MH - Here We Go Again!

I make it a point to fly Malaysia Airlines as far as possible. Apart from the occasional poor service and the usual delays and cancellations (if you travel enough you will know that this happens to every airline)I enjoy my MH experiences. Yes of course, I too notice that the Mat Salleh gets the whole can of beer without asking while I get a small plactic cup. But hey, who cares...I have switced to wine now anyway.

All in all, for some strange reasons it makes me feel at home on a MH flight. I have been on SQ, KLM,Garuda etc but MH always has a special place in my heart. It is a nice feeling to see a MH craft parked in all the airports of the world carrying the Malaysian flag. There, a piece of Malaysia staking its claim in this world.

My most recent MH experience was to Hanoi and previous to that was to New Delhi. The New Delhi flight (or any flight to India) is always an experience as my heart goes out to the cabin crew who wihout fail serve with a smile while being 'harrassed' by the demanding Indian passengers.I have personally come across many excellent cabin crews, pilots and senior managers who are all bravely carrying on the MH dream. In fact, I have a couple of positive stories from my MH experiences that I often share when talking about employee engagement and service level quality issues.

BUT, some politicians and some segments of our society are hell bend on ensuring that Malaysia Airlines remain as a corporate entity that is wrapped in political brickmanship inside misplaced racial pride within a whole lot of uncalled for demands on its 'national duty'.

While all these things happen....again....my heat goes out to the people of Malaysia Airlines who have had to come out of a very trying period a few years ago only to find themselves in the news again for all the wrong reasons. Unlike many who seems to be trigger happy to shoot down the national carrier, I have had the pleasure of delaing with many segments f its employees and I can vouch for their energy, love and passion for the company. It is the politics of this country that is killing the MH spirit.

Now we have an opportunity to put MH where it belongs. If the news reports are true than a synergy between MH and AK should be welcomed. Oh...yes...the other guy is an Indian but I believe he is a Malaysian citizen and one who has done more for this country than many of us. So, please stop this nonsense of racial rhetoric when a purely business sense needs to prevail.

For the sake of the people of Malaysia Airlines, I hope we hear some good news in the days ahead and the powers that be are able to leash in the wolfs that are out to gain political mileage at the expense of a national business legacy.

Malaysia Airlines need to be allowed to behave like a corporate entity if we dont want it to be the next Phillipine Airlines. As a busines entity all we can demand from it is to stay within Malaysian ownership. Apart from that, it should do what it needs to do with whomever it sees fit.

The Need to Convince and Influence

Leaders need to convince. They need to also influence. In fact this is probably the most tiring aspect of leadership. The question is how much of it do they need to do? Note that I am not asking 'how well do they do that'!
Allow me to explain.
I am addicted to the life stories of great leaders. That includes not only corporate leaders but also those from the non-profits. Many of those whose life I follow are not those whom books are written about. Yet they are all leaders and they are all great influencers. A consultant friend of mine often says that a leader needs to do 2 things well: Build rapport and influence. These men and women I know do both extremely well. But when I look at their styles or when I feel that I have read enough about them (from multiple sources) I can usually divide them into 2 categories: Those who achieved great things by influencing others only on key issues AND those who achieved great results by influencing others on everything!
I think it must very tiring for leaders who attempt to influence everybody on everything. The results, if that is achieved must be great. However, what is the consequence on those who are influenced when this leader is no longer around? Example : Tun Mahathir and the Malaysian people?
The other group of leaders i.e. those who influence only on key issues perhaps are happy to shape the future but not put it into an iron cast. What does this do for those who are influenced? We will know when Datuk Sri Tony leaves Air Asia.
Me? I prefer to influence only on key issues. It’s more serene that way and helps to build long term capabilities in my team.

7 Ways To Lose Your Top Talents

This will be my topic of discussion o BFM 89.9 in a couple of weeks time.
As the producer said, it is indeed tongue in cheek. Nevertheless the message is serious and one that people leaders need to be aware of.
Well, lets look at the 5 ways how you can, despite all your best efforts, still lose your top talents.

