Amitabh Sharma
Features Coordinator

Sheree Martin, senior assistant general manager, Group Marketing and Communications Division, National Commercial Bank Jamaica Limited, is one of the few people who has built her career in the organization where she started out.

In her 15 years at the bank she has been in different roles, exhibiting and executing her creative and leadership traits. She speaks with Jobsmart, on her experiences and the expectations from the young recruits.

Experiences
My expectation from the organisation was along the designated path, I joined as a management trainee and moved up. I was lucky that I got the kind of managers along the way who, by design or default, gave a lot of freedom of expression. I was given a chance to be creative and bring new ideas to the table.

Working in one organisation has not been a disadvantage for me. I believe that I have to got a greater adaptability as opposed to people who see their jobs as ‘quickies’, where they are inclined to move from one place to the other. If the movement is frequent, they tend not to be focused on holding their jobs.

Retaining talent
We are all aware that it is becoming difficult to retain talent; the key is to groom them. They should be enriched with knowledge and should be empowered to take up new responsibilities. There is a thrust on talent management at present, in which knowledge transfer holds the key.

Dual strategy
It is imperative to understand that we are living in times where most of the youngsters are from the ‘jeans and I-pod’ types. If that is the talent pool then we have to work with them and groom them. The critical question is how to facilitate this talent pool. But the youngsters need to understand that there is a limit to casual approach.
Discipline is important, they should realise that the university is behind them, this is the world of work and there are certain rules to be followed.

Essentials
From my experiences there are some essentials that the youngsters should keep in mind.
They should remember three things:

• Be willing to learn (it is the age of life long learning)


• Impart that knowledge to others


• Grow in their jobs

What else is there? The purpose of joining a job is to grow and they should add value to whatever they are doing. You should be analytical and creative, which means that you have to use both parts of your brain.

It has become increasing essential to weigh the impact of our actions, whatever we do is measured in terms of what it means to the bottom line of a company.

Mentoring and growth
One has to be a team player in today’s world and, as we have to assume roles as mentors. It is essential that one be well versed with the vision of the company, which should be passed on. We all make mistakes, the key is to learn from the mistakes and grow.

Education and social consciousness
Education is the conduit to make a better workforce; it should be the focus for development. Companies should and are investing in education in a strategic way. With technology at hand e learning has made training and education effective.

Education should also be used as a tool for bringing social awareness. We have to realise that we are living in a world and not zombies.

Taking a lead
You should take initiatives and moot ideas; these could be things that are which are not in your job profile. I remember when I was a management trainee in the Half Way Tree branch; I noticed that the customers did not have any clear indication on where to go. I approached the manager and gave a suggestion of setting up a customer services desk. This was project implemented and resulted eased the flow of customers and considerably reduced the time taken to transact their business.

Approach for youngsters
Those applying for jobs need a first degree, which is essential and mandatory. Once you have applied, passed the interview process and ready for the job, you should take the responsibility seriously. It is critical that one is nimble and open to change. There is no room for rigidity in today’s world, you should not be relying on what you have learnt and known.

amitabh.sharma@gleanerjm.com