When applying for a job, we sometimes think if it is necessary to take exams when we already have the right credentials to show to our employers and they are also doing background check on us. One of these exams is psychological test given to the employees either upon hiring or by schedule. IAM Group Limited has asked some of the best Human Resource companies to know the purpose and the real importance of psychological exams in hiring a person.

Psychological exams are conducted in companies for decades. This is to secure the intellectual and mental capacity of applicants and assure the workforce of the company. This is why most Human Resource Personnel are graduates of Psychology degree. We have even encountered some psychological test in Yokohama, Japan which a series of exams are conducted in an actual lab at least twice a year for its more or less a hundred employees.

Psychological tests as a selection technique have definite advantages over other methods of selection. They are less time-consuming and costly compared with interviews. They are more objective and have a lesser probability of biases, however unintended, creeping into the selection procedure. They also uncover talents and potentials which are not necessarily detected by other selection techniques.

However though, one common weakness of all psychological tests is that unlike the scales used in the measurement of such physical characteristics as height, weight etc. here we cannot use scales which have a known zero point and equal intervals. In a sense, there are also certain flaws in using this especially during recruitment.

Personality and interest tests suffer from one additional weakness. It is difficult in their case to obtain truthful answers from the applicant. An applicant’s desire for a certain job may impel him to take certain interests or personality traits which he does not possess and which he feels may help to get the job. Even in the matter of proficiency tests they indicate only what a man should be able to do—they cannot measure what he will do.

In brief, tests alone are inaccurate predictors of job success. Tests are designed to supplement other screening methods, not to replace them. They are like a barometer which may provide an accurate measure of air pressure, but a prediction of future weather conditions based solely on this measure, may be relatively unreliable.

IAM Group Ltd. believes in the use of psychological exam in recruitment and in consistency during the duration of employment. However though, we cannot trust in this alone as we also believe that human assessment through interview is as important.

Being a manager is a big challenge. You need to juggle on conflicting roles and facing peer competition for the attention of the more senior staff, handling people under you and doing administrative stuff that sometimes climbing to the top position is hard and not always a priority.

The term, “middle manager” is not clearly defined, but in general refers to someone who is charged with supervising several employees, but does not manage other supervisors. Caught between senior management and subordinates, a middle manager’s position can involve a lot of stress with relatively little reward. Middle managers need to supervise their direct reports and provide mentorship to their juniors, while at the same time answering to their own bosses and clients. Keeping both those above and those below happy can be a difficult balancing act.

However, people in this position should not be down. Always remember that you will not be there if you have not gained it. There is always a great possibility that you can still reach the top. IAM Group Ltd. has gathered some tips for you to use to stand out from your competitors and get ahead.

Take Control

Researchers in Yokohama, Japan where there statistics have shown to have the greatest number of middle managers, states that people who shows the greatest display of power competencies, such as ambition along with the ability to influence others, resolve conflict and effect change, making the middle managers effective and liked by both sides he is serving. These skills and power have the greatest potential associated with the key qualities to moving up the corporate ladder.

Walk the Talk

Mahatma Ghandi once said “Become the Change you want to see in the world”

One of the CEOs of the most successful companies in Japan always mentions this on his seminars and webinars. It is important that the ones you teach your people should also be reflected in their actions. When you are teaching your team not to be late, then you shouldn’t as well. Those under you look up to you as their example and the company is expecting much from you as well. Also, never make promises that you can never keep, whether to your subordinates, boss or colleagues.

Work Smart

Time management is an area where many overwhelmed middle managers can improve. The right combination of tools and practices can free up to an hour a day to spend on those tasks that actually move the needle of the business. Use technology intelligently and prioritize to focus on what counts, and reduce time spent on less important tasks and activities.

Whatever the challenge is to you, always remember that none of it will be thrown at you if you cannot do it. IAM Group Limited continuously wishes you the happy managing!

