Managing Management

There is always so many tasks, so many to-dos and so many activities to accomplish in a day. We've always think about how to maximise productivities, in hope of finishing whatever needed to be done. Upon completion, we realized there are more to come! And the vicious cycles continue.
Then we are stressed up, growing more white hair, drinking more beers and burning more midnight oil!

Sometimes, in the midst of working on our To-Do lists, we need to stand still and refresh our mind on how to manage ourselves and the things around us.

I was having a drink with a friend the other night and I'm truly impressed on how simple he managed his career and business. Everything is within his grasp. Everything is so clear to him. And most importantly, everything looks simple to him and he knows exactly what he is doing.
After he explained part of his journey to me, I can summarise it into 2 management areas; the MAJOR and the MINOR parts of it.

The major part would be defining:

1. WHAT exactly that we want by looking ahead, followed by 
2. WHY we want what we want. 
3. Then we figure out HOW to get to the WHAT through the WHY as a driving force. 

The minor part would be the extension of the HOW, which is to :

1. SEGMENTALIZED it.
2. BREAK it &
3. DIG it.

Most of the time, we are stuck on where to start. 

We have a vision and a clear direction but have no idea on the very first step. 

As mentioned, we have to segmentalized all the related entities and see what's important at the current moment. Then we got to break it down with a procedural and investigative mindset. Finally, use our laser-focused brain to dig it further into small actionable steps. 

I observed the importance of having no grey areas as it tends to deviate us from a solid decision. 

To my friend, everything is Do or Don't Do. 

There is no "maybe", "perhaps" or "try".

He has a steady confidence going around him. He spoke his mind out, voiced out the truth, very transparent in his character and he respects people.

I have tremendous respect for him and hope to share my observations with all of you out there, who may be stuck somewhere somehow!!!

An Iron-Willed Woman With A Gentle-Touch

Last month while I was travelling to Melaka with my friend solely to walkaround and find some good food in Jonker Street, instead of tasting good food, I witnessed another interesting "food" for my mind!

Before heading to fill up my stomach, I stopped to looked at this particular woman....slowly, gently & patiently moving her hand to create a nice piece of calligraphy.

I recalled when someone says, "Don't complain that we don't have branded shoes until we see others that don't have legs". I don't know the story of how this woman ended up being "different" but looking at her grace, I'm totally speechless & thoughtless about our life challenges sometimes.
To feel whether we are fortunate or unfortunate depends on who do we compare ourselves with.

To feel motivated, just look "UP".
To feel lucky, just look "DOWN".

Happiness & Unhappiness are the result of Comparisons.

Who are you comparing with today?

Turning Big Words Into Small Words

In the corporate world, it is quite common to see big jargon being used to describe big things.
Especially during the stage of conceptualization & strategic planning.
Here I am, using 2 big jargon right on!

Let's see what are some of the big words & there are tonnes of it out there;
Authentic, Branding, Performance, Efficiency, Growth, Attitude, Cosy-Environment, Cool, Impeccable Service, Quality, Management, Values...etc.

I can see few reasons here;

1. Because the Big guys up there only know the Big words to describe the Big things OR
2. Because the Big guys up there need to show the Big picture using Big words OR
3. Because the Big guys up there don't know how to break the Big words into small words!

The most extraordinary and skillful person are those that are able to Think Wide, Talk Big & Act Small.

Due to personalities or talents labelling, some people are good in the big picture but pretty lousy on the details while some vice-versa.

As much as personalities & talents are an inborn factor, I truly believe we can adapt & learn to be both at a certain level due to the reason that 30% of it are natured 70% of it are nurtured.

In order to truly get things implemented, we need to describe Big words followed by Small actionable words as well. We just need to break it down by asking What & How. First the Why, then the What followed by How.

Simple!

Okay, examples...

I want to be Authentic. 

What is authentic to you then? Perhaps being original & truthful. 

How to be authentic? Say what you mean and mean what you say and your thoughts, words & actions are aligned.

I want Branding. 

What part of branding that you want? Awareness, Impact, Promise?

Let's assume awareness. 

How to have brand awareness? Perhaps out of 100 people, we want at least 70 people knowing our brand.

What if it is brand impact.

