very significant, participants said. “The speaker asked the participants and listened to them. It was like a dialogue and debate about the best management practices,” Al-Sherif explained.
Badir agreed about the speaker’s communication skills. “The speaker was able to engage participants, and I was actually interacting with him,” he said.

Smith’s contact with participants was not limited to the seminar, but continued after the session’s conclusion. “I stayed in contact with him via e-mail,” said Tamer Fahmy, planning manager at Cairo Three A. “I had an inquiry that was relevant to the theme of the seminar and he was very helpful with his advice,” explained Fahmy.

Fahmy said he admired Smith’s concepts of leadership skills. In a previous article, Smith explained that leadership is one of the most talked-about business concepts, but also the least understood. “Leadership is about getting things done and helping people reach their potential. My experiences as a consultant have shown me that many organizations do a pitiful job helping people reach their potential. One reason for this is old-fashioned leadership techniques – outdated leadership concepts or what I call ‘leadership mythology,’” Smith explained.

Participants called for similar seminars to be held regularly in order to cover a range of topics. “It is very important to hold similar seminars that cover other topics of importance to businesses,” said Khaled Sherif, branch manager at CMA CGM Cairo SESSIONS .

With the aim of contributing to the development of Egypt’s significant human resources pool, AmCham’s Career Development Center (CDC) held 10 training sessions on the fair’s sidelines. These sessions covered topics such as team building, succession planning, effective marketing planning, finance for non-financial, treasury and cash management, project management, sales techniques, negotiation skills, and executive secretaries to office managers.

The workshops took place within the CDC’s comprehensive training and workshop plan. CDC has a history of providing high-quality training on topics such as finance and accounting, human resources, information technology, law, management, marketing and sales, and secretarial sciences.

Participants in the workshop sessions praised the topic selection and the coverage efficiency of the selected issues. Some participants called for the same package of one-day workshops to be held on a monthly basis at AmCham. Several participants also praised the “professional selection” of the trainers, who were able to cover topics in the allocated time. “The trainer had a very nice way of delivering the information in a very short time,” said Lamiaa Maher, office manager at Quadratech, who participated in the session entitled Executive Secretary to Office Managers. “The course’s theme was very focused and exactly to the point, and the material itself was very advanced."

Some companies required those of their employees who participated in the training to “pass on the knowledge” to their colleagues. “I didn’t need to take down notes because the material was very interesting. I almost memorized it and the second day after the training I was explaining lessons from the workshop to my colleagues,” Maher said.
The quality of the workshop sessions encouraged companies to send employees to future courses at AmCham. “Due to the effectiveness of the training, I am glad that my company decided to send me to other trainings at AmCham,” Maher explained.

When your boss is wrong

Keep any criticism you deliver to your boss constructive with this technique:

• Seek permission. Say something such as, “I’d like to share something with you that will increase my productivity.” Most bosses will jump at the chance to hear what you have to say.
• Say what’s bothering you. Don’t pout or sound annoyed. Do sound sincere and watch your body language. One good approach is to ask a question. Example: “Do you realize that you often answer non-essential calls while we’re discussing a project?”
• Explain exactly how you feel. Example: “Because of those delays, your schedule forces you to cut our sessions short, and I don’t get all the help I need from you. That upsets me because it delays my getting the job done.”
• Suggest a solution. If you don’t, all you’ve done is whine-and few bosses can stand whiners. Example: “I could get a lot more done if you could refrain from answering the phone when I’m scheduled to meet with you.” Source: Patti Hathaway, author of Giving and Receiving Criticism, writing in Personal Excellence, Executive Excellence Publishing, P.O. Box 50360, Provo, UT 84605 Reprinted with permission from the Briefing Publishing Group www.briefings.com (703) 518-2337

How to be a great manager

Managment consultant Peter Stark suggests the follwing if you want to make it to the top in managment:

• Develop positive vision. See success before it arrives. Example: Successful managers, when visualizing themselves walking across a high wire, see themselves walking to the other side. Managers who struggle usually have their focus on not falling off the rope.
• Think big. Look for ideas that will be contagious and excite people.
• Encourage others to do their best. Successful managers believe that people want to make a significant contribution. Coach, counsel and develop people to live up to their potential.
• Set and maintain high expectations for all who work with you. Mediocrity does not generate a highly motivated work force.
• Overuse polite phrases. Unsuccessful managers don’t seem to find the time to say “please” and “thank you.”

