I am an accountant by background, so let me say this clearly at the start: I like spreadsheets.
In fact, my working life started in the 1980s, last century, before spreadsheets were as familiar as they are today. I began with paper, calculators, and manual calculations. Then came VisiCalc. Then Lotus 1-2-3. Then Excel. And now, of course, Google Sheets.
So when I talk about spreadsheets, I am not talking about some abstract tool that finance teams happen to use. I am talking about something that has shaped the way accountants, analysts, managers, and business leaders have worked for decades.
Spreadsheets have helped us model ideas, test assumptions, reconcile numbers, build forecasts, challenge plans, and understand what is really happening inside a business.
So this is not an argument against spreadsheets.
Quite the opposite.
Spreadsheets are one of the most useful business tools ever created.
The problem starts when the spreadsheet stops being a tool and quietly becomes the system.
That is when a useful spreadsheet becomes a hidden dependency.
And hidden dependency is where the real risk begins.
In many organisations, spreadsheets sit quietly behind critical business processes. They support the month-end close. They hold reconciliations. They track approvals. They explain exceptions. They bridge gaps between systems. They create management reports. They maintain forecasts. They hold logic that only one or two people fully understand.
On the surface, everything still appears to work.
The month closes. Reports are issued. Managers receive their numbers. Customers are invoiced. Suppliers are paid. Board packs are prepared. Decisions are made.
But underneath that apparent normality, too much can depend on manual effort, copied formulas, version control, email attachments, personal memory, and people who know which file is the right one.
That is not a spreadsheet problem.
That is an operating risk.
The difficulty is that spreadsheet dependency usually grows gradually. It rarely begins with a bad decision.
A team needs a report that the system cannot easily produce, so someone exports the data and builds it manually.
A workflow does not quite match the approval process, so a spreadsheet is created to track it.
A reconciliation is needed between two systems, so finance builds a file.
A manager wants a slightly different view, so another tab is added.
The business changes, the system does not keep up, and the finance team adapts.
At first, this is practical. Often, it is necessary.
Finance people are problem solvers. They find a way. They close the gap. They get the numbers out. They protect the business from delay.
That deserves respect.
But over time, the workaround can become the workflow. The temporary file becomes permanent. The person who built it becomes indispensable. The formula logic becomes harder to challenge. The process keeps running because people have become very good at compensating for its weaknesses.
That is where leaders need to pay attention.
Here are seven hidden costs that spreadsheet dependency can create.
<h2>1. Time gets trapped in manual preparation</h2>
When important processes depend too heavily on spreadsheets, skilled people spend too much time preparing data that should already be available.
They export.
They copy.
They paste.
They clean.
They reconcile.
They check.
They adjust.
They explain.
Some of this work may always be necessary. But when it becomes the regular operating model, the organisation has a problem. The issue is not just the time spent. It is the opportunity cost of what finance people are not doing while they are maintaining manual workarounds.
<h2>2. Confidence weakens when numbers need too much explanation</h2>
There is a big difference between explaining what a number means and explaining why two numbers do not match.
One creates insight.
The other reveals doubt.
When leaders constantly need reassurance that the latest file was used, the formula was correct, the data was complete, or the report matches another report, confidence weakens.
The organisation may still get to the right answer eventually, but eventually is not good enough when decisions need to be made quickly.
<h2>3. Control becomes harder to evidence</h2>
Spreadsheets can be controlled, but they are often not controlled well enough for the role they end up playing.
If a spreadsheet is supporting a critical process, leaders should be asking:
Who owns it?
Who can edit it?
Who reviews it?
Who approves changes?
Where is the audit trail?
How do we know the logic is still correct?
How do we know the latest version is being used?
If the answers are unclear, the spreadsheet may be carrying more responsibility than the control environment can support.
<h2>4. Version confusion creates avoidable doubt</h2>
Anyone who has worked in finance knows this problem.
There is the original file.
Then the updated file.
Then the final file.
Then the final final file.
Then the version that was sent to the management team.
Then the version with one adjustment.
Then the version someone saved locally because they were travelling.
Then the version that nobody should use, but someone inevitably does.
This is not just irritating. It creates avoidable doubt. And when leaders are not sure whether they are looking at the right version of the truth, the quality of the conversation suffers.
<h2>5. Key-person dependency increases</h2>
One of the clearest warning signs is when people say:
“Ask Sarah. She understands that file.”
Or:
“Don’t change that formula. James built it.”
Or:
“We need to wait until Maria is back because she knows how the reconciliation works.”
