By Diana Tapp, CEO of World Class Teams

Do you struggle to be more productive?

Today, businesses are expecting so much more productivity in the workplace. The expectations are that we can produce more and more, with fewer people, less time and lower cost.

Most of us believe that processes, tools and techniques are the answer to increasing productivity. But the real solution is something completely different.

Find out what that answer is in the quick video below, then start achieving more every day.

Do You Want World Class Leaders At ALL Levels In Your Business?

Enquire about World Class Teams’ Leadership Accelerator. This six-month open program is made up of 12 x 2-hour live online workshops, designed to rapidly upskill your Middle Managers and create true leaders at ALL levels of your business.

Want To Know More?

• Delivered by Diana Tapp from World Class Teams
• Download your free Leadership Accelerator course guide here
• Click here to submit your Expression of Interest, or
• Contact World Class Teams on 1300 085 248 or info@worldclassteams.com.au

The new year has been an exciting one for Metallum who is a relatively new business.

After surviving the effects of COVID, Metallum is excited to be part of many new projects in the manufacturing industry.

Over the past 3 months they have invested in new people across all facets of the business and continue to search for the right individuals to join their vastly growing company.

Metallum's mantra is:

“Fast and efficient lead times with top quality finish guaranteed“.

This, together with the relationships they have built with their clients, is what has led to their growth and success so far.

Below are some examples of Metallum's capabilities.

They are looking forward to continued success with new and existing clients into the second half of 2022 and beyond.

Seafood lovers are invited to join PARKROYAL Parramatta at their TABLE 30 restaurant and indulge in the freshest locally sourced, succulent seafood buffet with a live oyster cooking station and focus on oysters done your way!

To further tantalise your tastebuds, enjoy a variety of hot dishes, salads and a decadent dessert offering including an array of pastries and tarts.

All guests will receive complimentary parking and bookings of six or more adults will receive a complimentary bottle of wine.

Bookings are essential. Click here to reserve your table. 

For all enquiries, please speak to PARKROYAL's friendly team on +61 2 9685 0377 or email dining.prsyp@parkroyalhotels.com.

More details

• Available Saturday's only from 5th February 2022 to 9th April 2022
• Available only from 6:00pm to 9:00pm
• AUD89 per adult, AUD59 per young adult, AUD39 per child 12 years and under
• Complimentary bottle of wine for bookings of six or more adults
• Complimentary car parking

Terms and conditions

• Bookings essential.
• Not valid in conjunction with any other offer and is subject to availability.
• Car parking is subject to availability.
• A merchant service fee of 0.99% for Alipday, 1.25% for American Express, Visa, MasterCard, Union Pay and 3% for Diners and JCB will be applied to all credit card payments.

When it came to signing up to do the fundraising challenge Ks for Kids this year, Kylie Kelich didn’t have to think twice. She loves keeping fit, but she also knows better than most about the value of investing in research to improve the health of future generations.

“The journey for children impacted by genetic disease is somewhat unknown, but there is hope through research at Children’s Medical Research Institute to gain a clearer knowledge of what can be done to better help my kids and every other family hoping to find a cure for their own kids,’’ Kylie said.

Ks for Kids involves walking 60kms in March to raise money for genetic diseases and other conditions that impact the lives of 1 in 20 Australian children. The money raised goes into the labs at Children’s Medical Research Institute (CMRI) in Westmead.

Kylie immediately signed up for the inaugural Ks for Kids in 2021 because she has been a long-term supporter of CMRI. Both her children Addelyn and Ethan have been diagnosed with Capillary Malformation and Arteriovenous Malformation which are caused by a mutation in the RASA-1 gene. It impacts their vascular system, and the children can experience regular pain.

“We loved doing Ks for Kids as a family last year, because the kids could walk with me when they were feeling well enough, and it was great that they could be part of it,’’ Kylie said.

“Ks for Kids is a great idea because doing 60km over the whole month is pretty manageable for most people, and it is a great way to educate people about genetic disease and raise money for a great cause.’’

Many people think that genetic diseases are rare, but they account for 30% of children’s hospital admissions and can have lifelong impacts. Many also don’t realise that cancer is triggered by genetic changes, and genetic research is providing hope for cures.

To take part in Ks for Kids, all you need to do is register and commit to completing 60km over the entire month of March. Ask your friends to sponsor you to raise vital funds! It’s not too late to register, visit https://www.ksforkids.org.au/

By Chris Pearce, Executive Chairman, EV20 Consulting Group and former Toll Global Logistics President

When surveyed about business transformation priorities, 99% of a group of global business leaders said their people came before any process or technology change.

It is clear that these business leaders have previously bore the brunt of the war for talent and the cost of labour to know that their people are their number one asset. And yet, it is complex to put people first when you are rolling out strategic growth or change plans across an organisation. These changes are generally significant and are not simple tweaks to process.