- See more at: http://www.iamgroup-limited.com/how-to-get-ahead/#sthash.LSEzAaWp.dpuf

IAM Group Limited (Ltd.) is a self funded, non-profit association of middle managers worldwide working in business. We are committed to helping you  and all our contributors and members worldwide for your experiences at work.

The International Association of Managers (IAM) Group Ltd welcomes middle managers group all over the world to share experiences of success, failures, suggestions, and the like for everybody to grow in the business.  We are delighted to accept you in our group.  We welcome pictures, images, and stories of actual experience in your work.

Be part for the change.  With our unique style of discoveries, workaround, to keep the business operational, would be our please to share with our Manager’s Group.

We are a self funded non-profit group based in Singapore but want to grow membership world wide initially in Southeast Asia.

We have contributors from all over the world from  Singapore to BK, Thailand, Yokohama, Japan  and many more countries.  Join us now

We started in Singapore to Bangkok,Thailand, then Yokohama, Japan.  Fee free to join us as valued member or partner!

IAM Group Limited welcomes all Middle Managers  who wants to  express their stories  that encompasses the professional and personal rewards, gripes and  frustrations anonymously.

Negative self-centered people erode morale from obvious reasons that they are there but never exists, eventually can do an amount of damage long term.

Pretty good in their jobs but like a virus running in every line of registry in the operating system that controls the booting.  This kind of  puts danger to the goal sets forth by the management from the very foundation of core ideas that would provide strong rapport with very member, the key to success of the whole picture, in other words, be over the top. Such behavior eventually if not resolved in time, is like a cancer in the group.  Their acidic personality takes away team’s common goal of completion that everyone shares ‘responsibility’. How do you identify these negative chemical personalities that bites each goals.

Who are they:

• Talk behind co-workers’ backs.
• Undermine supervisor’s authority.
• Never ending flow of criticism.
• Hides within his own skin.
• Cannot look straight in the eye that he is ranting.
• Carries own agenda.

These negative should not be tolerated. A tough conversation  in a professional way must be addressed, with an attitude of openness to find a solution, speak the word ‘WE’ to make sure that there is no selfishness in the conversation,  be results oriented, be honest about concerns, point the awkwardness, present the positive effects should things be addressed, straight to the point, learn to listen, and never if possible avoid the word ‘YOU’. These conversations should be reviewed very well prior to its presentation to the employee with a bad attitude. But without doing so, it will only make things worse.

“Collaboration will always be the key to get things done.”

Please visit IAM Group Limited website for more blogs about careers and path to good governance in terms of management. IAM Group Ltd is a group of managers worldwide that share their experiences to serve as inspiration for the aspiring managers and middle-management individual.   IAM Group Limited is from Yokohama, Japan; Bangkok, Thailand; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Singapore ; and more.

The end of the year is fast approaching and we need to look back for our life how we became from the moment we opened our eyes and see our mother who risked her own life in giving birth to us. They said when a mother is giving birth, half of her life in on the other side already. Lucky are those who were born with responsible parents. I feel sadness for those whose parents are not ready to rear a child and yet it happened, due to young age, or just an irresponsible act.

Caring for children is so far the most successful experience one can have because it is most often associated with healthful child development that one whose first time experience will eventually apply via love to her own baby. Those who have bad experiences with mother or father sometimes are those who would like to give best to their own children. But sometimes it doesn’t happen that way. There was one time a child who witnessed cruelty of father to his mother and swear that he will not his own wife when he gets married. However, decades passed, and this young child who got finally grown to be a father, did the same bad thing to his own wife. Children’s eyes should be taken with utmost responsibility. In my experience, it would be best only to show the good in their eyes.

