When Gordon Freer of Insight Strategies presented on "what i look for in an intern," he indicated that as much as interns should think within the box at the work place, they should also think ouside the box. My view towards this observation is that it may help to make an employee indispensable.
When one thinks outside the box, it is like looking at a bigger picture of the company she or he is working for. This means looking at today's situation also considering the company's future. If an intern does this competently, she or he might identify what the company needs and try to provide for this shortcoming.
According to Fhulufhelo Badugela, 2004, WOW programmes intern, one should research about the company and find out what it lacks, so as to contribute towards that. She provided an example of a company that she is currently working for, Edcon, which is the same organisation she served as an intern. She indicated that she observed what the company needed that interfaced with her profession, that is a wellness centre, and made suggestions. Fhulufhelo's idea has apparently led to Edcon creating a new department that needed her to be granted a permamant position within the company. In this way, Fhulufhelo's thinking outside the box has made her indispensable as the organisation needs her to oversee that the project she has implemented remains successful.
At this juncture, Rakhi Singh, SAB, in presenting about employability indicates that
to be employed is to be at risk, to be employable is to be secure
This means that it is not only an employees responsibility to contribute towards a company's success.
Thinking outside the box also requires self confidence and a desire to assist. An intern should bring passion, new skills as well as talent that might not necessarily appear on the carriculum vitae. All these form a good combination of a person who thinks outside the box.
Upon reading the workplace report; The Star, Thursday April 7, 2005, I discovered how Mark Nyungula in wanting to alleviate porverty embarked on a career in finance. This article continues to prove that thinking outside the box is the way to go in making oneself indispensable.
So, my advice to 2005 interns is,
Take charge of your destiny by thinking outside the box!
1 comment:
Hi Uta: Mmmm, thinking outside the box - a valuable concept, and one to be encouraged at all times. However, don't forget to think "inside the box" as well. Companies don't always enjoy people who challenge the status quo. So remember to present your "outside the box" ideas with "inside the box" etiquette and understanding. Gordon
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