That may sound normal, but it is a risk.
When a process depends on one person’s memory, judgement, file structure, formula logic, or workaround, the organisation is more fragile than it appears.
Good people should be valued. They should not become single points of failure.
<h2>6. Finance becomes a repair function instead of an insight function</h2>
Finance teams should help the business understand performance, risk, trends, options, and decisions.
But when spreadsheet dependency becomes excessive, finance gets pulled into repair work.
Fixing data.
Chasing numbers.
Reconciling inconsistencies.
Explaining timing differences.
Manually preparing reports.
Finding errors.
Checking what should already be reliable.
That is not where finance creates its highest value.
The future finance team cannot simply be the team that knows where all the files are. It needs to be the team that helps the business see clearly, decide faster, manage risk better, and act with confidence.
<h2>7. Leadership conversations shift from meaning to accuracy</h2>
This may be the highest cost of all.
Instead of asking, “What does this number mean?” leaders end up asking, “Is this the right number?”
Those are very different conversations.
One moves the business forward.
The other keeps the business stuck in verification mode.
Of course, accuracy matters. It matters enormously. But when too much leadership time is spent trying to establish whether the numbers can be trusted, there is less time left to discuss what should be done.
That is a poor use of leadership attention.
This matters even more now because finance is changing.
Finance teams are no longer expected only to record what happened. They are expected to help the business understand what is happening, what might happen next, and what should be done about it.
That requires reliable data.
It requires cleaner workflows.
It requires integrated systems.
It requires faster reporting.
It requires better visibility.
It requires appropriate automation.
It requires finance people to spend less time assembling the truth and more time interpreting it.
AI will make this even more important.
AI will undoubtedly change the way we use spreadsheets, reporting, forecasting, analytics, and financial data. It will help people analyse, summarise, model, and perhaps even build spreadsheet logic faster.
But AI does not remove the need for clean data, clear ownership, reliable processes, and proper controls.
If anything, it raises the stakes.
If an organisation already has messy processes, unclear ownership, weak data discipline, and too many hidden spreadsheet dependencies, AI may not create clarity. It may simply help people create confusion faster.
That is a story for another letter, but it is already part of the same leadership challenge.
The question for CEOs and finance leaders is therefore not whether the organisation should still use spreadsheets.
Of course it should.
The better question is this:
Where have we become dependent on spreadsheets when the business now needs stronger structure, control, automation, integration, or visibility?
That question changes the conversation.
Some spreadsheets are harmless. Some are helpful. Some are essential working tools. But some are warning signs.
A spreadsheet that helps someone model a scenario is useful.
A spreadsheet that supports analysis is useful.
A spreadsheet that helps leaders explore a decision is useful.
But a spreadsheet that acts as the only reliable source of truth for a critical process is fragile.
A spreadsheet that replaces proper workflow is fragile.
A spreadsheet that only one person understands is fragile.
A spreadsheet that carries approval, reconciliation, reporting, and control logic without proper visibility is fragile.
The issue is not the file itself. The issue is the dependency around it.
Technology plays an important role here, but technology is not the whole answer.
Cloud platforms, financial management systems, workflow tools, reporting platforms, analytics, and automation are not valuable simply because they are modern. They are valuable when they remove unnecessary dependency, reduce rework, strengthen control, improve visibility, and free people to do more valuable work.
Implemented well, they help finance teams move from manual rescue to structured reliability.
Implemented poorly, they simply create new workarounds in a more expensive environment.
That is why this is also a leadership issue.
Leaders need to understand where the organisation relies too heavily on hidden effort. They need to ask which processes depend on a single person, a single file, a single manual reconciliation, a single workaround, or an unofficial version of the truth.
They need to ask whether their finance teams are spending their best energy on insight or repair.
They need to ask whether the business has accepted avoidable friction simply because people have become good at coping with it.
Coping is not the same as improving.
And heroics are not the same as resilience.
A business is not stronger because a few people can rescue broken processes every month. It is stronger when those processes no longer need rescuing.
At TRG, we have seen this pattern many times.
The starting point may be financial management, reporting, cloud, SaaS, invoice automation, performance management, integration, or analytics. But underneath the technology conversation, the real question is often broader:
How do we help the business become less dependent on manual effort and more confident in how work gets done?
That is the conversation worth having.
So yes, keep using spreadsheets.
Use Excel. Use Google Sheets. Use them to think, model, test, explore, challenge, and decide.
