Culture of Demonization

It is very troubling to see that we Malaysians have lost our ability to have an objective discourse (or maybe we never had it; we just pretended we did). The instance we hear an idea or an opinion contrary to that of our own, we launch into a litany of personal attacks that seems to have the single minded purpose of demonizing the ‘perpetrator’. As the years go by, we Malaysians have become a defensive lot. We want the world to agree with our point of view but yet we refuse to accept theirs.

This is a legacy of the past. There was a time when we were made to believe that against all odds and contrary to historical facts, we were special. We could do no wrong as long as we bulldoze our way through things. When others don't see our point of view all that we have to do is shout louder and drown out dissenting voices. We are the special ones (apology to Jose). Malaysia Boleh! Over the years we began to believe this myth. We closed ourselves to thoughts and opinions contrary to our own. We became insulated and lost the skill and ability to argue our case in a logical and matured manner. We have lost our poise in victory and grace in defeat. We have become the ugly barbarian of the developing world. Look at the way our democratic social discourse struggling to stake its rightful place in our new democratic landscape. Issues of race and religion are being discussed and debated on a very myopic perspective. Are there not a single thinker in this country who can help us see beyond the obvious and help explore a wholly new thought pattern? Well, tell me if you find one.

We Malaysians are in grave danger. We are breeding a culture of blind acceptance and loyalty to ideas and opinions without first allowing for the winds of opposing views to blow freely into our minds and intellects. We are growing a culture and thinking style so insular that we will become intellectual outcasts. Our competitive edge in the coming years will be our ability to be creative and innovative but this will not come about from a closed mid-set. Creativity and innovativeness are a direct result of an open mind. A mind that is comfortable and at ease holding multiple views (some of which may be opposing to each other)until a coherent association is made between these multifarious views to produce a unique thought or idea.

We need to respect thoughts and differences in thoughts. We need to encourage a culture of independent thinking. We have to tolerate unpleasant discourse and we have to build our capacity to hear opposing views. Most importantly we have to be humble enough to admit that no knowledge is perfect no matter hour holy its source may be as the the bridge between this source and us is only man...mistake and failure prone man.

I wish we are humble enough to admit this.

People Management in Uncertain Times

This is indeed the best of times, the worst of times…..


China is hosting its first ever Olympics. South Africa is feverishly preparing to host World Cup 2010.India recently launched the most number of multiple satellites in one single launch. Google is well on its way to digitalized human knowledge. Lenovo is on the verge of taking over the world of PCs. The human genome project is a continuing success. Cure for certain types of cancer is purportedly just around the corner. Alternative fuel is no longer alternative. Hybrid cars have become a norm.

This is indeed the best of times. It is almost cliche now but I still have to note here that the world has undergone more changes in the last 100 years than in the previous 1000 years. A quantum leap of sorts. We have impacted this planet in ways so profound that we have not even been able to comprehend it all yet. It is mind boggling to read about the kind of cutting edge researches being done to develop technologies that were the stuff of science fiction. It is even more stressful to the intellect to come across concepts, ideas and tenets that have all but challenged all that we use to hold dear. Quantum physics have explored and verbalized some of the most metaphysical aspects of human existence. New age religions are challenging the doctrines of thousand-year old traditions. Space expeditions are throwing up more questions than answers that have forced thinkers and philosophers to continuously reexamine human beliefs. Nano technology have opened an entire new world of possibilities.

And yet, this is the worst of times. World conflicts are ever present. None of the human conflicts that visited our fathers 50 years ago have been resolved. World War 2 ended but is yet to be resolved. New wars are being 'created'....Georgia, Sudan, Palestine, Iraq. The residual impact of World War 2 is all around if only we take the trouble to look deeper. Religious intolerance is growing. The schisms between nations, peoples and communities are so apparent that genuine brotherhood is difficult to come by today. World resources and financial markets are all but in the hands of a small group of elite shadowy hands. The manipulation of commodity prices and stock prices are just beyond the comprehension of the vast majority of people. The divide between the haves and the haves not have grown. The fight for our minds and hearts are waged on all fronts; political parties, religious bodies, corporate maneuverings, social institutions and everything else that exists today because they all have one thing in common : They are all tied to the world’s economic super highway. That's the truth. Whether it is 3M, Selayang General Hospital or the Tirupathi Temple in India : they are the on the world’s economic super highway. They are all connected but entirely separate at the same time. The other thing that they have in common is that they are all demanding our loyalties.

Our employees bring this muddled state of affairs into the office. Manage it!

The role of a manager or anyone who needs to manage the performance of others need to undergo a total evo-revolution. There will be some things in a manager’s repertoire of knowledge that can undergo evolutionary changes; the type that the manager will have the luxury of time. There will be yet others that the manager will need to change with a revolutionary zealousness where time is a luxury.

I am going to focus on the latter and on one particularly critical one : the attitude of a manager.

We are used to the question of who makes a good manager but I would rather ask the question why anyone becomes a manager? The obvious answer is of course that it is the natural growth of people in an organization. Well, that's true. That's why Hitler came to take control of his party and Stalin his. Hitler was energetic, dedicated, passionate, focused, disciplined, believed in the vision and was loyal. So, it was only natural for him to go up the party ranks. What we never phantomed at that time was why he wanted to lead the party? The reason why a person becomes a manager will make all the difference to his or her people management style in this time of uncertainties. If you become a manager as a matter of ‘natural progression’ and thus go about your duties as a matter of duty; you had it.

You have to have the calling to become a manager. I can often see the difference in managers who are there as the natural order of things and those who truly deserved and desired to be there. Their words, actions and behaviors are a reflection of their calling in management. I have had the good fortune to work for some of these individuals both male and female.

