alysworks

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Cathy Engelbert, CEO Deloitte’s  secret to success

“Building a team that brings you solutions instead of challenges, listening to and collaborating with them—that ultimately prioritizes your focus on issues where you can have the most impact, not just scratch items off the to do list,” “Building a team that brings you solutions instead of challenges, listening to and collaborating with them—that ultimately prioritizes your focus on issues where you can have the most impact, not just scratch items off the to do list,” 

“To me, productivity is directly related to the personal relationships you are able to build.” 

“Prioritize people over tasks.”

Engelbert talks to Glassdoor’s Amy Elisa Jackson about the future of work, employee engagement and what she looks for in Deloitte job candidates

Glassdoor: What does leadership mean to you?

Cathy Engelbert: Leadership is a set of choices, not a title or a box on an organizational chart. It means stepping up and being proactive to take on challenges, at any stage of life. To me, it’s about relentlessly pursuing the best interest of our people, clients, and community. And it’s impossible to lead well unless you know what’s on the minds of clients and professionals.  So, I spend a lot of time in the in the field with clients and with our teams serving those clients.

Glassdoor: What’s been your most rewarding moment as CEO? Your most challenging?

Cathy Engelbert: One of the most rewarding moments for me was when, nearly a year ago, we announced Deloitte’s Paid Family Leave Program, which allows our employees up to 16 weeks of fully paid family leave to support a range of life events impacting them and their families. We had been studying family leave over the course of last year, and we wanted it to focus on the life cycle of our people, from the moment they join our organization to the day they retire. So, I said we need to have something that is more inclusive than just parental leave. We did analysis after analysis and came up with this inclusive model—a program for women and men for taking care of family members. One of the best messages I got when we announced the program last year was, “I hope I never have to take it, but it gives me peace of mind to know it’s there.” It’s really about how we come together as a Deloitte family to support each other through both the good and hard times.

Instead of calling it the most challenging component of being CEO, I’d say that one of the biggest surprises has been the sheer velocity of business. It’s moving exponentially, faster than anyone could’ve predicted, and we need to be at the forefront helping our clients navigate it in order to keep up and help them differentiate themselves. And this has meant that we’ve had to shift and transform, and that can be challenging with more than 80,000 people.

Glassdoor: What do you do to foster employee trust and engagement?

Cathy Engelbert: On trust, it’s really about authenticity and transparency. We live in a world where people can sense insincerity or corporate-speak from a mile away. Companies and leaders have to be authentic in tone, voice, andaction. It’s not just about “saying the right thing” but talking about what matters most to your company and your people, and backing that up with action.

On engagement, it’s about purpose and meaningful work. It’s finding assignments for people that stretch and challenge them, and make a real impact for our clients and our communities. It’s making our people feel entrepreneurial and that they are making a difference. In our organization, you’re literally one phone call away from being able to solve almost any problem that a client could face, in a way that I believe is really unique in the marketplace. That’s an energizing prospect as you come to work every day!

Glassdoor: How do you help build a great organizational culture here?

Cathy Engelbert: We are very deliberate about fostering an inclusive culture at Deloitte. My appointment as CEO was an outcome of that inclusive culture. It’s also about our professionals feeling connected to their work environment, that they feel a sense of belonging and actually want to grow their careers here.

About a year ago at Deloitte, we introduced the concept of a “culture of courage.” It’s a concept that resonates with a multi-generational workforce. It’s about driving a culture of innovation that gives us the freedom to experiment, try new things, or take a different approach to solving a challenge. This promotes diversity of thought and perspective, and creates an atmosphere where we try to shift to where bold thinking is the norm, not the rarity or one-off.    

Glassdoor: Your employees love working here as we see the strong rating on Glassdoor – How do you make this a great place to work day in and day out?

Cathy Engelbert: There isn’t a more essential asset at Deloitte than our people, and I think the answer here is twofold. First, it’s about the culture of courage I just mentioned, and empowering our people to bring their best to work every day. Second, it’s about thinking of investing in our people as our R&D. We foster ideas about supporting our people at every stage of their careers—providing access to what’s important to them during their life’s journey, like fitness subsidies, continued learning opportunities (through Deloitte University, our professional development facility in Texas), paid family leave, mentorship programs, community opportunities, retirement and pension benefits, and so on.

