Ei Cafe with Azeem

If I were to ask you what it takes to be effective across cultures, what comes to mind? If you are anything like me, then you have probably started to rattle off some of the classics: self-awareness, open-mindedness, curiosity, flexibility—maybe communication skills. All important. But where is creativity in this picture? And why isn’t it closer to the top of the list when it comes to what it takes to be effective when working across cultures?

Genein Letford- Chief Executive Officer at CAFFE Strategies & Host of Create & Grow Rich Podcast checked in to the café to have conversation around Intercultural Creativity & its benefits for Organizations

When employees develop their intercultural competency skills they will in turn increase the skills needed for creative thinking and vice versa. The concept of ‘Intercultural Creativity™’ is needed now more than ever for this new era of work and innovation. A company's greatest source of creativity and innovation is hidden within human talent. Often, this human talent and creative potential is wasted due to non-inclusive environments and lack of intercultural competency from the top down and bottom up. Creativity thrives in a culture of inclusion where employees feel engaged, valued, connected and passionate about their work and their ability to contribute meaningfully to their organization. Genies shared her Golden nuggets as Don’t expect your team to do things if your unwilling to yourself, when leaders doesn’t know the answer be open & honest to explore with the team members & one need to take in to consideration that your creativity is for the organization and don’t forget to create for your own self.

You can explore Genein Letford works on https://caffestrategies.com/ 

Press that Play button & check in to the Café and get inspired by Genein

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Bristol Institute checks in to Ei Café as the "Exclusive Knowledge Partner" for Season 4.

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#December2021 intake is on, for more information please log on to www.bristolinstitute.edu.lk or drop a mail to [email protected]

The workplace can be fast-paced, competitive, and, at times, stressful. It demands that we perform at our best, be productive and focused, and get along with colleagues, management, and/or clients. This is where meditation and mindfulness come in, helping you to feel less stressed, be less reactive, and improve your compassion while simultaneously strengthening areas of focus, productivity, and resilience.

The workplace can be a fast-paced, stressful environment. Is it possible to thrive, rather than flounder, in the work environment? The key may lie with mindfulness – gently noticing what is going on for us, in the present moment, without passing judgment.

Lotty Roberts- Founder Director at Mind U- New Zealand ( www.mindu.co.nz) checked in to the Café & shared some amazing insights & tips on  practicing mindfulness. Lotty trained as mindfulness based stress reduction teacher, a certified on emotional culture specialist and facilitator of The Emotional Culture deck.

Lotty said, mindfulness trains our brain to be more focus & reduce out anxiety. Further she goes on saying, creating pause will help you reenergize yourself, imply taking a walk for me a moment can help you come up with amazing ideas. Mindful leadership also play a vital role in organization and to develop an emotional culture in the workplace

Further She did shared about STOP skill for mindfulness, which you can check out on the following link

https://cogbtherapy.com/mindfulness-meditation-blog/mindfulness-stop-skill  

To listen to the full episode press that play button & check in to the café. 

You can explore Lotty Robert & her amazing work on www.mindu.co.nz

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Hope you have heard about compassion? You’re likely familiar with, and hopefully demonstrate the concept the Dalai Lama describes as an individual’s “sense of commitment, responsibility, and respect toward the other.” Does that high-pressure environment truly lead to financial success, though? And should compassion be left to the religious, soul-searching people, care workers, NGOs and other financially unambitious enterprises? Or should we bring it to our Profit making business ?

Farhad Karamally- Chief Executive Officer of Funverks Global checked in to the Café & shared great insights on Building Compassion in Business & the role of a leader.

Research on compassion is setting a new tone for the workplace and management culture. But this field is still new. Scientists are exploring the most effective ways to foster compassion in the workplace, and to help these best practices spread across organizations. Happy employees also make for a more friendly workplace and improved customer service. Employees in positive moods are more willing to help peers and to provide customer service on their own accord. What’s more, compassionate, friendly, and supportive co-workers tend to build higher-quality relationships with others at work. One of the key message Farhad shared was You as a leader try to add value, value to your customer rather trying to bring down your competitor, add value to your employees careers by optimizing their skills with continuous upskilling. Further he shared two golden nuggets, which you as a leader Say thank you for your employees & as employees build open communication with everyone.