When a friend becomes boss

A promotion has made your friend your manager. To avert conflict and to save your friendship:

• Realize that your friendship is based on equality, but your new relationship isn’t. Accept your new boss’s authority role as one that will change the way you treat each other.
• Show your friend that you understand his or her situation by asking to discuss how the change will affect your working relationship. Ask, for example, “How should I treat you?” “How can I expect you to treat me?” “How will we deal with any conflict?”
• Don’t expect – or ask for – special treatment. That could hurt your working relationship and also end your friendship.
• Remind yourself that the change is not about you personally, so don’t waste energy on envy. Instead, use it to create a positive working relationship by being flexible-and patient. Making this new arrangement work will take time.
• Request – if it’s an option – a transfer if you sincerely believe you won’t be able to make the new relationship work.

How do you manage time?

Learn your time managment style by saying “yes” or “no” to these statements:

• I read mail and faxes the minute they arrive.
• I try to respond to phone messages right away, even if I have to drop what I’m doing.
• I stop what I’m doing to help when someone asks me to.
• I keep a to-do list, but I usually don’t consult it until late in the work day.
• I cross things off my to-do list with no regard for their importance.
• I often fail to arrange for uninterrupted time so I can complete important tasks.

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Fresh Graduate Course

The Career Development Center launched the Fresh Graduate to Office Professional Program in December 2005. The main objective of the program is to equip fresh college graduates with proper tools for becoming business professionals. The program is divided into three tracks. It walks new graduates through the whole process of how to attract employers, writing a good CV, skills required in a job interview and how to give a good first impression. It provides participants with practical information on oral communication skills, how to function in a team and how to manage their time with tasks given at work. The program also provides a course on business writing and intensive training on Microsoft Office, including Word, PowerPoint and Excel.

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Use this three-step system to manage difficult employees

Having to manage difficult employees is one of the biggest challenges for business owners, executives and managers. Ernest F. Oriente, a professional business coach, offers the following three-step system, which he says is a “step-by-step way to consistently handle the most challenging employee situations.”

1- Addressing the problem: When you first realize you have a problem with an employee, bring this individual behind closed doors and discuss your specific concerns. The conversation should be brief and to the point, making certain your employee understands the issues you raise and the improvement you expect.

Be specific with your comment, and address only the business concerns you have, setting aside any personal issues. Of course, always look to support this member of your team in any way possible with the intention of a positive outcome.

Tip from the coach: “As this is the first meeting you are having with your employee to discuss your concerns, take notes during this meeting, date them and place them into this person’s employee file,” says Oriente. “This will serve as a reminder of the problem you expressed during this meeting and will document the first time you asked this employee to specifically improve his or her performance. This is also the perfect time to review together this person’s written job description, and is another way to clarify your expectations.”

2- When problems continue: If problems persist with this individual, bring him or her behind closed doors again and present a written memo recapping your concerns. In this memo, list the date of the first meeting when you requested improved performance. The improvements must be measurable and must have a time frame or date when they will be reviewed and evaluated again.

Tip from the coach: “After you present a written memo outlining your concerns, have your employee sign and date this document, which validates the points discussed during the meeting,” says Oriente. “In your memo, be certain to include the words: failure to improve your performance may lead to termination. This makes your intention perfectly clear. Of course, always consult with your human resource department and your legal counsel prior to presenting your memo, so everyone is in the loop.”

3- Terminating this employee: If necessary, termination of this employee may be required. If so, make the termination swiftly. This person’s attitude could be detrimental to the morale of your team, which could in turn affect the entire organization.

The termination meeting should be held at the end of the day so this person’s departure will not disrupt others. Make sure the meeting is brief and state exactly why this person is being terminated; have all final paperwork ready for signature.

Tip from the coach: “The termination of an employee is not a pleasant part of being a manager,” says Oriente. “On a positive note, take the time to analyze what went wrong and look for possible solutions. Ask yourself: ‘Was this person the perfect fit for the position? Did we give this person proper training? Could I have done anything to change the course of the situation?’” In asking these questions, sometimes very positive improvements can be made with new hires.