If possible, hide the negative things and experiences of life in order for them not to witness and serve it as an option when that child is experiencing an actual difficulty in his own life. This is just for my observation. But different child have different strength. Some at young age who are strong goes weak when they get older. Some will find them as successful as they get old. Life’s experiences hits everywhere. When an unconditional love of a mother has been bestowed to a child of a young heart, soul, and mind, there is a big chance that this child will grow strong and loving to parents. Parents although will not depend on such kindness and love to child alone. It is also a big impact for children who are in negative or positive peers or what we call circle of friends.

Although environment has effects on the child, it is also at the end of the day, the attitude of that person will and should win the game. Some parents who are good ended with a child problem or what the society calls it as black sheep. Some are lucky as if they have an Angel at home. This child takes all the medals and awards any achievable career out there at home.

Such parents are lucky. One thing I know if your parents are good in taking care of their own parents, showing kindness and love, it surely followed by their own child when the mother and the fathers needs utmost care. For those who have a child angel would see how the child will become. I saw a family who went into life’s troubles and yet they have children who grew smart, strong, and very successful. Some have not only one, not two, but 3 properties in just 2 decades of hard work. Meaning each money gathered from work went into savings.

Some has difficulties in saving. One will be called one day millionaire. But others who were taught on how to save for the rainy days, learned their lesson well and can manage their money very well. This child because very successful and not only that. This child became business owner and a member of IAM Group Limited from Japan as he saw the greatness of sharing success of one’s life and the ability to give back by enlightening others that anyone can be the best version of one’s self through hardwork. He is now was able to give his parents brand new car and the property that was given to him he gave it back to his parents as he said, he is thankful for all the kindness his parents gave, and it is not good to take too much kindness, and he promised to himself that now that his pocket is so full, it is time to give back to his parents and to those who helped him when he started his life out of nothing. He is a member of the IAM Group Limited. The International Association of Managers (IAM) Group Ltd welcomes middle managers group all over the world to share experiences of success, failures, suggestions, and the like for everybody to grow in the business. Anybody can join IAM Group.

IAM Group welcome pictures, images, and stories of actual experience in your work. Do check their website. IAM Group Limited is from Yokohama, Japan; Bangkok, Thailand; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Singapore ; and more.

Many of our members and associates had gone to business management classes and are very aware of the ins and outs of managing business in any industry. IAM Group Limited Singapore provides the following as a manager’s guide to a healthy business, be it small startup, medium or a large corporate.

1. Do your research and test the market. What are people willing to pay and for what? How much does it cost to acquire a customer? What is the lifetime value of a customer? What are the strengths and weaknesses of the competition? You should know your numbers and your industry better than anyone.
2. Have a clear vision of where you want to go. You can allow it to evolve, but don’t change it or pivot on a weekly basis. You should have a general strategic roadmap for the next two-five years, a tactical roadmap for the next year, and a detailed plan for the next three months. This presupposes that you’ve done your research.
3. Communicate that vision to your team. Get buy-in and feedback. They are the ones you hired to do the work, so you should be relying on their expertise. Don’t ignore their feedback because they’re in the trenches.
4. Remove every obstacle you can so that your team succeeds. You’ll want to make sure they stay on track, but a huge part of your job should be enabling your team to do what they do best.
5. Don’t set crazy arbitrary deadlines without first talking to your team on what’s possible. That’s a good way to get out of touch and foster resentment. Keep your expectations realistic. Watch out for burnout among your team members.
6. Don’t create a culture where people have to stay late. People have families and lives. If people want to hang out with co-workers after work, let them make that decision. Don’t force them to do it under the guise of “team-building”, “synergy”, or startup culture.
7. Hire well and pay well. Hire people smarter or more talented than you. Don’t be intimidated, learn from them instead. The wrong people, especially early on, can be a death knell for your business. More technical debt. More drama. Less momentum. Less revenue over the long term. Pay above market to get the best people and then make sure you keep them. Equity is fine as an addendum, but it’s no substitute for real money and a good health care package. Most startup employees will never even get to use their equity. If you can’t afford a real wage, you’re either not ready to hire or you need to reexamine your business model.
8. Hire slow and fire fast. Be picky and don’t hire someone you think is mediocre. After you hire, a 3-month probation should be enough to know how someone fits and if they can do the job.

