About a week back, I attended quite an awesome talk on "How to make Generations X, Y and Zoomers Happy and Productive at Work?". The speaker was this awesome lady called Cheryl Cran (yes, we have the same name! How cool is that???) and she's a leadership consultant. I know most of you might be thinking, "What's that?" so I'm gonna try and put in my own words about what she does. Cheryl's job is to basically make both employers and employees change or adapt their leadership or communication styles so that the company as a whole can be taken to much greater heights. She does this by breaking down the different types of people working in the company, which is mainly the different generations of people within the company.
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| TMI Consultancy Sdn Bhd which stands for Transformation Managed with Inspiration. |
It was fun from the second Cheryl stood on stage! We had so much fun, and not to mention, I embarrassed myself by going up on stage and did the "Gangnam Style" in stilettos. Probably not exactly the smartest idea, but I'm so happy I did it. :) That was our so-called "warm up" session, getting to know each other and Cheryl enticing us with AWESOME music selections. We danced to songs like YMCA, Twist and of course, the one and only GANGNAM STYLE!
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| Me going ballistic when I heard the Gangnam song... :P (*embarrassing!*) Photo credits: TMI Consulting Sdn Bhd (Facebook) |
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| Cheryl and I doing the Gangnam Style dance... Kudos to PSY! Photo credits: TMI Consulting Sdn Bhd (Facebook) |
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| The set up on our tables. A folder for our notes, a TMI clapper, and name tag! |
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| DancerGal and her TMI clapper |
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| Cheryl speaking on inter-generational workplace Photo credits: TMI Consulting Sdn Bhd (Facebook) |
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| I was tempted to write "DancerGal", but I wasn't there as a blogger :P |
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| The awesome Sheryl and Cheryl combo! |
I can honestly say, I learned a lot about my own generation (Gen Y!) as well as the positive attributes about other generations and I am proud to be surrounded by people from all the generations, including the millennials. What really caught my interest was not only Cheryl's stage presence, but unlike many speakers, she wasn't boring at all. She admitted that she was a Zoomer with the attributes of a Gen Y and I totally agree! I also managed to do a quick email interview with her to learn more about her as well as what motivates her and some words of encouragement for us Gen Ys!
DancerGal (DG): From an economic and financial background, what encouraged and motivated you into getting into consultation and leadership training?
Cheryl: While I was in my career in banking and insurance I conducted training sessions and was speaking early on in my career. I was a leader at the age of 23 and found that I liked the constant learning and growth that came with leadership. When I left banking in 1994 I interned with a consulting firm and then was hired by an international seminar company to provide seminars on leadership. In 2001 I wrote my first book and my business has grown from there.
DG: Generally, those that read my blog would be from Gen Y. Would you have any advice for those of us who are struggling to find our passion?
Cheryl: What I admire about Gen Y is that they are really keen to do what they love, to stay positive with their work and to make a difference. I don't really have advice rather I would recommend that a Gen Y find a mentor in the field they are interested as well as do an internship to learn about the field. ( I don't have space to mentor as I have clients I do this with right now) Read the book "What Color Is Your Parachute" and get a skills analysis done by an employment agency. This will help determine the best way to use your skills and to find fields that are aligned with your skills.
DG: What would be the best and worst attributes of a Gen Y, since I am one myself?
Cheryl: Gen Y's are eager to get ahead and to contribute in a big way. The greatest thing about Gen Y's is their desire to help, to share ideas and to work as a group. The Gen Y's that I have worked with would benefit from learning to integrate their energy and passion with business results. Today's CEO's are still the Zoomers and Gen X and they are looking for Gen Y's who can provide technological ideas and creativity to help improve business. I find many Gen Y's could learn more about the business side of the company they are working for. In addition Gen Y's would be very smart to work positively with their Gen X or Zoomer bosses- a Gen Y who helps their boss looks good will always get ahead more quickly.
DG: Any words that you would like to extend to my readers or myself? :)
Cheryl: Staying positive is more than a mindset, it is a way of looking at life. Gen Y's are very important to our future, we need your energy, passion and technological savvy. Focus on building your interpersonal skills with the Gen X and Zoomer, focus on continual learning, read both business books and personal development books. Attend conferences and events where you can learn the 'how to's from successful leaders and business owners.
Thank you so much, Cheryl, for taking the time to answering questions for my blog. I truly appreciate the fact that she took the time to answering my questions. Learning more about one another's personal attributes and how we can contribute to our workplace and helping it grow as a whole was definitely a great experience and I will definitely take these lessons with me.
Thanks again to TMI Consultancy Sdn Bhd for having me at the event, and thanks again to Cheryl for opening my eyes to my own abilities and strengths!
I do hope that I get to dwell deeper into such topics and share more of it right here, on my blog!
Love always,
DancerGal Sheryl!
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