But do not let them quietly become the foundation of processes that should be structured, controlled, automated, integrated, and visible.
Your spreadsheet is not the problem.
Your spreadsheet dependency is.
And once leaders can see that dependency clearly, they can start building finance functions that are faster, stronger, more reliable, and far more valuable to the business.
Cheers,

Your Spreadsheet Is Not the Problem. Your Spreadsheet Dependency Is.

The pandemic has taken us on a wild ride up and down the good old Maslow pyramid. From empty grocery shelves to staggering case numbers, the constant bombardment of COVID-related news has left many of us with something we never thought possible before – experiencing the fear of not having enough basic needs and safety.
And of course, extended lockdown periods made us all long for more personal connections and a sense of belonging.
What is surprising, though, is the pandemic and its profound impacts have also created the opposite effect, where people strive for the highest level of needs – self-actualisation.
As I already mentioned in a <a href="https://info.trginternational.com/the-great-resignation-requires-a-great-reflection">previous CEO Letter</a>, people acquiring different perspectives about their priorities in life is among the key driving forces behind the ‘Great Resignation” phenomenon. In a sense, the yearning for becoming a greater self and realizing one’s full potential, caused by the pandemic, is motivating more and more people to reach for the top of their Maslow pyramid.
There are many ways that lead to self-actualisation. And it’s up to each person to chart their own course towards that destination. Nevertheless, there is one particular way that can greatly accelerate the journey to self-actualisation, i.e. seeking help and guidance from <a href="https://wpengine.trginternational.com/blog/top-business-coaches-in-the-world/">a professional coach</a>.
That is because one goal of coaching is to achieve self-actualisation through personal transformations. And by helping their coachees become self-actualised individuals, a coach can also have their own self-fulfilment needs met.
So in essence, being a professional coach can mean both you and others reaching the top of the Maslow pyramid. What’s not to like about it?
Coaching can impact an individual&#8217;s life and career, a team&#8217;s performance and cohesion, and a company&#8217;s bottom line and culture. Despite being such a powerful tool, coaching is still tragically underutilised. But it only means more opportunities for people like you to step up and become a professional coach.
Because it’s the right thing to do for your organisation, your employees, and, more important, yourself.
Arguably, coaching and mentoring have always been integral parts of leadership and management. All leaders and managers know, to an extent, they have to train and nurture their subordinates.
Many think they are pretty good at it. Unfortunately, hard cold data proves otherwise. In <a href="https://hbr.org/2016/06/people-who-think-theyre-great-coaches-often-arent">a study conducted by Havard Business Review</a>, 3,761 executives are asked to rate their own coaching skills. The answers are then compared with those of people who are working with them. The conclusion is 24% of the executives overestimate their capabilities. 
Even for the most competent and well-meaning leaders, coaching is a challenging activity. That’s why organisations have been increasingly looking for professionally trained coaches in recent years.
The global coaching market size <a href="https://iwacoaching.com/the-pandemics-impact-on-the-coaching-industry/">reached $19 billion in 2019</a> with over half a million coaches practising around the world. PwC at that time rated coaching the second fastest-growing sector.
Despite being hit hard during the first year of the pandemic, as businesses and individuals alike scrambled to cut expenses anywhere they can, the coaching industry has recovered and <a href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/coaching-industry-continues-growth-despite-impacts-of-the-global-pandemic-301296747.html">continued to grow</a> since 2021.
This is partly due to coaches and their clients adopting technology to conduct remote coaching sessions. But the major reason for this resilience is more and more business leaders realize that they <a href="https://www.allego.com/blog/new-research-shows-coaching-will-play-huge-role-in-pandemic-recovery/">need coaching more than ever</a> to navigate this business-as-unusual environment.
As the global workforce undergoing gigantic shifts since the start of the pandemic, businesses are increasingly considering coaching programs a valuable asset rather than an expense that should be cut to save costs.
Not only do executives need to reinvent their leadership capabilities in an era of hybrid working and high turnover rates, but they also want a way to cope with all the pandemic-induced stress that they normally are hesitant to show.
For the rank and file, a leader who is professionally trained in coaching is supposed to be able to maximise their performance not by relying on control and coercion but by tapping on their hidden potential.
It may sound like an alien concept to some but most employees do want to do a good job. They want to be their best at work. So the benefit here is two-fold: the organisation enjoys a more productive workforce while the employees themselves are more satisfied and hence much less likely to leave.
Undoubtedly, becoming a professionally trained coach is a life-changing decision. On the one hand, you can transform your people, your business for the better, and even kick-start a new career in a lucrative industry.