We here at IAM Group Ltd Singapore could write a whole book on this, but if you are doing what the above entails, you’ll be better to work for than 95% of the places.

Some would rush to be a good manager, a leader. What does it takes to be a good one?  Is bragging that one is good would give one a hall of warm applause from the audience?  Is the ability to keep things to one’s self would make a good impression from the Top?  Being at the top requires a positive attitude towards the bigger picture.  Those who thought that doing things by own self, keeping own’s watch is enough to perform.

Management and Leadership indeed has differences.  It can be answered in different ways. The difference is how they motivate the people from the ground up.  The level of trust is very important.  Some would thought giving free food or treat would make them closer to the team.  Is this how to make a good score? Many people knew who they are following.  The kindness, dedication, and honesty towards dealing with people is an experience coming from a good person.  A good manager will always be a good manager.  A good leader knows easily without hesitations.

“No one cannot buy hearts”.   Managers have subordinates, unless as a mark of seniority, and their power over others is other than formal authority.  The subordinates work for them as they are told because of being paid by their salary. Managers are paid to things done with tight constraints and with a good team, the work can be done easily.

Leaders have followers and do not have subordinates. Leaders with a stronger charisma find it easier to get the job done regardless of additional explanation.  A good leader can attract people to their cause as they typically promise transformational benefits not just receive basic  rewards but will somehow become better people.  A trust they see in the eyes of a born leader. They are always good with people. A good act of providing credit to others as a very effective charm for loyalty effortlessly.

Leaders keep the mystique of leadership, they often retain a degree of separation and aloofness, a healthy boundary for job to be done.  Their experiences and will, without further delay already knew details of tasks, as they are often very achievement-focused. Leaders appeared as risk seeking, comfortable with risk and will options as a workaround are easily determined and will happily break rules in order to get things done.

A surprising number of these leaders had strong experiences from the past as source of their thrust in doing their jobs in volumes. The ability to keep their independence of mind that is needed to go out on a limb and not worry about what others are thinking sustains the impact of great risks. Below are the difference:

Visit IAM Group Limited Website for inspiration leadership stories. IAM Group Ltd is a group of managers worldwide that share their experiences to serve as inspiration for the aspiring managers and middle-management individual.   IAM Group Limited is from Yokohama, Japan; Bangkok, Thailand; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Singapore ; and more.

International Association of Managers (IAM) Group Ltd is a non-profit organization for managers all around the world.

IAM Group Ltd is a self funded, non-profit association of middle managers worldwide from all kinds of industries. We are committed to helping fellow managers and their supporting staff in making the corporate environment the best breeding ground for fresh and effective ways to be productive. We welcome all contributors and new members worldwide to share all your work experience.

IAM Group’s Goals

We are not LinkedIn or trying to be.  We provide provoking ideas to fuel the fire of desire of  MIDDLE MANAGERS – to expand your professional skills, better manage your organization, and enhance your career, hence, be able to control your own career trajectory to claim that greasy pole of success.

IAM Group Limited aims for Excellence and will help you on how to thrive in these times of accelerating technological progress and economic growth with the reality of anemic job growth.

IAM Group Limited welcomes all Middle Managers  who wants to  express their stories  that encompasses the professional and personal rewards, gripes and  frustrations anonymously.

What makes our group unique is that we welcome contributors of MIDDLE MANAGERS  who can express their gripes and frustrations anonymously or on the positive side offer advice on claiming that greasy pole to the top.

Who We Help

Just the mention of “middle managers” is enough to make people’s eyes roll back. But with these kind of mangers can have a profound impact on innovation and performance. Companies need to pay attention to Middle Managers and reward their special skills and talent at making the best of the limitations and restrictions of their positions — of making orange juice from oranges.  Meaning – Positive Output.