How to have brand impact? Perhaps out of 100 buyers, we want at least 70 people using or portraying the way that we want them to.

What about brand promise? Perhaps out of 100 items sold, 99 of it are of good quality and without any defect.

I want a Cosy-Environment.

What is Cosy? Relaxing, Cool, Neat & Comfortable.

How to have a Cosy-Environment? Perhaps warm-white lighting, air-condition at 22 deg Celsius, jazz music & lavender aromatherapy.

The challenge in the corporate world is to find those that can think in Big words and act on Small words. Very often that we have people that is one-sided. Meaning they think & talk Big but delegate to the downliners to break it down to implement it. Depending on the experience & creativity level, sometimes the downliners may have a hard time figuring out. That is the beginning of Communication Breakdown.

On the other hand, we have people who keep thinking about the details of what to do & how to do without explaining why we need to do it. Those are the warriors that are being equipped with Kungfu to save the world without knowing why they need to save it in the first place. 

Hence, we have to be the Flip-Flopper manager or leader....being able to flip from the Big words to flop to the small words.

If someone can do it, you can too.

Copycat The Original

The other day I was having lunch with 2 friends and we were just chatting about all kinds of stuff. But eventually, we talked about career, business and life. I was having the thought that somehow our life is governed by our knowledge, confidence & comparison.

Sometimes we envy others and at times, we look up to them. We keep learning & keep absorbing.
We wonder how on earth some people know so much or achieve so much or earn so much!
We thought the success is somehow related to some kind of original ideas emerging from somewhere over the rainbow!

Maybe and maybe not...

Our brain is an organic learning machine that can intertwined facts, input, data & knowledge.
Plus our experience, life values & confidence level, we may copy an idea but personalized it along the way to fit in our scope of beliefs. Eventually, what seems to be "original" by others turns out to be "copycatted" and fine-tuned by our own self. We just change the originalities a bit or improve it or make it slightly different from what it is. Then it became ours.
Therefore, when someone is better than us or looks to be better than us, it is because they have more inputs, more thoughts, more modifications of the original ideas & personalized it into their own or having more confidence in the copycat process.

When someone did it, you can too.
When someone wants to do it, you can too.
When someone thinks you can't do it, you can too.
Most importantly, when you think you can do it, you can too!

Question is ....who do we need to copycat and how can we personalized it to become our own originalities.
Instead of becoming a second class of someone, be a first class of your own.
This is the challenge.

Humble or Self Denial?

When we started off in life, normally is from a lower ground and slowly climbing it up, step by step to the peak. Along the way, we meet lots of people, go through lots of episodes, face different decision making moments, have our victories & defeat and most probably, tasted all flavours of life. At different phases of life, we need to instil different value platforms for us to sustain and grow.

During the glowing days of our life, we strive to be CONFIDENT. We portray a high & positive self image to our surroundings, hoping to protect ourselves from being looked down and of course, to survive in the concrete jungle of urbanization. It might be a synthetic confidence where we put a mask on or better still, it is an organically grown confidence where it is coming from the inside-out.

At times, success may blindfold us from continuous learning and we thought confidence is eternal. Therefore it becomes a habit and do beware that over confidence might turns out to be disrespectful in a dog-eat-dog capitalistic society.

After a journey of glamorous heights, we realized that being HUMBLE is the highest form of self-confidence. That is the point where we know who we are, what we have achieved, what are we going to strive for and the valuable experiences that we have inconveniently got it. Sometimes, people mistakenly mixing Self-Denial & Humbleness.

To me, being HUMBLE means you are Successful but you don't show it.
On the other side, SELF-DENIAL means you are a Failure and yet you show it!

So, be very careful when we climb the heights as not to be over-confidence & disrespectful. Life has its balancing force. It has a way to tone us down so that we will learn about values & character.

Keep it going & Keep it up....

Light Up Another Candle

In the past weekend, I was in Melaka hanging out with an old friend of mine, enjoying the much sought after food in Jonker Street. Due to our limited space in our stomach, we can only put in Durian Cendol, PaiTee & Asam Laksa. Not to mention that I unresistably packed lots of Nyonya kuih back to KL!!

