JOBS: How to Maintain A Positive Mindset At Work
Your mindset is a set of beliefs that influence how you perceive the world and yourself. It has an impact on how you think, feels, and act in any given situation.
Leah Mukangai 
Before starting anything, you need to make up your mind on how you want the action to go through.
Positive thinking stimulates your brain, ensuring that it is functioning optimally. It also boosts your energy levels, making you more alert and capable of performing your duties. Positive thinking will help you think more clearly and focus better because it reduces stress.
Positivity in the workplace is more akin to optimistic realism, in which you recognize the negative and positive aspects of a situation but choose to focus on the positive. It also implies that you want to take meaningful action when something bad happens.
Positive people are easy to spot—they're the ones you enjoy spending time with. These employees are not distracted by minor inconveniences.
Here are a few tips that will help you to maintain a positive mindset at work.
1. Embressing self-care
For you to have a positive mindset, you must begin by practicing self-care so that you can transfer it to others around you.
As an individual, you should ensure that you practice healthy habits in order to maintain yourself. For example, you should have enough rest after work so that you are able to concentrate well during the day at work.
You can also maintain yourself by being able to take in healthy and balanced diet meals. This also helps in strengthening your body and giving you the energy that you need to put at work.
2. Evaluate your habits
Sometimes your habits might be leading you to have a negative mindset. You need to work on your daily habits because they slowly build up to form a lifestyle.
Spend some time thinking about how and why you process information. Then, gradually retrain your thinking habits to be more positive.
3. Surround yourself with positive people
Your surrounding always has a great impact on how you are able to process a lot of things. The happiness of others can lift your own spirits.
The more you are surrounded by people of a positive mindset the more you also begin to have a positive mindset.
4. Appreciating the good in life
Sometimes you might be experiencing difficulties in life and they might hinder you to have a positive mindset.
One thing you need to practice is appreciating the good things in life no matter how small they are. This makes you have a positive mindset and not only see the bad side of life but also the good things happening in your life.
Look for positive things going on around you and focus on them when you feel your positive attitude slipping. The love of your family and friends, the support of your coworkers, and even the beauty of nature can all boost your mood.
If you find yourself succumbing to negativity, consider whether your difficulties will be remembered in the future. This question can make problems seem smaller and provide you with the peace of mind you need to maintain a positive attitude.
Always ensure that you have a positive mindset so that you can able to see the fruits of your efforts progressing daily.
Here are some job samples in Kenya that you can apply for.
JOB 1: Marketing and Event Manager at Peoplelink Consultants Ltd
About Peoplelink Consultants Ltd
Peoplelink Consultants Ltd is a consultancy services company incorporated under the laws of Kenya. Our mission is to provide value-adding support services to our customers. The emphasis is on human resource recruitment, training, and development as well as outsourcing of labor and other services. Our customers include individuals, small and medium enterprises as well as large corporations.
MARKETING AND EVENTS MANAGER (Kshs48,000-50,000)
Our client, in the wellness and fitness industry, is looking for a candidate who is willing to learn and grow to join their team as a marketing and EVENTS MANAGER.
Duties and Responsibilities:
- Responsible for the delivery and evolution of the marketing strategy, working with South Fitness Limited’s management team.
- Coordinate market research to identify interest and uptake for current and future South Fitness Limited services to ensure the correct positioning of the company events and its associated services and/or brands are relevant to internal and external markets and programs it represents.
- Evaluate current trends, sector conditions, and competitor data to implement marketing plan alterations as needed.
- Execute these marketing plans, including the development of a range of marketing collateral, content, and campaigns, and include a focus on the effective use of social media and digital marketing tactics.
- Content management on the website and social media platforms, writing creative, engaging, and accurate content for the promotion of events and services, and ensuring brand values are demonstrated consistently through all communications.
- Work with colleagues to establish and use relevant branding and designs for event publicity.
- Take responsibility for delivering target numbers for events and projects through effective delivery of marketing/communication plans
- Compile briefs for the procurement of services to support the events.
- Measuring performance and taking pre-emptive/corrective actions as appropriate, and inform future plans
- Gather, analyze and present structured information for use by the Management Team and external stakeholders in corporate planning
- Manage the data lists within the service ensuring appropriate permissions are gained to market the services
- Actively identify marketing and promotion opportunities.