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Logon to www.funverks.com to explore what Farhad & his team does.

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Life may not come with a map, but everyone will experience twists and turns, from everyday challenges to traumatic events with more lasting impact, like the death of a loved one, a life-altering accident, or a serious illness. Each change affects people differently, bringing a unique flood of thoughts, strong emotions and uncertainty. Yet people generally adapt well over time to life-changing situations and stressful situations—in part thanks to resilience. As much as we know resilience involves “bouncing back” from difficult experiences, it can also involve profound personal growth.

Nikki Langman- An International Speaker, Author, Business Coach, LEGO Serious Play facilitator & an Emotional Intelligence practitioner checked in to the café from Australia & shared some amazing insights on Resilience & how to develop short term & long term strategies. 

Resilience is the ability to withstand adversity and bounce back from difficult life events. Being resilient does not mean that people don't experience stress, emotional upheaval, and suffering. Resilient people tap into their strengths and support systems to overcome challenges and work through problems. Nikki some interesting perspective to practice resilience.one of them is practice Yellow light is something we all can practice, when you are in anxious or in a difficult situation ask yourself whether you are in yellow state? if yes ask yourself what is the option you are going to opt? this relate to Nikki’s final thought to have a self-talk, Go in front of the mirror ask yourselves how are you doing, how you can be better & try to reflect yourself to become more resilient. You need to have those short term & long term strategies to become resilient& Nikki did share some great tips on this as well.

You can log on to https://www.nikkilangman.com/ explore what are the work Nikki does.

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The wellbeing of employees influences their organizations productivity and performance. Improving wellbeing increases employee performance and decreases uncertified sick leave, turnover and stress-related compensation claims. When Organizations take an approach of taking care of its employees wellbeing, they can increase productivity and decrease compensation costs.

Workplace well-being, which includes mental and emotional health and stress management, is a top priority for leaders. organizational leaders need to know that performance in general is tied to mental health and well-being. when an employee feels that they can use their skills to create better outcomes in their work, they’ll feel more competent, and thus feel better. Better performance, better well-being. Using tools like 1:1s, check-ins, feedback, and recognition creates healthier, more productive employees, so they can more effectively achieve their goals.

Raatha Ganesh - Disruptor in Chief at Resilio checks in to the café All the way from Hong Kong and shared some golden nuggets on what make Mental wellbeing so important & its connection to performance. Raatha Shared her Mantra as when you work with maximizing an employee’s potential & energy you end up getting worse of them, if you optimize & you work with best of them you get whole lots of other dimension which they bring to work.

To listen to full episode, press that play button & check in to the café. 

Exclusive Knowledge Partner

BRISTOL INSTITUTE AFFILIATED TO UNIVERSITY OF THE WEST OF ENGLAND RANKED 21st  AND THE HIGHEST RANKED UK UNIVERSITY IN SRI LANKA OFFERS MBA, MSC ACCOUNTING AND FINANCE, LLM IN COMMERCIAL LAW, BSC ACCOUNTING AND FINANCE, BA BUSINESS MANAGEMENT, Bsc /MsC NURSING, AND FOUNDATION STUDIES. 

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"The strategies, capabilities, processes and mindsets that have led us to where we are today will not take us into the future,” :Patrik Anderson: CEO of LOOMIS. The power of divergent thinking lies in expanding the areas of choice beyond what is being done today, and to build concrete options for a company to remain relevant and succeed in the future.

Divergent thinking allows a group to generate as many fresh, new ideas as possible in a short timeframe. During this process all judgment is suspended, the group is encouraged to go for quantity of ideas, not quality, spontaneously build on one another’s ideas, and push the boundaries of the imagination…even wild, crazy, audacious ideas are welcome. In divergent thinking there really is no such thing as a bad idea. The goal is to simply achieve the largest creative yield of ideas and new connections possible. Look at divergent thinking as “big picture,” unencumbered by any practical or logistical constrains, limitations, or judgments. 

