As a management educator & HRD practitioner, I always remind my students and staffers that “The economy grows, jobs are plentiful, and the market brings high returns to investors during the boom. Employees enjoy salary increase, bonuses & stock options. The economy shrinks, people lose their jobs, and investors lose money in the subsequent bust. It's a key characteristic of capitalist economies and is sometimes synonymous with the business cycle.”
Evidently, with the opening of KLGCC Mall in Bukit Kiara, Kuala Lumpur, with 90% of its retail space tenanted, thus employment opportunities arise for young people who are keen working in retail business. The case in point is a new & dynamic manager at the famous F&B outlet, El Ocho Mexican Eatery. It is a modern take on Mexican food, designed for Malaysian taste buds, bringing together the best of bold, spicy and taggy in every bite. Prior to being a manager, Izudin worked as “doer” or individual contributor: his primary responsibility was to perform specific task, as a frontline waiter/server or cashier. His contribution then depends primarily on what he do personally, drawing upon his own skills & actions. (https://www.klgcc.com; Instagram@elocho.my)
Currently, as a manager on the other hand, Izuddin said, “I must see myself as responsible for setting and implementing an agenda for the whole cafe. To use an orchestral analogy, I must move from concentrating on one task, as an accomplished violinist does, to coordinating the efforts of all the musicians, like a conductor. As a new manager, I'm seeing myself as a network builder and a leader is fundamentally different at what I was supposed to do before.”
It meant learning to frame problems in ways that were more broad, holistic, and long-term. It meant learning to cope with the stressed associated with his new position as well as discovering new ways to measure success & derive satisfaction from work. It meant evolving an entirely new professional identity.
Zulkifly Baharom (hajizul50@gmail.com) is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
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