Glassdoor: What are some of your productivity hacks or ways that you manage your time?

Cathy Engelbert: A couple of things. One is certainly taking “moments of recovery,” even if they are small. This includes not looking at my phone first thing when I wake up, and taking moments throughout the day.

Cathy Engelbert: Another is prioritizing people over tasks. It may sound counterintuitive, but building a team that brings you solutions instead of challenges, listening to and collaborating with them—that ultimately prioritizes your focus on issues where you can have the most impact, not just scratch items off the to do list. To me, productivity is directly related to the personal relationships you are able to build.

Glassdoor: Any advice for burgeoning leaders?

Cathy Engelbert: Life doesn’t go in a straight line, and you can’t predict where it will take you. But if you raise your hand, have confidence to do different things, take risks and build your capabilities, you will be seen as a leader

Glassdoor: What was your first job?

Cathy Engelbert: I worked in a pediatrician’s office in high school and college; but Deloitte was my first job out of college in 1986. Our scale, depth, and breadth, which I mentioned earlier, has given me so many opportunities to reinvent my path and stay constantly challenged over the last 30-plus years. I’ve had multiple careers within Deloitte.

Glassdoor: List three fun things about yourself.

Cathy Engelbert: I grew up one of eight children. From an early age we were competitive, whether that meant over breakfast cereal or 2-on-2 basketball. My three older brothers picked me to play, and they didn’t let up on the intensity just because I was in the game. I was just another player on the court. I appreciated that.  

I grew up with a love for sports, playing varsity tennis, basketball, and lacrosse throughout high school. During my time at Lehigh University, I served as the captain of both the lacrosse and basketball teams. Now, I enjoy golf. A highlight was playing in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

I ran for class president in fifth grade, and my campaign slogan was “Have taffy, vote for Cathy.” I won in a landslide due to handing out taffy!

Glassdoor: Grab your smartphone, what’s the last app you opened and what did you do with it?

Cathy Engelbert: Oh, that’s easy. The airplane apps—I’m always on a plane!

Glassdoor: What are your strategies for dealing with hard days?

Cathy Engelbert: Keeping in mind that you need to get the small things right—and the big things will come easier. And that you must be your best in the darkest moments. I admire grace under pressure.

Glassdoor: It’s clear you inspire many of your own employees – who inspires you?

Cathy Engelbert: My parents. My father worked three jobs. My mom worked while raising her eight kids, and in fact she still does today in her 80s. Together, they sent eight kids through college.

Glassdoor: What type of people do you like to hire and why?

Cathy Engelbert: Among other things, we look for curiosity and agility—people who are committed to what they do and have a mindset of never graduating. With the innovation and disruption today, there’s never a point in time when we can stop learning. And the job you want—the job Deloitte will need someone to do—may not exist yet today. So we look for people who always stay curious, ask questions, and never stop learning.

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What to Do When You Get Negative Feedback at Work

Getting negative feedback is never easy—even if you know it’s coming. Even worse, being blindsided when you think you’re doing a great job can be a major confidence hit. But here’s the thing: Pretty much everyone gets constructive criticism at some point during their career. This included the most successful people you know.  In fact, the best managers are ones who are able to let you know in a friendly but firm way exactly how you can improve, take your work to the next level, and better manage your responsibilities. In a sense, getting negative feedback can actually be a good thing, even though it might not feel like it at the time.

Here, we asked HR pros to tell us exactly how to handle the moments, days, and weeks after receiving negative feedback, plus how to take it all in stride.

1. Don’t take it personally.

Yes, you’ve probably heard this advice before, but there’s a reason for that. “Often, employees take negative feedback to mean their leader doesn’t like them,” says Krishna Powell, executive coach and HR consultant. Most of the time, this is not the case at all. “Feedback is given because your leader sees you have the ability to do better, to become greater, or to master your skillset,” she notes. When you think of it that way, it’s actually sort of like a compliment. Of course, that doesn’t make it easier to hear, but focusing on the fact that your boss knows you can perform at a higher lever can help you see that negative feedback is actually not the worst thing in the world.

