Archive for the ‘Self improvement’ Category
Published by
Nicky Ang under
Self improvement on
October 23, 2008
The other day someone asked me what do I think of the current situation of a certain company. Well, generally I do not comment on the specifics of a company, but I would like to share a topic about island management.
Destination: Island Management
Big companies today have different groups of people working in different disciplines. The biggest issue is each group operates vertically, not knowing what’s cooking next door. Some leaders fostered an environment where they themselves are competing with other leaders, taking advantage of the team members for their own gain.
Some leaders try their best to impress other leaders (or superiors), by purportedly providing the “best service” to their own team members. Team members from other groups sees a different treatment from their own leader. This creates resentment as team members from different groups starts to compare each other.
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Published by
Nicky Ang under
Self improvement on
October 15, 2008
When comes to passion, there are mainly two types of people. Some people come to work because they need to pay their bills. Others come to work because they really like what they do. The latter group are the people with real passion. People of this type carry distinguished characteristics:
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“Is your job and career an outlet for you to show your passion?”
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- They have goals that align with their deepest desires
- They eat, drink and breath their job
- They make work seem effortless because they are so inspired
- They simply have a burning desire to take action
Passion killers
Truly passionate people are rare. As leaders, we should be able to identify the two types of people above. When truly passionate people mixes with the other group, it is very easy to spread the “passion disease”.
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Published by
Nicky Ang under
Self improvement on
October 14, 2008
I read a book titled 360 Degree Leadership by John Maxwell and I came across a topic that always wondered in my mind.
In big organizations we work today, we face and deal with many people in a day. People come, drop a few lines with you and off they go. But have you wondered, do people really feel better after talking to you? Would you want them to feel better?
They have a problem?
Usually people come to see you because they have a problem. They may or may not have a solution in mind, but it’s important that we understand their problem first. Upon hearing the problems, there are many ways to discourage them:
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“Leaders who tend only to business often end up loosing the people and the business” – John Maxwell
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- Turn a blank face, sour face or show some white-eye (eyes with pupils rolled up).
- Gestures such as hands on your waist or shake your head (a sign of don’t know/don’t care).
- Say something to hint you don’t really want to know about the problem.
- Use of sarcastic or abusive languages
It’s all about uplifting people
People needs to be constantly encouraged, motivated and empowered. As leaders, it is our duty to ensure people perform with a willing heart. Leaders of an organization is responsible for creating a supportive environment to nurture, nourish and grow people. It should be an environment where people can freely ask questions, share ideas and take risks.
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Published by
Nicky Ang under
Self improvement on
October 14, 2008
When people leave a company …
As a manager, it is very important to understand the real reason behind it. Many times, it is down to the way we talk that makes an employee happy.
Nevertheless, no matter how well we talk, people leave for all kinds of reasons. Then it is the manager’s duty to ensure both parties have a graceful exit.
When an employee wants to leave a company, he/she will need to serve one or two months notice period, as per employment contract. Some of the time, there may be remaining annual leaves that can be used to “offset” the notice period. Employees have the right to apply leaves to be offset, and the approval is at the management’s discretion.
How to say it
It is very important that we do not hurt people’s feelings, by asking them whether “they want to leave earlier”. Doing so will directly demotivate people and you will not make good ambassadors for your company. When people are trying to make a graceful exit, as management we do not ask people to leave earlier. The only reason we ask people to leave is when we want to sack a person.
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