April 6th, 2023
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I spoke about this AI-Led Company that has been raking in thousands of dollars in revenue barely a week after starting in a past edition of the WorkShift weekly. 19 days after, here’s their progress report.
Turns out NetDragon Websoft, a Hong Kong-based online gaming firm with $2.1B in annual revenue was early to this AI party. And in less than one year since Yu’s (the AI’s name) appointment, the company has outperformed Hong Kong’s stock market.
More about this sizzling story as you read on 😁
In Today’s Edition
- Transform Underperformers into Superstars
- The New Rules of Hiring Right in 2023
- From being Forced to Resign to Building a Multi-Billion Dollar Startup
- Should we Automate the CEO?
Transform Underperformers into Superstars
In our last edition of the WorkShift Weekly, we explored reasons for team underperformance. Addressing underperformance can be sensitive, but it's an opportunity to empower your team. Neglecting it can lead to poor performance and organizational instability, increasing employee turnover costs.
By approaching underperformers with the right mindset, focus, and support, you can help them overcome their challenges and ultimately transform into star performers.
I found these inspiring stories of leaders who dealt with underperformers and I’ll highlight key lessons learned;
- Story 1: There and back again, turning an A Player into a B Player
At a past company, a small remote team relied on email and calls to stay connected.
One of their best team members started to disengage, and after discussing their recent work, the leaders realized they hadn't checked in with her in months.
Taking responsibility, one leader apologized and scheduled a 1-on-1. They learned the team member's interests had shifted and she had different long-term goals, leading to a few small changes.
After just two 1-on-1s, the team member showed their past enthusiasm and quality work again.
Lesson: Your high-performers can underperform too! It’s up to you to constantly check in with your team to ensure you’re still on the same page and that they’re engaged.
Give them the chance to air their concerns, express their ideas and do amazing work that makes them happy and also achieves your company goals.
- Story 2: How a missed phone call made a great impression
“One day, my father was meeting privately in his office with a staff member. They were discussing a number of issues important to them when the phone rang.
My father ignored it.
After 3 rings, she looked at him and asked, "Aren't you going to get that?"
He paused, and remarked, "No. I don't know whether that call is important or not, but it can wait. I do know this meeting is important."
Feeling valued, she got a big smile and they continued the conversation with new energy.”
Lesson: How you respond to things and what you pay attention to matter to your team. If you prioritize distractions over your team during meetings, they may feel undervalued and hesitant to communicate with you. Conversely, valuing your time with them can lead to stronger communication, engagement, and ultimately - performance
These are great lessons on how humanizing your workplace environment for your team can make them able to communicate their shortcomings, feel valued, engaged and enthusiastic to perform better at their jobs.
But you’re dealing with people and this is just one way to go. So, I compiled a list of helpful resources from our blog that can help you tackle the common concerns with underperforming team members and how to tackle them.
- 7 Proven Trainings for Enhancing Employee Engagement
- How to make your employees enjoy work
- A Guide to Recognition and Rewards for Employee Engagement
- Common HR Challenges & How to Conquer Them
SPECIAL FEATURE
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CORPORATE CULTURE AND TEAMS
The New Rules of Hiring Right in 2023
Attracting top talent is one thing, but being able to identify and select the best candidates from a pool of applicants requires a different skill set. Our team conducted a thorough case study on two African startups, Sabi and Remotepass, and documented our findings, along with valuable recruitment insights, in a FREE guide on how to consistently hire top talent.
AS SEEN ON TWITTER
From being Forced to Resign to Building a Multi-Billion Dollar Startup
Twitter has become a school with endless resources, every week I will be sharing useful tweets that will be beneficial to you as you continue to build amazing products. Click on the images to view the thread.
FROM THE LEADER’S LIBRARY
Should we Automate the CEO?
Last August, NetDragon Websoft — a Hong Kong-based online gaming firm with $2.1B in annual revenue — appointed a CEO to helm its flagship subsidiary.
The new chief, Tang Yu, was responsible for all of the typical duties of a company figurehead: reviewing high-level analytics, making leadership decisions, assessing risks, and fostering an efficient workplace.
She worked 24/7, didn’t sleep, and was compensated $0 per year.
MEME OF THE WEEK
AI TOOLS OF THE WEEK
AI Tools you should be using to make your work easier
Interview AI - Conduct Better Interviews With AI-Powered Questions
Genie PM - Make Your Product Wishes Come True
Fry my deck - Train your pitch with questions from Silicon Valley's best investors and VCs
Luna AI - Create better LinkedIn content 10x faster with AI
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
Management isn't some skill like drawing where you can just practice in isolation for hours and hours on end. You need to have the opportunity to be stretched in certain situations in order to learn and grow."
- Julie Zhuo, Former Product Design VP at Facebook
ABOUT CAREERBUDDY
Hire Smarter, Not Harder
At CareerBuddy, we make hiring seamless for fast-growing companies, we pride ourselves on knowing the best people that will excel in a Startup. With a candidate retention rate of 90.3%, it is safe to say “We are the best in the game for Startup hiring in Africa”.
We have worked with our partners to hire both for Technical and Non-Technical roles, we have also helped them with expansion in Africa. Some of our clients include Bamboo Invest, Helium Health, Cassbana, Cadana, Fincra, CrowdForce, Casava, TeamApt, Sabi, etc.
Are you hiring at the moment? Contact us