How do we treat People - Part 5

Fifth Important Lesson - Giving When it Counts... 



Many years ago, when I worked as a volunteer at a

hospital, I got to know a little girl named Liz who

was suffering from a rare & serious disease.  Her only

chance of recovery appeared to be a blood

transfusion from her 5-year old brother, who had

miraculously survived the same disease and had

developed the antibodies needed to combat the

illness.  The doctor explained the situation to her

little brother, and asked the little boy if he would

be willing to give his blood to his sister.



I saw him hesitate for only a moment before taking a

deep breath and saying, "Yes I'll do it if it will save

 her."  As the transfusion progressed, he lay in bed

 next to his sister and smiled, as we all did, seeing

 the color returning to her cheek. Then his face

 grew pale and his smile faded.



He looked up at the doctor and asked with a

trembling voice, "Will I start to die right away".



Being young, the little boy had misunderstood the

doctor; he thought he was going to have to give his

sister all of his blood in order to save her. 

How do we treat People - Part 4

Fourth Important Lesson. - The obstacle in Our Path. 



In ancient times, a King had a boulder placed on a

Roadway..  Then he hid himself and watched to see if

Anyone would remove the huge rock.  Some of the

King's' wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by

And simply walked around it.  Many loudly blamed the

King for not keeping the roads clear, but none did

Anything about getting the stone out of the way.



Then a peasant came along carrying a load of

Vegetables.  Upon approaching the boulder, the

peasant laid down his burden and tried to move the

stone to the side of the road.  After much pushing

and straining, he finally succeeded. After the

peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed

a purse lying in the road where the boulder had

been. The purse contained many gold coins and a note

from the King indicating that the gold was for the

person who removed the boulder from the roadway.  The

peasant learned what many of us never understand!



Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve

our condition. 

How do we treat People - Part 3

Continuing with the series How do we treat people here is the 3rd reason... 


Third Important Lesson - Always remember those

Who serve.. 



In the days when an ice cream sundae cost much less,

A 10-year-old boy entered a hotel coffee shop and

Sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in

Front of him.



"How much is an ice cream sundae?" he asked. 

"Fifty cents," replied the waitress.



The little boy pulled his hand out of his pocket and

Studied the coins in it.



"Well, how much is a plain dish of ice cream?" he inquired.



By now more people were waiting for a table and the

Waitress was growing impatient.



"Thirty-five cents," she brusquely replied.



The little boy again counted his coins.



"I'll have the plain ice cream," he said.



The waitress brought the ice cream, put t he bill on

The table and walked away The boy finished the ice

Cream, paid the cashier and left..  When the waitress

Came back, she began to cry as she wiped down the

Table.  There, placed neatly beside the empty dish,

Were two nickels and five pennies..



You see,  he couldn't  have the sundae, because he had

To have enough left to leave her a tip. 

How do we treat People - Part 2

Continuing with my 2nd part of the series - How do we treat people here is the 2nd reason:

Second Important Lesson - Pickup in the Rain 

One night, at 11:30 p.m., an older African American

Woman was standing on the side of an Alabama highway

Trying to endure a lashing rain storm. Her car had

Broken down and she desperately needed a ride.

Soaking wet, she decided to flag down the next car. 

A young white man stopped to help her, generally

Unheard of in those conflict-filled 19 60's. The man

Took her to safety, helped her get assistance and

Put her into a taxicab.

She seemed to be in a big hurry, but wrote down his

Address and thanked him. Seven days went by and a

Knock came on the man's door. To his surprise, a

Giant console color TV was delivered to his home. A 

Special note was attached.

It read:

"Thank you so much for assisting me on the highway

The other night. The rain drenched not only my

Clothes, but also my spirits.  Then you came along. 

Because of you, I was able to make it to my dying

Husband's' bedside just before he passed away... God

Bless you for helping me and unselfishly serving

Others."

Sincerely, 

Mrs. Nat King Cole. 

How do we treat People - Part 1

I am sharing with you this email which may be has circulated "n" number of times over the internet. The good thing is that it makes one think before you either drop this email into recycle bin or forward it to someone. I shall share it over 5 blogs.. in this series.. if you have something interesting to share please do use the comment link to drop your comments. 