For decades, researchers and business people have assumed that in the thick of large organizations, what matters is process. This is where success of a company is entirely sewn into.  Do we have the right employees – resources available? Are incentives effective? If the organization isn’t being innovative, the solution must be structural.

My study of computer-game makers shows something different — that individuals matter a lot. And of all the individuals, the choice of who is middle manager on vital projects goes the furthest in explaining why some firms do better than others.

So many kinds of managers a company can hire.  It depends on what business one is having.  For example in a gaming-company, middle managers supervises software/game designers, who are the sources of creative ideas.  What’s more, the talent of individuals was portable — when they left one company for another, they took their ability with them.

As managers, especially office workers, the chore of having to do office tasks are nowadays mostly done on computers or machines on your desks, which are operated by sitting down. Sitting is what most of the office workers, managers and supervisors included, have to be doing most of their time in their usual eight-hour job schedule. Research shows that sitting in a certain bad position may cause a reduction to your life expectancy.

Sitting up straight is not the best position for office workers, a study by a group of Scottish and Canadian researchers has suggested. Their study suggested that the best position in which to sit at your desk is leaning back, at about 135 degrees. Furthermore, data from the British Chiropractic Association says 32% of the population spends more than 10 hours a day seated. This gives a big perspective on the sitting habits of the people in the western nations. Along this line are the health risks that this habit may ensue to the people involved. Doing a task with requiring a worker to sit straight up daily for 10 hours a day would lead to very fatal complications such as nervous system disorders, digestive problems or even circulatory diseases. It is also worth noting that according to the experts, one in three people suffer from lower back pain and to sit for long periods of time certainly contributes to this, as our bodies are not designed to be so sedentary or be in an upright sitting position.

In the study, the subjects were observed and placed in different sitting position and measured their vitals and physical outlook intently before and after the case. The researchers concluded that based on their data, the 135-degree position was the best for backs, and say this is how people should sit whenever it is possible.

IAM Group Ltd would like to add that adding in a good exercise routing to cancel out the bad effects of sitting unhealthy during office hours is possible. Members from Yokohama, Japan have told many that they do the some physical exercises before they work and there have been many studies and evidences that support that this routine have helped the Japanese become more resistant to the bad effects of poor sitting habits at work.

What makes a man poor?  Why bad things happen whenever a person will try doing good and yet he still ends being poor?  Is it all because of birth right?  Is it all because of having poor parents? Lack of education? Lack of funds? Why success is not long term with others?  Why we found ourselves worrying our life almost everyday?  Please continue reading below, to find real answers that IAM Group Limited will help everybody to have that strong rain coat during storms of life’s ‘Tsunami’:

People are careless of life’s learning.  Sometimes their attitude change when their pockets are full.  They learn to talk simply when pocket is empty, they learn to speak careless words when their pockets are full.  In turn, success will only be temporary.  One morning, everything is gone.

A wise man will learn to speak simply and work vigorously without any boast.  Without nobody noticing and his work will be the one echoing.

This should be one of the key for a man’s success.  Let your work speak of you.

Nikko came from a humble beginning.  A poor family as he exactly speaks of it.  Today, his callous hands are no longer visible, as he has more than a hundred people working in his farm land.  Nikko owns and produces his own farm.

Nikko worked before, starting as an office janitor, with only a dollar in his pocket, he learned to live life simply, day working and night studying a degree, until he was able to sustain his own dream. A big farm.

He planned his life 10 years ahead, and never missed an opportunity to save and focus on his dream.

What he did is he believed what hard work and clean living can make a short cut to bumps on the road of life.  He now produces his own food, his electricity is from a wind mill, built own homestead and focused on a frugal life style.

His father’s strength is his source, as he was often reminded that success will be stable when someone has a good soul.  His father always reminds him of preparing tomorrow of today.