“The most important thing to remember is feedback gives the receiver power. Power to manage perceptions because feedback can tell you how people view you. Power to become better or stronger because feedback reveals your area of weakness. And feedback can give you power to control your career because it can redirect the path you’re on.” It’s natural to be bummed out at first, but with some mental reframing, you can get to a much more positive place.

6 Leadership Skills You Never Knew You Needed

2. Make sure you’re totally clear on the issue.

Most managers don’t enjoy giving negative feedback, so a conversation about your performance that’s less than glowing might be on the shorter side. Add into that your potential emotional response, and there’s a lot of room for miscommunication. “Sometimes it’s difficult to listen and to retain everything you hear in a meeting when your emotions may be off-kilter,” explains Jana Tulloch, C.P.H.R., HR Manager for Develop Intelligence.

This is a good opportunity to practice active listening to make sure you and your boss are understanding each other clearly. “Try restating the issue back to your manager to confirm you’re on the same page about the issue and what is expected going forward. This provides an opportunity to clarify any misunderstandings, as well as ask any questions,” she says. The last thing you want is to be working away on correcting the wrong issue.

3. If you disagree, do so with tact.

It’s a common response to immediately feel defensive after receiving negative feedback, and the truth is that mistakes do happen. In feedback situations, however, they don’t happen that often, so it’s important to make sure you’re definitely being critiqued in error before saying that you believe the feedback you’re getting is wrong. First, be completely sure that you understand the feedback that’s been given and the reasoning behind it. If you’re confident that the negative feedback was given in error and you decide to say something about it, “it is imperative that you push back with diplomacy and tact,” says Tawanda Johnson, CEO of RKL Resources, a national Human Resources Consulting firm. “Supervisors are often juggling many hats and sometimes things fall through the cracks. They are human. Strong supervisors will own up to their mistakes and will thank the employee for bringing something to their attention.”

What Is Emotional Intelligence, and Why Everyone Needs It

4. Show initiative ASAP.

If the feedback is not wrong, the best thing you can do moving forward is come up with a plan to fix the problem. Take initiative and show you care about improving. “If you want to continue to grow in your career, either within your current company or with another, you should respond back to your supervisor within a couple of days,” says Dorris Hollingsworth, President of Evergreen HR Group, an HR and business consulting firm in the Atlanta market. “Ideally, you will have some time to think about the feedback and identify one or two things you can do to address the issues raised.” For example, if you’ve been told you need to improve your communication style, then you might talk to a peer about how they communicate on their work projects and then compare that information to what you normally do. Then, share your findings with your boss. “Let your supervisor know that you have looked at other ways to communicatewith a team and plan to adopt some of the methods in your work,” says Hollingsworth. “Lastly, put it into practice.”

5. Think about the long game.

It’s a good idea to follow up in a more long-term way, as well, since often it takes some work to make real change in habits. “After 30 to 60 days, I always recommend people follow up on the negative feedback they have received,” says Powell. “You should say something like, ‘I have given a great deal of thought to the feedback you have given me and I have made the following changes,’” she suggests. This shows that you took the feedback to heart and importantly, that you care about improving. Chances are, if you’re committed to making a change, some very positive feedback awaits in your next performance review.

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7 Ways to Improve Your Time Management Skills

In today’s workplace, we’ve all got a million and one things to do. How, exactly, are you supposed to balance them all—and still clock out at fewer than, say, 60 hours a week? You’d have to seriously hone your time-management skills to do it. And to find out how, we turned to the people who we know have a lot on their plates: CEOs.

Here’s what they (and other big bosses) think you can do to best manage your time.

1. Get an early start.

“It’s a cliché, but you can make yourself a morning person. If you’re passionate about what you do, you can get yourself out of bed. You only need to wake up at 6 a.m. every day to find new time which can be amazingly productive, and by doing those essential morning tasks before 7a.m.—like responding to urgent, overnight emails, catching up on the latest industry news, and coordinating your calendar—you can take advantage of the rest of the world sleeping and complete those tasks without interruption.” — Jack Barmby, Founder and CEO of Gnatta

2. Keep a to-do list.

“I keep to-do list of short-term and long-term goals that I’m constantly shuffling around. Having a bird’s eye view of my responsibilities allows me to make quick decisions about what’s next. Being flexible about your priorities and responding quickly when they need to change is important.” — Kelsey Doorey, founder and CEO of Vow To Be Chic

“The first thing I do when I get up in the morning is I don’t get online and I don’t open my email. If I do, I’m lost for the rest of the day. Instead, I make a to-do list for the day, usually yesterday’s notes and memory. Then I prioritize that list—I mark what’s urgent, what must be done by end of day, and what can wait. Then I get started.” — Niki Radisic, founder of Krazy Fish

When Did Busy Become Cool?

