The title should read “In today’s Severely Distracted environment, you really have to be Special Delivery! We are a distracted people. We allow small disturbances to take away our focus and our attention from more important issues. We allow the unimportant to edge out the important, like relationships. We think that gadgets and social media […]
Are you an innovative person? Is your organization innovative? What, in any case, IS innovation? Well, I think most of us would agree that innovation is introducing change, organic or otherwise, that would help make things better, faster, smoother, more efficient, more effective, more user-friendly, more cost-effective, or a combination of the above. We hear […]
Did the Titanic hit the iceberg and sink because she was not aware that there were icebergs in the area she was in? Definitely not. Radio messages relayed by Morse code were being sent from ship to ship reporting icebergs in the very area that the Titanic was sailing in. Why the messages were largely […]
A few assertions about fairness and justice. They may not seem fair to you at first sight. Think about them a little, don’t worry about dictionary definitions. Are they actually played out in real life? Fairness focuses on rights. Justice focuses on what is right. Fairness is based on perceptions. Justice is based on principles. Fairness focuses […]
Thomas Malm’s blog of 09 Feb 2013 mentioned silos and synapses, and immediately sparked off this post. When “silo” is thrown your way, what comes to your mind? Do you have negative feelings? Well, “silos” and structures resembling “silos” are actually pretty essential in many instances. If our esophagi (gullets) and tracheae (windpipes) didn’t function in […]
Motivate your staff? Or inspire them? Can it be both, at different times answering to different needs? We are told we can’t motivate anyone, we can only set conditions that appeal to what they prefer to be doing, and they’ll motivate themselves. Well, that’s good for a start, but I do think we need to […]
The word “try” has been vilified by many as being symptomatic of a lack of self-belief, lack of commitment, and a few other things. I think it has been used too often by too many people as a cover-up for NOT trying. Sure, they “tried”, but they certainly didn’t “try” hard enough and/ or weren’t persistent […]
There are many discussions online that seem to serve very little purpose. They are dysfunctional discussions. They seem to have gone on like forever, and continue their meandering path with little or no fruitfulness as a result. Perhaps Sam Walter Foss’ “The Calf Path” says it all too well. People tend to imbibe other people’s […]
From Wikipedia, [Asymmetric warfare is war between belligerents whose relative military power differs significantly, or whose strategy or tactics differ significantly.] I don’t know about you, but I have often discerned hints of “Hey, no fair!” when I come across articles in journals or in the news talking about “Asymmetric Warfare”. Instead of whining about our competitors not behaving as […]
Yes, you read that right. This has actually happened, and apparently on more than one occasion. A Grumman test pilot by the name of Tom Attridge somehow managed to do that while testing a Grumman F11F-1 Tiger on 21 Sep 1956. It happened while he was test-firing four 20mm cannon. After firing two bursts, Attridge actually […]
FUN! Oh, yes. And that is what girls just wanna have, if Cyndi Lauper is to be believed. Do you like having fun? Are you doing a face-palm movement in response to that question? Let’s have some serious play with the word. Looking up the word “fun” in the etymology dictionary, we see that fun […]
We’ve all heard the conventional wisdom that we need to be specialized in something, be very good at something that only we can do, or we won’t get much attention and we won’t get much market share. Well, I don’t know about you, but I’ve always been known to be highly unconventional. I am not […]
We would usually only ask if a lady were expecting if she happened to be a close relative, a close friend or perhaps a workplace colleague. Of course, all of us would be expecting a bundle of joy to be delivered and inquire as to the date and probably give lots of advice as to […]
Do you have bad habits? Do you have bad habits that you’d like to break? Well, I have remarkable news for you – that’s NOT what I help you with! I help you to form GOOD habits and focus on forming GOOD habits. Then you’ll be in a better position to erase the remnants of […]
Fear is actually a good thing. It keeps us alive. A healthy fear of consequences helps us to stay safe even as we explore and find ways to become more creative. There are two basic motivating drives in all human beings: Fear of Loss, and Desire for Gain. These two complement each other. It is […]
The Mall. A place where you can find your All. No, that’s not what I mean here. “MaLL” in some contexts stands for “Master in Lifelong Learning”. Lifelong learning has become a buzzword. We think that all of us should be enthusiastically engaged in lifelong learning. How has it been for you? If you find […]
