Sunita is an Executive Coach, Trainer and Consultant. She is of Indian origin and was born in London before moving to Geneva in 1992. She has a Psychology background (specialising in Occupational Psychology) and a Post Graduate in the Development and Training of Adults. She also completed a Masters in Ressources Humaines, Coaching et Gestion des Carrières at the University of Geneva.
During her 25 years experience Sunita's drive has always been to help people to do their best and hence led her to create Walk The Talk.
In her free time Sunita is a Mentor for the Branson Center of Entrepreneurship and a proud member of the School in The Cloud Team.
By Sunita Sehmi and Rodica Rosu Fridez
English as an international business language has become instrumental in social and economic empowerment, and consequently the demand for English has escalated resulting in more jobs necessitating a good level of English proficiency.
According to the study “The Linguistic Landscape of Switzerland” conducted by the FSO (Federal Statistical Office 2009), the English-speaking expatriate population is growing significantly. It is accepted that the range of languages spoken in both private and professional environments in Switzerland has grown; thus propelling the usage of English as THE reference language.
The EPI (English Proficiency Index) stipulates that many Swiss companies are now operating internationally and “as the power of English in the workplace is rising” most companies want employees to be skilled in English. The EPI rank Switzerland as having a moderate proficiency score, (54.06), adding that the presence of other national languages does not result in a weakening of English proficiency. (EPI Report, 2011) Many of the multinationals in the French-speaking part of Switzerland have adopted English as their corporate language and within the next couple of years it is expected that about one in every two top managers in Swiss companies will hail from overseas (Allen, 2012).
Image courtesy of Evgeni Dinev, www.freedigitalphotos.net
By Sunita Sehmi, Walk The Talk
Helping: assisting, aiding, advising, caregiving, coaching, consulting, counselling, guiding, mentoring, supporting, teaching
Helping is an essential human pursuit; we do it at home with our partners, our children, our loved ones. We do it at everyday at work, with our team.
We seek out help too, although all too often it's a practice that can also be difficult to perform and accept. And at times our earnest offers of help are begrudged and rebuffed…so why is it so difficult to provide or accept help and in what way can we make the whole process easier?
Corporate culture and organizational development guru Ed Schein analyzes the collective and psychological subtleties common to all types of helping relationships. In his book entitled “Helping” he explains why help is often not helpful, and shows what any would-be helpers must guarantee that their assistance is both received and valuable. He suggests the following stages of inquiring to enable genuine support.
Image courtesy of anekoho, www.freedigitalphotos.net
By Sunita Sehmi, Walk The Talk
Now the summer holidays are officially over, the traffic jams are slowly surfacing back into town and the long queues in the “papeterie” can only mean one thing….Yep, “la rentree” is in full swing!
The new school term has always evoked strong feelings of change in me, both as a mum and as a former teacher. I often used this time to notice the changes in my pupils and indeed my own growth and development. I truly found this period very illuminating and constructive. Not only because I was observing my situation through renewed thoughts and feelings but also because I recognized that the change within me each “rentree” would allow me to progress and go forward.
Image courtesy of anankkml, www.freedigitalphotos.net
By Sunita Sehmi, Walk The Talk
A few weeks ago there was a great article posted by Richard Branson on LinkedIn, entitled “Relax, But Don't Take the Summer Off From Great Ideas:”
According to the entrepreneur, Summer is a great time to take a break - but also when inspiration is most likely to strike. Furthermore, he encourages us to “use the space and time to reflect on the year so far and plan how to improve in the coming months…." But, fittingly, he reminds us that it’s just as important to let your hair down!
Interestingly, the “not taking time out theory,” goes against the current opinion, which states that taking a break from work gives you time to clear your mind and reflect, and this could ultimately boost your productivity for when you get back.
Image courtesy of David Castillo Dominici, www.freedigitalphotos.net
By Sunita Sehmi, Walk The Talk
Whilst under extreme stress, it is very normal to withdraw from the world, concentrate and to be consumed by the problem that is causing the stress.
We all have networks of people who can help us. This network extends professionally and socially, including our family, friends and public services. Within your organization, your professional networks include relations with your boss, mentors within the organization, colleagues, your team, previous colleagues and organizational support services. Outside your company, they can include your friends, clubs and social organizations. In acute stress make sure you use these resources and don't try and do it all on your own.
Here is second part of the Blog entry regarding Burnout and some useful resources below.