3. Make time for yourself.

“Make time for yourself to recharge and re-prioritize. I’m the first one to admit that while the number of responsibilities outweighs the minutes of the day by many multipliers and how important yet difficult it is to juggle them all successfully, I’ve become more conscious of the need to take the time to keep myself at my peak. By focusing on the here and now—such as turning off my phone when focusing on my family—and keeping myself healthy, and constantly re-prioritizing, I can be at my best to help everyone else reach their highest purpose and potential.” — Daniel Cane, CEO of Modernizing Medicine and co-founder of Blackboard, Inc.

“Take time to sharpen your ax—by which I mean, actually take the time to rest. I am a recovering workaholic who used to put in 15 hour days seven days a week, always thinking there was something else that I could do to be more effective. Little did I know that this was very inefficient. These days, I recommend doing a fully focused 50-minute sprint on your one task at hand, and then after that all-out assault, take 10 minutes up and away from your work area standing up and moving around and not worrying about work at all. This makes it easier to plot your day into hour intervals, but also keeps you and your team going strong.” — Alex Moen, cofounder and president of Match Made Coffee

4. Take advantage of your travel time.

“Every train, plane, or Uber you take is a chance to get some quality alone time to push things through. Whether it’s following up with people you’ve just met or some crucial product planning, take advantage of being away from your laptop to get things done. Also, if this is the window you need to sing happy birthday to a close friend down the phone, don’t be embarrassed to do so. You can even ask the Uber driver to join in.” — Jack Barmby, Founder and CEO of Gnatta

“The most important time management strategy I use is to maximize my down time. When I’m on a plane, train, bus or boat, I am working on offline work that is important to my business. I save offline work for those trips and get it out of the way. Because I am in one spot and can’t do much else, I am less distracted and get some of my best work done.” — Kean Graham, CEO of MonetizeMore

We Just Can’t Unplug: 2 in 3 Employees Report Working While on Vacation

5. Do the worst thing first.

“I’ve found the best way to accomplish everything I need to in a day is to ‘eat the frog.’ Eating the frog is doing a hard task you are dreading. It keeps you from putting it off and when you finish, it’s easy to carry that momentum to your easier tasks. I started getting twice as much done every day once I implemented this.” —Max Page, founder of U.S. based CouponHippo

“Get the things you hate to do completed first. Stop putting things off until tomorrow or the next day. Get the calls, the reports, the meeting with the nasty client all out of the way first and the remainder of the day is easier. So if you have several things planned, look at your list to start the day and begin with those things that are most difficult, time consuming, or simply a pain in the neck. No one likes doing expense reports, calling difficult clients, or calling past-due clients but when you conduct these difficult tasks first, the day will go much easier.” — Drew Stevens, CEO of Orca Communications

6. Block your time.  

“When I set to start my business, I became the accountant, administrative assistant, project manager, writer, business developer, and co-boss. That felt crushingly overwhelming because I always had something to do. To save myself from becoming a scatterbrained mess, I began practicing time blocking. Each day, I block out 30-minute to one-hour chunks of time to focus on one task—emphasis on one. That way, I can concentrate on one thing and do it well without getting distracted and ultimately doing a poor job across the board.” — Caroline Maurer, cofounder of Witty Kitty

“Set timers and give yourself a limited amount of time to accomplish some tasks. That way you don’t let yourself get caught in the perfection cycle and let one task take your whole day. Figure out what a reasonable amount of time is for that task, set the timer, and work fast so you get it done in time or early.” — Kimberly Giles, president and CEO of Claritypoint Coaching and Identiology Inc.

