Dr. Mrs. Ellen Hagan, Founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the country’s premier human resource consultancy, L’aine Services Limited, has relayed valuable advice to Ghanaian youths on the Y Leaderboard Series show hosted on Y107.9FM.
The established Human Resource Practitioner, among other things, shared insightful tips on how to succeed in the working field as a young person. Leveraging her in-depth experience in her field of entrepreneurship and HR, Dr. Mrs. Ellen Hagan engaged host Rev. Erskine and listeners of the show in an exciting one-hour conversation to admonish the youth.
Dr. Ellen Hagan observed that usually, when people put so much effort into starting a business that they think they have interest in, they may lose interest when they keep making mistakes. She thus noted that it is important to start as an apprentice.
“My suggestion is that you start off by being an apprentice or studying at the feet of someone so you develop some skills, including making some mistakes on an established business man’s turf rather than yours,” she said.
For those who wish to work as employees under an employer, the HR practitioner cautioned that it is best to start off as volunteers or interns while in school before transitioning from a student to an employee.
“If you haven’t worked before, you wouldn’t know the nuance of work and definitely when you start working, you may not go according to the rules as it were. So, we must encourage graduates to have more of those internship programmes, get people to mentor them and let them realize that putting theory into practice is a different ball game all together,” she said.
While speaking on the importance of career development, she also highlighted the importance of family and the need to balance family time with work.
“Balancing work and family is like riding a bicycle. Balance is still about the choices we make. The good news is that the little choices we make can make a big impact. So, I delegate and supervise, and I rest. I love my sleep. God being so good I have a supportive husband and family. For some of us, the choices we make in our life partners and spouses will make a lot of difference in the way our lives play out,” she shared.
Programmes Manager of YFM, Eddy Blay, had this to say after the interview: “Dr. Mrs. Ellen Hagan gave the right words for anyone seeking career development today. She has really proven that she is a pro in entrepreneurial and career issues. I have no doubt her words are so powerful to get the youth rethinking what they want to achieve in their career.”
