Christian Espinosa, Christian, a US Air Force veteran, is the founder and CEO of Alpine Security, a cyber security engineer and a certified high-performance coach. He has worked as a University Professor, Network & Systems Engineer, a White Hat Hacker, Trainer, Consultant and an Entrepreneur in the cyber security industry since 1993. Christian is also a speaker, coach, and trainer in the Secure methodology,
Brian Kennedy, Brian (retired manager) and mentor with 35 years experience leading large teams of people, across several industries and jurisdictions, to meet their business and personal goals. A dedicated Coach and Mentor, Brian is also an advocate on Wellbeing and Motivational speaker to corporate wellness programmes on the importance of Positive Mental Health in reaching your Personal and Business goals.
Questions for you to consider.
Are staff being looked after emotionally in today’s workplace?
Good mental health at work and good management go hand in hand and there is strong evidence that workplaces with high levels of mental wellbeing are more productive. Addressing wellbeing at work has a huge impact on productivity and creates a more harmonious working environment.
Is the concern of the emotional wellbeing of employees a new objective or is something that has been part of the corporate culture for a number of years but has been overlooked?
The tech space is a demanding environment: what measures are companies putting in place to ensure that the emotional wellbeing of employees are managed and what do you advise your clients in this regard?
Different industries attract different people: do you believe that there is a common theme – one size fits all – in the approach that companies take in measuring the mental health requirements of their staff or is it something that is tailored accordingly depending on the industry?
Emotional wellbeing and mental health issues are taboo subjects in certain industries: investment banks, for example, recruit strong, aggressive employees and whilst we have seen certain investment banks promoting wellbeing initiatives and reaching out to employees, when the bottom line is all that matters, how sincere is this?
Considering the new responsibilities that companies have towards their staff concerning their emotional wellbeing, do you believe that companies are adopting a different approach to recruitment?
Depending on the industry, certain elements of an individuals role involves stress inducing tasks particularly considering deadlines etc. Are you finding that employers are tailoring roles that are suited to the certain emotions of potential employees?
This is a team effort – we all have a duty in ensuring that our colleagues are working in a good place both physically and emotionally. This may cause issues among colleagues concerning the protection of their own jobs. How can employers work to overcome these issues?
What new skills do managers need to have?
The skills required by managers have changed considerably in the last 20 years. The aggressive, management tyrant is very much a thing of the past. Certain skills are still a requirement – technical, conceptual interpersonal and communication and above all, leadership but a new range of skills are now key to leading a successful team and some of them are not taught at business school.
The employee market has changed considerably over the last 20 years with graduates demonstrating softer skills in addition to required abilities. Managers seem to be adapting their management approach to accommodate. What are the positives regarding this?
In addition to the business school favourites, what do you consider to be the new skills that every manager should have in order to succeed and are they natural skills and can they be taught at business school?
What changes have you seen in the attributes of managers and have you seen a progression whereby managers have changed the way they manage in order to suit a new type of employee?
A caring and attentive manager is necessary for any company or organization to grow, and it will also motivate the employees to work harder. This will increase the company output and productivity. How true is this statement?
It’s not just about being caring and compassionate towards your staff so what other skills outside of the soft requirements do managers need in order to succeed?
Do you think the management structure is changing in the corporate sphere to accommodate these skills?
The workplace has become more multi national and technologically advanced: to succeed, the modern manager needs to be more culturally aware with an advanced understanding of technology than was required 10 years ago. How true is this and can allowances be made for managers of a certain age?
US business schools have internationally developed programmes and graduates of these programmes become future business leaders in major international corporations. With management positions becoming more demanding and multi faceted, do you see a time when business graduates will simply seek well paid roles without the management responsibility?
The 21st Century manager is a new(ish) concept in terms as to how we manage. How well is it being embraced by companies and is this reflected in their training requirements and hiring habits?