- Promote the South Fitness brand, policies, and core values.
- Deliver and organize all events and projects in a smooth and controlled manner, using the established event/project management process
- Research, liaise and negotiate with venues and other key suppliers to ensure the best prices.
- Research and liaise with suitable speakers, trainers, and facilitators for the events, ensuring content is topical, relevant, and engaging.
- Management of the quality assurance process for event and workshop programs
- Budget management
- Manage all venue bookings, catering, signage, and other technical suppliers
- Effective on-site management and control during set up, delivery, and set down for all events.
- Ensure robust client satisfaction and impact evaluation processes are in place for all events and support the creation of post-event evaluation reports
- Regularly monitor feedback relating to events and workshops and take appropriate actions ensuring continuous improvement in future event executions.
- Achieve revenue goals.
- Maintain good working relationships with existing clients previously to enhance client retention and new sales through referrals and references.
- Identify and develop new and existing referral sources to develop successful referring relationships.
- Actively identify and generate prospects through strategic sales strategies focusing on customers in target markets.
QUALIFICATIONS AND REQUIREMENTS:
- Bachelor’s degree in marketing or equivalent professional experience.
- Minimum of two years experience in marketing and events management.
- Experience in developing and managing external partnerships in the delivery of projects
- Demonstrable experience of running events from conception to competition
- Appreciation of the nature of accountability, ethics, targets, and outcomes
- Excellent communication skills both oral and written as well as great interpersonal communication skills, and the ability to communicate with diverse audiences.
- Ability to organize and prioritize own workload.
Method of Application
Interested candidates should send their CVs to jobs@peoplelink.co.ke with the email subject as MARKETING AND EVENTS MANAGER.
JOB 2: Manager, Financial Controls at Standard Chartered Bank Kenya
About Standard Chartered Bank Kenya
Role Responsibilities
Processes and Risk Management
- Ensure adherence to the risk management framework, Financial Controls Reconciliation and Substantiation policy, and other relevant policies and regulations in the identification, assessment, mitigation, control, and monitoring of risks. In this regard, ensure sufficient traction and follow through management actions to mitigate identified risks and Audit assurance exceptions, escalating issues to the relevant Business Heads, Unit heads, Unit Operational Risk managers, and Country Operational Risk as required.
- Perform the Residual Risk Ratings, Key Risk Indicators, and other Key Performance Indicators and reports for the Finance processes.
- Business Continuity Plan (BCP): As the Finance Alternate Departmental Continuity Coordinator (ADCC) below tasks apply: -
- Annual preparation of the BCP, Business Impact Analysis (BIA), obtain necessary approvals, and load in the system.
- Review of the BCP and BIA to update any changes in the year.
- Quarterly circulation of the updated Call tree list of contacts to the Finance team.
- Quarterly testing of the Call tree, preparation of the post-test reports and uploading in the SharePoint post the approvals
- Handling the adhoc Business resilience team requests.
- Review of the risk exceptions from various forums including Finance Operations Risk Team Meeting (FORTM), Executive Risk Forums and those raised through other forums and follow through for closure.
- Hold Service Review Meetings (SRM) and collaborate with the GFS testing, Record to Report, and assurance teams in Global Business Services, India (GBS) to monitor financial control exceptions and provide guidance to staff in monitoring and resolution of the exceptions
- Preparation of the Finance Operational Risk Group (FORG) pack, circulation, and presentation in the FORG meeting as per the terms of reference.
- Facilitate the design and implementation of Risk Control Self Assessments (RCSAs) key control standards (KCS) and related key control self-assessment (KCSA), Control Self-Test (CST), and monitoring plans for compliance and operational risk management as the need arises.
- Obligations register maintenance and ensure all key regulatory requirements, as interpreted and communicated by country Legal & Compliance via the Obligations Workflow Lifecycle System (OWLS) online platform are cascaded to the various units on a timely basis and that sufficient actions are undertaken to comply with these requirements.
- End User Computation (EUC) register maintenance and update.
- Track, escalate and report financial control issues to risk committees and liaise with relevant parties to resolve the issues in a timely way.
- Prepare risk presentations, input, and papers to relevant Committees, and forums as required.
- Prepare risk papers/presentations to the Board Committee as required.
- Lead and coordinate training efforts to promote risk management and compliance culture within Finance and awareness of Financial Controls Policies.