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How to find a fulfilling career

Dissatisfaction with your job can affect your personal relationships, health and state of mind. Conversely, job satisfaction can have a positive effect on your relationships and health – physical and mental. Here are six steps to help you create a fulfilling career:

• Identifying the talent and skills you enjoy using. Analyze past accomplishments to identify these skills. What work would you be doing if money weren’t a concern?
• Recognize social needs that you want to fill or problems that others pay you to solve, resolve or have an impact on in a positive way.
• Determine the types of jobs or companies that address the problems or needs you’ve identified. Collect research at libraries and go to informational interviews with people in the fields of work that interest you.
• • Ascertain whether you need additional assets to do the type of work you’ve identified. If additional education or training is necessary, find it via volunteer experience, part-time work or internships.
• Develop a verbal or written employment proposal for the companies that interest you. Include descriptions of the job you want to do, your skills and the benefits you will bring to the company.
• Send your proposal to hiring managers. Ideally, present your proposal to people whom you previously interviewed with during you research.

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Employment fair

Maher expressed hope that such “beneficial” workshops would be held every month at AmCham. “Time is very crucial to many employees and executives, so some would find it difficult to attend a workshop over four days. But the advantage of this course was the timing, as everything was covered in only one session,” he said. “Many employees would welcome such one-day workshops at the Chamber every month so many others will benefit.”

Amr Ashoub, assistant manager at HSBC Bank, agreed about the effectiveness of the sessions. “The workshop was useful, effective and delivered in a nice way. It really grasped participants’ attention,” he explained, commenting on the Team Building workshop.
Other participants praised the choice of topics in particular. “I enjoyed the topic very much as it was really new for me and the trainer was very professional. Overall, it was very effective training,” said Mohamed Al-Beshbeshy, system and IT manager at the Egyptian Banking Institute, referring to the Succession Planning workshop.

Al-Beshbeshy agreed that the “one-day workshop” style is very useful to many executives. “Time for us is very limited, so it is better to have one-day workshops,” he explained. “If such training was offered regularly at the Chamber, I am sure others would benefit.”

Other participants, however, said that certain topics would require more than a one-day workshop. “The theme of project management would need more than one session. In some cases, project management needs at least 20 hours to be covered,” said Khaled Hussein, sales manager at El Kasr for Medical Equipment, who took two workshops, one on project management and the other on effective marketing planning.

Hussein agreed with other participants that similar workshops should be held regularly at AmCham. “It would be a good idea to have one-day workshops on a regular basis. But for the broad topics, more time is needed,” he said.

The fair featured a busy schedule for Moemen Taha of Tornado. Not only was his company among the exhibitors, but he himself attended three sessions. “I was really happy to attend the three sessions, though it was a little bit hectic during two days.
However, the sessions were undoubtedly of great benefit,” he said.

EXHIBITORS
Each participating company, whether local or multinational, had a b ooth at the fair, and posted its vacancies in the fair’s booklet, which was distributed to potential applicants. The companies represented a variety of fields, including banking, telecom, information technology, food and beverage, pharmaceuticals, insurance, oil and gas, and educational institutions, in addition to several recruitment agencies.

Many exhibitors were pleased that they continued to receive resumes after the fair ended in response to their profiles and vacancies listed in the fair’s booklet. Some believed it was a good opportunity to widen their databases by including positions for various qualifications at both the junior and senior levels.

The tight organization of the fair was praised by the participating companies. Exhibitors expressed their satisfaction with the fair’s organization and with the facilities provided. “Everything was available at the venue, including good logistical information,” explained Dalya El Mahmoudy, senior recruitment officer at NSGB.

“The organization was very good, everything was well done, and all facilities were available at the fair’s venue,” emphasized Mai Mahmoud, human resources assistant at Microtech.

Other exhibitors praised the AmCham team’s preparations for the event. “The fair’s organization was excellent; everything was on time. On the positive side, we were notified well ahead of the fair and were kept updated with developments,” said Nermeen Tawfik, human resources manager at Philips Egypt.

Some exhibitors noted improvements in the way the 2005 fair was run. “I believe there has been a significant improvement in the fair’s organization. It was better than the previous fair,” said Eman Gowaly, human resources specialist at Bayanet. Mona Khairy, general manager at MultiSkills Recruitment & HR, agreed. “The fair was well organized and the level of the participating companies was excellent,” she said.

Companies participating in the employment fair noticed the increased number of exhibitors. “It was clear that the number of participating companies increased over the previous fair,” said Ahmed Mostafa, human resources manager at FedEx.

“The organization was impeccable,” said Hesham Al-Zeiny, senior consultant at CHA International, expressing satisfaction with the strategic location of his booth, which brought a “good flow” of traffic. “The fair has been an excellent opportunity to meet with other participating companies, of which the majority were in fact our clients,” he added.