1. You don't treat your top talents in a differentiated manner
2. You think only more money is required to keep them
3. You think (like your dad and granddad) that a top talent is also automatically a loyal talent (especially since you do No.2 very well)
4. You don’t give enough challenging projects because you are afraid they will burn out
5. You keep secrets during bad times because you think that the less they know the better it will be
6. You fail to see that they have 2 kinds of employment contracts with you: the legal one and the emotional one.
7. You think that a top talent will always be one no matter what happens

I will elaborate more during the show. Watch out for it on 14 June at 1pm on BFM 89.9

The 20:80 Rule in Talent Management

A couple of months ago, during one of my workshops, a young somber looking female participant asked me if she could have a few minutes of my time at the end of the day's session to discuss something that she needs advice on. In the end, 'a few minutes' turned into a solid 45 minutes and only hunger made me cut the conversation short. Part 2 of the conversation took place the next day for another 30 minutes and this time my rush to the airport cut the conversation short.

To keep a long story short (I am sure you will find this story familiar) this young and highly educated and 'decorated' women had a lost all 'connections with the company'. In the 3.5 years that she had been there, she had consistently won awards and commendations for excellence in performance.

And yet, she had lost the engagement that she once had to the company. The reasons for this are many; which I will not disclose here to protect confidentiality. But, what I do want to say is that: Her manager had no idea whatsoever on this dramatic and potentially disastrous change in behavior. This manager had no idea that this Star performer was no longer engaged to the company.

2 days ago, she emailed to say that she had left and joined a competitor.

Moral of the story: Your star performers need as much caring and nurturing as your mediocre performers. Remember that 80% of your results are produced by 20% of your employees. Invest your time and effort wisely.

A New Japan Possibly?

The images horrific. The face of the clearly saddened Emperor on national TV. Helicopters pouring sea water onto menacing and smoky nuclear reactors The death toll mounting and the financial cost running into hundreds of billions of dollars.
Then we watch or read or hear of amazing stories of Japanese dignity and discipline. We see them reaching out a helping hand while shedding tears for their own kin’s who lie dead next to them. We see the youth of Japan rising to the challenge behind the scenes. We see how Americans scrambled their civilian and military assets in answer to the SOS from their post World War 2 ally.
Once the dust settles and the mud cleared and the dead buried, we will see a new Japan. Japan is like a Phoenix with 9 lives. You just can't keep her down. The 1923 and 1995 earthquakes ( I hate to name earthquakes/disasters by the name of the cities where it hits...Its not the way I would like KL to be remembered!), the great firebombing and nuclear bombing of World War 2 and many others similar disasters have not been able to keep the Japanese down. I doubt this tsunami will.
But, I suspect that the Japan that rises again this time will be different. Entirely different from what a whole generation of us have come to view it. We will see the 'silent' and 'indifferent' youth of Japan rising to a new world order. They will use their new-found respect and confidence to make Japan great once again. Perhaps the Japanese political and economic order will face a test of youth angst. Perhaps Japan will find new allies and soul-mates.
Perhaps, Japan will finally conclude that they have paid enough for the sins of their fathers (to the dismay of those hypocritical hawks and doves out there who are constantly reminding the Japanese of their military past).
The question that remains is: Which path will the new Japan take? I kind of think that the new Japan will be one that is nice to have in the region.
To all my Japanese colleagues and clients : Be brave….this too shall pass.

Economic Progress Doesn't Guarantee Freedom and Liberty

American and Western conglomerates are probably working overtime with their PR spin-doctors right now trying to explain to their own countries how is that they have been investing so heavily in countries that today are killing its own citizens.
Allowing for and being able to build and host a Formula 1 race or hosting glitzy polo tournaments or turning desert lands into economic oasis are not by themselves a precursor to more freedom and liberty. Western companies that so gleefully justified their relationships with repressive regimes around the world on the premise that economic development will bring about democracy and the rule of law knew all along that this was just a big mumbo jumbo. They were there for the money because these countries were ripe for the picking.
So in that respect, I think China have been honest about its increasingly dominant economic presence in some of the most dangerous places on earth in terms of personal safety and freedom. The Chinese don't have any pretensions. They go in for the money and leave when things go bad. Not that I agree with this but at least they don't try to blow smoke over our eyes. Of course, China might be the next in line for some flowery revolution soon.
So perhaps, it’s time for business barons from around the world to say "We were wrong and we will not do business with these repressive regimes until they change their ways. We will not allow them to use the prosperity that our monies have brought them to buy weapons to kill their own citizens". This includes Malaysian companies.
Perhaps also we should invest and help prosper countries that have genuine democratic aspirations or have proven democratic records but are hampered by various socio-economic challenges. This will be good investment.

