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Ambitious immigrants develop confidence
Twenty participants pose full of confidence after taking their diplomas
During introduction time at the first meeting Mahmut Sungur still thought: “As long as I do not have to start first.” Three months later he is facing a hall packed with acquaintances and strangers full of confidence and telling them about his experiences. For those present he has the following advice: “Overcome your fears and believe in yourself, that’s the road to success.” Mahmut is one of the twenty immigrants who in June responded to an initiative of Dale Carnegie to offer twenty highly educated immigrants, who either had or were still looking for a job, a free Success training course. This week the participants received their diplomas.
The response following an appeal in De Telegraaf [national newspaper] painted a picture of highly educated male and female immigrants who in some way or another just seemed to lack something to turn their knowledge and experience into advancement along their career path. In this respect they did not differ much from other highly educated persons, except for the fact that this group also had a culture gap to bridge.
Hans van der Laan of Dale Carnegie Benelux was concerned with their plight. “It is my trade of course. But it also troubles me to see talent go to waste. With our ageing society we will really need everyone in the years to come.” According to the Dale Carnegie philosophy, success does not grow on trees. There are five important factors that play a role and you can do something about them. Primarily it is a matter of self-confidence, social skills and good communication skills together with leadership qualities and a way of life that allows you to keep stress under control.
These five factors received much attention during the past three months. The approach of trainer Marietta Lenz was to accentuate those things that went well instead op pointing out things that went wrong. An approach that works. The course is really a general-purpose one according to Hans van der Laan. “We also train top business executives and they too suffer from insecurity. We are all familiar with situations in which we feel insecure and it does not exclusively apply to this group. What is a factor though, is that this group has been raised in a different culture or in another language.”
Sandra Lau seized the opportunity offered by Dale Carnegie with both hands. After working almost five years in the same department of an insurance company she wondered: “Is this it? Shouldn’t I be doing something else?” In her spare time she had already been writing columns for newspapers and was actively involved with a radio station. She wondered if she could not make that into her occupation. The course gave her the final prod to take the big step and start her own business. She set up her own communication agency and has already landed her first contract.
Presentation
“The course was extremely useful”, says Sandra. “I learnt something new every week. If you open your mind to new ideas, all sorts of things start to happen. It gave me confidence and I know there is much more that I am capable of. I have no problem addressing a large group, for instance. I do not know if I would have gone to a personal development course with only Dutch persons. You are confronted with preconceived ideas. I have an Asian background. We do not express ourselves directly and clearly, we are too modest so that we do not present ourselves optimally.
Second-year Management and Organisation student Mahmut Sungur finds the course very effective. “Its strength lies in the fact that we practice a lot; you are immediately confronted with your personal objective: more daring and self-confidence in dealing with people. After eight session I notice real progress. You may know certain things but if you do not practice them they tend to fade away. ”
Mahmut decided to register because his ambition is to reach the very top. He did think it over carefully though. He first visited the Dale Carnegie website and saw the good reviews. His aim is to be working for the United Nations or some other non-profit organisation in a few years time. His attitude is: ‘the sky is the limit’. He is aiming for the job of Secretary General of the UN and if that does not work out, a senior position in the European Union. Before such time though, a lot of water must still flow under the bridge. “I must first try to achieve my short-term objectives.”
All the participants strived to achieve their personal objective and most achieved it by the end of the course. At the diploma presentation ceremony, the shy persons who started the course demonstrate the progress they have made.
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