I came across this great article by Brooke Allen on Quartz, which was featured in LinkedIn Today. You can read the article at the link, and I strongly recommend that you do! http://qz.com/77020 The article reminds me of a short clip by Simple Truths called “The 100/0 Principle“. Write and tell me what you think!
I saw some news online today that reminded me to get the message out – when the majority of the planet is in dire need of help, should we be wasting resources on our own selfish fancies? The news reported that a Dutch reality show was seeking volunteers for a one-way trip to Mars. If […]
One of the talks I have delivered, and will be delivering this Saturday, 27 Apr 2013, centres around how to make the right decisions. We need to be thinking about things like this every so often, and determine if we are truly who we say we are. Some people call it congruence. Well, I had […]
Have you made out your will? That’s something we all need to do, regardless of how much or how little we think we have in terms of assets.What about making a W.I.L.L. as in “Walk In Lifelong Learning”? It is a pity that so many who seem to be so highly educated want to have […]
There was a boy who lived in a village several years ago. His father had died, and the family was very poor. One day, one of the other children at the village school stole the only notebook that he had. Feeling sad and angry, the boy was passing by a stall selling fruit on the […]
Yes, you read that right. Do you know people who are like that? People who never seem to get anything done and yet claiming to be “creative”? People who can tell you all about how to do your job better, but who can’t even remember the main decision from the last meeting? If you have […]
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 […]
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 […]
[[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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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, […]
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 […]
Picture this. Head office of an MNC in Boston faces issues with silo mentality existing between a few Divisions which actually need to work together. Team-building, team coaching and leadership programs have so far failed to bring about any changes of note. In desperation, the CEO throws up his hands and barks to his HR […]
So, what do you want? I always wish more sellers and marketers would ask this question more sincerely of their buyers. I look around me and I see so many placebos being offered. Worse still, they are being wolfed down with great relish. Caveat Emptor – let the buyer beware! Some so-called marketing gurus actually […]
Yes, really, how lucky are you? How lucky have you been? Will you continue to be lucky in future? Will you start getting lucky? We all know Seneca’s quote. Do we all practice what it says? In my last newsletter I talked about “Deliberate Delegation” and attached the story of “A Letter to Garcia” in […]
In case you’re wondering – no, I do NOT agree that 90% of conflict is due to the wrong tone of voice. Here’s why. Do you know some of those people who are always in control of what they say, how they say it and when they say it? Have you ever wished that you […]
Do you know of people who seem to be successful no matter what they turn their hands to? Have you ever wondered how they manage that? Is it because they came from good, nurturing and loving families, had a privileged education, or simply inherited their wealth? Is it because they had all the “good breaks” […]
Do you treasure feedback? I hope you do. Feedback is extremely precious. What would you classify as feedback? Affirmations from others? Brickbats? Criticisms? Accolades for your various and wonderful achievements? Scathing remarks about your work attitude? Do you have what many call “thick skin” for feedback of all categories? One of our senses is the […]
No, that’s not a tongue-twister. In fact, it’s something for you and I to focus on. Focusing on this will help a lot in freeing us to be and do all that we are meant to. Ready? Say it out loud, now, “yt ilib isnop serym siti!”. Hmmm…let’s do that again, shall we? With a […]
Most of us have heard of, or know a thing or two, about Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Although some have said that Maslow himself never used a pyramid to depict this hierarchy, it is commonly represented as that rather well-known pyramid. The bottom four layers are supposed to represent the “Deficiency”, or “D” needs and […]
I officially joined APTS at this meeting. The meeting was fun, and the two speakers spoke about stuff which resonated a lot with me! Dr Kala spoke about Personal Mastery, which really was all about making choices to develop yourself and make yourself happy, in simplistic terms. Deja vu, I had just written a post […]
This is one of the stories that can be found in Rudyard Kipling’s “The Second Jungle Book”. The story is called “The Miracle of Purun Bhagat” and can be read free online. It is about a man who, having reached the dizzying heights of a long an illustrious career, forsook it all and took up […]
Are you familiar with “Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)”? What is your view of it? There are many terms and viewpoints that have sprung up around the concept, the more ubiquitous ones being “Creating Shared Value (CSV)”, “Triple Bottom Line (TBL)”, “Corporate Moral Responsibility (CMR)” and quite recently “Corporate Responsibility (CR)”. All the concepts seem to […]
Most of us know the Golden Rule, and many do try to live accordingly. The Golden Rule is recognized as universal, and has been compared across religions and similar beliefs. Then there is the Platinum Rule. Many who know the Platinum Rule state that it is superior to the Golden Rule. Nothing could be further […]
These are a few thoughts following a read of “More meetings, so more pay for OCBC directors” in the Business Times of 26 Apr 2012. Do you know what a Board of Directors does? Why is it there in the first place? Well, as far as I understand it, a Board of Directors is to […]
What is the purpose of implementing a minimum wage? Minimizing exploitation of low-cost labour, even foreign labour, by employers. Is that the only way to minimize such exploitation? Certainly not! The only reason I will support such legislation, if it indeed comes to pass, is to bring unscrupulous employers who exploit such workers, both local […]
I came across an excellent INSEAD article in the BT-Citibank Young Investors’ Forum on 27 Feb 2012, “Changing business behaviour”. Professor Jean-François Manzoni of INSEAD believes that it is possible to get organizations to behave ethically, but that it would probably take several years. Messages, and not just verbal messages, promoting ethical behaviour have to come […]
I used to sell for a couple of retail investment establishments, and I was always told to “under-promise and over-deliver”. That sounded logical at the time, but in hindsight, seems a little self-defeating. Firstly, I couldn’t promise whatever the company didn’t promise, and I certainly wasn’t in any position to deliver anything, since the investment […]
I’ve used the JOHARI window many times in the sessions that I deliver. It’s also known as the “Trust Model”. Developed by Joseph Luft and Harry Ingham, for those who don’t know yet. Listened to a recorded webinar just now. I missed the live one last week because of internet connectivity issues in Port Dickson. As I listened, […]
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