Are we forgetting something?

I remember a chain email (the nice type) that I received not too long ago from my cousin sister. It was about a university professor trying to teach his students that 'everybody that they come in contact with are important and must be acknowledged as such'. So, the final question on his test was 'What is the name of the cleaning lady'. This question carries the same weight as all the other questions that were directly related to the course material. Doubtless, all the students failed to give the correct answer (name). But then, that peculiar question prompted them to seek out that cleaning lady to learn her name. From that day onwards, she 'became important and was acknowledged'.

Now, this little story has deep meanings. Perhaps not what was intended by the professor but nevertheless true.

Recent studies and surveys (including that of Manpower Inc, my parent organisation)shows that skilled and manual labour are the top most difficult positions to fill in both developed and emerging markets. This refers to the truck drivers, welders, brick layers, deep sea salvage divers, crane operators, lab technicians, chemical workers, steel workers, bus drivers, sanitation workers, gardeners, etc. You get the picture? The world is in short supply of those individuals who actually keep the wheel of commerce and our daily lives spinning smoothly.

Malaysians should be familiar with this story line. Just look at who are erecting our buildings and serving us our daily coffee at the kopitiam. Our bus operators just can’t get the good guys to the extent that they hire drug addicts and former cons. In fact our plantations too rely heavily on foreign workers. Perhaps, the recent call by the President of MIC encouraging Indians who desperately need a job to consider working in the estates should not be seen as something regressive. In fact, 'return to plantations' should be a battle cry to encourage people of all backgrounds to begin looking at these jobs in a new light. Perhaps, the government should also stop staying that RM900.00 a month is good money. Come on! As I am writing this, I have a tray of Burger King stuff in front of me that cost almost RM23.00. My parking fees will be about RM20.00 by the time I am done with my next client meeting. Even in rural areas, the cost of living is not as cheap as what our politicians would like us to believe. But that’s a story for another time....

This can be helped tremendously with the right support from our education system and the society at large. The over emphasis on white collar jobs and academic excellence have robbed us of many valuable talents who could have provided us the needed skilled labour. The disparity in salary and the continuous lethargy of the labour organisations in not fighting for a reasonable wage, worker protection and a social safety net have resulted in most people shying away from these critical jobs. In fact, our entire social eco-system is build on and around white collar jobs and middle class culture. We reward kids who earn 15As while we neglect the ones that don’t make the grade although they have a natural talent in agriculture, sports, wood work, mechanical work, etc.

So, yes we must have more doctors, teachers and engineers. Yes, we must have more bio-technologists and IT experts. But we also must have enough of those people who are needed to support these white-collar jobs and they need to be respected, paid well and celebrated as an integral part of nation building.

Blue collar skilled jobs must find a respectable space under the Malaysian sun or we shall face a growth stagnation as we struggle to find enough brick-layers while a room full of architects sit around wondering what to do next.

Welcome to the Career Psychologist

Welcome to the Career Psychologist

The Human Age

More than Work

Being away from your known and familiar ecosystem is usually refreshing. But, if you are away often enough you will see that 'your' city and the rest of the world is not much different afterall. It's the same struggle for meaning. Don't get me wrong...I am not talking in some etheral religious sense but from a very mundane perspective - from the perspective of what a Job means to a man and woman anywhere in this world.

People spent so much time at work. In fact they spend a good deal of their lives at work. Surely for something as important and central as this, there is more than just money and survival involved.

Do people sense themselves while at work doing whatever that they are supposed to do? Do they feel alive at work? Can they see a larger connection and inter-relatedness of the work they do and the world around them? Do they feel that they are making a difference?

I suspect they don't. It seems to me that the more man becomes the focal point of industry the more distant he goes from feeling a sense of worth from his toils. Work de-humanizes. It degrades the natural energy and creativity inherent in a human being. It reduces a supreme creative being into a number.