On the other, the transition to a fully-fledged credentialed coach requires serious commitment. And I am not just talking about time and money. Coaching, in its truest sense, is more than a profession. It’s also a mindset, a way of life.
The good news is you can also become an effective coach and transform your employees and teams if you set your heart and mind to it. Of course, that needs dedication and special training &#8211; 125 hours of coaching training and an additional 10 hours of mentoring per ICF requirements, to be exact, in order to solidify your first stepping stone to unleashing one&#8217;s potential and generating sustainable growth.
There are many organisations that can train you to be a coach, I’m biased (yes I’m a CCMP and CCMC) and recommend ITD World&#8217;s dedicated coaching and mentoring programs for world leaders:
<ul>
<li>
<a href="https://blog.trginternational.com/certified-coaching-and-mentoring-professional-ccmp">Certified Coaching and Mentoring Professional (CCMP)</a>
</li>
<li>
<a href="/blog/itd-world-certified-chief-master-coach/">Certified Chief Master Coach (CCMC)</a>
</li>
</ul>
Your chance to meet the world&#8217;s best business coaches and be your best self is here. For more information on each course timeline, structure, investment value and more, check out the links provided above.
Getting trained and certified is just the first step though. Just like almost everything else in life, coaching is a skill that needs to be practised and sharpened. Investing your time to provide free-of-charge coaching sessions, first to your organisation, and maybe to others, would be time well spent.
If you’re interested to know more about coaching, feel free to reach out to me.

The one thing that helps achieve your full potential

It’s me, again, talking about the future of work. Again!
You’re probably calling your teams to return to the office as things start to pick up. But <a href="https://wpengine.trginternational.com/blog/diversity-and-inclusion-remote-work/">not everyone wants to come back to sit in an office</a>.
It’s understandable that some prefer to log in from the comfort of their personal space, while others prefer to visit the office only on certain days.
And I believe it will be this way from now until the next disruption.
When you think of the extremes, one of them is &#8220;I only want to WFH,&#8221; and the other is, &#8220;I only want to work in the office.&#8221; And then we have somewhere in the middle, &#8220;Let&#8217;s do a bit of both. Let&#8217;s go hybrid.&#8221;
All three are correct; it depends on your perspective. Are we going to impose something and say, &#8220;Hey, you need to collaborate for this many hours&#8221;? Or are we going to leave it up to teams and individuals to sort something out, which could result in different ways for different teams? Should we be hybrid 50-50, 70-30, or 1 day out of 5?
The exact number of days in the office does not define hybrid work arrangements. It’s not an in-office and virtual work &#8220;mashup&#8221; or a temporary alternative for when the world is slowly transitioning back from home-office to the traditional brick-and-mortar settings. It is the way forward. <a href="https://wpengine.trginternational.com/blog/the-future-of-work-for-gen-z-and-millennials/">The future of work</a>.
But hybrid, by definition, only includes people who are close to the office. What if the talent you’ve been looking for doesn&#8217;t live close to one of the physical offices? Are you going to let them slide or relocate them? Why not expand your strategy beyond the binary &#8220;home vs office&#8221; into a third space – <a href="https://wpengine.trginternational.com/blog/work-from-home-work-from-anywhere-era/">working from anywhere</a>?
Today, the emphasis is on HOW teams work rather than WHERE they work. And this leaves no room for <a href="https://wpengine.trginternational.com/blog/escaping-micromanagement-loosen-your-grip-and-free-up-your-time/">micromanagement</a>.
Whether to work from home or the office is simply a matter of preference; each arrangement certainly has its pros and cons. It comes down to how employers, managers, and leaders provide employees with the necessary tools and autonomy that empower hybrid working.
However, with flexibility comes choices, and with choices come collaboration challenges – how do we include everyone?
And is there a best practice out there? No, not yet. We&#8217;ve all done what we’ve done. The important thing to me is what we learned. What do we think works and does not work? Let&#8217;s remember those and do more of them. That’s why at TRG International, <a href="https://wpengine.trginternational.com/about-us/">Kaizen is one of our core values</a>, our DNA. It reminds us to keep being agile and resilient and to keep learning from our mistakes.
As our business expands our footprints globally, it’s getting a tad bit tiresome having to get up at the crack of dawn or even before the crack of dawn and go to bed late to accommodate somebody that is 8, 9, or 10 hours away. The only solution to that is to have somebody else over there so we can have a good night&#8217;s sleep and get some more balance in our lives.
