PRIME Recruitment Blog
Succeed, break paradigms in Latvia & other! Liquidify the market and ENTER HOPE!
I suppose it is a sign of us getting older and hopefully wiser that we start thinking of how should I have done, or when seeing how markets go over time for commodities you start seeing patterns, and thesame goes for decisions on an individual level - to get the optimal out of what you have, and in hindsight discover when you were right. -This is what prompts me to write this article and try to lead people in the region, to maybe one or two better decisions that could be game changers. I have also not seen many who either provide such ideas/thoughts/advise or attempts to analyse in concerted form, so I welcome us a chance to try as a paratroopers do - a moment of 'free fall', with the difference that this jump lasts much longer until 'when' you have the reference point needed to measure against! That happens when it hits its respective maturity date! - Would You know when? Exactly, nor do I...just later in life! The word is you need to RISK !
Living in such a small society and surroundings that I do, where the country is more represents a transfer point to others than a base for long term and steady development, it is important to use the resources of the land but also be very open to change. Because it is change that will define us and the adaptability to what the world has in store for a small country. Size as in 'Small is beautiful' allows opportunity, but if you're blind to it or deaf to intuition, gut feeling, chance and risk - maybe you should choose a safer occupation? Become a librarian...but be careful... books became CDs'... a parking lot manager - oops, computers came and automized or selling photos and copying into paper - no, that became stored in clouds or on your PC - and soon even the PC is extinct because it's in your smart phone ...and that went faster than ever!
-So how shall we then navigate this world where nothing stays for long? Or where behaviours become that of the group as in collectivism, and how to find your own path - especially now when we have so much peer pressure (look how alike we dress - BLACK, all must have a ruck-sack, no one wears ties e.g.,) and still have parents who expect so much from you, like in Japan? At least they know unlike Sweden, the importance the child has good education...but also that is taken too far...
1/ Do the opposite.
One of the ways you can bring yourself success is actually by paying attention, listening to advise - but not always taking it. You see what is a trend today is probably gone in a few years and then everyone is stuck with it - like an education for instance. If we all become lawyers or business students - there will be a shortage of... Plumbers, Civil Engineers, CnC operators/machine builders., competent Policemen and military staff. -GO Pluralism! Just 500 plumbers are needed in Stockholm I heard! And what happened to apprentice schools - we need good metal urgists, tin roof layer persons - but who failed to listen and provide? And why must each country have a copy of the other one's educational facility, when maybe we need pool our efforts and educate some things in Estonia, other in Lithuania and a 4th in Copenhagen? Use resources wisely!
Today people, especially the young seem to think the internet is the only solution and becoming a developer is the only well-paid alternative! But is it now? And what if girls only chose what girls should here in the Baltic states and the men move away - we will have a lack of certain competences - NOW identify to yourself which these could be? And are we all matematical geniouses, what happens without who can't compute? What will those do who drop out before finishing the first 9 years? And yet again, bear in mind when for instance the men in World War II went to fight at the front - that became, just like in World War I, an opportunity for women to join jobs and positions which previously had been 'men only': -Munitions producers, aircraft welders and riveters, farm workers driving tractors and why not Transport Command in the U.K., ferrying Bombers from factories in the U.S. and Spitfires in the U.K., to the front line stations so that the men could deliver 'the blow' to the enemy!
LEAN management came about also as a result of the conveyor belt at the Ford factory and the need to speed up and cut costs but also save (later) on waste! Also when stream-lining the production of B-17 Fortresses or Liberty ships, where the former, or the Liberator (B-24's) were churned out at the rate of 55 pcs per hour in one factory, and the latter ended up being built in three (3!) weeks instead of the usual 6-12 months! Someone had to take another's place, and suddenly after women receiving the right to vote in the 1910's and twenties, the wars are probably what changed their and our lives the fastest and the most ! -Imagine 'what if, if' hadn't happened?