The solution? A Job should not be work. It should be a calling. Anything less is a tragedy.

A manager should be a path-finder and a meaning-builder. Anything less is a catastrophe.

On Salaries, CEOs and Freedom to Lead!

I was reading yesterday about how American regulators are working on making Wall Street bosses more accountable for bonus payouts. In other words, Wall Street barons are being reminded not to go back to the bad old ways of pre-2009. This got me thinking about something else.

The salaries paid to the brightest and smartest in our corporations.

Most CEOs go to great lengths to hire the best people to surround themselves with. I know they do as I do lots of Leader Assessments for them. Be it the financial guys, the marketing team or the regulatory folks; these are usually the best the talent market can offer. Yet, how many CEOs feel they have the best assisting them in the day-to-day running of the company? Not many looking at how much time CEOs are actually free enough to spend time with their rank and file people.

If I am paying so much for my executive team, why am I having sleepless nights and not spending enough time on the ground with the rank and file? I remember a couple of months back when I was at a meeting. All of a sudden,there was a hive of activity which I could observe through the glass doors from where I was sitting for the regional HR director to meet me. I found out later that the CEO was coming for a rare visit to address the annual town-hall meeting. Well, I thought the Agong was making a surprise visit!

See? If every CEO 'appearence' is treated as a 'corporate event' then obviously the CEO is not spending enough time on the ground!

So, that begs the question : Why is he paying so much for all those other guys?

Note : This is my first trip to the USA. The US was never on my wish list. Europe was. I always felt that I already know enough of the US through Hollywood, novels, management books and popular culture. After all aren't we Malaysians Americans speaking the Queens English?!But, I didn't know something about Americans - they are friendly. They greet you.

And, I also found out that Vince Lombardi was also a succesful Basketball coach. That proves the point : Leadership qualities are universal. It doesn't matter whether its Silambam or Sepak Takraw. It doesn't matter whether it's a low cost airline or a plantation giant.

By the way, its Super Bowl today and America is edgy. Everybody is talking about it. The words 'world champion' and 'greatest show on Earth' can be heard often. I wished I brought along my World Cup magazine with me. The real 'world' tournament! But hey, let it be!

The Universality Employee Engagement

It has been a frustrating week in Chicago. A snow blizzard of historic propotions put paid to my much anticipated session on employee engagement for a client. Sitting in the hotel room having nothing to do but read and catch up with old emails proved to be useful. It gave me time to finish a book that I bought before I left to the USA - Re-Engage : How America's Best Places to work Inspire Extra Effort in Extraordinary Times by Leigh Branham and Mark Hirschfeld (McGraw Hill, 2010).

To be honest, the only reason why I bought this book was to be absolutely sure that none of my participants will say " yes...that sounds really good but here in America....it's different". I wanted to be prepared if indeed employee engagement drivers in America is different from Asia where I have been delivering this session extensively. I was not dissapointed as what the authors have discovered through extensive research on employee engagament in American companies are as universal as anything can be. The reasons why high performers in America become dis-engaged are the same as what you will find in India. The type of manager behaviors that promote employee engagement in America are exactly what I have been advising Asian managers. The kind of roles that senior American business leaders need to play are the same as what senior leaders in Asia based companies need to do.

I knew this all the while. All researches have shown this to be true. I just wanted to be sure. I would have waived this book like a priest on a Sunday morning if anyone had challenged the universality of engagement drivers! Too bad the snow storm had other plans. I could not deliver my all important sermon.

Well, since we are on the subject of employee engagement I might as well provide the 6 Universal Engagement Drivers mentioned in the book:
1. Caring, competent, and engaging senior leaders
2. Effective managers who keep employees aligned and engaged
3.Effective teamwork at all levels
4.Job enrichment and professional growth
5. Valuing employee contributions
6. Concern for employee well-being.

The Sun is up....the temperature is still way below zero. Much like employee engagement - even with all the benefits and infrastructure; cold and indifferent manager behavior will make no positive difference.

8 Qustions on Interlok

1. To all Indians who are against the novel : How many times YOU have looked down upon another Indian due to his birth 'origins'? How many times you have allowed your children to marry out of your village ancestry?