Well, the highlight was not just in the food but I & my friend had an enriching moment of sharing & exchanging some thoughts. I respect him for his guts to get out of the rut system to help a friend to manage a business. It takes a lot of energy, motivation & initiatives to keep going. I was sharing my thoughts on the aspect of marketing and business development. Just some nuggets here & there, hopefully to uplift and light up another person's candle during his "dark" hours. I just log in to Facebook today only to realise that it did help a bit.

Sometimes our presence can be a little blessing for someone who needs it & the greatest thing is that we unknowingly touch someone without purpose. On the other hand, it provides us with a channel to be useful, valuable & enriching. Or else, what are friends for after all? I think it will be great if we give some, take some & share some. That is what keep a friendship going.

Have you help someone lately?
Have you uplift someone lately?
Have you change someone lately?
Have you bless someone lately?

Perhaps you should try it.

Top 5 Regrets In Life

I've found this message from Bronnie Ware, an inspiring writer from Australia.
The message is about a very interesting summary of the top 5 regrets that people have when they are dying soon. Very enlightening & it serve as a great reminder to us....

For many years I worked in palliative care. My patients were those who had gone home to die. Some incredibly special times were shared. I was with them for the last three to twelve weeks of their lives.People grow a lot when they are faced with their own mortality. I learnt never to underestimate someone's capacity for growth. Some changes were phenomenal. Each experienced a variety of emotions, as expected, denial, fear, anger, remorse, more denial and eventually acceptance. Every single patient found their peace before they departed though, every one of them. 

When questioned about any regrets they had or anything they would do differently, common themes surfaced again and again. Here are the most common five:

1. I wish I'd had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.
This was the most common regret of all. When people realise that their life is almost over and look back clearly on it, it is easy to see how many dreams have gone unfulfilled. Most people had not honoured even a half of their dreams and had to die knowing that it was due to choices they had made, or not made.

It is very important to try and honour at least some of your dreams along the way. From the moment that you lose your health, it is too late. Health brings a freedom very few realise, until they no longer have it.


2. I wish I didn't work so hard.
This came from every male patient that I nursed. They missed their children's youth and their partner's companionship. Women also spoke of this regret. But as most were from an older generation, many of the female patients had not been breadwinners. All of the men I nursed deeply regretted spending so much of their lives on the treadmill of a work existence.

By simplifying your lifestyle and making conscious choices along the way, it is possible to not need the income that you think you do. And by creating more space in your life, you become happier and more open to new opportunities, ones more suited to your new lifestyle.


3. I wish I'd had the courage to express my feelings.
Many people suppressed their feelings in order to keep peace with others. As a result, they settled for a mediocre existence and never became who they were truly capable of becoming. Many developed illnesses relating to the bitterness and resentment they carried as a result.

We cannot control the reactions of others. However, although people may initially react when you change the way you are by speaking honestly, in the end it raises the relationship to a whole new and healthier level. Either that or it releases the unhealthy relationship from your life. Either way, you win.


4. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.
Often they would not truly realise the full benefits of old friends until their dying weeks and it was not always possible to track them down. Many had become so caught up in their own lives that they had let golden friendships slip by over the years. There were many deep regrets about not giving friendships the time and effort that they deserved. Everyone misses their friends when they are dying.

It is common for anyone in a busy lifestyle to let friendships slip. But when you are faced with your approaching death, the physical details of life fall away. People do want to get their financial affairs in order if possible. But it is not money or status that holds the true importance for them. They want to get things in order more for the benefit of those they love. Usually though, they are too ill and weary to ever manage this task. It is all comes down to love and relationships in the end. That is all that remains in the final weeks, love and relationships.


5. I wish that I had let myself be happier.
This is a surprisingly common one. Many did not realise until the end that happiness is a choice. They had stayed stuck in old patterns and habits. The so-called 'comfort' of familiarity overflowed into their emotions, as well as their physical lives. Fear of change had them pretending to others, and to their selves, that they were content. When deep within, they longed to laugh properly and have silliness in their life again.

When you are on your deathbed, what others think of you is a long way from your mind. How wonderful to be able to let go and smile again, long before you are dying.
Life is a choice. It is YOUR life. Choose consciously, choose wisely, choose honestly. Choose happiness.


http://www.inspirationandchai.com/Regrets-of-the-Dying.html

Real Key To Success.....Which One?