- The same anology you need to think up and frankly look for in your chrystal ball for, and here are some tips already present. If we are looking firstly at the Baltics (but it applies to those countries also giving up their traditional jobs), in the first years upon their liberation (early 1990's), seamstresses and the sewing industry was the one that swallowed masses of people. -Look today and find that the factories largely have moved either further East or developed technically further like in the former NIC-countries (Malaysia, Korea - once, Indonesia). Viet Nam has moved up, soon Burma, maybe Bielorus, certainly Slovakia and Hungary did the same in steel production drawing also upon tradition again in munitions production Tjeckoslovakia revelled in during its time, or seeing the production of ships leave Sweden and go to South Korea and India, except for very specialized producers in Germany (cruise ships), Finland (previousy ice-breakers at Wartsila) or Norway - with its marine industry -unique...but now moving East...
The answer to do the opposite is not as easy as it sounds - but if we use history in Latvia, the first years upon regaining freedom led to almost no one graduating in Construction, losing us largely a whole decade of engineers, and no demand for development engineers in production - there are things to learn! (-The only ones accessible were in the old assembly factories for IT equipment stolen over from the West and copied by the Soviets). THUS here is the first: Construction specialists - and speaking ENGLISH or other foreign languages. Existing now - approximately ZERO but at local labour costs (if looking into comparison)... And many workers and craftsmen with neither language skills nor any theoretical as regards business administration.
2/ READ the signs...and sniff out the changes coming
Finance people are another group of people. With the computerization of analytics in finance, accounting - stock and warehousing, logistics even - systems for the management its called CRM or ERP. What do we do with all those accountants? Financial officers trained to be from schools of Economics and other? - Well, we could see more in-sourcing to Latvia of traditional jobs in the former Western Europe as one example - but then what fails a small country again is lack of proper ENGLISH - despite decent labour costs....and so it is seen to move even further East - with Statoil sourcing functions out to China PROC or Poland! They're not better in English there - but at what? Cost, perhaps? More people available and thus choice? Better schooling? Harassment by authorities or the lack of imagination of incentives? Or the education levels needed and amount of people with foreign experience? -Find out quickly!
The education of physicians! Here Latvia has got it right - only it forgot to pay people when they got jobs upon graduation and the practise all need to gain a diploma. The answer is produce physicians and dentists for other countries and rent and sell!
Same is with aircraft repair! BRILLIANT Latvian technicians - SELL the idea of Latvia as a world hub and cooperate with brains from your closest neighboors if not enough ourselves. Keep our best here!! That will have spin-offs later, just like space travel has produced fire hardened products for Corning cook ware, or militay needs have led to being able to produce foodstuffs that last!
3/ Study differently to what is the trend -languages, education
China is on the move and so is Islam. How many 'Gramat Vedes' sorry Accountants do we have who speak Mandarin (Chinese dialect) . ONE, I think and only then very fundamental such. Is this representing an opportunity???? Why are Chinese settling in farms all over the country and why is this happening so quietly? Maybe we should ask more to come???!! The answer is the EU. Space, access and they know how to work - so how can we tap into that? Education? CHINESE!
What are we doing on Arab speakers? Or Japanese? Or Hebrew? -One very smart American company here has via the local management understood to tap into the minds of the well-educated young who speak languages..., who have found education here cheaper and better but after finding a spouse also they want to stay... and so the organisation sells the services they produce at competitive prices.to the world market.. Again allowing people to be different and not forcing them to speak the State language but trying to KEEP THEM HERE but by INVITING them to...!:)
4/ See opportunities where others don't!
Belarus - the last out post in Europe! -Maybe the wars'situation in the Middle East is an opportunity to in 'Calm Eastern Europe' produce things here away from bombs and rockets over Israel? Or maybe the opposite - people unemployed in the Palestinian world if having proper jobs placed THERE we may see work long term for a more stable peace... as shelling other is suddenly less interesting and thus fewer becoming victims of militant groups because they found new ways to contribute to society? Maybe all we see today is really about ENVY and being LEFT OUT without any real alternative? And little to compare with and to motivate by? WHO will be first to TRY investing THERE?!
Spanish is one of the fastest growing languages and no.2 after English in the USA. Opportunity?
Attract teachers of languages&business&technology, who upgrade the whole country making us the golden pot of educational training at lower cost than elsewhere! And churn out NEW people who can help the country's economy to grow - make a contract with them - free language training and 50% off on education costs - paid by the state but take 10% annually for 'x' years as pay-back to the State!