2. To the author of the novel : What is your pedigree in inter-racial harmony? How many books have you written with an Indian as the 'boss'? Why should we believe that you have no hidden agenda? Have you done a Datuk Lat or Ramli Ibrahim?

3. To the writers and teachers associations : How well are your members known as the beacon of inter-racial harmony?

4. Politicians who support the novel : Do you have any idea how discriminatory our teachers are today in the schools? Do you know that for the most part they are as polarised as the Young minds that they are forming?

5.Politicians who are against the novel (especially Indian ones) : When was the last time you spoke or did something that showed without doubt, that you are skin-blind? How much intellectual and political leadership have you provided to enable the Indians to feel good and safe in their own skin?

6. For the political elite who are as always 'taking no sides' until a clear winner emerges : Do you have any idea what the Indians, Chinese and Malays are calling each other in private? Do you have any idea how many times race factors in the conversation of our children in schools?

7. The Cabinet : Why should a book unheard of all these years; written by someone who has no apparent history of building inter-racial harmony be chosen for the purpose of educating our young and impressionable?

8. To all Malaysians : Where are we after 40 years?

Note : The will be 2 groups of Indians in this controversy. The 1st in which I belong are those who don't care. We have proven our merit and we have risen to the extent that our skin colour no longer speaks louder than our skills. What ever you write or say does not matter much because we serve this country better than you do. The 2nd group will be those who on a daily basis are victims of ill-speak and discrimination. Alas, the latter is in the majority. That is the reality of Malaysian Indians. Everything else is political garbage!

Being Strategic

At last something I thought worth blogging about. This morning I finally got down to analysing some survey data that I had collected recently. Can't reveal much here as it will first need to be published the Management and then shared on BFM 89.9 first before I can divulge more details here in my personal blog. However, suffice to say that most senior Malaysian HR leaders view their roles from a much more strategic perspectives in the future than they are currently.

That is good news as I often draw laughter when I ask in my workshops "If you were a CEO, who would you take out for lunch...the financial guy or the HR guy?" The answer is of course obvious and my participants know it too.

The not so good news, which was not revealed by the survey though but rather from my observation, is that most business leaders who are heading businesses now don't know how to and/or don't want to elevate the status of their respective HR departments to a more strategic position. They are content to make the HR deal with union issues, policing the workforce and organise annual dinners.

So then the question is what will it take to make the HR team in every organisation more strategic? Well, the question really should be 'what needs to change for HR to become more strategic?' The answer to that is until an unless Malaysian organisations believe that strategy should drive culture HR professionals real worth as a strategic business partner will never be realised.

Now, say that I am a CEO of a local MNC in the telco industry. One day I wake up in the morning and wield my CEO wand and decree that henceforth the international operations will be hived off into a separate unit while the Malaysian operation will be managed independently. I then wave my CEO wand again and say the magic words
"Now go forth and do your stuff".

And magically my people go forth and do their stuff. The same stuff!

What will happen here you think? The poor man or woman who is going to lead this 'international operation' will then try to find the best square pegs from among his or her existing team to fit into the new hole of international business. This picture will of course will be entirely different if I as the CEO had used my CEO wand and asked the magic mirror this question : "Dear magic mirror on the wall....who among the fairest should make up the team of my new international business team?" The magic mirror will then say something like this "Dear master with the CEO wand....the ones who should make the new team must have the following 6 core competencies; they should have the following 7 skills and the leaders among them must have the following...." Now, what do I do? Do I say "Fine...people go and do your stuff"? No. I will go and find the HR guys on the whatever floor they have been holed up and tell them " Hey you HR guys, my strategic business mirror on the wall says that I need people with the following core competencies and their leaders apparently need to be able to demonstrate among others a 'global mind set'. Now what should I do.....I mean what are you going to do about that? Huh?

There....right there...when that beautiful question was asked...dawns the era of Strategic HR in my organisation!

A fairy tale you think?

2010 FIFA World Cup

What an apt time to get back to my blogging. Been travelling (on holiday) and working on 14 -16 hour-days lately and just so into what I am doing in my career that I just could not find the time to write although somehow I seem to find the energy to write for a business publication.