Omar Samir, senior recruitment officer at Schneider Electronic Egypt, not only expressed satisfaction with the fair’s organization but also praised the efforts of AmCham staff in making things easier for participants. “All the Chamber’s staff were friendly and helpful and all services were provided,” he said. “The fair provided good exposure to other participating companies,” Samir added. For new entrants to the Egyptian market, the employment fair was undoubtedly of major significance. “It was good to see other companies and introduce ourselves to Egypt’s businesses. Through the fair, we were able to introduce our company to opportunities in the market,” said Tornado’s general manager Taha, who attended three sessions on the sidelines of the fair.

Hany George, benefits assistant at AIG Insurance-Alico, said that in addition to providing “good exposure for the participating companies,” the fair gave “very good exposure to the various levels of applicants, not only seniors and but also fresh graduates.” Participating companies were overwhelmed by the number of attendees. This was viewed as an advantage for some exhibitors and a disadvantage for others. “I guess one of the major problems we witnessed in this fair was the huge number of fresh graduates who attended,” NSGB’s El Mahmoudy said. “Maybe it would be better in coming fairs to filter or screen the applicants entering the fair, thus limiting entrance to the target group,” she suggested.

Other participants echoed El Mahmoudy’s view that attendance limits should be established. “For mid-management fairs, it could be useful to restrict entrance to the target group and limit fresh graduates and juniors,” said Mahmoud of Microtech.

On the other hand, some companies felt the advantages outweighed the disadvantes. “I benefited from the large number of fresh and junior applicants,” Khairy of MultiSkills emphasized.

Sally Shaheen, HR manager at Americana Group, shared this view. “I have already hired two applicants that presented their resumes during the fair,” she said proudly.

Exhibitors also differed on the amount of publicity that should precede the fair. Some called for limited publicity aimed solely at the target group while others called for increased publicity. “I don’t think there were enough resumes from applicants with experience in the banking field, said Emad El Dakroury, head of the HR department at Suez Canal Bank. “Maybe more announcements were needed.”

Reem Al-Hadad, conference coordinator at Banque du Caire, had a similar opinion about the need for increased publicity ahead of coming fairs. “The flow of applicants was huge but not enough applicants for mid-management vacancies,” she said. “Maybe there should have been an increased number of advertisements in newspapers that could have run for a long duration before the fair in order to ensure that the news reached more executives.”

However, Sherin El Hemely, compensation and benefits manager at Al Ahram Beverages, disagreed with the idea of increased media publicity. “This year’s fair was accompanied by a bigger advertising campaign,” she explained. “There were even SMS widely circulated about the fair’s location, date and time.”

Other exhibitors had a variety of ideas about how to reach out to mid-management executives. “The point is quality not quantity,” emphasized Gowaly of Bayanet. “It would also help if announcements about the fair were circulated in the different companies themselves, instead of newspapers. Thus, if someone from the fair’s target group of mid-management executives wanted to shift career, he would be aware of the kind of vacancies that would be announced at the fair.”

Al-Zeiny of CHA International agreed with the idea of targeting executives directly through companies, saying that some executives would prefer the option. “Some of the mid-management executives would be reluctant to go to the fair in order to preserve their image. They would like to be hunted directly,” he explained.

On the other side, some exhibitors benefited from the flow of applicants with a range of experience levels. “Actually, we had vacancies for both mid-management executives and new graduates, so we definitely did benefit from resumes of juniors and new graduates,” said George of AIG Insurance-Alico.

Mostafa of FedEx had a similar opinion. “The variety of applicants and job seekers who attended the fair would be a good addition to our database,” he explained.

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Creative thinking clues

Reap better results from your creative thinking by basing it on this outline:

• Ask. Follow the “Three-I” approach. Seek insight by being inquisitive and posing impulsive questions.
• Record. Use a notebook, a scrap of paper, or send yourself a voice mail or an e-mail, but list every idea. Having many choices increases the odds of finding something useful.
• Revisit. Check your notes from past projects to make sure you’re not repeating errors that blocked earlier efforts.
• Express. Seek second opinions by sharing your ideas with others.
• Experiment. Try something new. Example: instead of listing idea pluses and minuses, get a diffrent view by drawing and analyzing pictures or diagrams that represent a problem.
• Speculate. Resist the urge to give up too soon on a line of thought that seems futile. Many breakthroughs come only after you’ve generated scores of ideas.

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