Finding Your Next Gig

As we stand on the cusp of entering a new financial year, the quest for finding your next gig becomes more critical than ever. The upcoming year brings with it a fresh set of targets and plans, poised to push the numbers northwards. However, resources remain tight, often getting trimmed by a few percentage points. It’s a period that demands from front-line managers a keen eye for identifying improvement areas and steering plans to fruition. This article aims to guide you through selecting action projects, ensuring your journey to your next gig is both successful and fulfilling. Let’s explore together how to navigate this pivotal time.

Embrace Popular Voting

Imagine a scenario where the direction of your team’s efforts is determined democratically, tapping into the collective wisdom of the group. Multi-voting stands out as a straightforward yet effective method to pinpoint an improvement project. It’s a process where team opinions shape the decision-making, rather than relying solely on hard data. By generating a list of potential projects and voting on them, the team gradually narrows down the options. The beauty of multi-voting is its ability to foster consensus and support for the final project, as every team member has a say in the selection. This approach is not only quick but also builds team unity and commitment towards the chosen project.

However, bypassing this strategy could mean overlooking valuable team insights, potentially leading to less effective project selection and reduced team engagement.

Listen to the Customer

In your quest for your next gig, never underestimate the power of customer feedback. A service or product that resonates with customer needs and wants is a surefire way to success. By actively seeking out what your customers feel is missing, you engage in a powerful strategy to identify improvement areas. Especially for departments like Human Resources and Finance, which might not interact with end customers regularly, this can be a goldmine of insights. When customers realize their feedback is shaping your service delivery, it not only delights them but also aligns your offerings more closely with their expectations.

Ignoring customer feedback, on the other hand, can lead to misaligned products and services, ultimately harming your brand’s reputation and customer satisfaction.

Study How Time is Used

Understanding how time is spent within your team or department can unveil inefficiencies and time wasters lurking beneath the surface. Conducting a simple time study can expose these issues, allowing you to tackle them head-on. However, proposing this method might meet resistance initially, as people fear their mistakes will be spotlighted. It’s crucial to assure everyone that the goal is to identify systemic issues, not individual shortcomings. This approach not only uncovers areas ripe for improvement but also fosters a culture of trust and transparency.

Failing to address how time is utilized can perpetuate inefficiencies, hindering your team’s ability to find and secure your next gig effectively.

Jappreet Sethi, a renowned HR leadership coach, wisely stated, “In the journey to your next gig, overlooking the collective wisdom of your team, the voice of your customer, or the silent tales of time spent, is like sailing without a compass.” This highlights the peril of neglecting these strategies, which could lead to misguided efforts, disengaged teams, and missed opportunities in aligning with customer expectations.

Moreover, Sethi emphasizes the importance of these approaches in building a product or service that customers love. “Ignoring these critical pathways is akin to building a bridge without understanding the terrain it crosses,” he remarks, underscoring the potential disconnect with market needs and inefficiencies that could have been avoided.
Conclusion

As we look forward to the new financial year, the path to finding your next gig is laden with opportunities and challenges. By embracing popular voting, listening to the customer, and studying time usage, you position yourself and your team for success. These strategies not only enhance efficiency and effectiveness but also ensure your efforts resonate with customer needs and team dynamics. Remember, the journey to your next gig is a collective endeavor, one that thrives on engagement, insight, and a keen understanding of where to direct your efforts.

Embark on this journey with an open mind and a committed heart, and the rewards will be both fulfilling and significant.

1 COMMENT

  1. Hey Jappreet, listening to customer is what needs to be done on large scale, I mean by every business person and company. It’s one simple trick to change the ROI and get better results, and also to outrun your competition. 🙂

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