The lifestyle of many people if not closely monitored will just end them nothing. How can someone have a good start?  Just continue to reading the real life blogs in IAM Group Limitedwebsite, and more fresh inputs will be coming in.  One should be interested in building own’s business and does not work to be an employee long term.  Please join our community in IAM Group Limited for more updates on how to be successful, at the same time making life fulfilling.  Life is becoming more complicated and difficult.  Prices of commodities keep on soaring.  If one enjoys country living, then farming is the key to sustain one’s life. We usually tends to look for a quick decision, but sometimes, it is best to have more than one business, a short and long term solution.  Better starts today, and asked one’s self what direction we wanted our life to tackle, find that ‘comfort zone’.  With it, no amount of time will be wasted, because it is what you believe is the best version of yourself when you do these adventures in business, trust your instinct, above all, get the best people who can help your business grow. Live and deal with honestly, the only ingredient for stable and long deals in any business.  Believe in your product, and above all, ‘do it and make it happen’.

It is hard work and patience, results would be worth working for.  IAM Group Limited provides boost in your management’s career. It is never too late for a change.  Do what you are good at, and do it with honesty, humbleness and dedication.  Take care of your employees in the end these employees will produce output with passion and productivity. Business is all about teamwork.  Giving jobs and love of work is the key for a self-sustaining business long term.

IAM Group Ltd is a group of managers worldwide that share their experiences to serve as inspiration for the aspiring managers and middle-management individual.   IAM Group Limited is from Yokohama, Japan; Bangkok, Thailand; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Singapore ; and more.

Negative self-centered people erode morale from obvious reasons that they are there but never exists, eventually can do an amount of damage long term.

Pretty good in their jobs but like a virus running in every line of registry in the operating system that controls the booting.  This kind of alarming attitude puts danger to the goal sets forth by the management from the very foundation of core ideas that would provide strong rapport with very member, the key to success of the whole picture, in other words, be over the top. Such behavior eventually if not resolved in time, is like a cancer in the group.  Their acidic personality takes away team’s common goal of completion that everyone shares ‘responsibility’. How do you identify these negative chemical personalities that bites each goals.

Who are they:

• Talk behind co-workers’ backs.
• Undermine supervisor’s authority.
• Never ending flow of criticism.
• Hides within his own skin.
• Cannot look straight in the eye that he is ranting.
• Carries own agenda.

These negative should not be tolerated.  A tough conversation  in a professional way must be addressed, with an attitude of openness to find a solution, speak the word ‘WE’ to make sure that there is no selfishness in the conversation,  be results oriented, be honest about concerns, point the awkwardness, present the positive effects should things be addressed, straight to the point, learn to listen, and never if possible avoid the word ‘YOU’.   These conversations should be reviewed very well prior to its presentation to the employee with a bad attitude. But without doing so, it will only make things worse.

“Collaboration will always be the key to get things done.”

Please visit IAM Group Limited website for more blogs about careers and path to good governance in terms of management. IAM Group Ltd is a group of managers worldwide that share their experiences to serve as inspiration for the aspiring managers and middle-management individual.   IAM Group Limited is from Yokohama, Japan; Bangkok, Thailand; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Singapore ; and more.

IAM Group Ltd "Bubbling Pool"

Are you really in charge now?  One’s integrity proves a good vision and strategy with the ability of good execution skillfully. Below are the Tips for First Time Managers|:

1. There is so much you don’t know.

Be patient, do not feel tempted to overhaul in one night. Rather than risk moving so fast too soon:

• Be Observant.
• Listen.
• Keep learning.
• Make logs of things that you think need to be fixed.
• Make it clean and sharp.
• Know what’s critical.
• Know what clutter is.
• Lean on those with institutional knowledge and memory.

In short, be humble and grow into the job. Take small steps one at a time so your employees have some continuity and trust will be earned in a slow phased manner. As you mature in the business, one will have time to leave positive footprints. 