Transformation projects, in their very nature, demand the collaboration of various business units and external consultants, as well as a variety of project managers at different business units. Timelines promised to shareholders are also measured carefully and diligently by project leaders. Visibility of every stage through the transformation process helps stakeholders communicate and consider their people and the communication required at each stage.

Let’s take a look at the different types of business transformation:

Business Process

Business process transformation is focussed mostly on the main process or function of the organisation, generally challenging the “norms” of how organisations run. Quite often mature organisations are still undertaking the same processes that were set up 20 years ago and are no longer efficient.

A project leader along with process engineers generally undertake these reviews and use sophisticated project management software to communicate the project plan, stages, and associated dependencies to internal stakeholders.

Management Transformation

A management transformation is often the biggest emotional challenge for organisations, as you are fundamentally challenging the leadership that exists. This will create angst and significant barriers that need to be removed.

A project leader (often a senior HR leader) and a HR team is brought on board to undertake performance appraisals over a long term, and challenge organisational structure. This normally includes succession planning.

Information or Digital Transformation

Digital transformations are probably the most popular transformation as organisations continue to keep pace with the market and their competitors. Often driven by the need to integrate with customer and suppliers systems, compete in digital markets, or manage the increased complexity driven by changed market conditions.

A project lead and a team of qualified IT professionals are appointed to review, propose, and implement new systems. A shared testing environment is crucial to the success of the project both with respect to collaboration and sticking to the project timeline. Project management software with inbuilt ticket systems for development is a powerful combination for any digital transformation project manager.

Cultural Change / Organisation Structure

Most organisations go through cultural change at varying levels. Significant cultural change programs take place where the aim is to fundamentally “change the way we do things here.” Whilst very expensive and many months of education is required, the effect to organisation performance can be profound.

Project leaders are often sponsored by the most senior people in the business, and will require a team of specialists to design the program and project plan and timeline.

Ultimately, every business transformation requires more than collaboration. It requires technical cooperation and shared platforms to ensure that the project manager and their plans overtly consider and prioritise people and communication channels. 

Sophisticated tools built within transformation plans must pay respect to the people and their skillsets, and mark out allocated tasks that relate to the bigger picture – not only for clarity but also task dependencies to ensure the project progresses along according to the timeline. 

Drive Lynx is a project management software portal that accelerates project performance.

Meet our Customer Success Team today during a product demonstration. Schedule here.

About the Author

Chris Pearce is an experienced senior executive professional who held senior positions in multinational organisations including Toll and PepsiCo.

Chris finished up as President/CEO for Toll Global Logistics after 16 years in various roles including Divisional General Manager and General Manager.

Before Toll, Chris held Southern Region Operations and Supply Chain Manager, while working at PepsiCo Australia & New Zealand for seven years. He also held the role of Northern Region Operations Manager, while working at Frito-Lay Australia for a year.

Chris now operates two businesses: EV20 Consulting Group and Jorson Technologies as well as providing senior level counselling to organisations.

www.ev20group.com

Are you an SME owner looking to grow your business in 2022?

In response to Australian companies looking for new ways to stay competitive in 2022, ChandlerWoods has expanded its portfolio of services. The Sydney-based agency now offers HR and recruitment consulting as well as executive coaching and a new CV makeover service called Resume Rescue.

Another way that ChandlerWoods is increasing its service capabilities is by integrating Refari, a global recruiting software platform used by over 400 organisations across Australia and New Zealand, into its online platforms.

“Businesses have been facing unprecedented changes on all fronts due to what’s been happening over the past two years, and HR is no exception”, says Melissa Powick, Director at ChandlerWoods and one of the team’s HR experts.

“For example, many businesses have also had to lay off workers, and HR must be properly equipped to handle the related restructuring, redundancy and severance issues. Additionally, many employees now work remotely, so developing systems for flexible working arrangements is more important than ever. ”

Michael Hamson, Director, Recruitment & Executive Search at ChandlerWoods also highlights the importance of keeping up-to-date with business recruitment trends.

“We’ve found that businesses are now having to be a lot more selective with who they interview and hire, but due to understaffing they are usually also working with less available time and resources,” says Michael.

“As such, many businesses are turning to recruitment specialists like ChandlerWoods to help them through the process”.

“This is a faster, more efficient way to find the right person for the job, and it’s perfect for businesses who need to fill positions quickly”.

ChandlerWoods' goal is to offer an all-inclusive solution for employers who need help managing their people requirements from recruitment through to training and development.

Founded in 1995, ChandlerWoods offers HR and Recruitment services to organisations of all sizes.

"We are excited to expand our service offering into key areas that many organisations need but don't have the resources or expertise within their own organisation," says Melissa.

