Fullah Musu Conteh - The Human Capital Consultants

31/08/2018

In 2016, our working relationship with Sierra Leone renowned story teller and curator of African stories Usifu Jalloh started when we worked together to mix data and corporate language with celebrated African stories to highlight the state of Sierra Leone’s human capital, with emphasis on TVET at the British Council.

Since then Usifu has collaborated with us on several projects that combine Learning and Development, Change Management and Organisational Development rhetoric and tools with relating African stories, stories that showcases the ‘what if’ if the tools are not appropriately appplied within the context of an organisation operating in Africa.

These fun and interactive collaborations has lead to a partnership between us and Usifu Jalloh.

Learning and Development (Training and Development)for us as always should be creative, engaging, fun, rooted in African traditions/stories, and transformative.

17/08/2018

One of my former MBA students reached out to me recently asking for tips on starting their own HR consultancy - amongst other pointers I gave them, I emphasised on a recently read four tips of ‘Managing Expectations’ - something that I have had to learn in my 14 years experience as an HR professional/Consultant around the world.

Although these tips were given to a budding HR consultant in Sierra Leone, I find they are applicable anywhere in the world, as a service provider managing clients expectations.

Failing to set clear expectations could damage your reputation and prevent you from securing future contracts - part of our end-game as service providers after-all is for our client to praise our abilities, and then recommend us to others.

1) Underpromise and overdeliver

The expression “He who expects little is seldom disappointed” is certainly applicable to your role as a Consultant. It's all too easy to promise the world in the hope of securing your next contract - but just as easy to break that promise. You should aim to set attainable, manageable actions from the very first interaction with your client. Don’t make false statements and oversell your abilities, it will only come back to haunt you when your client complains that you are not able to deliver.

2) Always communicate and address any problems directly

Throughout the entirety of your contract, it's important to focus on constant, thorough and open communication. Frequent communication allows clients to air any frustrations that may arise and allows you to realign your goals and promises in line with what they truly want from you. If your client feels that you aren’t meeting expectations, but you fail to get this feedback from them, it can quickly become a point of contention that may jeopardise your relationship.

3) Outline that you work together - not separately
Part of ensuring that your clients maintain realistic and appropriate expectations is to make sure that they completely understand the terms of the project. To reach this point, sit down with your clients early on in the process and ensure you are both willing to be open and honest about what needs to be achieved.

This collaboration helps to ensure that your clients have the opportunity to clearly outline their needs. It gives you the chance to clearly communicate your abilities and any restrictions so that you don’t oversell yourself and helps to make sure all parties fully understand each other’s expectations.

4) Listen and don't make assumptions

In some circumstances, clients may be unable to articulate what they want to achieve. Therefore, it's important that you ask questions at every opportunity and develop excellent listening skills so you can try to identify their messages.

Repeat what you believe they want you to deliver and confirm in writing what you’ve agreed to from your conversations. A discrepancy during your initial discussions could undermine their expectations in the future.

10/08/2018

Are you an international organisation? Are you a Central government organisation?

Does your organisation engage in Graduate Recruitment practices from HQ?

Is HQ align with the various local cultures?

From experience, I find this an insightful article discussing the importance of shaping talent to align with global best practices regardless of where an organisation operates - I believe this also applies to central governments in Africa with operating branches in towns/villages outside the capital.

"...While some organisations are firmly committed to a very definite corporate culture, guidance from other firms is often vague, with central teams even turning a ‘blind eye’ to actions of local operators. However, all agreed there needs to be tailoring of messages, and their delivery, to take into account local cultures, regulatory environments and education systems."

Global organisations must combine centralised command with local delivery if they are to effectively engage top graduate talent.

04/08/2018

As strong advocates for , including supporting international companies with their Local Content, and Talent Management policies that enhances localisation practices - I find this article insightful - if Africa wants sustainable growth, she needs localisation.



“Summed up, localisation to me means: having a global mindset with a local heart. True economic growth isn’t achieved by superficially working towards localisation.

Localisation is critical for businesses wanting to achieve sustainable growth in Africa. Yet, when we talk about localisation we must be careful not to approach it superficially, as I mention in my interview below and in this article.

One might look for examples of localisation in contexts such as black economic empowerment like in South Africa, achieving quotas set by affirmative action. There’s also an understanding of a type of localisation that seeks to appease the political class in a particular country. Not to take anything away from those approaches but to copy them (in other African contexts) may be missing the point.

An all-rounded and whole-hearted approach must be taken. Only when companies see localisation as efforts to making local strategic partnerships, or investing and empowering locally, are we creating a runway for sustainable growth.”

