Welcome to the Press Start Leadership Podcast, your ultimate guide to unlocking your leadership potential in the dynamic world of the video game industry. Join me, Christopher Mifsud, a seasoned industry professional with two decades of experience leading and nurturing teams for renowned digital creative companies worldwide.
This podcast is your secret weapon in an industry that often promotes talented individuals without providing the necessary leadership training. Drawing from my personal experiences and dedicated investment in top-tier coaches and programs, I've successfully bridged the gap in leadership development. I'm excited to share these invaluable insights with a broader audience, empowering you in the video game industry.
Whether you're a video game industry pro or aspiring to lead a creative product and development team, this show is designed to help you maximize your team's potential and embrace your role as a visionary leader. Together, we'll explore proven strategies, industry trends, and personal anecdotes that will give you the competitive edge you need.
Are you ready to level up your leadership skills and excel in the vibrant world of video game development? Join us on the Press Start Leadership Podcast and let's begin this transformative journey. Just Press Start!
Hey there press starters and welcome to the press Start leadership podcast, the podcast about game changing leadership, teaching you how to get the most out of your product and development team and become the leader you were meant to be leadership coaching and training for the International game industry professional. Now, let me introduce you to your host, the man, the myth, the legend, Christopher Mifsud.
Christopher Mifsud:
Hey there, press starters. And welcome to this week's edition of press Start leadership podcast. This week we're answering some questions. Hey, Chris, I've got a question. Well, I've got an answer. What are some ways that I can level up as a leader? All right, let me give you three simple tips on how to level up as a leader. First up, take online classes. There are lots of courses out there on just about everything from c++, Liga, legends to yoga. So basically, you can find just about anything, you're looking for an online class, there are classes just about everything. So whatever you're looking for, from business to personal life, you should be able to find something. And that's a good way to level up as a leader. Number two, you can watch YouTube videos and tutorials. You know, if you don't have the money to pay for online courses, you can always find free content on YouTube. There's a lot of different folks out there. But you'd probably have to spend more time figuring out which ones are good and which ones are bad and doing a lot of legwork on that side. So you know, if you don't have money and you have time, YouTube tutorials are a decent way to go through the process and get the information you need. Number three, find a mentor. You know, do you ever hear a business? Yeah, reach out to them. Nowadays, you have the ability to direct message people via LinkedIn or Instagram or Tiktok or what have you. So, you know, 99% of the time folks aren't going to reply, but it never hurts to ask. And when you do find someone who is willing to mentor you and work with you, a lot of awesome things can happen. So, you know, take the time to reach out to those people that inspire you and see if they have the time to give you back. Now remember, if you're going to reach out to people, you know, respect their time and actually be willing to put in the work. You know, don't just ask people because on a whim. Okay, next question. Why are one on ones importance? Okay. My opinion one on one meetings are the most important thing a leader can do their team, but they're often the most overlooked. And why does this happen? It's generally do the poor prioritization is common to put project deadlines, both people and the short term that may seem to make sense in the long term. If you're not putting your people first, it's likely to land you and your company in hot lava. Like good Marissa, I can give you three reasons why one of the ones that are important. One, analytics. When you're having one on one meetings with your team, you're gathering data. You may have a lot of the hard data already. But unless you're talking to your team, I guarantee you don't have all the soft data you need to make good decisions. Is the timeline progressing as it should? Are there any issues with the project? How about personal matters that need to be addressed? These are all items that could potentially derail your project and your business. If you don't have all the data, you won't make informed decisions. If you aren't making informed decisions. You can't be the effective leader you're meant to be. Number two, building trust. Teams of any kind only work well together when there is trust. In order to thrive. Your team needs to know they can trust each other and they need to know that they can trust you to lead them. What's the best way to earn trust you ask? having regular conversations with your team members. If you show them consistency, care and dedication, they'll do the same for you and your company. When you build rapport, they feel much more comfortable bringing up a problem than if that's the only contact they ever have with you, and you just might end up saving the day. Number three, growth. Getting to know your team members individual strengths and weaknesses and long term aspirations doesn't just help you succeed on a project by project basis. It also helps you grow your business and strengthens his reputation. If you're helping each of your team members grow that only serves you and your brand, even if they end up moving on. And those are the three reasons why one on ones are important. Analytics, building trust and growth. Next question. Do you have any tips for working abroad? Well, actually, I do. My work in the gaming industry has allowed me to live in six different countries, the United States, Canada, India, Malta, Poland, and the Netherlands, possibly seven if you count my extended vacation in Costa Rica due to the COVID travel restrictions earlier this year. During my career, I've learned quite a lot about moving and adapting to new places. And if you've always dreamed of being a world warrior yourself, I do have five tips on how to do it. Number one, ply for the job. sounds obvious, right? It is. But it can also be daunting to apply for a job outside of the country. There are a lot of what ifs involved. So the best way to start sorting through them is by applying, make your decisions later, when you're actually been offered the job. I recommend using LinkedIn jobs and selecting worldwide as your preferred location. So you can see what's out there. Being as open as possible will give you a lot more options. And if you're just picking specific places, but if you know specific spots you want to be go ahead and do it. To do your research, learn absolutely everything you can about your country of interest. Do you know what the cost of living is? How about the exchange rates, the taxes, the languages they speak, what their culture is, like, you can adjust to anything, there will be a lot easier if you know that you're moving to a region where they only speak French 50% of your salary goes to taxes and your take home pay is significantly less than you thought it was going to be because you don't didn't double check the exchange rate. Just saying I know from experience. Number three, make friends before you move. moving to a new country, it can be really isolating. I highly suggest joining an expatriate group on Facebook or connecting with other folks via in donations or other organizations like that. Also find out what kinds of resources your new employer has available. Have they hired outside of the country before? Do they offer local language classes for employees? What is their onboarding plan for new hires, it's important to ask upfront so you know what you're getting into. Again, surprises are never fun when you're moving to a new factory for planning for things to not move quickly, visas and other necessary documents can take quite a lot of time to process and you have almost zero control over that process. Plus you no longer in your country. So plan on the rules you're used to not apply. learn the rules of the new game, of course, but most importantly, learn to laugh at life and at the process. If you could do that people from any country will laugh with you and you'll be just fine. Again, I know from experience and number five, get a dual citizenship. A lot of people can qualify for dual citizenship and don't realize it. Having a dual citizenship can help a company decide to hire you or someone else who might have to go through a lengthy visa process. If you're somewhere like the European Union, you can allow for freedom of movement between countries, which also means freedom a job prospects, like anything else, do your research, make sure you won't have to pay double taxes. But generally dual citizenship is a win win. And there you go. five tips for working abroad. apply for the job. Do your research, make friends before you move, plan for things not to move quickly and get a dual citizenship if you can. Alright, right. That's this week's episode of press Start leadership podcast. Thanks for joining us this week. And being oppressed starter, let me know what you think in the comments. And remember, stay awesome. If you haven't downloaded my free eBook five heroic leadership skills, click on the link in the description. Tune in next week for your next episode of press Start leadership podcast. Thank you