I’ve always been just your normal everyday Grunt, never been a Special Forces type, but I do hold them in high regard. So this post is in no way a “dig” at my friends in the Special Forces. But I do think it’s urgent. Randy Ottinger, Executive Vice President at Kotter International, recently wrote something […]
Something I read on Inc. this morning caught my attention. Margaret Heffernan was writing about her observations that the pipeline for female leaders is full to bursting point. She said that, during her interviews with women leaders, she asked the question “So what have you done to help other women?” Those who answered with confidence, […]
When discussing topics like “multi-tasking”, one of the things I raise is that we ought, not to “multi-task”, but to achieve proficiency in as many relevant competencies as possible, to the extent that those competencies, which may involve processes, become, as it were, “automatic”. I like to illustrate this by using the autonomic and sympathetic […]
Someone shared this on Facebook today. It was about footballer Rio Ferdinand “…ridiculed on Twitter after pleading for sympathy from New Year’s revellers while stuck in team hotel…” £115,000 a week, they say. Of course, that sparked the ire of many of his Twitter followers, with many giving him a piece of their mind. Back and […]
This is from the Design Workz blog, written on 26 Dec 2012. Interesting point, Design Workz being the lighthouse for the Premiere Logistics ship. You can read the post here. Project – Premiere Logistics Website PREMIERE LOGiSTiCS (S) Pte Ltd specialises in freight services, custom brokerage and cold chain system. From the smallest package to […]
I have been saying that if your business does not deliver genuine value to all stakeholders, then you have no business being in business. If you find that you have a great need to implement some sort of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) or Corporate Responsibility (CR) policy, then the very nature of your business should […]
“HR seems to place more obstacles than provide solutions”. “Finance is utterly inflexible. Can’t they see what we need?” “We need to deliver the goods NOW! Why does Logistics take so long?” “Silo mentality” is a common complaint that we don’t want to hear about every day. Of course, any business would like to break […]
I happened to come across an article entitled “The Evolution of Blind Acceptance“, and immediately the thought of corporate conscience came to mind. If you’re familiar with what I write about, you’ll know that one of my lines is “If your business does not give great value to ALL stakeholders, you have no business being […]
We are often exhorted to “Find what you love and do it”. Less often do we hear “Love what you do when you’re in it”, meaning learning to love your job, whatever it is! Some of you might know the story of the bird that failed to fly to warmer climes for the winter. Shivering […]
If you’re a parent, chances are that you think one of the measures of your success is how well your kids turned out. How about going a step further? What if the REAL measure of your success as a parent is actually how well your GRANDCHILDREN turn out? Are you scared now? Think about it! […]
“The good is the enemy of the best”. What is your definition of the “best”? It is the same question as “What is your definition of success?” As usual, people seem to be divided into two or more camps about this. One camp says that we should always go for what is best all the […]
Have you come across people who say things like that? They claim to be “practical” and “hands-on” people who “get things done”. Now, if only those people in charge of the planning would get their act together and produce plans that actually work instead of having to be made to work! This seems to be […]
[[Warning! This post may be offensive to some!]] And what is that one way? Truthfully, of course! I see many tips on how to answer interview questions well, how to prepare to “ace” the interview, etc, online. It is as though people are saying that all you need to do is get past the interview […]
Marshall Goldsmith’s popular book essentially discusses how certain small habits can actually hold us back from further progress in our lives. Many people might think that a certain characteristic they have, like always winning, for example, is something that fostered their success so far. However, the characteristic of always winning, whatever it takes, may actually […]
Does “BigDzilla” sound familiar? Those of you familiar with Ultraman would also know Godzilla the huge monster. BigDzilla is also a huge monster otherwise known as Big Data. There seems to be much excitement about Big Data these days. Big Data is seen by some as the next money-spinner. It can both be sold and […]
According to some sources, A & W, as in the fast food chain Allen & Wright, came to Singapore in 1968. The chain sold hot dogs and root beer floats to loyal afficionados until about 2003, when the last restaurant closed down. Another A & W pair came to Singapore long before that. Their names […]
This has been in the news recently. First of all, let it be known that I only approve of one form of striking. Which is wear black armbands and continue to work. My idea of a strike. From the Japanese and Koreans, I’m told. Were you forced to sign on the dotted line? Did you […]