Nowadays, success principles are available everywhere; through books, seminar, videos, audios...etc.
Often times, We've heard many different principles or keys to success.
And sometimes, it was antogonistic to each other.
Sometimes I heard....

• "The Key to Success is to be Persistent." vs. "The Key to Success is to be Flexible."
• "The Key to Success is to be Focus." vs. "The Key to Success is to Diversify."
• "The Key to Success is Relationship." vs. "The Key to Success is Result."
• "The Key to Success is System." vs. "The Key to Success is People."
• "The Key to Success is To Do What You Like." vs. "The Key to Success is To Do What Is Right."

At the end of the day, we've collected more keys than the locksmith but we still can't unlock our potential & dreams! Because subconsciously, we are confused! How come there are more key combinations to unlock success than the key combinations to unlock DaVinci Code?
Up to a point in life, we will say, "Enough is Enough. I'm going to create my own key. I'm going to use my own talents. I'm going to use my own personalities. I'm going to chart my own dreams. I'm going to associate with the right crowd. I'm going to navigate through....on my OWN!"

That is where ..... another key to success is being created in the world!

In summary, there are no right set of keys to success.
Only our own keys to success.....that is based on our own creation, our own background, our own stories & our own journey of success.

Let me give you the "The Key of the Keys To Success then......"
"The main key to success is not to loan keys of success from others but to create our own keys to success. That's the key!"

Let's go make em...

Every Step Counts

Before going for a big jump, train on small hop.
Before going for a big achievement, embrace on small challenges.
A thousand mile begins with the first step and the first step begins with the first crawl.
Whenever we have a big thought in life, break it down into tiny-doable activities.
In that way, we always try to achieve the "heaven" but practically doing the "earthly" work to navigate through.

Whenever we thought it is too far, try to look nearer.
Whenever we thought it have always been done that way, why not break that way!
Whenever our voice question us, let our heart lead us.
Whenever we tend to say Can Not, perhaps look at it & say Why Not.

Focus is not about getting rid of distractions but managing around distractions. There is always temptations & deviations but remember our "boomerang" typed focus; whenever we got away from the core, always fly back to the base and ask ourselves Why, What & How. Sometimes willpower & decision overshadowed scientific analysis. Some people view it as Luck, Destiny, Goal or Fate.
But a simple "Yes, I Can" or "Yes, I Want" can be the main drive for us to glide through life frictions.

Big things are made from simple but relevant thoughts.
Success is not build with a quantum leap & neither did failure.
Hence, every step counts......

Just Do It

A simple tagline by Nike, "Just Do It".
What a powerful message!
This 3 words can help solve a wide horizon of problems and truly re-direct our focus to do what matters.
It can work in many situations...

When we are fearful, Just-Do-It.
When we are helpless, Just-Do-It.
When we are disappointed, Just-Do-It.
When we don't feel like doing it, Just-Do-It.
When we lose hope, Just-Do-It.
When we think too much, Just-Do-it.
When we have doubts, Just-Do-It.
When we think we can't, Just-Do-It.
When we analyse the best time to start, Just-Do-It.
When we are faced with lots of obstacles, Just-Do-It.

Sometimes data or report or in-depth analysis is not as powerful as Just-Do-It. It commands massive action on the spot and it pushes us to Do First, Think Later. Most of our worry doesn't happen anyway & if it does, 90% of it are manageable. I respect those who go on partial analysis & partial gut-feel to go all out to live an adventurous journey. Whether success is within reach, is another issue. But surely when we look back, it is meaningful & full of essence.

At times, we have to let go of other's opinion & go on our own.
There is no Right or Wrong, it is a matter of Just-Do-It or Don't-Do-It.
If we succeed, Celebrate-It.
If we fail, Learn-From-It.

Hence, just figure...
Why-Do-It --> How-To-Do-It --> Just-Do-It!!!

Can A Chicken Identify an Eagle?

It takes a good person to identify another good person.
It takes a great person to identify another great person.
But it takes a humble person to identify an incredible person.

Quite often that we meet some empty vessels which tend to makes the most noise wanting spotlights, recognitions & credits while practically doing not much & riding on the sub-ordinate's success. And sometimes it is a mystery to me that such categories of people are placed nearly on top of an organization, ruining it than running it!