In a business-as-unusual world today, holding on to the thought that being physically present in the office equals values and productivity can result in missing out on opportunities for diversity, inclusion, and talent that decide to improve their life balance. If you want people to show up in person, you need to back up that claim with metrics and explanations. Otherwise, you&#8217;re not &#8220;saving&#8221; by reducing wages; you&#8217;re using funds to funnel recruitment efforts. And that, in a nutshell, is a much more expensive problem to solve.

Are we doing hybrid wrong?

It seems like we are living in a constant state of déjà vu, where everything old is new again.
The much-hyped ‘metaverse’ first appeared back in 1992. There is a new race to the moon, half a century after Neil Armstrong’s famous first step there. And you can’t read the news these days without being reminded of a looming new Cold War.
It’s like we’re standing still. Or are we?
Even though the metaverse concept was invented decades ago, it’s only made possible by recent advancements in the fields of AR, <a href="https://blog.trginternational.com/blockchain-business-applications-far-beyond-bitcoin">blockchain</a>, and high-speed internet.
And when humans are sent to the Moon again, it will not be the final stop like the last time but only the first leg of the journey to Mars.
On the same note, I can imagine how little excited you are seeing “emotional intelligence” in this letter’s title. Much has been written about how important it is to personal and professional success. And isn’t the “EQ vs. IQ” argument so 1990s? 
After all, what more can be said about <a href="https://blog.trginternational.com/emotional-intelligence-quotient-ei-eq">emotional intelligence</a> that hasn’t been said already?
Turns out, quite a lot. Like can you objectively measure someone’s emotional intelligence (EI)? The short answer is, fortunately, Yes. For the long answer, you can <a href="https://wpengine.trginternational.com/blog/how-science-measure-emotional-intelligence/">find it here</a>.
The question is important for a few reasons. First, there still is a misconception that because it is about “feelings”, <a href="https://wpengine.trginternational.com/blog/three-notices-on-emotional-intelligence/">emotional intelligence</a> is not based on a concrete scientific foundation. 
Second, knowing what emotional intelligence is or why it matters means little if you can’t measure it. And if you can’t measure it, then you won’t be able to improve it.
In fact, when you think of “normal” or “non-emotional” intelligence, you most likely think of <a href="https://wpengine.trginternational.com/blog/maintain-successful-leadership-with-iq/">IQ (intelligence quotient)</a>, which is derived from <a href="https://wpengine.trginternational.com/blog/13-rules-to-follow-when-using-personnel-assessments/">standardised assessments</a>.
In essence, intelligence is almost synonymous with the measurement of intelligence. The same logic can be applied to emotional intelligence.
And the need for EI assessments and improvement will only increase in today’s <a href="https://wpengine.trginternational.com/stories/business-as-unusual/">business-as-unusual world</a>. Even prior to the pandemic, EI has already made it to the <a href="https://siyli.org/resources/blog/the-emotional-intelligence-revolution">World Economic Forum’s top 10 list</a> of <a href="https://wpengine.trginternational.com/blog/emotional-intelligence-ei-eq-examples-workplace/">critical workforce skillsets</a> and landed at the sixth spot in 2020 (WEF 2016), eighth for 2022 (WEF 2018) and eleventh for 2025 (WEF 2020). This may give you the perception that it’s dropping in importance. On the one hand yes as it’s a skill more people are acquiring and that could depress the ranking. On the other hand if one looks at what rates higher than EI and you’ll notice that they all are other aspects of EI.
As businesses and their employees are shifting towards more flexible work arrangements, I strongly believe EI will push its way to the top 5 sooner rather than later and can very well be in the top two positions, competing head-on against complex problem-solving.
A mistake that leaders typically make is treating the virtual working arrangements and their accompanied “<a href="https://wpengine.trginternational.com/blog/work-from-home-work-from-anywhere-fatigue/">Zoom fatigue</a>” as something temporary, thus ignoring the EI facet of leadership and putting it on the back burner to focus more on managerial tasks.
Indeed, leaders are busier now than ever. Much of the communication that typically takes place in person is now carried out online, which can be overwhelming.
As a result, leaders forget to check in with both their teams and themselves. They let their own emotional health and that of their team members slide. Even though the responsibility of looking after one’s health fall on the individuals themselves, leaders still have to maintain the emotional balance within the organisation, both in-person and virtually.
The good news is, similar to other skills that one obtains and sharpens over time, EI can also be learned, measured, evaluated, and improved with the right solutions. 