Times have changed and will continue to change. Technology is changing. The business environment is changing. Social structures are changing (more and more single parents are at the work place), the education delivery system is changing (for example, more and more higher education institutions are going back to a generalist curriculum), work roles are changing, the traditional supply chain is changing, demand and supply is changing, world production patterns are changing. Now, how about your attitude towards those who work for you and with you?

Lets make this a truly best of times for our people through our more enlightened people management style. Our people come to work to make a living BUT more importantly they work to make a meaning out of this lives. Give them that meaning. Start with your self.

Note : At the beginning of the year I made some predictions for the year and among them was that the Beijing Olympics will the be grandest ever and the most controversial one. I can say, my prediction on this has come to pass . Tibet, the French threat to boycott the opening ceremony, the girl who lip-synced for the theme song, the digitally enhanced opening ceremony live telecast, and the murder of an American man have all added to the controversies. The amazingly sleek opening ceremony, the beautiful way how one talented Chinese film director has managed to keep the opening ceremony away from the cliched aspects China, the awe inspiring win of the Americans in the swimming relay event, the ongoing quest of the all-American poster boy, Phelps, the gold medal shooter from India who raised the joy of 1.2 billion Indians, the continuing magic of Lionel Messi, the quest of Roger ‘FedEx’ Federer to win the one medal not in his collection, the first ever Olympic medal for Togo will become Olympics legends. I suspect more examples of the human spirit will be exhibited in the coming days. I hope, that somewhere in these legends, the name of Malaysia will be etched.

Rediscovering Aristotle for Managing Discretionary Effort

It is said that the vast majority of the workforce do not use their discretionary effort for the purpose of organizational improvement. Discretionary effort refers to that extra bit of initiative and energy that an individual has total control over and has within him self or her self the absolute power whether to use or otherwise. Many high performers do not actually direct their discretionary effort and energy towards work related aspects. They do just enough to be at the high performing level but of course there are others who merely get by doing the bare minimum and just stay above water so to speak. We are interested in the former while the latter is a matter for more efficient and effective performance management systems and processes.

Those high performers who direct their discretionary effort and initiative away from the organization should be a cause for concern simply because I strongly believe that the best ideas, process improvements and such are produced in the 'zone of discretionary effort' not while doing the daily job description directed tasks. I suspect that the sheer wastage of human capital capacity and capability when there isn't a critical mass of people using their discretionary effort for the organization can be staggering.I hope somebody will research on this and give us a number for this in financial terms.

It is relatively easy to make a poor performer to become a high performer. There are many coercive and non-coercive tools for this. However, the decision to use any available discretionary effort lies entirely with the individual and there is no organizational tool that can compel her to use it for the benefit of the organization. Or is there?

Enter Aristotle. Yes,I know...can we still learn something from Aristotle in the age of Deepak Chopra and Oprah Winfrey? I think so.

Lets look at the concept of telos. Telos or goal or a final purpose is central to the study of teleology. Aristotle was one of the earliest thinkers who propounded the idea that the behavior of everything in the universe can be understood from the aspect of telos or purpose. He also believed that everything has a natural function (destiny?fate?predisposition?)and it will strive to ac hive an equilibrium between being and doing that function.

Now, what could compel an individual employee to direct his or her discretionary effort for the benefit of the organization? How about a sense of purpose...a telos?
If you believe what Aristotle (and many subsequent thinkers and schools of thought)say about the driving force of motivation than you have to believe that it is a strong sense of purpose that moves people to do things that sometimes even surprise themselves. It is not the everyday 'get-by' screen saver mode kind of work or play but something more. Come August 8, we will see this on the playing fields and stadias of Beijing. The winners are those with a clear telos. They are able to extend that one last bit of effort to the finishing line.

So my advise to leaders and managers : Beyond your existing performance management systems and processes, watch out for your high performers who are not directing their discretionary effort towards the organization. Remember, the goal is to have a critical mass of those who do. There is a winning idea lurking somewhere....give that idea a telos to be voiced.

Conan , Vampire Hunter D & Philosophy

I bought another comic book. A few weeks ago I bought the gorgeously illustrated Conan - The Frost Giant's Daughter and Other Stories. Written by Kurt Busiek and illustrated by the legendary Cary Nord, this is a refreshing re-interpretation of Conan the Cimmerian (that's what his real name is). Yesterday I managed to get my hands on the Japanese manga, Vampire Hunter D; adapted and illustrated by the eternally passionate Saiko Takaki.

And to keep my feet firmly on the ground and away from the wild imaginings of the comic world, I managed to get Philip Stokes' Philosophy - The Great Thinkers, for a bargain.

Conan was beautiful. The colour rich and the visual effects brilliantly done. The story line was smooth and one can feel the two opposing ends of Conan's personality at war through-out the stories. One is of Conan the brutal warrior who takes no prisoners and the other a man of passion,love and wisdom. For a glorious two hours, I was taken on a ride to a magical land of warriors and fair maidens.

Enter, Vampire Hunter D. Done in classical Japanese manga style, this is one fluid and intense story with a illustrative style that can be confusing to a novice. The story is straight-forward as far as manga goes but that belies the fact that the illustrations have more to tell than the narration. So, one needs to have patience and an eye for details.

These comics don't come cheap. They are as expensive as some management books but they got my creative juices flowing for the work I need to get done this week. That was worth it.

A quick preview of Philosophy; remember the phrase 'change is the only constant'? Well, it was the ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus who said 'permanence does not exist in the universe,only the permanent condition of change'. Over the centuries his words have resonated within those who have tried to make sense of the changes that they have witnessed all around them. For the unthinking mass, change is a nuisance but for the enlightened, change is an adventure.

I will share more on Philosophy in my next entry. Have a great week ahead everybody.