When people go for job interviews, most of the time, interviewer over-emphasizes the knowledge & experience of someone in a particular field or the specialized knowledge which they generally perceived as the only important focus in someone's career.
Wait a minute...what about their initiative, commitment, attention to details, ability to strategize, good connections, communicate with respect, resourcefulness, team spirit, responsibilities, integrity....etc?
Aren't those attributes build a stronger foundation for someone to be able to grow the company in the long run?

The question is "Can A Chicken Identify an Eagle? Or an Eaglet?"
It takes someone from a great height to be able to see the potential of another person reaching a greater heights! That is a People-Builder, a Developer & an Enabler!

It is sad to see a company functioning as a Juice Extractor of talented people where fresh employees are full with brain-nutrients & attitude-minerals are being squeezed until the passion & commitment are dehydrated in the name of growth & bad management!

Eventually, it is okay for a local "Watermelon" like us to leave as imported talents such as "Apple" or "Orange" can replace us. Then the process of extraction begins again....
That's why we are seeing local "Watermelons" or "Durians" being exported out as they find more values in other countries.

In a nutshell, it is important to find an Eaglet, invest & build the Eaglet into an Eagle. Then train the Eagle to look for other Eagles to grow together. Sometimes an Eaglet may come in a form of pigeon or turkey for us to discover that they are true Eagles in the making, with hidden wings & sharp claws!

The talent is out there....

Is A Manager, A Leader Too?

Conventionally, a company or an organisation put emphasis on a career ladder to potential employees which leads to higher position & eventually or hopefully to the top! But I've found out promoting a wrong person holding a wrong position makes it even harder for a company to gel people together & eventually can't get things done through the right delegation. As rapport needs to be build & respect needs to be earned before the results set in. People must be positioned according to their strengths or talents instead of knowledge & experience alone, which most of the companies are practising now.

Some people are really good in execution but poor in delegation or leadership.
Some people are good in strategising but poor in execution or deadlines.
The best are those that can flip in between both attributes.
If an organization builds a team based on bringing out the best potential a person got to offer, people will have auto-drive & passion in their work. Eventually, they felt a sense of achievement & a sense of belonging to the company.

Sometimes promotion doesn't depend on the number of years that an employee served. To honour an employee's loyalty, he or she can get the salary of a manager without being one. Why not?

A manager is not necessarily a leader & vice versa.

A Manager is based on position while a Leader is based on influence.
A Manager uses authority while a Leader uses inspiration.
A Manager practises upward management while a Leader practises downward appreciation.
A Manager takes credit while a Leader gives credit.
A Manager always says I and You while a Leader says We.
A Manager focuses on performance & tasks while a Leader focuses on performance & people.
A Manager uses science to manage while a Leader uses Art to lead.
A Manager corrects & commands while a Leader correct & compliments.
A Manager suffers from insecurity complex while a Leader have inner self confidence.
A Manager is egoistic while a Leader is compassionate.
A Manager improve someone's weakness while a Leader capitalizes on someone's strengths.
A Manager wants to be a Star while a Leader wants to be a teamplayer.
A Manager hungry for reputation while a Leader is full of character.

Anyway, these are the qualities of managers & leaders that I can think of relating to my previous careers. What I mean referring to Manager, can be of a higher ranking as well, such as MD, CEO, COO, GM or whatever it is. I personally feel title will destroy & blindfold personal growth if it is being overly honoured. Sometimes we have to be a good follower before becoming a great leader.
The worst scenario is a founder of a company that develop the same mindset when starting a business as compared to growing a business. It is really dangerous when they don't know what they don't know.

Starting a business is about micro-managing everything. Growing a business is about building teams & delegation.
Starting a business is about profit & cashflow. Growing a business is about building vision, mission & values.
Starting a business is about firefighting. Growing a business is about strategising.

When a business started to dilute on product quality, consistency, cultures, consumer's confidence or partner's trust, it is even more expensive in a later stage to revive. And it certainly needs strong & committed leadership to make a turnaround.

Basically, Leaders can be found in all level of an organization. We just need to uncover some dirts, clean it up, to discover the gem!
Don't be mistaken that leaders are the one which makes the most noise or usually an outgoing person. Not necessarily.

