by Michelle Murphy | Oct 28, 2015 | Event, General Interest
We have all experienced day long events where lunch is approaching and there is a lot of nodding heads and heavy eyes but this certainly wasn’t one of them!! Right from the start everyone was completely engaged by the intriguing and entertaining speakers at the first Horizon Summit, a leadership conference aimed at helping businesses in Galway and across the country reach their full potential in 2016. The speakers shared personal experiences of where they were and how they have gotten to where they are today all delivered in a humorous manner with Pádraic Ó Máille keeping everything on track acting as MC for the day. Eric Fitzpatrick kicked off the morning with a little audience interaction by demonstrating that we can be more productive if we are clever about it. He then went on to discuss what gave him the drive and motivation to where he is today – being told that he couldn’t have a company car. He devised a plan where at the same time the following year his manager would undoubtedly be in no position to refuse, he decided not to hit his target, not to surpass it, but to blow it clean out of the water. Eric made us privy to the structures he incorporated in the following year – breaking down targets, clients, territory and investing in himself educationally and personally. Ciara Conlon was next to the stage, a self-proclaimed unorganised person, she spoke about how to be productive and the organisation it takes to do so. She highlighted some very easy tricks that everyone should incorporate into their daily lives; to get to inbox zero once a week by using one of the following: Delete, Delegate, Defer or Do. If something takes less than two minutes, do it straight away. If it takes longer, mark a time in your calendar to do it. If it’s junk mail, get rid of it, and if you’re in a position to delegate and it is not a task that you and you only can do, then delegate. After a quick coffee, and of course some networking, the Dragons Den star Gavin Duffy took to the floor. I say ‘floor’ as he energetically moved through the audience for the entire presentation keeping everyone captivated by his entertaining stories of how to give a compelling business proposition and how many have failed to achieve this. Gavin also drove home that we are now out of the recession with the fastest growing economy in Europe so it is time to start charging the right price for our services and stop selling yourself short! Dermot McConkey followed highlighting the importance of emotions in business and why as a result women will be the leaders of the future. He emphasised how a few very simple changes in language can result in getting people to really think and visualise our offerings and how they could benefit their business; instead of referring to products, highlight choices and options; instead of goals, give an outcome; instead of text, put it into context. Last, but certainly not least, Pádraic Ó Máille spoke on how to stay motivated. From a recent spell of serious ill health Pádraic came away with many positives, one of which is a recipe on how to stop worrying and start living, something I think all of us Irish can benefit from. Pádraic instilled a great metaphor for us all to ponder – Cows are one of the first animals to be aware of a storm approaching, they start running. Although they have evaded the storm for a period, they run slowly staying in the midst of the storm for longer. The buffalo however doesn’t move, it waits until the storm is about to hit and charges toward the storm, with the effect of the storm being intense but brief. So don’t prolong the torment, become the buffalo. Horizon Summit was a massive success which was made happen from the team at Sales Master Minders – Bernie Turley, Darragh O’Connor and Ronan Walsh. With the event being sponsored by One Page, CRM, Connacht Tribune, Galway City Tribune and Vhi Healthcare. Kirby Brennan – Recruitment Consultant Collins McNicholas Recruitment & HR Services Group –...Read More
by Caroline Ward | Oct 21, 2015 | Career, Event, General Interest, Wellbeing, Work Life
For some of us this weekend in not just any Bank Holiday weekend, it’s the Dublin City Marathon Weekend. Over 14,000 people will be lining up to compete in or complete the 26.2 mile race. Having spent many many hours and many many miles training for the event, below are some reflections on how lessons learned here can be applied in the work environment: Set a clear, stretching but achievable goal Success looks different for everyone. In the marathon, there are some who are hoping to complete the distance in under 3 hours or with a new “personal best” and there are the rest of us who are happy to complete it at all! It’s important to set a goal with clear milestones and a definite concept of what “good” looks like. While a goal which is too easy to achieve can lead to failure to fulfil potential, an overly complex or ridiculous goal can cause the project or race to derail very quickly. Maintain a positive mindset In business, in life, in marathon running, there will always be challenges. It is important to remain positive, remember the long term goal and reassess your approach if necessary. This means letting go of the elements of a project which just aren’t working, learning from setbacks and adjusting your approach in the face of changing circumstances. Consistency is key While quite a mundane concept, behaving in a consistent and reliable way is one of the most important elements in growing a strong customer base, developing good relationships with co-workers and building fitness and endurance. Following the training plan, responding...Read More