"We're seeing an increase in demand for our services as companies are looking ahead at 2022," adds Michael. "ChandlerWoods offers a suite of HR and recruiting services for organisations experiencing growth but not necessarily at a size that requires a full-time, dedicated HR department."

ChandlerWoods offers a range of services from HR and recruitment consulting to executive coaching. Their team is made up of experienced professionals who are dedicated to helping your business succeed.

Looking to take your business to the next level in 2022?

ChandlerWoods is excited to offer a People and Culture assessment to 5 Connection Member businesses. This free 1-hour assessment will help you identify any areas of improvement and give you the tools you need to succeed.

Interested? Get in touch at info@chandlerwoods.com.au today to find out more.

It’s the start of a new year and Energy Action have got some webinars lined up for the first half of the year to help you keep up to date with the happenings of the energy market and to help your business reach their net zero goals at least cost. Both webinars include a Q&A session so you can have all your energy-related questions answered by experts.

Check out these webinars:

• Achieving Net Zero for Energy in 2022 – Join Energy Action’s own experts, Tony and Ed on the 17th March as they discuss the best options to get your business to Net Zero at least cost this year. They’ll be going over the latest methods available for you to reach your Business’ Net Zero goals, the financial benefits associated with going green and more.

• Open Energy Data – What it Means for Australian Businesses – Big changes are coming to the way we look at data within the energy market. Energy Action's Interim CEO Bruce and CIO, Clint will be joined by special guest speaker Jamie Leach from FDATA Australia to talk all about Open energy Data. Want to know more? Click here to check out more.

As always, feel free to contact Energy Action for the latest in the energy market on 1300 553 551 or via email at info@energyaction.com.au

NEC Australia (NEC) has today furthered its support to develop Greater Western Sydney into a region of the future with the announcement of a new partnership with leading Australian developer, Celestino.

Under a new memorandum of understanding (MoU) NEC will work closely with Celestino to explore opportunities to develop Celestino’s new Sydney Science Park into an internationally recognised epicentre for research, development, commercialisation and innovation in the heart of the Western Sydney Parkland City.

NEC Australia President and CEO, Mitsuhiro Murooka, said the opportunity to work so closely with Celestino on Sydney Science Park aligns exactly with NEC Australia’s ambitions and experience.

“This partnership underpins NEC Australia’s vision to create a sustainable, innovative and connected future. Working closely with Celestino will seek to create opportunities for NEC to demonstrate the power of our leading technology solutions and expertise across the education, health, smart cities and community safety sectors,” he said.

“NEC brings over 150 years of global expertise to the development of Western Sydney Parkland City and through our growing ecosystem of partners, which now includes the industry-leading Celestino, we can help shape a more connected, sustainable and smart future for Australia,” said Mr Mitsuhiro.

Together, NEC and Celestino will collaborate on the essential elements needed to create a sustainable, innovation ecosystem, while looking for opportunities to develop innovative new technologies and processes for a Smart City development at Sydney Science Park; pilot new products and services; and integrate NEC’s relevant products and services to deliver key elements of the Sydney Science Park Smart City Framework.

“An integral part of delivering the vision for Sydney Science Park will be through the establishment of strategic and collaborative partnerships with researchers, innovators and high-tech industries”, said Duncan Challen General Manager Business Development for Celestino.

“Collaborations with world leading technology companies such as NEC will play an important role in shaping the design, development and operation of a truly world class smart city”.

For further information or to hear how NEC can enable and innovate your technology future please contact Andrew Thompson, General Manager Chief Digital Office, NEC. Andrew.Thompson@nec.com.au

Join Ronald McDonald House Charities GWS for a round of golf on March 15 at one of Sydney's leading private golf clubs and help families with sick kids. 

Connect with other business leaders, while experiencing a world class par-72 championship golf course, nestled among 167 acres of open fairways and picturesque bushland.

RMHC GWS Golf Day Details

Date: Tuesday 15th 2022

Time: 12pm registration / 1pm shotgun start

Location: Castle Hill Country Club, 7 Spurway Drive, Norwest 

Cost: $180 per player OR $700 team of 4

Register: Click here to get your tickets or for further information.  

Businesses have had to do things differently for over two years now and that includes the way we connect with our colleagues.

With COVID continuing to greatly affect us in 2022, we will continue to see a geographically diverse workforce. With this comes teams who are struggling to connect and are feeling overwhelmed.

That’s where online team building activities can help.

Ronald McDonald House Charities at Westmead has created an exciting new online program – Cook + Connect. Cook & Connect gathers your colleagues together online, along with one of their talented chefs. Together they learn to cook a 3-course home-cooked meal which they can then get to enjoy with family and friends.

Not only will your staff connect with others and learn new skills, but they will also help seriously ill children and their families, when they need it the most..

Book here or email supportinggws@rmhc.org.au for more information.