Tourism - the most money-making one is on events management (?)AND golf . The latter paying well, in advance, not boozing to much to cost the host country, but quick transfer to/from the airport, staying in their hotels except a bus ride or two? Or flying with the Baltic Bees http://www.balticbees.com/ a t 1600 EUR / time unit? And fly a famous MIG or Sukhoi in Moscow? Or pushing for more out door tourism, leadership training that my friend Oskars runs in Liepaja - that is what the tourists want. Fresh air health and untouched nature... but no body seems to support our entrepreneurs! With 400-700K of just Swedish golfers out of a 9.5-million population - Get on with it! Talk toEaston Golf http://www.eastongolf.se/ who send people to Bulgaria, Hungary, and Czechia! Why not to exotic Lithuania and Latvia, and why only a second- grade ferry system here? Or on dirty warn-out ferries to Klaipeda? -That when BOTH countries are so beautiful and have so much to offer we send a truly ODD message...
5/ Take up on opportunities offered.
Some times we don't see opportunities even when just in front of us. OR like here we are so proctective about what we have got we don't want even the competence of those who can to be used at price they deserve, so we do all by ourselves and kill our own market? Maybe sometimes we need take a job at lower value to later on increase prices when we are better financed? Our PRIDE stops us so often HERE. Make money on it instead! Because everyone runs like chickens to do everyone's job, or copy another person's idea instead of buying it and focus on on growth, we find ourselves losing TIME, REVENUE and NEW ideas based on the previous and newly gained experience, plus what a stopper it is to initiatives in the market! -Pay better, and gain, and use, the same money more times PER TIME UNIT. Liquidify the local market and encourage one another but follow the law - don't cheat and PAY your Taxes! Compete on skills not on cheating... that negative attitude drives investments aimed for here to our neighboors...! Or to warmer far- away-countries... !
6/ When given a job offer where you don't know HOW - the classic - SAY 'yes' first, THEN learn the job! On the job. Employ talent and mentor and support, rotate people abroad! Don't be envious or skaudiigs! Splinter in competence on various levels and change costly local attitudes. Send VID-people (IRS) abroad for training to see things differently, attract and motivate differently, demand competence and pay key positions well. Have a job offer that disturbs the pattern or if you don't know 'HOW' - just Say 'yes' and figure out later! Invest in your staff - you can afford it! But set goals and make individual performance contracts and connect to remuneration. Be DIFFERENT. Advertise differently, be fun and act a leader! Stand out! Paint your factory ORANGE! No one wants the grey drabness of the Soviet Union back and do the same with the dreaful suburbs! Sell public housing at $1 and let the flat-owners take over but with a performance-based incentives & motivation system!
All these things are just a few examples - I am sure you have seen other things too. Put pressure on your politicians, vote them out of office and demand results, and frankly set their salaries against performance or change and fire! Don't excuse bad behaviour, punish it, WAKE up - soon we have no choice but to ask everyone else to live here - INSTEAD stay in charge of what you want and Make IT Happen! INSPIRE. LEAD ! YOU can do it!
Maybe even set up systems so we can run prisons for western Europe for less cost or Refugee camps! Make money, we have space! USE the opportunity. Act SMARTER!
And lastly someone has told entrepreneusr and people here that pay-back happens in 1-2 years. It doesn't! When I came here I spent weeks explaining to the tax people that profit might only come after 2-3 years, probably only in FIVE, and until then I needed their support. The banks are not doing their jobs not even offering a lousy 500 EUR credit when starting up! Find a way to finance this, and soon or put them out of business! In Britain companies are helped to set up by the City and even given cheaper premises, tax discounts like in Ireland!
Time also to kill the system where a start up person has to pay him-/-herself a salary when the money is needed for marketing and training and growth! Profit is not just around the corner, it takes years to build and have steady income. STAY with it no matter what and don't listen to short-sighted, foolish advise - follow your own path! Build your NAME - as in Reliability, RESILIENCE, RETURNING and RESULTS!
Want solutions to classis problems? PRIME Recruitment should be your answer to finding people that produce? That's what we do for our clients. We match, we place and they perform! www.prime.lv AND for language training www.svesvalodukursi.lv by people who speak mother tongue ! WELCOME to change!
