The great irony of today's world of management is that while managers and business leaders say that people are the true and real asset of their organizations, they also seem to forget that they too are the people of the organization. As managers decide on the next mind-shift their people need to ensure the success of the next wave of change, competition, product innovation, etc, they tend to forget that they too need to refresh, revitalize , rediscover and reinvent themselves. Look, lets not pretend for a second that management is an exact science. Its not and it will never be. It is a human endeavour so full of human successes and failures. As such, I believe we can increase the odds of successful management by paying a little bit more attention to the Self. The managers' battered Self.
Managers send their people for corporate coaching and training programs that imparts every conceivable knowledge and skills known; from effective communication skills to EQ at the work place. This is not to mention technical job-content skills and knowledge. How about the managers themselves? What should they go for? The same maybe or something more? I was told of an organization that requires its employees to read one magazine a month that has absolutely nothing to do with their IT related work. The reason : Creative juices flow when we give the mind a rest. The best way to give the mind a rest is by forcing it to think about something other than what it struggles to think about at any given moment. By dwelling into non-related areas the mind has a wondrous ability to make previously unconnected factors coherent, see the interrelationship of multiple ideas and make meanings where there were none before. Just ask the guys at Google who came up with the Google Map idea!
The point is this: I would suggest that managers and business leaders eagerly seek out opportunities to attend talks, seminars and programs that will help them give their minds a rest. Don't go for endless management development or leadership programs. Go for programs that talk about the Self for a change. Understand how the mind works and how it influences our world-view. Understand how conscious and unconscious thinking patterns affect us every moment of our waking life. Understand a little bit of human psychology. Gain an insight into religious psychology. Share, exchange views, let go of managerial pretensions. Let the mind rest. Allow the soul, the self to bloom. Trust me, you will feel rejuvenated.
I am glad to say that the managers of Maybank Fortis-MNI-Takaful Nasional who through the wisdom of their leaders are attending my workshop on Personal Mastery. 5 groups of wonderful men and women have come and shared their vision, mission and aspirations while at the same time leave the workshop with a little bit more understanding on how their minds will be a useful tool to take them towards their Personal Mastery. 7 more groups to go and I can't wait to meet each group as it is so refreshing to take them on a journey of Self mastery as more than anything else, that's what they will need to achieve their peak performance.
The essence of management is the people. The essence of people is the Self.
Managers send their people for corporate coaching and training programs that imparts every conceivable knowledge and skills known; from effective communication skills to EQ at the work place. This is not to mention technical job-content skills and knowledge. How about the managers themselves? What should they go for? The same maybe or something more? I was told of an organization that requires its employees to read one magazine a month that has absolutely nothing to do with their IT related work. The reason : Creative juices flow when we give the mind a rest. The best way to give the mind a rest is by forcing it to think about something other than what it struggles to think about at any given moment. By dwelling into non-related areas the mind has a wondrous ability to make previously unconnected factors coherent, see the interrelationship of multiple ideas and make meanings where there were none before. Just ask the guys at Google who came up with the Google Map idea!
The point is this: I would suggest that managers and business leaders eagerly seek out opportunities to attend talks, seminars and programs that will help them give their minds a rest. Don't go for endless management development or leadership programs. Go for programs that talk about the Self for a change. Understand how the mind works and how it influences our world-view. Understand how conscious and unconscious thinking patterns affect us every moment of our waking life. Understand a little bit of human psychology. Gain an insight into religious psychology. Share, exchange views, let go of managerial pretensions. Let the mind rest. Allow the soul, the self to bloom. Trust me, you will feel rejuvenated.
I am glad to say that the managers of Maybank Fortis-MNI-Takaful Nasional who through the wisdom of their leaders are attending my workshop on Personal Mastery. 5 groups of wonderful men and women have come and shared their vision, mission and aspirations while at the same time leave the workshop with a little bit more understanding on how their minds will be a useful tool to take them towards their Personal Mastery. 7 more groups to go and I can't wait to meet each group as it is so refreshing to take them on a journey of Self mastery as more than anything else, that's what they will need to achieve their peak performance.
The essence of management is the people. The essence of people is the Self.
