Ok.. calm down folks …do not be dazzled with the ‘’bull’’ and how on earth a bull can also be kind. Roll with me and you will see!
Corporate and career women all over the world hardly escape having a target to meet within a period of working period so that their employers can make profits and grow their business faster. Some women find the idea of being given a target by their employer uncomfortable and hardly meet up. Others somehow manage to meet up but with all kinds of hardship and challenges. Before I go on, I personally have mixed feelings about workers being given a target forcefully. I know why some employers give targets but my concern is the way the go about it. It is a good strategy when workers understand that they have to meet certain target so that salaries can be paid in time, with good working incentives and everyone is happy. I am in support of employers making their staff to understand the need to grow their market base and maximize profits but they should also give these employees the free will to decide on what target they are capable of, and can attain at a given period in time. This makes the whole target stuff much easier and less scary to the career women considering what most of them have to endure in the hands of the opposite sex.
Forcing employees to either meet a certain target at a stamped date or ‘get –the-hell-out-of-my-company’, is too rash and inconsiderate to me and scare the heck out of most women that they can not even organize themselves very well. If as a woman, you made up your mind to be in the corporate world, it’s obvious such work obligations may arise but i feel these women would be at top of their job if they are allowed to work on their own pace and capacity. Of course working on your own pace to meet a target does not mean being sluggish and lazy and not being on top of your job affairs. Not at all….any career woman thinking this way certainly can’t go far in her job.
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I have this male Client, very nice one whom I have worked with his company for 6 years now, who hires me to organize conferences for the company both in Nigeria and abroad and he made me adopt this ‘bull’ strategy. Some time ago, while we were preparing for a conference in Keffi here in Nigeria, i came in to the office early as usual to make sure everything was arranged and ready for our morning session but i met the staff i was supposed to travel not yet at work. I got furious because i dislike hurry-hurry approach of doing work….i hate it like hell! As i was pacing up and down and waiting for whom to lash out my anger, he as the chief executive even arrived before the same staff i was waiting for. Shortly after his arrival, knowing me for always being prepared and organized in my services, was also angry but laughing at me at the same time. This was not funny to me at all because during a conference training, it is my rule that no delegate arrives the conference venue before me waiting for me to start arranging things. Everything must be in place for my delegates before they arrive. My client now said to the staff who arrived late-‘’ Listen, jackie is like a ‘bull’ when she is working so you must always be at alert, up and doing because she does not like missing on target. She also enjoys working hard and do not get in her way slowing her down as she does her job..’’ The man was saying this to the staff and was now laughing very well and for the very first time, i got a glimpse of some of my behaviour at work and i thought about this …pretty much.. asking myself if he was correct in his assessment of me at work.
Of ocurse he was because I was in charge of the conference and was paid to run each event effectively and I was not about to allow any other staff ruin my services. This cannot not happen…not on my watch!! The good thing about me being a bull is, i also make up with other soft attributes like being kind, generous, humorous and loving to people who work with me. A bull of a career woman is a hard nut but she must have to bring in some bright colors to make up or else no one will like to work with her.
How do you become a kind bull to achieve your target? Humble yourself before your team, ensure that they are well taken care of in terms of feeding, accommodation, transport when you travel out. Never-ever starve your staff or team workers of food and good accommodation. They will make your efforts miserable!! Some will even sabotage your efforts without you knowing! So while you are bent on meeting your target, make sure everyone working with you is taken good care of without them begging for anything to keep them comfortable!
Talk to them politely but be firm as well. Some staff can decide to be a nuisance to make you boil but be very diplomatic with such staff and focus on what you want to achieve or else you fail.
If there was an assignment someone did not do the way you planned or instructed, calmly do it yourself and report to the management (if very necessary)to avoid a repeat!
If the management budget for staff upkeep is not enough to make those working with you happy, use your own money to make up to make them happy. If you have some material/goodies stuff to give out, share with them to empower/motivate them.
When you take in the needs of people working with you into consideration, no matter how tough you are, they will always behave. Bear in mind that the mantle is on you and it is left for you to have a plan on how to succeed. Women executives cannot afford to be too soft. Yes… somehow, these women who hold top jobs are also naturally tough personality from birth so it is not like they fake it. Infact if you fake it, you will not go far. In a country like Nigeria where people know what they ought to do but refuse to do it, right and wrong but they will purposely decide to turn things upside down, do you blame anyone who keeps her feet down to ensure that people around her behave like civilized human beings?
Never be afraid when given a job target. That is another way of your employer picking your brains and assessing your capabilities for higher position.
JACLYN IWU