1. Give everyone a clean slate.

Watch your team in action. This will tell you who speaks the truth, who really help, or those who are disappointing. Respect those who are seniors in the group, one will get an immediate support, if needed. 

1. Establish Time Lines and benchmarks.

 Capitalize on their attention.  Be a model.  Identify what needs to be done short-term and long-term. Help the team to understand their importance in every aspect of their job, and how it will affect in their careers.  Let them picture themselves how great their accomplishments are in the business. 

1. Determine a Bad Apple.  Times have changed.

Remove obstacles or excuses in delivering the job.  Identify immediately what is holding back with the team. Failure to delivery on time should have to be identified what causing it.  Take a dramatic action to send the message that times have changed.

1. Work is doomed to failure if no plan behind it.

Gradually losing sight of your project and team’s potential and value if one is without a plan and no dedication to executing it. 

1. Recognize each person’s potential. Develop Each Person (Including Yourself)

Provide new trainings that will make them look forward every day.  Check in regularly on team’s performance. 

1. Recognize Your Limitations

It takes time to make things happen, and there will be mistakes along the way. Be patient and take heart with any victories you achieve.  Good intentions will drive good results.  Bad attitude will return a white squall of unexpected turbulence in your career. 

1. Cultivate a Mentor

Find someone who have been through all the managerial work and successfully live all those stumbles.  Remember, one bad manager poison relationships, siphon energy, and can stifle creativity. And one day you ask yourself if you’re causing more harm than good. When this happens, reach out to someone who’s already gone through that. Find a mentor who can pick you back up and put your challenges in perspective. Stay in touch regularly and take his or her advice, however critical, to heart eventually will champions your cause. 

1. A manager is also an ambassador.

To forge a long-term partnership, it only takes one opportunity, and a mutual awareness of your unexpected synergies. Be true and real. It builds strong bridge to what you need to accomplish.  Invests in building relations with the others:

• Leaders
• Rank and file.
•  

Take an inventory of how your department whether your operation is viewed positively and negatively. Identify areas where you could improve your performance or potentially team up with someone to help. Keep your capabilities on their radar, communicate regularly. 

1. Project leadership via training, acknowledgment, project updates, and provide inspirational success stories.

You want to expand their world, aside from our world, not narrow it, to enhance the whole team’s value to the organization. 

Visit IAM Group Limited Website for more Inspirational Write-Up for existing and future managers.  IAM Group Ltd is a group of managers worldwide that share their experiences to serve as inspiration for the aspiring managers and middle-management individual.   IAM Group Limited is from Yokohama, Japan; Bangkok, Thailand; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Singapore ; and more.

I know when I, and later my sister, went through a terrible early quarter crisis. It wasn’t so much as hating work but also the existential crisis that comes with it. I started feeling like a real adult, even though I thought of myself as still young. It’s this whole “I’m an adult and I have no idea what I’m doing” kind of thing. Like you’re settling into what will be the majority of your life. It’s terrifying. “What if I picked the wrong career?” As you see others climbing corporate ladders, “What if I’m behind?” As you see people getting married and having kids, “What if I don’t meet the one? How do I even make new friends as an adult?” “Do I even want kids?” As you see people on Facebook doing things you always wanted to do, travel, photography, running with the bulls, whatever, “When did I sell out and give up on my dreams?”

Early life crisis, or as many managers experience in their young years, a quarter life crisis, is not that dreading. Good news is, being adult means you get to choose what kind of adult you want to be. Don’t like your job? Start looking into other things. Learning that your career isn’t what you thought it’d be? Figure out what parts of it you do like and what’s missing and ask others for other options. You may not be able to get it right away but at least you’ve tried some stuff and learned what you do and don’t like. Feeling like you’re selling out? Growing up too fast? Not fulfilling your lifelong dream of being an author? Start on hobbies that you always wanted to try. Take a managerial workshop, training or seminar. Join a club or organization that is relevant to your current job. Find an online community and get some tricks and advice. People love helping others discover their strengths.
Also, you may just hate working. That’s okay. We all do. Vote and help make social change as you can in your own personal space or in the office. Don’t hate yourself for being tired or worn out at the end of the day and not being able to engage 100% all of the time, whether at work or at home. You’re not as young as you used to be and that’s totally fine.

