Business leaders now claim that geography is now irrelevant to their activities. Labor migrates freely, good do as well, and thus the lowest price for any good or service wins no matter where the bid comes from. Companies now spend millions on single orders over the internet, without a single person-to-person conversation. The only voices associated with most companies now are those of paid spokespeople and actors.
At a time when posting a job opening online will get you applications from around the world, are people skills even relevant? The answer is a resounding “yes”: at the end of the day, someone is still designing the products, the web sites, and the materials for marketing.
And that one needs a proper environment in which to perform his or her job, not “even if” but “especially if” that person was born and raised somewhere else. Immigrants and guest workers are as much members of the corporate world as anyone else, but their special issues and hardships need close attention to bring out the most in them, and that means mental coaching. Mental coaching is an excellent way of bringing someone from a different culture into the team 100%, and it is one of the most important functions of human resource management nowadays.
Mental coaches are most widely associated with professional sports. Dr. John F. Murray developed the Mental Performance Index to analyze American football players, and also helped Vincent Spadea overcome one of the longest losing streaks in pro tennis history. However, mental coaching is just as helpful for anyone on any rung of the corporate ladder, from the CEO to the lowest salesman or engineer.
It costs a company tens of thousands of dollars to hire and train even a mid-level employee. Given the level of investment required to bring people in, shouldn’t you do everything you can to maximize their value? Mental coaches help most professional athletes, so why can’t they be effective in aiding your business professionals?
So while the world may well be “flat”, it is still populated with human beings, and human beings don’t perform at their peak potential without training and smart management. Companies are made up of people — something that is as true during the reign of Bill Gates as it was during that of Rockefeller, the Internet notwithstanding.
These days a job opening posted online easily fetches applications from around the world. A person needs a proper work environment, especially if that person was born and raised elsewhere. Immigrants and guest workers are integral members of the corporate world. Their special issues and hardships need close attention to bring out the most in them, and that requires mental coaching. This is an excellent way of bringing someone from a different culture into a team 100%, and is one of the most important functions of human resource management. The mental coaches help to maximize the value of employees. Such coaching is relevant for employees at every level.
– George Purdy