Hoping to get ahead at work? Look beyond your comfort zone



In these days of economic uncertainty, many companies try to maintain low costs by laying off employees and handing over their tasks to others to take care of. So for instance, an account manager might find himself managing three accounts instead of one, in addition to handling all the administrative tasks, which leaves him with no time to develop his skills.

Although difficult times require difficult measures, plugging along in this manner is risky. The business world changes rapidly and sometimes unpredictable circumstances jump our way; if we are not equipped with the necessary skills, do not possess a grasp of the right knowledge or have an overview of the latest trends in the market, we could simply fall behind and our skills become obsolete.

But what could you do if you are stuck in a similar situation with limited opportunities to expand your skills but nevertheless the ambition to learn? I find that the tips below come in handy, especially when I am buried in projects and do not have enough time to enrol in seminars and courses.

Keep an eye on learning opportunities within your organisation. Say you always wanted to learn more about private equity but never got the chance to enrol in that private equity 101 course, you still have an opportunity to learn if your organisation has that division. Many organisations provide orientation programmes. Get your human resources department to set up a meeting with a member of staff from another division who could talk to you about the scope of its work and projects.

Dedicate some time for learning within your schedule. Time seems to be the most valuable asset when you are working but just as you dedicate an hour to meeting suppliers or responding to emails, put aside 10 or 20 per cent of your time every day for learning. You could, for example, in addition to networking with people within your organisation to learn more about their various roles, read a business journal. Some people even sign up for online seminars and learn from the comfort of their own desk.

Get involved in projects outside your role. Almost all organisations have projects that cut across various departments and have people in different roles working on them. Find out if there is anything on the horizon that you could get involved in. Sometimes all it takes is for you to ask. This will not only provide you with an opportunity to expand your team-playing skills by working alongside people outside your department but will also deepen your knowledge. You might even discover new areas of strength that you were not aware of. Plus this will show your ability to work in areas outside your comfort zone — a characteristic that upper management always looks at when appraisal time comes.

Expand beyond your role at work. If your organisation is going through a slow time and is not handling as many projects as previously that does not mean you should slow down too. Take this opportunity to expand your skills and network beyond your organisation. If you are a good writer contribute to blogs or a local newspaper. A friend of mine is a good public speaker and loves to share her small business management experience. When work was slow she signed up to be a speaker at several local seminars and conferences. Not only did she expand her network and enhance her public speaking skills, she met an executive at an event who offered her a better job.

Last but not least, if you are a manager then delegate to free up your time. Many people who get promoted are so used to handling a lot of operational and administrative tasks simultaneously that they forget to delegate. Delegating not only frees up time in your schedule that you can put towards improving your skills, but doing so will also allow your subordinates to build skills and knowledge too; a win-win solution for all.

We all go through busy times and wonder how we will be able to handle the next project when we have got three others to focus on. However, organising one’s schedule and grasping the opportunity to network whenever there is a chance will always be beneficial and could open the door to future opportunities, just as in my friend’s case

Manar Al Hinai is an award-winning Emirati writer and fashion designer based in Abu Dhabi

EA Sports FC 25
Tree of Hell

Starring: Raed Zeno, Hadi Awada, Dr Mohammad Abdalla

Director: Raed Zeno

Rating: 4/5

WISH
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What went into the film

25 visual effects (VFX) studios

2,150 VFX shots in a film with 2,500 shots

1,000 VFX artists

3,000 technicians

10 Concept artists, 25 3D designers

New sound technology, named 4D SRL

 

The biog

Hometown: Cairo

Age: 37

Favourite TV series: The Handmaid’s Tale, Black Mirror

Favourite anime series: Death Note, One Piece and Hellsing

Favourite book: Designing Brand Identity, Fifth Edition

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
 
Started: 2020
 
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
 
Based: Dubai, UAE
 
Sector: Entertainment 
 
Number of staff: 210 
 
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
Our legal consultant

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants

How to protect yourself when air quality drops

Install an air filter in your home.

Close your windows and turn on the AC.

Shower or bath after being outside.

Wear a face mask.

Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.

If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.

Moon Music

Artist: Coldplay

Label: Parlophone/Atlantic

Number of tracks: 10

Rating: 3/5

UPI facts

More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions

Joker: Folie a Deux

Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson

Director: Todd Phillips 

Rating: 2/5

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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
Company%20Profile
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Company%20profile
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Jigra
Director: Vasan Bala
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
Rated: 3.5/5
COMPANY PROFILE

Name: Lamsa

Founder: Badr Ward

Launched: 2014

Employees: 60

Based: Abu Dhabi

Sector: EdTech

Funding to date: $15 million

The biog

Favourite food: Tabbouleh, greek salad and sushi

Favourite TV show: That 70s Show

Favourite animal: Ferrets, they are smart, sensitive, playful and loving

Favourite holiday destination: Seychelles, my resolution for 2020 is to visit as many spiritual retreats and animal shelters across the world as I can

Name of first pet: Eddy, a Persian cat that showed up at our home

Favourite dog breed: I love them all - if I had to pick Yorkshire terrier for small dogs and St Bernard's for big

'Saand Ki Aankh'

Produced by: Reliance Entertainment with Chalk and Cheese Films
Director: Tushar Hiranandani
Cast: Taapsee Pannu, Bhumi Pednekar, Prakash Jha, Vineet Singh
Rating: 3.5/5 stars

MATCH INFO

Bangla Tigers 108-5 (10 ovs)

Ingram 37, Rossouw 26, Pretorius 2-10

Deccan Gladiators 109-4 (9.5 ovs)

Watson 41, Devcich 27, Wiese 2-15

Gladiators win by six wickets

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: ARDH Collective
Based: Dubai
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Sector: Sustainability
Total funding: Self funded
Number of employees: 4
The%20specs
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APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)

Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits

Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine

Storage: 128/256/512GB

Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4

Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps

Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID

Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight

In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter

Price: From Dh2,099

The specs: 2017 Dodge Ram 1500 Laramie Longhorn

Price, base / as tested: Dhxxx
Engine: 5.7L V8
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 395hp @ 5,600rpm
Torque: 556Nm @ 3,950rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.7L / 100km

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How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE

When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.

ALL THE RESULTS

Bantamweight

Siyovush Gulmomdov (TJK) bt Rey Nacionales (PHI) by decision.

Lightweight

Alexandru Chitoran (ROU) bt Hussein Fakhir Abed (SYR) by submission.

Catch 74kg

Omar Hussein (JOR) bt Tohir Zhuraev (TJK) by decision.

Strawweight (Female)

Seo Ye-dam (KOR) bt Weronika Zygmunt (POL) by decision.

Featherweight

Kaan Ofli (TUR) bt Walid Laidi (ALG) by TKO.

Lightweight

Abdulla Al Bousheiri (KUW) bt Leandro Martins (BRA) by TKO.

Welterweight

Ahmad Labban (LEB) bt Sofiane Benchohra (ALG) by TKO.

Bantamweight

Jaures Dea (CAM) v Nawras Abzakh (JOR) no contest.

Lightweight

Mohammed Yahya (UAE) bt Glen Ranillo (PHI) by TKO round 1.

Lightweight

Alan Omer (GER) bt Aidan Aguilera (AUS) by TKO round 1.

Welterweight

Mounir Lazzez (TUN) bt Sasha Palatkinov (HKG) by TKO round 1.

Featherweight title bout

Romando Dy (PHI) v Lee Do-gyeom (KOR) by KO round 1.