Vishal Agarwal provides three keys to succeeding at localisation in Africa.

03/08/2018

“A few moments after saying goodbye to a potential candidate, a woman entered the store and asked for the owners. She then identified herself as the candidate’s mother and told me she was there without her child knowing. She then aggressively told me why I should hire her child to work for our store. As strong as that candidate might have been, all I could think about was if I hired them I would have to deal with the mum, as well. As I recall, the candidate was 21 years old! We chose a different candidate.” John from Stanwood, Washington

As an HR professional, you’ve no doubt had some strange experiences in the interview room. Check out these tales of hijinks and hilarity.

01/08/2018

Hello All,

Since our last post on the 22nd of November 2016, there has been significant changes to our business model:

Change 1 - Name change to Fullah Musu Conteh - The Human Capital Consultant - waiting for FB to approve the changes.

Change 2 - you get to see the face behind these bespoke services and page.

Change 3 - expansion of services to include more countries in the MEA region, with emphasis in Africa in particular.

Change 4 - some amazing partnerships to be announced soon.

Change 5 - more interaction between Fullah, the owner of this business and page, and the page followers.

New beginnings, and a new month, may it be kind to us all, as we expand.

22/11/2016

Having more women in leadership positions is good for everyone?

https://www.bustle.com/articles/186411-5-reasons-having-more-women-in-leadership-positions-is-good-for-everyone?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=owned&utm_campaign=feminismbustle

Well, the 2016 edition of the Women in the Workplace study is out, and it confirms what I — and likely many others — already knew about gender in the workplace: Men and women may walk the same corridors and sit at the same desks, but our experiences

07/11/2016

When you’re laser-focused on growing your company, you can’t hire just anyone.

You need a team of all-stars — people who can take your business to the next level and help shape the kind of organization you want to become.

“If each of us hires people who are smaller than we are, we shall become a company of dwarfs,” said the original “Mad Man,” David Ogilvy. “But if each of us hires people who are bigger than we are, we shall become a company of giants."

When you’re laser-focused on growing your company, you can’t hire just anyone.

14/09/2016

TVET or not TVET?

http://www.ftinsight.net/news/tvet-or-not-tvet

The Insight news page is a news and opinion forum for our readers. Send submissions to [email protected]

12/08/2016

How do we maintain personal control in the face of business expansion?

Fullah: Know and understand your strengths and weakness.

Once you do, find ways or people who can help close that gap. For example, I am a transformational person and monotony bores me to distraction. Owing to this, I do not consider myself a sales person as I am terrible at selling my organization’s new products and services. To address this weakness, I have a strong team consisting of a competent operations person and a passionate business development individual. I design products and services while the operations person follows through with implementation. The role of the business development individual is to get clients while I work quietly behind the scenes to make us all happy.

Human resources can be hard to navigate. Two Sierra Leonean professionals, Edleen B. Elba and Fullah Musu Conteh give their advice on HR in Africa.

15/02/2016

TV-PG will be supporting CLAS Consult (http://www.clasconsult.com/) in 2016 with a monthly HR Clinic.

A year long CLAS CSR Project, with the aim of tapping into HR and Legal experts to provide free services for employers and employees at the monthly clinic.

The aim is to collate statistics that can be shared with the Ministry of Labour, Trade and other interested parties in widening the national HR dialogue in Sierra Leone, and also possibly be utilised in shaping national HR agenda.

Please do register on the contact details provided on the flyer if you're an employer or employee interested in the HR Clinic supporting you become a more aware employer, or empowered employee.

15/02/2016

Sierra Leone was declared Ebola free on 7th November 2015.

Earlier this year we experienced a challenge in maintaining ZERO.

That challenge has been met full on by the Human Capital of Sierra Leone and Sierra Leone global friends.

In light of the amazing work that people did in fighting Ebola, and in light of what NERRD's core skills are, and the need to highlight people opportunities and challenges in Sierra Leone, NERRD is now changed to The Village People Group - www.tv-pg.com.

This page will adhere to be the one stop shop for all Human Capital information in Sierra Leone.

We will share HR information covering legislation, policies, guidelines, systems and vacancies.

Identifying people that are shaping Sierra Leone's human capital will also be done.

The main purpose of this is to drive HR awareness, showcase hard to fill jobs, and widening the national dialogue on Sierra Leone human capital.

You tell us the talents you want; we work closely with you to provide viable customise talent hiring solutions to meet your business objectives. Whether recruitment consulting, RPO, or contingent workforce solutions.