‘The Time Is Always Right To Do What Is Right,’ said Martin Luther King Jr.: Here’s How to Get Started
The Time is Always Right To Do What is Right : We’d all like to make a difference in the world. Family, employment, social commitments, and personal issues eat up the majority of our time and energy, leaving little opportunity to pursue meaningful causes.
In honour of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, now is a great opportunity to reflect on this goal and strive to put it into practise at work.
There’s no need to solve all of the world’s issues, but it’s a start if we do something kind for someone. I wrote an article for Forbes yesterday about how Kaizen may help you achieve long-term success. It explains how taking tiny, daily measures can improve you by 1% each day, eventually leading to the achievement of your objectives. Consider how much of a difference we could make at work if we all took part in making positive improvements. Some instances are as follows:
If you glance around your office, you’ll notice some bright, young folks who appear to be lost.
They appear polished and intelligent, yet management seems to neglect them.
Why not mentor that person and take her under your wing? Learning the ropes from a wise and seasoned professional would not take much time, but it would mean the world to this person.
It would make her feel privileged, proud, and enthusiastic about her work and future prospects.
It could be the one thing that gets her on the path to a bright future.
If you don’t have the time or temperament to mentor, bring the person out for a cup of coffee or lunch with the purpose of answering her questions and concerns and sharing things you’ve learned over the years that could save her money.
A job applicant who was called back for numerous rounds of interviews with your organisation and performed admirably each time but was ultimately beaten out by another candidate has been calling and emailing you for feedback.
Yes, you have a slew of urgent problems to attend to and fires to extinguish.
However, after the candidate’s fourth follow-up email, how about taking up the phone and contacting that individual back?
Share what they did well in the interview and provide some constructive feedback as well as the reasoning behind why you chose someone else.
Even if he was interested in the position, the candidate will be overjoyed that you called. He won’t feel that he’s simply a number, or that he’s insignificant.
The comments might make or break his next interview, and it could even determine whether or not he gets the job he interviews for.
You’ll also feel better about yourself now that a burden has been lifted from your shoulders.
Recruiters, hiring managers, and human resources departments are overwhelmed with résumés.
Frequently, the résumés are unsuitable for the job, and they clog up your email.
What if you read at least one of these résumé and cover letter submissions every day and contacted the individual?
Share why you don’t think they’re a good fit, and offer an open ear to listen to what kind of work they actually want, as well as any advice you can give based on your own experiences.
You will make the person feel unique and grateful for taking the time to call.
It may cause them to reconsider their strategy and take a more targeted approach to responding to job postings.
Although the person may not be a good fit for your position, there may be other opportunities for them within your firm or elsewhere.
The interview process has become cold, clinical, and technology-driven, robbing it of its humanity.
Job descriptions can be deceptive and exclude people (such as older workers), feedback is scarce, and hiring managers ghost candidates they don’t think are a good fit.
Job searchers are subjected to a slew of little annoyances and roughness, leaving them feeling devalued and dismissed.
Put yourself in the position of someone looking for a new job.
What if you were forced to send résumés to portals and never received a response?
Why should someone with a lot of experience be compelled to fill out lengthy applications, give their undergraduate GPA from 25 years ago, and other sensitive information, just to be left in the dark about whether their résumé was even sent to the right person?
I understand that businesses have gotten enamoured with using technology as a panacea, but keep in mind that hiring is an interpersonal process.
Artificial intelligence will never be able to take the place of an honest and open interaction between individuals in the real world, where you can truly get to know each other.
Isn’t it important for everyone to realise that behind the résumés are actual people with ambitions, dreams, and families who want to do meaningful work, contribute, and share their skills?
Put the algorithms aside and have a face-to-face meeting with a candidate. You’ll learn a lot more than what a computer programme can teach you.
In the same way, have some sympathy towards hiring managers and recruiters when looking for a new job.
They do their best, but for each job opening, they are bombarded with hundreds of résumés.
Hiring managers are attempting to execute their jobs while also filling the void created by a departing employee and conducting interviews.
Companies rarely teach managers in the art of interviewing, and they are often left to their own devices.
Their behaviours are more likely due to a lack of knowledge with the process than a deliberate attempt to be cruel.
We are surrounded by worry, anxiety, and pressure in today’s corporate world.
It’s all too easy to become irritable, judgmental, and harsh at times.
You’re not trying to be that way. It’s simply that every now and then you hit a boiling point and blow up.
Take a deep breath and analyse your behaviour the next time you get that emotion.
Instead of berating a subordinate in front of the entire office, take them aside and calmly explain what went wrong, how to repair it, and how to avoid it in the future.
Your soothing, measured attitude will be appreciated by the employee, and he or she will rise to the situation in the future.
As a result, you’ll feel better about yourself for not losing your cool, making a fool of yourself, and hurting someone who looks up to you.
We are constantly battling for power, prestige, and money. In order to save money, this equates to the elimination of 10,000 positions or the relocation of an entire division to other states or nations.
Because of the cost-cutting measures, you will receive a large bonus as the executive who came up with this proposal.
To get forward, managers nonchalantly toss perceived adversaries under the bus. Underlings are simple to blame for mistakes, and you may steal their ideas and pass them off as your own.
These activities contribute to the creation of toxic environments, which are self-perpetuating. Because everyone else is acting this way, I’m sure I will as well.
You justify that it’s a corporate jungle, and it’s kill or be killed. It would turn the culture around if we all took a step back and evaluated the consequences of our actions.
As the fear and intimidation fade away, people will work harder and produce better results.
It’s easy to become enamoured with your professional clique. Start reaching out to people you don’t normally interact with. Set aside your aversion to hierarchy.
Engage personnel of all levels, races, faiths, genders, and economic backgrounds in discussions.
Maintain an open mind. The junior employees would appreciate it if you pay attention and listen to them if you are in a senior position.
Listening to other people’s perspectives, views, ideas, and impressions will astound you at how much you will learn.
“The timing is always right to do what is right,” stated Martin Luther King.
You may begin now by doing your share to treat others with dignity, courtesy, and respect.