Anyway, today seems like a good time to get started again. World Cup Day!
In about 3.5 hours from now, South Africa will take on Mexico in the opening match of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. A football tournament that is used as a calender baseline for many including me. I look at things happening in my life in terms of 4 year time-blocks...when the World Cup is held. I measure years in that format. Its football and its THE World Cup! There is nothing grander or more passion inducing than the World Cup. And, it is indeed a 'world' cup. Unlike the 'world' series and championship played in certain sports in a certain country. This is the mother of all 'world cups' baby!

The 2010 World Cup is so imbued with meanings and messages that even those who are not particularly big fans of the game have to take note of. Firstly, it is being held in South Africa and the African continent for the first time. The fact that it is being held in South Africa is a symbolic thing all on its own and that God has been kind enough to allow Mr. Nelson Mandela to witness it is another matter altogether. South Africa had hosted and won the Rugby World Cup; so gorgeously illustrated by Hollywood through Invictus. It has also hosted the Cricket World Cup. But, the FIFA World Cup is to me the one thing that will change the image of the rainbow nation and the African continent forever. This is the moment for the dark continent to rise and show the world that Man and civilization began there. It is ground zero for humanity. And the one truly global and democratic sport, football (or as some call it, soccer)is the best way to welcome Africa into 21st century and to remind the 21st century that Africa will carve its place now. I remember blogging some time ago that I think the next frontier in human capital and talent will be from Africa. This is the beginning.

Right, lets get back to the tournament it self. I am Argentinian when it comes to football. Maradona is to me in football what MJ was in music. Pure passion. Red hot energy. All human. This time he is the coach. Many have dismissed him and this team's chances. Well not me. In the study of history and its methodology there is a theory called the 'great man theory'. I believe Maradona, as a man, will take this team very, very far. He will not do it as the coach. But, as Diego he will and I hope his charges like Messi and Tevez have realized that they have been touched by the 'hand of god'. With a possible 3-4-4 formation, it is going to be both nerve wrecking and exciting for me to see how he is able to gel together what is undoubtedly one of the best set of players on earth into a tournament winning team.

Let the party begin and let us remember, at least for the next 30-days that there are indeed things on this earth that can bring us together. Things that can make us nod in appreciation when the 'enemy' shows something sublime. Football is one of those things.

As for tonight's match, I will be rooting for South Africa. I have always liked the Mexicans as for me they are one of the more talented teams around but for some strange reasons have developed their own invisible limits. The Bafana-Bafana will have my support tonight. A win will give South Africans a night to remember regardless of how they do for the rest of the tournament. A win will be good for South African wounds.

All the best Boys!

No Drama Management

Why all that drama?

Think about the following and allow the answers to surface at your consciousness level. "How much time do you spent at your workplace managing all the drama that unfolds around you?" "Are you a Leader/Manager or a stage co-ordinator/actor"?

Lets define workplace drama - A set of workplace actions, reactions,behaviors and mind-set that engulfs one self and takes him or her away from the core objective of a task or job".

Lets examplify this - A manager is tasked to downsize a particular business unit and she will be held responsible for the entire process. Now lets list a typical drama that will unfold:
1. The manager is worried about her own position and switches on her own survival mode
2. She refuses to accept oustide expert help to manage the downsizing fearing that she is only making her self redundant
3. The senior HR leaders try to play the good-cop role by deflecting all blame and anger towards the manager or the 'HQ in US"
4. The affected employees withdraw into a cocoon of self blame, anger and frustration
5. The non-affected employee attempt to play nice to both sides
6. The business leaders become apologetic and end up making promises that they will ultimately fail to fullfill
7. The drama continues....on and on.

Lets look at another example - The management team is divided in their opinion as to who should be promoted into a new critical Sales and Marketing role. The choice is beween "the well liked Kumar" or the "hard driving Razak".
1. The management team divides it self into 2 opposing camps where old grudges surface for a final 'score-settling"
2. Kumar launches his campaign
3. Razak launches his own campaign
4. Both sets of team members launch their campaigns too!
5. Somehow, in some amazing ways, this selection proces is made out to be "the indication of what type of comapany this is and the prospects for our future"!
6 The drama goes on and on...

Why the drama? The answer is simple. The leadership of this organisation had allowed for drama to flourish. In fact they have themselves practised 'Management by Drama'.