by Niall Murray | Oct 20, 2015 | Event, General Interest, Wellbeing, Work Life
During the month of September staff at Collins McNicholas took a virtual walking tour of Ireland, tasked with clocking up 3 million steps on their pedometers. Healthy eating initiatives and team events helped to get us all in the right frame of mind, to get out and get moving more. We had so much fun doing the 3 Million Step Challenge! Even Fossett’s Circus gave us a hand! We’re now looking forward to our next event, a 250km run or walk for Pieta House taking place in late November. Here are some more photos of our 3 Million Step escapades around the country: For more information on the 3 Million Step Challenge, contact Niall Murray at niall.murray@collinsmcnicholas.ie or phone 071 91...Read More
by Noeleen Stewart | Oct 19, 2015 | Engineering and Technical, Event, General Interest
Collins McNicholas were one of the sponsors for The Formula 1 Competition in which 4 students (including my son Sean) from St Brigid’s Vocational School Loughrea qualified for the National Finals of the Formula 1 Post Primary Schools Competition which took place on the 29th April last in Dublin Castle, as part of Technology week. On the day Zero Tolerance battled it out with 24 other racing teams from across Ireland. The Formula 1 competition in schools is a global, multi-disciplinary competition, open to all Post Primary schools, that challenges second level students to design, build, and race miniature compressed air powered balsa wood Formula 1 cars of the future. F1 in Schools main aim is to help change perceptions on science, technology, engineering and maths. By creating a fun and exciting learning environment, young people will develop an interest in a career in these areas. F1 in Schools is operated in Ireland by the Irish Computer Society (ICS). Each year teams from secondary schools across the country showcase their skills in IT, physics, engineering, marketing and financial strategy, in regional and national finals. The F1 in Schools Challenge is not all about speed. Teams are also judged on the quality of their engineering, graphic design, portfolio, media skills, handling of sponsorship and verbal presentation of their work. The Zero Tolerance racing team comprised of Transition Year students Adam Fahey, Sean O’ Shaughnessy, and fourth year students Jeffrey Conway, and Mckinly Magale. I am delighted to say that Zero Tolerance received a major award for Best Engineered Car in the National Finals in April last. This is an excellent...Read More
by Michelle Murphy | Sep 30, 2015 | CIPD, Event
CIPD Western Region’s programme launch and first event of their 24th year in operation was coincidently held on the 24th of September 2015, in the Clayton Hotel Galway and was very proudly sponsored by Collins McNicholas Recruitment & HR Services Group. As always attendees were greeted warmly by committee members, with 13 volunteers comprising the hard working backbone of the organisation for the year with Goda Faherty filling the post of CIPD Western Region Honorary Chair. There was an abundance of people in attendance both new and old faces, with great attendance and interaction from students hoping to pursue a successful career in HR. After light refreshments and some networking we got down to the main event (after getting some extra chairs!): How to get the most out of Psychometrics in HR. Two very insightful and experienced speakers, namely Dr Teresa O’Hara from Athlone Institute of Technology and Caroline Ward from Collins McNicholas gave a seamless presentation looking at both practice and research within the area of Psychometric testing. They educated us in the areas of psychometrics for Training and Development, and Recruitment and Selection respectively. Dr. O’Hara showed how psychometrics can be a great tool to encourage conversation about an employee’s strengths and identify areas which may need some development; how it can be a great instrument to show team dynamics – highlighting which roles an individual takes in a group, what will make them work successfully and what could be their drawbacks. Caroline Ward showed us some interesting case studies on assessment centres where candidates had to partake in a series of tasks such as verbal ability...Read More
by admin | Sep 10, 2015 | Event, General Interest
Collins McNicholas Recruitment & HR Services Group was honoured to be one of the finalists at the Chambers Ireland Corporate & Social Responsibility Awards 2015, on Thursday 3rd September in the Burlington Hotel, Dublin. Winners on the night included Electric Ireland, IBM Ireland, Cork University Hospital, Astellas Ireland, Abbott Ireland, Dublin Port Company, Genzyme, Ulster Bank, Intel Ireland, EBS, Paypal, Bewley’s, Microsoft and DHR Communication. Celebrating 25 years in business, Collins McNicholas was shortlisted for the work they have done with Pieta House over the last 3 years, including their annual ‘Collins McNicholas 250km Challenge Run in aid of Pieta House’. The compère for the evening was Mary Kennedy, presenter of RTE’s Nationwide, with special guest Minister Alan Kelly, T.D. Collins McNicholas would like to congratulate all the winners and other finalists who showcased the inspirational work they do to enhance societal change, the environment and their local communities. Follow Collins McNicholas on LinkedIn Follow Collins McNicholas on Facebook Follow Collins McNicholas on...Read More
