Six highly successful and influential business leaders have been sharing their experiences and business advice with us. They have already shared what they think the essential skills managers need to have in order to be successful. Now they share their views on the skills employees need to support business success.
The scientist and Nobel prize winner Albert Einstein once said: "Try not to become a person of success, but rather try to become a person of value." So what skills and attributes do our six influential business leaders value most in their employees?
Be Willing to Learn
A key skill that CEO of Microlink PC, Nasser Siabi - OBE, identified was a willingness to learn.
“Ambition, a willingness to learn, to enjoy work and to share the vision and mission of the company” were important skills, he said, for employees to support business success.
Have Great Customer Service Skills
Worldwide 101 founder and CEO Sandra Lewis values employees with good customer service skills.
“When hiring” she said “I place a huge amount of emphasis on finding professionals with an innate sense of service who – no matter what – will consistently want to do good, resolve issues and take pride in a job well done.”
And why does she think customer service skills are so important?
“In a world where competition is fierce and consumers have billions of purchasing options, I believe that it’s that little extra which makes a brand extraordinary. At all levels of the organisation, hire employees who want to serve your customers with a little extra special care. That’s your winning team.”
Initiative & Creativity
Initiative and creativity are the most important skills Managing Director Flavilla Fongang looks for in her employees at 3 Colours Rule. “We operate in a very competitive environment” she said, adding “an enterprise should never be afraid to evolve to stay on top of its game.”
Teamwork
The most valuable employees according to CEO and founder of Uspaah, Iglika Ghouse, “Are the ones that are not afraid to take responsibility above and beyond their roles. The ones that challenge you and are constantly thinking about improving not just their own role but also the organisation as a whole.”
“Ambition, being proactive, teamwork and collaboration are” she said “key skills that employees should have to best support the business.”
Positivity & A Good Attitude
“I would have to say” said Rob Hill, CEO of the Eventa Group, “that hunger, passion and motivation are vital and, most importantly, to always be positive and have a good attitude!” This is because “Atmosphere is really important for us and we like to keep it cheerful in the office.”
This starts, he said, at the recruitment process. “We have quite a young, dynamic culture in the company and we always look for people who match this.”
So how can businesses attract the right people? This, according to Gemma Sandy, Director of Business Cost Saving, starts with the businesses leadership. They have, she said, responsibility for making sure the vision for the business is clear and any job specification is written in a way that will attract those who can get excited about being a part of the businesses' plans. Then, she said, you need to “Share this with applicants, together with long- and short-term goals, so they will know exactly what they’re buying into.” Because, she said “You only want employees who can enthusiastically adopt your vision and goals.”
Our Six Influential Business Leaders
Nasser Saibi, OBE – received his OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours for his outstanding work for people with disabilities and is CEO of the largest assistive technology provider MicroLink PC
Find Nasser on LinkedIn
Sandra Lewis - CEO of Worldwide101 which is a premium virtual assistants service operating in the US, Canada and Europe.
Find Sandra on LinkedIn
Flavilla Fongang – MD of London based branding and fashion agency 3 Colours Rule. Flavilla also writes regularly for the Huffington Post.
Find Flavilla on LinkedIn
Rob Hill - CEO of the Eventa Group and its three brands The Stag Company, Hen Heaven and Eventa. Rob was named one of the UK’s most outstanding entrepreneurs at the Growing Business Young Guns Awards in 2014.
Find Rob on LinkedIn
Iglika B. Ghouse - CEO and founder of Uspaah, a unique London based on-demand spa service.
Find Iglika on LinkedIn
Gemma Sandy – Director of Business Cost Saving, a specialist cost management brokerage.
See words of wisdom from our influential business leaders and read what they said about leadership and key management skills.