Don’t worry, I’m not inviting you to die today. I’d rather you live for as long as your body was designed for. Nobody likes to talk about death or dying. However, if you are one of those people who are able to say “It is a good day to die!” with full conviction and with […]
I find it hard to believe that so many people find work so onerous. Is it true that so few of us actually enjoy our work? The amazing proliferation of all things to pamper at leisure seems to be a firm testament to that state of affairs. Sad reality is that we often need “…a […]
Many of us would prefer FOC to mean “Free of Charge” rather than “Fear of Change.” We actually need to get rid of this sort of thinking. There is no such thing as “Free of Charge”. Someone made it possible. Someone paid for it. It is more proper to use the term pro bono. We […]
Read this on the Design Workz Blog. With almost everyone logging in to Facebook or Twitter once everyday, it make one wonder, is the social media platform suitable for your business? Your client is in there so are your competitor. What make the difference or impact to it? The key is in COMMUNICATION. You can connected […]
Josef Klus shared this on LinkedIn. I commented on the post and would like to share a little more here, as I think it is important. With all the proposed moves to legislate the presence of women on boards to forty percent, and similar initiatives, I would like to state here again clearly that I am […]
“It is too late to close the stable door after the horse has bolted”. “Cry ‘Havoc!’ and let loose the dogs of war”. “Who let the dogs out?” It is unfortunate when corrective action slaps on a belly bandage as treatment for a peptic ulcer. The same can be said for the treatment of the […]
It is a known fact that you can’t legislate everything into existence. So why do so many leaders resort to doing just that? Got a problem? A situation? Doesn’t matter, just have more rules and regulations. Establish processes. Standard Operating Procedures. Enact some laws and push them through the legislature. Of course we all know […]
If your primary role isn’t in Maintenance, you might be tempted to turn your nose up at it. We in Singapore have existed for a long time in a culture of “Maid-tenance”. Despicable, onerous, smelly, inconvenient, uncomfortable jobs fit only for “children of a lesser god“. Yes, we relegate maintenance to “lesser beings”. We forget […]
Fire the Boss. Secret and not-so-secret desires of many people. We ARE an arrogant lot, aren’t we? Thinking that we can do better if we were in the Boss’ shoes. Which is astounding, since very few ever bother walking in the Boss’ shoes for any distance at all. Few attempt to engage with the Boss, […]
Like mercy, the quality of loyalty is not strained. That means it cannot be forced out of anyone. Loyalty is always based on mutually-beneficial relationships, actual or perceived. Not only that, loyalty is an attitude of desiring the good of the person or entity that one is loyal to. Even symbiotic relationships do not necessarily […]
Heard these statements somewhere at some time? “Dominate your market!” “Grow rich in your niche!” How about “Attracting your customers” and “Woo your buyers”? “Make it juicy for people”? While brand posturing, marketing and selling are of course very important, how many of you believe, really believe deep down inside, that your goods and services […]
On 26 Oct 2012, Anthony Robbins posted an article on LinkedIn. It was shared by Horace Tee and was titled “Change Your Words, Change Your Life: The Simplest Tool I Know for Immediately Transforming the Quality of Your Life“. As I read the article, a few thoughts came to me. One of the main functions of a leader is […]
No, I am not talking about listing your business on the Stock Exchange. I am talking about Leading In Small Things We all know intuitively that a leader who takes care of the small stuff is a leader who can be trusted. “Small stuff” includes what others might also see as “small people”. Are you […]
That sounds simple enough. Or does it? Why does it take courage and boldness to lead? Is not the fact that you have been entrusted with the position of leadership sufficient endorsement of your capabilities and rights? We have all seen, heard of, maybe experienced, the leader who appears to be full of confidence, making […]
A program I recently helped deliver with my Allies in Fish Camp brought back memories of life in a setup akin to an Op Centre. If there is an antithesis to the seemingly ubiquitous “silo” mentality in organizations, the Op Centre must surely be it! I’m talking about Op Centres that actually work, of course.
“Le coeur a ses raisons que la raison ne connait point.” ~Blaise Pascal~ (The heart has its reasons, whereof reason knows nothing.) I came across this quote by Blaise Pascal in Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle In Time several years ago. There is a pretty good explanation for what Blaise Pascal meant on the Helium website, written by […]
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