And just as <a href="https://blog.trginternational.com/psychometric-assessments">psychometric assessments</a> have become an essential part of the recruitment process, EI assessments are also becoming an integral part of a company’s employee performance management. 
Being a coach, it would be a great loss if I didn’t mention <a href="https://blog.trginternational.com/what-is-business-coaching">coaching</a>, which is yet another effective method to help you improve and enhance your EI, especially if your coach is an EI practitioner. What can you get coached on? For starters, you can get coached on asking the right questions. And it’s just one of the many things an effective coach can inspire you to do, so in turn, you can inspire those around you.

Emotional Intelligence – When Everything Old is New Again

I have a confession to make. There’s not a single day that I’m free of meetings. I also admit that my meetings often drag on for much longer than expected, oops!
Too many lengthy meetings have led me to implement a mechanism to tackle the issue – a clearly defined agenda and a timekeeper (my PA). Still, I’m lucky if I can end a meeting on time. It&#8217;s not like I haven&#8217;t come up with innovative solutions to jazz up a meeting. My concern, and also what I&#8217;m deliberately working on, is to avoid unnecessary appointments so I can focus on what truly matters.
Did you know that meeting times have significantly increased from 10 hours a week in 1960 to 23 hours a week? The shift from traditional work arrangements to a remote and hybrid model seems to make matters worse as people are trying to compensate for the loss of in-person interactions.
Today, meetings are like a whack-a-mole game. No matter how many times you whack at it, the &#8220;mole&#8221; just keeps popping up.
It’s such a dreaded activity. Why are we still doing it?
The notion of <a href="https://blog.trginternational.com/insight-to-leadership-in-age-of-disruption">leaders leading from the front</a> has been romanticised to the point where we tend to sacrifice our valuable time and well-being for meetings, assuming that’s what&#8217;s best for the company. Even if we want to take a breather, we can’t, because others rely on us to approve documents, give feedforward, or make critical decisions.
Fixing this meeting menace requires you to tackle the root cause head-on—the reason for calling a meeting in the first place—which cannot be fully expressed through a few words via emails or chats.
I am by no means denying the benefits of meetings. They are essential for collaboration, creativity, and innovation. However, in <a href="https://wpengine.trginternational.com/stories/business-as-unusual/">today&#8217;s business-as-unusual world</a>, it&#8217;s no longer an effective way as collaboration, creativity, and innovation can still be found otherwise, through different methods other than a meeting.
Take audio and video recording as an example. We can record ourselves presenting and send it to all stakeholders. Everyone can watch the recording anytime without worrying about mishearing a word.
If we remove all elements from the equation, meetings are then left with nothing but an unproductive and time-consuming activity. At best, they help clarify issues that would otherwise be impossible to clarify through writing.
There have been more than a handful of companies that have enforced a &#8220;<a href="https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/the-power-of-a-no-meetings-policy-from-a-company-that-put-it-in-place-2021-07-07">no meeting day</a>&#8220;. And some like living on the edge and eradicating the activity entirely. Individuals in these companies can operate and collaborate at their own pace, whenever that is most convenient for them.
When there are matters that don’t require me to instantly respond, I&#8217;ll encourage my staff to seek other means of communication instead of real-time. The good thing about conversations that don&#8217;t happen at the same time, a.k.a., asynchronous communication, is that they are automatically saved and can be looked up years later.
Of course, asynchronous communication does not cancel out in-person and virtual meetings. For instance, our Talent Acquisition team here at TRG International is testing out video recruiting to shorten our hiring cycle. We’re growing fast, and thus, we need to fill <a href="https://careers.trginternational.com/jobs">vacant positions</a> with the right talents quickly. However, this does not mean we’ll completely replace <a href="https://wpengine.trginternational.com/blog/most-job-interviews-are-unreliable/">traditional interviewing</a> with videos, but it can save us valuable time and effort.
At the end of the day, the meeting menace arises from a much deeper problem: <a href="https://wpengine.trginternational.com/blog/escaping-micromanagement-loosen-your-grip-and-free-up-your-time/">failure to delegate and empower</a>.
Think for a moment, what is stopping you from delegating more to your subordinates? Is it because you:
<ul>
<li>feel guilty for adding more tasks to their workloads?</li>
<li>lack confidence in the individual?</li>
<li>think it would take the individual much longer to complete the task so you just do it yourself?</li>
</ul>
If any of the above reasons resonate with you, you should start considering how to address them. Not only will it add more weight to your already heavy workload, but failure to delegate also results in your employees missing out on valuable learning and growth opportunities.
