Although COVID definitely makes working and doing business more difficult in Zambia, the women entrepreneurs don't let themselves beaten by it. They do their utmost to keep their businesses running. The pillars of their, and every business, are the team members. Now, how do you support and strengthen them in their work? You guessed it right: focus on their talents!
"Finding the talent of my employees? Oops, am I able to do that?” was the first reaction of the Zambian Brilliant Entrepreneurs. They had not discussed this with their people before. It was quite a challenge. But, with an astonishing effect! Read their stories here.
"Mathilda really turned out to be an amazing ‘fixer’. Our problem was that we had bought 6,000 bags of manure that appeared to be of poor quality. We could not resell the manure to our farmers. Giving it back to the supplier was not an option. What a headache. Mathilda took ownership for the case. She discovered that fish farmers use manure as feed for their fish. Our manure! Ultimately, Mathilda sold all bags at cost price. We have not lost a single penny. We didn't know she was that good! "
"Our sales had gone down. Due to COVID people have less to spend and our fish is more expensive. Personally approaching customers is now difficult. We discovered that Mufalo is a great ‘motivator’. People have a soft spot for her. She was able to boost our sales by calling and motivating our customers to place orders. They even came to the farm to meet hér.”
In this way, the entrepreneurs have discovered many more wonderful talents. They are really baffled by their findings. Their team members can even do things better than themselves! This opens new possibilities.
There is a lot to discover in talent. Also in your immediate vicinity. Too often you look over it. Challenge yourself and discover the talent of someone close to you. How do you do that?
1. Observe the other person very closely for a few days and note what strikes you.
2. Listen carefully to the other person's words. What do you notice in this?
3. Consult yourself: what is the effect of the other person on me? Make that specific and give it a word.
Finally, take the time for a chat and explain to the other person what you have noticed.Come up with the best word for his or her talent. You will be amazed. And theother person too! Lots of fun!