1 - First Important Lesson - Cleaning Lady.

During my second month of college, our professor

Gave us a pop quiz. I was a conscientious student

 

---

And had breezed through the questions until I read

The last one:

"What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?"

Surely this was some kind of joke. I had seen the 

Cleaning woman several times. She was tall,

Dark-haired and in her 50's, but how would I know her name?

I handed in my paper, leaving the last question

Blank. Just before class ended, one student asked if 

The last question would count toward our quiz grade.

"Absolutely, " said the professor. "In your careers,

You will meet many people.  All are significant. They

Deserve your attention and care, even if all you do 

Is smile and say "hello."

I've never forgotten that lesson. I also learned her

Name was Dorothy. 

CEOs say how you treat a waiter can predict a lot about character.

Head-hunting - Different Perspective!!

This is a lovely article I found in the "The Star" daily.. & thought of sharing it with you all. If I was asked 10 years back what is head hunting, I would have been probably given a blank. Today being here in the field for so many years & once been head hunted, I can say it is totally something interesting if someone wants to take up this as a profession. It's like you are a match-maker... & based on my experience nowdays you need a matchmaker in all walks of life.. so anyways here goes the article.. Being from the Malaysian newspaper examples quoted are very Malaysian..:) But I am sure it is still useful for other locations as well. 

A GOOD friend is now happily retired from his days as a head-hunter.

Each time I go online, he is always there, so I can surmise that he spends much of his time in cyberspace.

It is an interesting job – head-hunting – because rather than the applicants coming to you, you have to seek them out.

The firm he worked for is an international giant with a huge database. It has a very systematic way of sieving out the right candidates to shortlist before the initial approach is made.

It is not an exact science, however, and much of the final stages of selection go beyond the hard skills, so having a curriculum vitae that runs into hundreds of pages does not give one an edge over someone relatively fresh.

No wonder when someone gets a call from him or his associates, he has good reason to feel that he has arrived.

I remember a friend who excitedly told me that he was head-hunted but when he told me the name of the firm that called him, I did not have the heart to tell him that it was just a small fry in the business. There are head-hunters and there is the Head-Hunter.

Let’s get real. If you are one of those who still go job-hunting in the recruitment pages of this newspaper, you have not entered the radar of these professional recruiters.

Two major advertisements in recent weeks caught my attention, which made me wonder if they might get better candidates if they had used professional head-hunters instead.

The advertisement for the government agency Pemandu, led by CEO Datuk Seri Idris Jala, challenged candidates to “be at the forefront of Malaysia’s most ambitious transformation programme.”

Pemandu will be staffed by specially selected people of exceptional talents and qualities from the private and public sectors.

Interestingly enough, the advertisement did not list down specific academic or work qualifications, so it would appear to me that Jala, true to his entrepreneurial spirit, is prepared to hire outside conventional methods.

Meanwhile, now that Malaysia is to have its own F1 team, Datuk Seri Tony Fernandes is also hiring, and from the positions advertised, it is truly a start-from-scratch hiring process.

For those of you who enjoy being a part of something new and exciting, I would certainly encourage you to apply.

Although there are specific positions that will require specific talents, I hope both Jala and Fernandes will add “creative talents” to their teams. These are the people who think out of the box. Some may not even have much to show by way of academic prowess but are endowed with common sense and street knowledge.

For example, if Jala wants to make sure the key performance indicators for the public sector really work, he may not want to just have people from auditing firms who may be good with the head knowledge but have practically little experience on how things really work from the ground up.

Likewise, Fernandes will need people heading his marketing and PR to be fully aware of global marketing and challenges because only one race on the F1 circuit will be held on our home turf in Sepang. So having candidates who only know Malaysian editors will not be much of an asset.

Coming back to my head-hunter friend, I remember one time when he was down to two candidates for a top position in a well-known company, and he asked me for an opinion since I knew both of them.

I did not give him a scientific analysis based on their resumes but my “gut feeling” on who the better candidate would be.

All things being equal, I told him, I would always vouch for the candidate who has a life beyond work, who is capable yet not self-centred and who thinks of the common good and not personal glory.

My preferred choice got the job and he did not disappoint.

I would offer the same advice to Jala and Fernandes.

