Have you heard leaders say things like that just before the launch of a new initiative? Or perhaps you’ve heard them utter similar phrases in the wake of a disaster or other scandal. Are you aware that most of them are lying through their teeth? Have you made such statements yourself? Taking the responsibility for […]
We have heard that an ounce of prevention is better than pounding regret, or words to that effect. Intuitively, we know that to be true. Why, then, does there seem to be such an unhealthy fascination with glorifying disasters, things which could have been prevented but left to corrode away slowly to their grim conclusions? […]
There is a song called “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” by the group Tears for Fears. The title itself hints at people wanting to be the rock star whatever they’re doing and wherever they’re at. Have you ever thought about if everybody were to rule the world, who are the ruled? Harvey MacKay once […]
Are we led more by Reason or are we led more by Emotion? Someone once said that we are led by both. Reason and Emotion are like two animals hitched together to the same cart. One animal is a Mule and the other is an Elephant. Which do you think is Reason and which Emotion? […]
I came across a Quartz article about how some well-known business chiefs hold ruthlessly effective meetings. I’d encourage you to read the article, and I’d just like to highlight the main points here, and what my take on them is. Throw out the least necessary person in the room Apparently, that was how Steve Jobs […]
I keep seeing posts and discussions on delegation, so I thought I’d better post this again, so that people can keep this thing called “delegation” in its proper perspective. Is the word “delegation” a dreaded word at your workplace? If you are a leader, do you know who, what, where, when and why to delegate? […]
Baby Boomers. Gen X. Gen Y. Gen Z. Gen Gap. Gen Repeat Process. Gen ad infinitum. We really love labelling, stereotyping and generalizing, don’t we? Just because some “expert” said that “studies have shown that…”, means we pick up the paint roller and give all and sundry the broad-brush treatment. Does that happen to you? […]
When will they ever learn? When will they ever learn? So go the last two lines of every verse of the song “Where have all the flowers gone?”. Sobering thought, isn’t it? When “lifelong learning” has been emphasized for decades, do you sometimes wonder what the effects of learning are, or what they have been? […]
For those unfamiliar with “Singlish”, which means “Sinful English” – no, just kidding, lah. “Singlish” is Singapore English, what someone called Toh Paik Choo used to call “Pasar Patois”. You donno? Why so goondu one? Well, for those still wondering, the title can also read “But I Know That Already!”. Of course you do. Then […]
Sounds familiar? Have you had days that felt like Humpty-Dumpty? How did you respond? Did you jump to your feet, blowing the trumpet for all the King’s horses and all the King’s men to come and salvage the situation? Or did you call for the Royal Physician to assess whether or not Humpty-Dumpty could indeed […]
The poster in this post has been going around for quite a while. What do you think of it? If you have shared this poster in your blog posts or social media accounts, does it represent what you believe in? At first sight, it seems good. Do what others won’t do. Step out of your […]
I came across an HBR post written in Jul 2012 by Ron Ashkenaz calling for the return of the General Manager. With “specialization” being all the rage, I wonder what the take-up rate for General Managers will be. I’ve been in enough positions akin to the General Manager – or GeM, as I’ll call it […]
An article in Harvard Business Review says that “Leadership is more than interpersonal skills“. That said, you jolly well better have good interpersonal skills if you want to get people “…to do what you want because they want to do it”. We need to stop having such divided minds and start recognizing that in many […]
Founder and Chairman of Business Networking International (BNI) Dr Ivan Misner has a podcast titled “Peach Wine and Networking” (Episode 253) that illustrates how the development of good business relationships must be allowed to take its course, and not be rushed. You can listen to the podcast here. This morning, before writing this article, I […]
An old song has a line which goes “It’s hard for me to say I’m sorry…”. Does that happen to you? Do you think you’ll be seen as weak if you truly say you’re sorry? Actually, to me, yes, if you say you’re sorry, you’re a sorry weakling. Do you know why? Well, it’s because […]
Yes, “Who are you?”, not “How are you?”. We greet each other with “How are you?” so often that if we get the reply “Just terrible!”, we’d probably respond with “That’s great! Have a nice day!”. This is an example of an inanity, and it needs to be erased. We indulge in inanities so much […]
How essential is IT to your business? Pretty much, I take? Well, whether you run a small business or a large enterprise, IT is definitely part of your outfit in one way or another. I would just invite you to consider – is it a servant or has IT become your master? Do you make […]
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!
Most of us know that we can bring a horse to water, but we can’t force the horse to drink. Ah…but we can salt the oats! What does that mean? Well, for those of us who aren’t used to horsing around, oats are what horses get fed. Besides the green, green grass you see in […]
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 […]
A lot of people live much of life on the World Wide Web. Does that make them spiders? What would you call a 3D web? Imagine, if you will, a web in three dimensions. From your position at the centre of your web, you have strands of non-sticky silk, perhaps the toughest biological material on […]
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 […]
Have you heard of Pedigree Pal, the dog food company? Sometimes I think that dogs eat better than some humans I know of! Yes, indeed, Pedigree Pal, for those of distinguished pedigree, of course. How qualified are you for what you’re doing, and for what you’d like to be doing in life? Do you feel […]
There seem to be more advocates for open-plan offices than for closed and/ or mixed plan offices. Amongst all the arguments in favour of open-plan offices, ease of collaboration and a greater degree of creativity seem to be at the fore. Well, if that is so, then many offices resemble Tactical Operation Centres, and I […]
Derek Sivers says that leadership is overrated. Excuse me, Derek, I differ! There is no first follower if there is no first leader! Leadership is a package deal. Not only must a leader be bold enough to stand alone, if need be, but he must also be influential enough to inspire others to towards a […]
Be honest. Are you sufficiently at peace with yourself, are you “centered”, do you walk with your head held high, and does your stride say that you have a purpose in life? Or do you live waiting for someone to come up to you and tell you that you’re ok, that they believe in you, […]
I always cheer up immensely if an attack is particularly wounding because I think, well, if they attack one personally, it means they have not a single political argument left. Margaret Thatcher If it had not been for the Falklands Islands Campaign, codenamed “Operation Corporate”, I would probably not have remembered Margaret Thatcher the way […]
People like to say that life is like a marathon. We’re in for the long haul, so space yourself out, don’t get burned out! Others say that’s not true at all, that life is really a series of sprints. Rest at the right times, flat out when appropriate. What’s your view? I think life is […]
Those who have been in active service with the Forces will know this to be a low-level tactical formation. I guess some people have also thought it was a battlefield tactic! Such people contribute greatly to the horrors of war. Training our people and getting them thinking two levels up has always been a priority, […]
Do you grow vegetables? We do, in the narrow corridor fronting our very urban apartment. We grow them in pots because there’s no space otherwise. We can’t grow very much, of course, but we grow the vegetables in order to get some hands-on experience. There are some things you can learn from growing your own […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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