All in all, cutting down on your meeting time is the right thing to do for yourself, your employees, and your organisation.

Whack-a-Meeting – the mole that will never go away. Or will it?

I recently went on a business trip to Thailand with some of my team members to attend the <a href="https://wpengine.trginternational.com/blog/infor-sunsystems-conference-apac-2022/">Infor SunSystems Channel Partner Conference APAC</a>. We were updated on insights and the roadmap for <a href="https://wpengine.trginternational.com/solutions/infor-sunsystems/">SunSystems</a> for the future.
It was exciting to see all the partners from the region in person after the years of COVID. Despite being a hybrid event (well, duh, we&#8217;re living in an unusual world. I believe all experiences need to be inclusive so that we do not single out any group), the conference was well-thought-out and informative.
So, what was the biggest news? Well, SunSystems, like most Infor solutions, is moving to SaaS Cloud. And there is no denying that this transition is a <a href="https://wpengine.trginternational.com/blog/accounting-true-cloud-sunsystems-7-saas/">giant leap</a> in both financial and technological aspects.
We have already covered <a href="https://blog.trginternational.com/infor-sunsystems-6.4-the-quantum-leap-in-financial-management-software">SunSystems 6.4</a>, the new <a href="https://wpengine.trginternational.com/blog/accounting-true-cloud-sunsystems-7-saas/">SaaS-based version of SunSystems Cloud</a>, as well as <a href="https://blog.trginternational.com/3-things-you-need-to-know-about-infor-os-the-foundation-of-future-enterprises">Infor OS</a> and the array of features that come along with it, in-depth in our blogs.
Arguably, there are legitimate concerns and hesitations about going SaaS Cloud such as the legal aspect of where your data actually resides. And of course, there is the issue with <a href="https://wpengine.trginternational.com/blog/cloud-washing-for-dummies-what-is-it-how-to-spot-it-from-the-crowd/">cloud washing</a> where an on-premises product/service is rebranded and/or repackaged to be associated with “cloud.”
Just to be clear, there is nothing inherently wrong with on-premise software. And to be much clearer, on-premise software is and will be around because it still manages to offer certain benefits over the cloud, and the cloud is still on its way to reaching the peak of innovation.
That said, going SaaS Cloud offers tremendous value in terms of cost and resource optimisation. It allows your enterprise to access capabilities that may otherwise be too costly and complex if being deployed on-premise.
Imagine a world where your accounting and finance team can do a lot more with Financial ERP than just record day-to-day transactions. What if they can create intra- and interdepartmental automated workflows, see related documents from within the context of the application, or even access a next-gen data lake for later analytics?
And they can do all of the above anywhere, anytime, and on any device. Even better, those advanced capabilities can be rolled out as parts of a simple implementation.
By going SaaS Cloud, Financial ERP is not just a tool but also a tremendous force multiplier for your accounting and finance team.
Such a world can only become a reality with SaaS.
Gone are the days when we have to wait months, or even years, for enterprise systems to be fully deployed and ready to use. Now, with the widespread application of cloud computing, solution deployment is much more efficient and cost-effective.
It is now possible to deliver industry-specific functionalities and content &#8220;out-of-the-box.&#8221; This has always been what Infor and TRG strive to bring to our customers so you can get up and run quickly and get the benefit from the new systems and avoid any downtime.
If you have the power to turn a feature on and off or freely scale up or down upon demand, then why not take advantage of it?
Here&#8217;s a secret. Infor SunSystems Cloud is expected to be launched at the end of October. That&#8217;s two months from now, and I’m ready for it. Until then we can expect more information about this revolutionary solution. So please <a href="https://blog.trginternational.com/infor-sunsystems-7-saas-updates">stay tuned for my future updates</a>.

It’s a SaaS world after all

As strange as it may sound, Gen Z is head over heels for <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/23/style/gen-z-fashion-1990s.html">fashion in the 90s</a> and <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/pop-culture-news/gen-z-s-nowstalgia-y2k-fashion-leading-thrifting-explosion-n1274720">early 2000s</a>. But why do we talk about fashion trends anyway?
That is because fashion is not the only thing that comes full circle. Until recently, <a href="https://www.mightyrecruiter.com/recruiter-guide/hiring/why-startups-attract-more-millennials-than-corporations/">working for start-ups</a>, as opposed to established corporations, is <a href="https://www.valuer.ai/blog/why-millennials-are-choosing-startups-over-corporations">still desirable by Millennials</a>. But according to this new study by Glassdoor, Gen Z prefers working for larger, long-established companies.