During my first 3 months at IAM Group Limited, Singapore, I was flooded with pieces of advice from fellow managers from Yokohama Japan, Moscow Russia and even in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia. The online community of IAM Group Ltd is so wide and open that we share and discover one another’s talents of being a manager in no time at all. Engaging with this organization made me conquer my early life crisis.

Many people in the corporate scene find it more troubling to see the parameters of the game of life and how pointless it all is, and to find out that the world is cold and that there is not enough pie to go around. I am still troubled by many things, but at least I have come to terms with the pointlessness of existence and how that means you can truly, unabashedly do whatever you want. If there was a point or purpose to the whole thing, you could potentially muck it up, but since there isn’t, well then who the maybe you have just to make good of what you currently have.

How to Handle an Employee’s Resignation – An IAM Group Limited Singapore Advice

You have to think of long term, your business, and your employees.

Think of yourself as the business owner, no one in your company should not be replaceable at any time, including yourself. With that in mind, you should have everything every employee, manager, officer does written down and reviewed quarterly to add or make changes. It is so you don’t need those two weeks to find out what that person does or try to figure out what they did after they are gone. And beyond that what happens if someone gets sick or just disappear or just cannot go to work due to personal reasons?

Cutting their two weeks short might breed bad employee departure notice, it might not. Employees leave for two reasons, one they have to or two they want to. The want to ones most of the time are moving on to something better or just want out. They are dead weight. The have to ones usually don’t want to leave but need to and most of the time the faster they get out of the company the better, but not always, they might want to stick around and work. There is always an exception to everything.

When people leave it is something you will need to address with your employees. They don’t need to know the exact details, but enough. “Scott will be leaving soon and will no longer be working with us. Until we find someone new Scott’s job will be divided up. The respective employees will be notified of extra duties. Contact Bob, he will be managing Scott’s duties, while Scott is still here and after he leaves. We are sorry to see Scott go and we thank him for all the time he has spent with us.” If you have done your diligence and created a healthy work culture, the other employees will understand it’s time to move on – Scott is leaving. If they don’t then there is work to do on your culture. In a bad work culture, this is the least of your worries. It is a high time to deal with your work culture first.

Don’t rely on the person leaving to train the new employee, that isn’t their job and why would you want them to? Plus you have everything written down to train them. You don’t want bad habits from the previous employee instilled in the new one.

What about the employee finishing up projects or work? It is nice that the employee wants to help and finish things up and gets things in order for the next person. Maybe that is someone who stays on for the two weeks. But that again isn’t their job or responsibility, it is the manager or boss to delegate what needs to get done and what the new employee comes in to.

What about “maybe the employee needs those last two weeks of pay”? They should have thought of that before putting in their two weeks. If they need those two weeks of money, then they should have waited two weeks or saved more. It is not the business’s responsibility to make sure each employee is all good financially before they leave.
Handling a sub-ordinate’s resignation is tough. It stems from personal feelings and emotional investment in a person. It can kill a company and ruin morale if not dealt with properly and understood. That doesn’t mean being a rude either. It just means you should understand the bigger picture and your emotions and your employee’s emotions and dealing with them in a smart thought out manor.

IAM Group Limited Singapore helps out managers with a set of processes and guidelines to properly handle an employee’s resignation. People coming from far places like Yokohama Japan, Beijing China, Saigon, Vietnam and the likes are often strict about policies in their workplace. It is the main part of their life. Members from different parts of the world pitched in their opinions on matters how to make someone who is resigning felt welcome after they handed their letter. The group has been a great help so far and it is very helpful to read some of their newsletters if you are in middle management.