In summary, Managers are everywhere. But Leaders are rare.
Treasure them & let's grow to be one...

Business Manager & Business Leader

Recently, I've observed some people on how they perceived & run their businesses.
Initially, any business venture is hungry for profits and cashflows as to keep their neck above the water from being drown with a loss. Upon the survival mode, it is time to switch gear to a growing mode. While growing it, we have to build a strong foundation on supporting the growth with systems, principles and teamwork. Once the compass is define with mission, cultures & values and a leadership team is formed, it is time for exponential growth, which is multiplication! Eventually, sustainability is the key to continue growing and maintaining the business without losing its essence and the original "why" that it exists in the first place.
It can be summarized as:

Creation --> Survival --> Growth --> Support --> Multiply --> Sustain

The summary is short but the process may take a decade!
That's why a business manager can only grow a business linearly.
While a business entrepreneur will grow it exponentially.
What is the difference?
One stand for profits. The other stand for something bigger than profit!!
One keep on taking. The other keep on giving.
One is looking on the short term. The other is building a legacy.
One is developing followers. The other is developing leaders.
One is working on people's weaknesses. The other is discovering people's talents.
One is thinking about greed. The other is thinking on creating values.

When a slight change of mindset & direction occurs, it will create a big impact when we stretch the time frame 10 years down the road. In anyway it is, there is no right or wrong. It is the heart & mind of the founders itself. I personally respect either business managers or business entrepreneurs because it takes guts to create something and to walk a journey separated from the crowd. But the way to create a business and the way to grow it needs a different mindsets & skillsets.

Imagine if every entrepreneur creating businesses to create values, the market will be a better place for all!!
I feel grateful and wish to thank all the business creators out there. Whatever it is, a big THANK YOU for driving a nation forward and to create jobs for people.

Dear Business People, you are the Hero afterall!

Simplify A Complicated Life

It is hard to complicate a complicated life but even harder to simplify a complicated life.
Because our mind is complicated while our heart is simple!
Sometimes we use our mind and sometimes we listen to our heart.

Therefore, sometimes we are complicated & sometimes we are simple.
Initially, we use our mind to think & analyse. Then complications arrived.
Until our mind is tired, then we turn to our heart.
Finally we say, "Why wanna complicate a simple life? Let's simplify a complicated life!"
After a big round, we can only see a simple life through our heart!! Eventually, we are looking for simple happiness.

Growth happens due to comparisons.
But unhappiness also comes from comparisons.
The difference is one is with positive comparisons while the latter is based on negative comparisons.

That is why in order to gain happiness, we often hear people saying, "Listen to your heart" instead of "Listen to your mind".
Therefore, it is easier to decide with our heart and execute it with our mind.

P/S: Hmm....seems like the heart has a big role in our life. I wonder where are the lungs & liver...!!

Re-living Passion

Time flies.
Things happened.
People come & go.
And life goes on....

As we are an emotional being, we get motivated & de-motivated at times. The roller-coaster of life will fill us up with passion in a moment but disappointments will empty our energy tank in another moment. Unless we do something about it to minimize our energy fluctuations and re-focus on significance, or else life is controlling us.

The key driver of life is always and always will be Passion. Passion helps us do our work without additional pull. Gaining passion is one thing, keeping it up is another. Re-gaining it back once we lose it need a little extra push from the inertia downturn.

I was in a cafe the other day, reading my book. When I was on the way to the washroom, I saw the outlet manager was having a meeting with the service crews and I overheard some scoldings and correction statements being voiced out by the manager. I guess the whole meeting can be sum up with the word "Re-living Passion".

In any work that we do, if it is done repeatedly in a mundane and monotonous way, the energy will eventually die off. It is about generating new rhythms and new waves which could re-live our passion.

I can think of 3 simple ways to do it;

1. Learning new knowledge.
2. Solving new problems / challenges.
3. Keep thinking of a better way to do it.

If there is a choice, people would like to be busy & productive than to be led to nowhere! Because of a simple reason; We want to feel being useful. I could never think of a better word than this.
Useless = Less use!
Useful = Full use!
So, let's use some of our existing talents and discover some of our potential talents to re-live our passion.