Getting started professionally during the pandemic and its subsequent turmoil, Gen Z understandably prefers job security and clearer career paths, which are not strong suits of start-ups.
This highlights probably the most crucial thing to know about Gen Z, they are not “the new Millennials.&#8221; In many ways, they can be seen as the opposite of Millennials.
Today, Gen Z constitutes 26% or roughly 2 billion people of the total global population. And, as a reminder, while some of them are still in school, many have already entered the labour force and may even hold leadership or management positions.
Another example is, contrary to popular belief, these zoomers <a href="https://fortune.com/2022/06/22/gen-z-dismisses-remote-work-sick-of-zoom/">do not like remote working</a>. Yes, I was also stunned to know that.
Gen Z has modern technology at their fingertips—therapy via text, virtual doctor’s visits, and a portable search engine that can answer any question they’ve ever had.
Yet, they unexpectedly prefer <a href="https://www.fastcompany.com/90767227/hybrid-work-leaving-gen-z-behind-heres-how-to-engage-the-youngest-professionals">face-to-face communication</a>.
Thus, don’t be surprised to see your younger employees express they want to return to the office, and they might be very vocal about it.
So, what do we do with those employees that prefer to work remotely, in their own place, at their own pace? How about implementing a hybrid working policy to satisfy both?
Similar to remote working, each individual experiences and embraces hybrid working differently. Not everyone likes to come to work on the same day, and not everyone can be productive at the same level or at the same time. You need a structured hybrid work environment that can empower each of your employees to be the best version of themselves, or else you risk losing your best talent.
Do we at TRG International have our sleeves full of tips and tricks for you? Yes, we have some, however, the road to hybrid talent management requires constant learning and finetuning.
You may know that we launched our <a href="https://info.trginternational.com/are-inclusion-and-diversity-in-crisis-during-a-crisis">virtual internship programmes during the pandemic</a> to create opportunities to meet fresh young minds and to gradually introduce Gen Z into our teams.
It was such a fun experience that we continued it and expanded it into a hybrid program when the situation was safe enough for us to reopen our physical offices. We&#8217;re still operating in hybrid mode today.
If I can boil down to just a few key elements that are crucial to a hybrid workplace, they would be:
<ul>
<li>Onboarding </li>
<li>Engagement </li>
<li>And development </li>
</ul>
These three do not apply to just Gen Z but to everybody.
Why do I mention onboarding? Among the three, it is the most often overlooked process. Too often, we think we hire a candidate, get them to sign a contract, and then it’s done. And, showing the new hires around the office or informing them of a few housekeeping rules on their first day is woefully not enough.
Especially as we’re living in unprecedented times, we have yet to figure out the right balance between remote and hybrid work. These freshly minted Gen Z employees will enter the workforce with the expectation of finally being able to connect and find their community, only to perceive their teammates and supervisors hiding behind screens.
How long will they remain with the company if they feel disconnected and isolated like it’s the pandemic all over again? This makes it harder for today&#8217;s leaders to recognise and accept the unique challenges that come with onboarding young teams.
Onboarding Gen Z in particular and making them feel welcomed and supported beyond their first few days or weeks is critical for employer branding and retention in the long run.
What about engagement and development? Gen Z wants to grow quickly. Thus, they actively seek ways to expand their network and solid in-person mentorship to navigate workplace norms and establish meaningful bonds.
One support that we give our TRGers is the &#8220;Book a Coach&#8221; service. Its purpose is to help our teams embrace the coaching culture and be more efficient in transforming ourselves.
The service is exactly what it’s called. A TRGer registers their info along with some details on why they need coaching, and then they’ll get 1-on-1 coaching.
The reason can be anything, work-related or totally about the individual. What matters is that they’ve made the first move – they booked a coach.
As managers and employers of these soon-to-be leaders of the future workforce, we need to equip them with the necessary skills, a personalised toolkit, and mentorship instead of commanding them what to do.
And if you ask me whether a multigenerational workforce will pose a threat, I would answer, &#8220;What threat?&#8221;
Isn&#8217;t it awesome if the new generation proposed a better idea of how we could improve the way we work? If you&#8217;re resisting the idea, thinking it too naïve, you’re not seeing a threat; you’re resisting the opportunity to change.
And if you’re not ready for change, are you ready for Gen Z?

CEO Letters