In Leadership

It is important to get a daily dose of things you know but one tends to forget in our busy daily chores. It is never too late to learn about new things & that's why I started subscription to Robin Sharma & love to read the newsletters which are refreshing & provide a newer perspective to the way I look at things. Below is the newsletter for this month... 

Hi Amol,

I'm in Central America as I write this. Finishing up my new book and preparing for a busy Fall, full of presentations, travel and new learning.  Towards the end of the new book, I've written about the best practices that I've witnessed our clients use to play at their leadership best. I wanted to share a few of them with you so as you round out 2009, you feel it's been your best year yet:

1. Affirmations. Yes, this daily tactic sounds cheesy yet it's a fact that the words you speak have tremendous power to affect your emotional state as well as your mindset. Every morning, recite sentences and phrases that will deliver the results you want in the hours that follow. Examples include: "Today I am full of energy and focused on the best uses of my time" and "This day I will see problems as opportunities and be the most positive person in every meeting."

2. Journal writing. Writing in a journal will make you a much cleaner thinker, leading you to much clearer actions. Record what you are learning about yourself and life. List your goals, hopes and dreams. Note your feelings and frustrations. Self-awareness is the foundation of world-class leadership.

3. Goal setting. Without a superbly clear sense of where you are going, you're certain to get lost. Set daily goals. If you've attended one of my leadership presentations, you know my Daily 5 concepts. By setting 5 little goals every morning and ensuring that they get done before you end your day, you'll have achieved about 150 goals in just four weeks and close to 2000 in 12 months. 

4. Relentless learning. These are turbulent times for businesspeople. An antidote to the dramatic change we are experiencing is consistent learning. To stay at your leadership best, make some time to read every day. Read from industry publications, premium business books, inspiring biographies and other materials that will move you to innovate and excel. Also, use your driving time for learning time by listening to audiobooks. And attend many seminars as you possibly can. All it takes is one good idea to revolutionize your career and transform your life.

In Leadership,

Robin 


Affirmations is something I follow more so in putting some motivating posters in my home near my bedside, so when I get up in the morning, I can have a look at them. It sure does help.


Journal writing - Me and my wife have got ourselves small notebooks where we tend to put our thoughts, aspirations etc. 


Goal setting - i need to improve in this area - daily goals is something which will surely help I think, i shall try to get this in practice.


Learning is what I do from articles like the ones in this newsletter & other stuff which I have subscribed to... but I know I got to improve..  !!!


What about you guys out there.. what are your thoughts on these 4 points?

Ownership is a two-way street!!

This was a lovely article in the The Star newspaper on Friday 11th Sept. one of the most popular ones in Malaysia with lot of pages in it which tends to make it weigh about few 100 gms..:) 

It's a fact today that the job cycle has shifted its focus from employees to employers to customers and back again to employees.. although we all know for all of them to survive, the eco-system has to be well organised and maintained.. we have seen one of the worst recessions that we are passing by.. which hopefully has taught us few more good lessons... and more the need for articles like this one........

here it goes.. 

TODAY, many organisations talk about the importance of “ownership”. They talk about how all employees need to act less like employees and more like “owners”.

The logic goes that when everyone starts thinking like an owner or a stockholder, there will be more drive and motivation, and less wastage and complacency.

I actually agree with this. It’s about a change in mindset more than anything and this can bring about positive change to an organisation.

Unfortunately, in some organisations there is a clear delineation between “management” and “staff”. A schism, whether real or perceived, is created. “Management worries about the bottom line, while staff worry about themselves”.

In this sort of environment, the mindset among many staff members is self-centred. “I’m just here to look out for my own needs, my own career, and I will do all I can to get the most out of the company. Why should I bother whether the company is doing well or not. Those things affect the upper management, not me.”

This kind of mindset creates a very antagonistic work culture, where employees are incredibly resistant towards change and any initiative that may involve sacrifice on their part is quickly rejected. There is very little willingness to stretch, to adapt, to compromise, or to go the extra yard; all of which are important to attain the organisational fluidity needed to compete in the global arena.

Conversely, when you have a high level of ownership in the organisation, you find that the general culture is open and receptive of change. People are willing to think and act for the good of the organisation even though it involves sacrifice and extra challenges.

Similarly, in their efforts to rationalise cost, many companies implore staff to treat company resources with the same care and prudence they treat their own personal resources.

“Turn off the lights and air-conditioners when not in use. Don’t waste water. Don’t overindulge using the company expense account. Be restrained when photocopying and printing.” In other words, “if this was your house, you wouldn’t be wasting all of these resources because you’re the one paying the bills.”

Ownership among staff certainly has the potential to change the organisational culture for the better.

However, don’t expect staff to take ownership of the organisation unless the organisation takes ownership of its staff.

You see, ownership is a two-way street.

When we expect staff to go beyond the call of duty, to go the extra mile, it is only fair that the organisation also goes the extra mile in taking care of its staff’s welfare and needs.

The form of “ownership” that management should show is to consider all the issues and problems the staff are facing, whether in the workplace or outside, and say “these are our problems and issues too and we want to help you deal with them. We don’t need to. It may not be in the employment contract or the company’s standard operating procedures but this company has a different culture. We care for one another as people, not just as workers. Just as you serve the company with dedication and loyalty that goes beyond what is expected, we too want to honour and serve you as one of our staff.”

If we want to nurture a culture of “ownership”, we need to meet more than just our financial obligations. We’ve got to make it part of the company culture that we take the needs of our staff seriously. We care for their physical and psychological well-being. We contribute meaningfully to their personal and career development. We ensure a healthy work-life balance.

I’ve often said that the leaders who command the greatest respect and loyalty are those who take care of their staff. They put their staff’s needs above their own. They are the type of bosses who are willing to take a pay cut to save the jobs of their team members in a time of recession. They are the army commanders who lead from the front and never subject their platoon to unnecessary risk.

In short, great leaders take ownership of their team. And one day, when they ask their team to walk that extra mile, their staff are only too happy to do so, because the sense of ownership is mutual.

l Dr Goh Chee Leong is vice-president of HELP University College and a psychologist. We welcome feedback on this article.

Broadband speeds...."Pimp My Broadband"

We got our office located in PJ area and we have Time Broadband service and it sucks quite often while we are in the midst of working our butts delivering something. Funny thing is when it comes to service you cannot take it any more..

Usually the answers we get from the service provider are please check the speed of internet by using Time analytics service. If this shows lower speeds, then they themselves mention that the website is not functioning properly & that we should look for other website which can give better analysis of the speed of our internet. Normally it doesn't end there, they tend to tell us that we have to check with our hardware vendor about compatibility etc... end of the day.. hardly any proactive moves from their side.

Hope things will improve soon & we can benefit from a better broadband.