- Monitor and provide guidance to businesses and functions in complying with control standards.
- Represent Finance in Risk Management workgroups, meetings and forums including Information Cyber Security (ICS), East Africa FORTM (Finance Operational Risk Team Meeting), Africa FORM (Finance Operational Risk Managers), AME FRC (Finance Risk Committees), Outsourcing Committee, among others.
- Preparation of the M7 vs GL reconciliation for Finance.
- Finance Conduct Plan implementation.
Regulatory & Business Conduct
- Display exemplary conduct and live by the Group’s Values and Code of Conduct.
- Take personal responsibility for embedding the highest standards of ethics, including regulatory and business conduct, across Standard Chartered Bank. This includes understanding and ensuring compliance with, in letter and spirit, all applicable laws, regulations, guidelines, and the Group Code of Conduct.
- Lead the Kenya Financials Controls unit to achieve the outcomes set out in the Bank’s Conduct Principles:
- Effectively and collaboratively identify, escalate, mitigate, and resolve risk, conduct, and compliance matters.
QUALIFICATIONS
- University degree
Method of Application
About KPMG
KPMG is a global network of professional services firms providing Audit, Tax, and Advisory services. Our purpose is to inspire confidence and empower change. We have a notable Africa Footprint serving clients across the continent. Our East Africa practice comprises Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and Rwanda The Nairobi office which serves as the regional coordinating office providing the required networking to facilitate delivery of services on a timely basis to meet and exceed our client's expectations is hiring an IT Audit Manager.
Key roles and responsibilities
- Work with Partners and Directors to oversee the delivery of a complex portfolio of IT audits.
- Lead small teams of IT auditors in end-to-end delivery of IT audits as part of financial statements audits, controls review, ensuring effective scoping and delivery to time, budget, and quality.
- Assume ownership of key internal and external stakeholder relationships and ensure excellent service delivery.
- Identify revenue-generating opportunities within the audit scope, e.g. for unplanned work, and across the wider market of non-audit clients.
- Ensure the quality of teams’ deliverables is to the highest standards and in compliance with regulatory standards and expectations.
- Performance management of junior staff, including engagement-level coaching and development, and delivery of internal training and guidance materials.
Academic/Professional qualifications and Experience:
- Bachelor’s degree in IT, Computer Science, Engineering, or related degree from a recognized university.
- At least 5 -6 years of work experience within a busy environment in a reputable consulting/audit firm or an adynamic team environment within the Financial Services, Insurance, and/or Consumer markets sectors.
- Have attained a relevant qualification in auditing and/or IT auditing, e.g. CISA, CISM, CPA, etc.
- Experience in managing the delivery of complex or diverse technology processes and controls assurance.
- Experience in delivering IT audit work as part of internal or external audits and/or SOC1/2 reports.
- Good understanding of common business processes.
- Excellent technical and business English, reporting, and presentation skills.
- Experience in identifying and assessing complex risks and controls, relating them to the wider business environment, and expressing opinions clearly to all levels of stakeholders.
- Able to motivate and lead small teams and work on their own initiative.
- Ability to develop excellent relationships with senior internal and external stakeholders.
- Ability to deliver work within tight timescales, to budget, and to a high quality across a portfolio of IT audit work.
- Exposure to the audit of emerging technology such as cloud computing, robotic process automation, etc. will be an added advantage.
Personal attributes:
- Good communication (written and verbal), numeracy, presentation, and analytical skills.
- IT proficiency, including Microsoft Office.
- An eye for detail.
- Team player with leadership capability.
- Excellent coordination and planning skills.
We offer:
- An exciting opportunity to work with a Big 4 firm on cutting-edge clients across Africa.
- Continuous learning and development.
- Exposure to multi-disciplinary client service teams.
- Unrivaled space to grow and be innovative.
- Opportunity for international travel.
Closing: 5 September 2022.
Method of Application
- If your career aspirations match this exciting opportunity, please use the link below to apply: Filling the link is mandatory for consideration alongside your application to talentrecruit@kpmg.co.ke quoting ‘IT Audit Manager by 5 September 2022.
- If your career aspirations match this exciting opportunity, please forward your application letter and CV giving details of your qualifications and experience quoting ‘Manager Technology Transformation ’ to talentrecruit@kpmg.co.ke.