Sean Blair – Founder at Serious work who is facilitator training for the LEGO® Serious Play® Method checked in to the café  & share some amazing insights & tips on Power of Divergent thinking. Sean shared a golden nugget which is – Try  something you haven’t done before & learn from the mistakes.

To listen to the full episode press that play button & check in to the café.

Exclusive Knowledge Partner

BRISTOL INSTITUTE AFFILIATED TO UNIVERSITY OF THE WEST OF ENGLAND RANKED 21st  AND THE HIGHEST RANKED UK UNIVERSITY IN SRI LANKA OFFERS MBA, MSC ACCOUNTING AND FINANCE, LLM IN COMMERCIAL LAW, BSC ACCOUNTING AND FINANCE, BA BUSINESS MANAGEMENT, Bsc /MsC NURSING, AND FOUNDATION STUDIES.

For more information:  +94777 90 77 55 , www.bristolinstitute.edu.lk ,  [email protected]

Employability or ‘soft skills’ are the building blocks of an individual’s career. The media frequently run stories on how these skills are lacking in school-leavers, graduates and/or those already in employment. Organizations spend a lot of time and money training staff, not in job specific areas but in general and basic skills. As outlined in the World Economic Forum’s latest Future of Jobs Report, half of all employees around the world will need reskilling by 2025 – and that number doesn’t include all the people who are currently not in employment. If we don’t act now, this skills gap will only widen.

A year ago, no one could have anticipated how dramatically everything would change. The way we live. The way we work. The way children go to school. The way we think about the future. Of course, even before COVID-19, the rise of automation and new technologies was transforming global job markets, resulting in the very urgent need for large-scale upskilling and reskilling. But now, after months of unforeseen hardship, this need has become even more important.

Dr. Salim Hakeem – Co Founder - Bright Vision Coaching & a Distinguish Toastmaster from Kingdom of Saudi Arabia checked in to the café to share some key insight & his experiences on developing Soft skills. Him one time being a Talent acquisition specialist whom looked for key soft skills on the resume. Dr. Salim stated that, Adoptability, Resilience, Problem solving & Relationship building which some of core soft skills organizations are looking for. Further he goes on saying, keep learning until master your skill which is an infinity, be around the people who has mastered to get the exposure of it.

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It’s what people think when they hear your name, what pops up on Google when someone searches for you, and your presence across social media. It’s critical to craft your personal brand strategically and build one that helps advance your career and your life. When done effectively, a strong personal brand leads to new opportunities and connections that can change your life. 

There is sudden shift from Personality building to Personal Brand Building, So what is the difference & why it makes an important element. Amithe Gamage- Co founder of Quantum Leap, A CEO Coach | Personal Branding Strategist | Sales Performance Evangelist checks in to the café & share some great insights & tips on Personal Branding.

Building a personal brand is a lot of work, the payoff is enormous when it is done correctly. Personal brands allow you to build a network of professionals who see your worth and think of you first when new opportunities arise. Use Social Media wisely to build your personal brand. Post authentic & creative content make sure you add value to another person or the community. You never know your next Employer or Prospect customer will be looking at you via social media.

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When your new neighbors bring over a plate of cookies to welcome you to the neighborhood, you might feel obligated to return the favor when they ask you to take care of their dog while they are on vacation. Reciprocity also allows people to get things done that they would not be able to do on their own. By working together or exchanging services, people are able to accomplish more than they would individually.  

Dr. Nik Eberl – CO Founder & Chief Innovation officer at The Deal Maker system checks in to the café to share how "Reciprocation Marketing can help to attract new clients on LinkedIn.  Reciprocation is a fundamental formula in Human interaction & it had become the guiding principal in today’s context, as an individual need to provide value to other more than ever. Reciprocation is a great tool for you to harvest great amount of business, especially on platforms like LinkedIn. Most of the organization look for business send bombarded with messages about their business, but how many of it get converted. If you can reap value with your connection who are in the same platform by offering them help to improve their business, you will be placed as giver than go getter.

To Reap the benefits of reciprocation, press that play button and check in to the café