How to Establish a Meeting-Free Day Every Week

7. Mitigate your distractions.

“It’s important to manage distractions. Happily, open floor plans are starting to go out of style, which is good because they were always disastrous for work that requires high concentration. But if you need to protect your physical space, do so. If you need to talk to your coworkers about what the appropriate times to interrupt you are, do so. And manage your electronic interruptions too. Do away with the mobile notifications. Set your email client to check manually, so you can set times for inbox-clearing, rather than having it rule your day.” — William Gadea, founder of IdeaRocket

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Six Reasons Why Your College Major Doesn't Matter

P.S. Shamelessly stolen from an article published on Forbes website. Great read nonetheless and couldn’t have said it better.

...but after helping thousands of job-seekers land multiple offers through my online coaching program, I’ve come to realize that your declared major has nothing to do with your success.

Unfortunately, that realization hasn’t caught on in the mainstream yet.

According to a recent study, 82% of 2015 graduates researched their field of choice before determining what major to pursue in college. When you look at this statistic through the lens of student loans and the 2008 recession, it comes as no surprise that students want to pursue careers that will enable them to pay off their hefty debt.

If your degree alone guaranteed a job, this kind of strategic long-term planning would make sense. And yes, there are certain jobs that require the skills affiliated with specified degrees, such as engineering, architecture, and computer science. But by and large, your college major is unlikely to have any bearing on your career success. I’ve coached math majors who later chose to pursue careers in comedy, and I’ve seen plenty of Elle Woodses come through my door, so I know firsthand that a fashion merchandising degree doesn’t affect your ability to get accepted to law school.

Plus, look at me: I'm a political science graduate and counterterrorism professional turned career coach.

Here are a few points to consider about why our attachment to the idea that majors matter should be put to rest.

1. Your degree is a prerequisite for the competitive workforce; the topic is irrelevant. It used to be important and special for someone to have a degree, and now it just stands as a prerequisite in the workforce. While your job will most likely require a Bachelor’s degree, it probably won’t matter what field it is in. According to recent research, 62% of recent college graduates are working in jobs that require a degree, yet only 27% of college graduates are working in a job that even relates to their major.

2. Certain fields yield higher incomes, but your major does not need to align with the industry. The individuals who dedicate their undergrad years to their field of choice (business, medicine, law) don’t necessarily end up achieving greater success in the field than those who arrived there with a completely unrelated major. For example, history majors who pursued careers in business ended up earning as much as business majors, according to one study. You don’t have to study English to be a writer, you don’t have to study business to be a consultant, and you don’t have to study political science to go into government. The real world doesn’t care about your degree as much as your work ethic and attitude.

3. Your experience, be it on the job or off the job, is what people notice. Take advantage of the opportunities you have as an undergraduate to pursue interesting internships, get involved in student organizations, and volunteer for causes you are passionate about. These lines on your resume are so much more powerful than your major because they tell employers that you are motivated, passionate, and involved. Best of all, they allow you to “create” your experience that employers request of you.

4. Think soft skills, not major topics. Employers want to know that you will be able to learn quickly, fit into the workplace environment, and be responsive to the task at hand. For these reasons, 93% of employers believe that critical thinking, communication, and problem-solving skills are more important than a job candidate’s undergraduate field of study. Furthermore, 95% of employers are looking for candidates whose skills translate into out-of-the-box thinking and innovation, as many of the jobs being filled today come with challenges that are more complex than in the past.Perhaps this explains why Silicon Valley is starting to favor employees who studied liberal arts, versus those who took the more “typical” tech path as software engineers. Soft skills are the skills of the future.

5. You're a better performer when you're aligned with your purpose. As a career coach, I hear from countless clients who feel energetically zapped by their jobs. When I help them get more clear on their purpose, it’s as though a new, powerful energy takes them over… Why? Because purpose gives you unprecedented energy. If you major in a field you’re truly interested in, you will give it the effort, attention and enthusiasm that translates into success. Stellar performance – in any field – is what translates into career success. Studies show that a happy brain is engaged, motivated, and productive. In other words, our happiness drives our success, so think twice before committing to that math major: Many roads lead to business school, so you might as well take the one that will make you the happiest.

6. Your network matters way more than your college major. You can choose a major that correlates with a high-paying job in the real world…you can hunker down and score A’s in your classes and graduate with a perfect GPA…but without a solid network of contacts, you’re missing a huge piece of the puzzle. If no one knows who you are, no one will care how smart you are. This is why it is so important that people who truly want to be successful put just as much effort, if not more, into networking as they do into their studies. You can start doing this right now, simply by building relationships with your professors, participating in internships and volunteer activities, and even by reaching out to strangers who fascinate you. I’ve seen it with my own clients, many of whom have received multiple job offers: authentic flattery goes a long way.