● Deputy executive editor Soo Ewe Jin feels equal weightage must be given to soft skills that are often not so easily listed down in resumes.

Teachings from "KISS"

Well don't get surprised by the title.. "KISS" is an American rock band formed in New York City in December 1972. Easily identified by its members' trademark face paint and stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid and late-1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting, smoking guitars, and pyrotechnics. Kiss has been awarded 24 gold albums to date.^[1] The band has sold over 19 million records in the United States^[2] and their worldwide sales exceed 80 million albums.^[3]

The original line up of Paul Stanley (vocals and rhythm guitar), Gene Simmons (vocals and bass guitar), Ace Frehley (lead guitar and vocals), and Peter Criss (drums, percussion and vocals) is the most successful and identifiable. With their makeup and costumes, they took on the personae of comic book-style characters: The Demon (Simmons), Starchild (Stanley), Spaceman (Frehley), and Catman (Criss).

I personally loved this article - it really teaches a lot from what the band has been able to do in 35 years and continues to do so.. 

KISS TEACHES STAYING POWER

Love 'em or not, the rock band KISS has been able to stay in the game for over 35 years. FULL DISCLOSURE: I was a huge KISS fan when I was about 10 years old. Had the posters on my bedroom walls, the records on my floor and even the makeup on my face. I got to see them in action recently as part of the KISS ALIVE 35 tour. And they rocked the house.

It's the staying power of KISS that most interests me these days. In the world of commerce right now, these are pretty wild times. Markets shift without any notice. Competition is fierce and comes at you from every front. And customers are more sophisticated, demanding and savvy than ever before. So how does an organization like KISS (yes, they are an organization), stay relevant and on the radar screen of consumers minds this long? Here are the 4 things that KISS did/does to drive their staying power in the marketplace (apply them to your business and you'll be around 35 years from now too):

1. THEY STAND OUT. Yes, KISS has been modeled/copied and imitated by other bands over the years. But they had first mover advantage because they were the first to do what they did. Being first to go to market with something new generally gives you a lifetime advantage over the competition (think Coke v. Pepsi/Heinz ketchup v. Hunts). When KISS first hit the scene, there was no one like them. They just stunned everyone. With their painted faces. With their oversized platform shoes. With their pyrotechnics (well ahead of any other rock band). And with Gene Simmons' fire breathing and blood spitting. They just stood out. So everyone HAD to take notice.

2. THEY BUILT COMMUNITY. One of the most intelligent moves KISS made was to launch the KISS Army early on in. I still remember buying KISS ALIVE 2 and receiving a KISS Army badge, the temporary tattoos and a document confirming my membership. Every one of us has a deep psychological need to belong. It's a trait that has allowed us to survive with a tribe. KISS tapped into that and made each one of their fans feel special. And part of something bigger than themselves.

3. THEY WORKED THE BRAND. Though Peter Criss and Ace Frehley, two of the original members left due to alleged substance abuse issues and money challenges, Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons have kept the original mystique of KISS going for all these years. Much of what has made KISS so enduring is the way these two (Simmons in particular) have managed and protected the brand. They did media, they attended KISS fan conferences, they worked the Net and they did whatever it took to keep KISS alive in the hearts and minds of their constituents.

4. THEY OVER DELIVERED. One of the simplest and most powerful ways to increase the staying power of your business is to deliver more value than you promise to. Just wow your customers by how much you give. And if the product/service itself is good, they'll come back for more. 35 years later.

In Leadership,

Robin 


Source: wiki, October Newsletter - Robin Sharma 

Contest at KFC

KFC is carrying out a contest for the people in Malaysia where any individual or group can have breakfast at KFC & while they do that they need to take pictures of themselves and then submit their photos for earning points.

Accumulation of points entitles the person for some vouchers.

Why I thought of putting this post is sheerly because I liked the interface of this website.. which is pretty simple but functional, which is difficult to find in Malaysia a lot of times. You might find website addresses in Malaysia on Taxis, hoardings etc.. but when one tries to check out them - you will end up getting a webpage error or simply 1-2 pages of navigational capability of the website with outdated information.. 

Hope the businesses realize the strength of internet in getting to people across the country & globe... 

chow...