The World of Work

Author:? Joseph Jay Doway – Business Development Consultant – Head Hunter

People would ask me how I survived working for myself for so many years, and my answer would always be, that I got bored being within walls, adding ink stains to white paper.? Mind you, in my earlier years, I worked hard in the hotel and tourism industry, going from slave to supervisor of slaves.? As I grew older, I have watched enough romance movies on Hallmark to realize that the corporate world is not a very nice one, especially if you worked for individuals who had one agenda, “to please the board of directors” Today, many young people will tell you that they prefer working for themselves than working for a group of people who have more empathy.? All they see are dollars, profits, and a lavish lifestyle that is very empty.? Many of the Chief Executive Officers have no time for children or family.? Too much of their time is spent crunching numbers, belching orders or hosting meetings, that their only meal is a hot dog and coffee.?

My philosophy is that I would work for a corporation full time, no longer than 36 months, if I last that long. My ambition is always to work for myself, be flexible enough to spend time with family, take a vacation when I am ready, go to my desk and put in the hours required to get the job done. Let’s face it.? Working for yourself and earning your own money is a lot more rewarding that working with someone who is only concerned about their own wealth, of which you have to contribute hours to make them rich.? In most cases, they would never succeed without your input.? The Dhar Mann series has shown me that people don’t appreciate you, unless they themselves have love within their heart.? Their only interest is to take and take and drain all your resources and energy. The worst part is when promises are made that is you do this or that you will make partner in the firm.? Most of the times, the demands that would make you partner are very ruthless and if you make partners, then your life becomes theirs and these CEOs and Board members never allow you to forget how you got to the top.

Now, don’t get me wrong.? You can find great leadership in some corporations, few and far in between, but when you do, you can tell from the start.? There is a certain level of respect from the top, and that includes the fact that they recognize your ability, your efforts and the results you bring to the table.? Then there are the incentives for hard work, some of which includes well-earned bonuses, shared ownership in the business and recognition.? I have had the opportunity to work as a business development consultant for many corporations and I have outperformed their expectations, because our memorandum of understanding and or contractual agreements was acceptable.? In fact, just recently, I had been commissioned by a leading consulting engineering group as a Business Resources Consultant, mainly as a headhunter to find qualified key experts in the area of construction and engineering for the construction of a hotel. The task was short term, but very rewarding.? They engaged by services based on my performance in assisting them in preparing an Expression of Interest to bid on an airport project. Previous experience working with another company involved in airport projects also gave me an edge to be able to tap into my resources and select the team players for the project.? But I felt comfortable, because even though there was a deadline for the selection process, I was able connect the dots, which included finding other professionals, equipment leasing companies and homeowners. Point is, they allowed me to make the decisions and give me opinion and my assessment on the best way forward.

Of course, everyone cannot be an entrepreneur, but there has to be that aspiration, which would allow for the creation of more business and employment opportunities. Work is work, but it all depends on the conditions at the workplace.? It cannot be based on slave labor, where one has no time for themselves or family.? I believe that if I hire you, you should be allowed to perform and produce in an environment where you are excited to show up to work per schedule and feel rewarded for your performance.? I recall being a consultant with a law firm involved in real estate development and being thrown into a situation where we worked as a family, each one of us making a contribution to the development of the firm’s objectives and being able to wine and dine together at the end of each week at the firm’s expense.? The feeling was more than a team; it was a family affair which included the janitor to the CEO. ?

My 50 years of experience in the world of work taught me that there are different types of people with different outlooks on what employment is all about. The phenomenon I got to observe was that certain ethnic races treat workers with a certain level of respect, while some others would care less, once the job was done.? That experience taught me that when I start my own business, I will provide my staff with a working environment that they will appreciate as long as they have a goal.

My recent assignment taught me that within the English-speaking Caribbean has a need for more certified experts in engineering and construction, especially in the area of MEP (Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing) in construction.? We do have the persons with experience in those areas, but many of them are not certified in their skills. ?Major companies and their clients are interested in certified skilled experts.? It helps with the accountability aspects of the project.

I would advise our governments, our education boards (especially the Board of Directors) of the CXC and CCSEC to listen to the message on the need for skilled school leavers as delivered by Mr. Timothy N. J. Antoine, the Governor of the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank.? There is a need for Vocational skills to be taught in schools, subjects that will prepare our young people for a working world.? Nine and ten CXC / CSSEC subject’s certificates, with no skills or experience will just be that- certificates.