Your major is not going to pave a yellow brick road for career success. Scoring straight A’s in your prelaw coursework is not always the golden ticket to a million-dollar payday…If you don’t believe me, ask a lawyer.

Whatever you choose to study, make your own personal development the true goal of your undergraduate career. Use your undergraduate years to learn about yourself—your unique brilliance and your passions— not to learn everything there is to know about the branches and functions of foreign governments that don’t interest you in the belief that doing so will land you a job in politics.

We’ve all worked with the genius intern with the perfect resume who couldn’t make it to the office on time (ever); the one who spoke six languages but teamwork wasn’t one of them. Likewise, we’ve all known the colleague from the never-heard-of-it college who hustled harder than anyone else on the team and flew up the ladder with blink and you’ll miss her speed.

As Arthur Clarke said, “It has yet to be proven that intelligence has any survival value.”

What has been proven is that the most successful leaders are motivated by a purpose.

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Shell ITF

http://www.straitstimes.com/politics/imagining-the-future?utm_campaign=Echobox&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&xtor=CS1-10#link_time=1487485164&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social-media&utm_campaign=addtoany 

Probably only able to appreciate the quality of writing and the blood sweat tears involved in research and collation of the information to imagine the future scenario of Singapore in 2030, thanks to participating in the Shell ITF.

Kudos to them. Loved the story, seemed like a mashup between our two scenarios, we kinda under-did it cos they set it in 2030 instead of 2050. Loved the way they delved into waste management, but loved it most when they talked about education, skills and government, both aspects that we did not consider fully, if not at all.

[alysworks]

What you actually learn in college

 Defo not academic stuff. Most of what you learnt academically won’t even be useful.

What they (recruiters/company) know/get from your degree is that they can train you. 

What you should have learnt is how to think. You should have developed thinking skills, time management skills, project management skills, communication skills, leadership skills. You should feel like you come out from college a better person intellectually. A good college program should teach you how to think. Logic, maths, science, critical thinking, rational thought, problem solving, 

You can also have gained in terms of personal growth, professional preparation, experience gained, mental satisfaction, people met, or just a resume point.

An education is supposed to encourage you to broaden your knowledge. Think interdisciplinary. Always question.

You should be able to have an open, respectful conversation with someone who doesn’t agree with you.

Meeting people with different backgrounds, history, beliefs and opinions should have taught you empathy, patience, and fine tuned your social skills. It really puts things into perspective for you that there's thousands of people out there who are better than you and yet there are things you are better at than them. Helps you become more humble IMO and helps you fit in new places in the future. Plus, being with that many people sure as hell broadens your horizons.

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Luck is when preparation meets opportunity

What preparation, you ask?

1.When  you plan for your career, do you know what will give you the best fulfilment  and satisfaction at work?  

Salary, learning opportunities, work life balance.

2.  Before  you start your job search, do you know what career options you have across  various industries?

aerospace industry, banks, consulting, data analytics.

3.Before  applying for the job, do you know the competencies you have that matches with  the job requirements?

i know i have limited competencies.

4.  When  your target company posts an internship/job and tomorrow is the application  deadline, is your resume ready for immediate submission?

yes.

5.When  you meet an employer at a recruitment talk, do you have a good elevator pitch  to confidently introduce yourself?

No. Therefore, learn to craft an elevator pitch for yourself.

6.When  an employer calls you for an interview to be held this Friday, are you  prepared and confident enough to impress the hiring managers?

Depends. I need 3 days to research the company fully, it’s billion/million dollar industry, competitors, recent news, ceo said, etc.

7.When  you receive three concurrent internship/job offers and you need to make a  decision and reply the employers within 3 days, do you know how to make an  informed decision? 

Based on salary, growth opportunities and work life balance.

[alysworks]

lessons learnt in project mgmt, SIW

what i would have done differently

what PotP did and the negative effects

PotP: Daphne

bookmarked for edits

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using acknowledgements and agreements and concluding and joining words to participate in a discussion meaningfully

PotP: Danny

bookmarked for later