At the core of the first example is a simple objective : To downsize for corporate financial reasons. It has a simple truth too : There is nothing you can do about it as it is within the company's right to do what it takes to continue returning value to the share-holders.

In the second example, the core objective is to select the most suitable candidate for the job based on what is expected out of that role for the company. The simple truth in this case is : The expected outcome of the role should determine the choice of selection and not the other way around.

I find there is simply too much drama around us. Now, dont get me wrong. I am not proposing that we go about our business like Spock. No, we are not androids with a heart. Not at the least. We are emotional creatures driven by logic. What I am saying is that leaders should be aware not to set the wrong example by engaging or tolerating too much dramas in their organisational ecosystem. Allow for creative emotions, drama, politics even but always keep the script and stage time short and sweet. Go back quickly to the core objective to conclude the drama.

Here is where a clear non-dramatic communication style will come in handy. Compare the following 2 statements and ask your self which leader is the easier to read and align your contributions to.
Leader 1 : I am 100% a business man
Leader 2 : I am a give and take leader

Now the answer to that question is obviously will be determined by your own sense of being of course. You may not be a 'business is all' individual or you may not be 'live and let live individual'. But, whatever your style is, I think you will find it easier to deal with Leader 1 because his non-dramatic communication style has made it plain and clear that even if you are a 'live and let live type' you had better do it with a profit for the company!

( I just stopped a minute to browse the web on this issue and I was not dissapointed. Here is something that I just found at http://stopyourdrama.wordpress.com/2010/02/05/7-ways-to-stop-workplace-drama/)

Negativity is the number one productivity problem in the workplace. Signs of negativity include backstabbing, gossiping, power struggles and lack of teamwork. The end result is absenteeism, low morale and turnover. Here are seven tips for improving workplace relationships and reducing negativity.

1. Facilitate Regular Staff Meetings
When done properly, regular meetings provide a forum for listening, problem-solving and honoring peak performance. Meeting mistakes include lecturing instead of engaging the team, inconsistent meeting times, no agenda, and no fun.

2. Institute a DRAMA-Free Workplace
Make relationships a priority and support the relationships with a standard operating procedure and employee manual. Review at least once a year and let the rules be the “bad guy” when it comes to discipline.

3. Eliminate the Open Door Policy
The door should only be open during specific hours and preferably by appointment. This prevents casual visits to vent or tattle.

4. Stop Office Gossip
Sally comes to you and says, “Don’t tell Donna, I said this, but Donna is unhappy with…” Discourage hearsay with a calm question, “Why are you coming to me with Donna’s problem?” Send the message you do not tolerate “rescuing” behavior.

5. Teach Problem-Solving
When an employee comes to you with a complaint, acknowledge the complaint, then schedule the employee to come back with all the facts, and an idea or potential solution.

6. Require Rejuvenation
No rest and recovery equals irritability, impatience, rude behavior and more mistakes. Managing energy is crucial to peak performance and productivity. Make regular breaks mandatory at least every two hours if possible.

7. Be the Change You Wish To See
Master your communication and relationship skills. Set the example: Master your emotions, be fair, listen, have integrity, show respect and have fun. Remember the words of William Penn: “No man is fit to command another who cannot command himself.”

Go to www.stopyourdrama.us to get a more in depth discussion of the 7 Ways to Stop Workplace Drama.


Lets de-dramatize the workplace. Its the better way to manage.

Perform Meaning...Add Meaning

Finally today I was able to experience a little of the magic of Deepak Chopra's philosophy and techniques. This was courtesy of Tony Pinto who is a certified Chopra Centre trainer. It was calming to be in his office which was furnished with furniture from my grandmother's era. I am sure your grandmother's too. Perhaps it is Tony's strategy to put me at ease. It worked on me wonderfully what with his soothing bhajans and incense. Who does not feel a sense of warmth and love when thinking of their grandmother. I surely do whenever I think of my late grandmother.

Anyway, my idea was to take a Saturday off for something other than work related stuff. So, for the first time in a long time since I joined my current organisation, I didn't switch on my office laptop first thing on a Saturday morning (I did so at 4pm after returning from Tony's office though...good enough for starters)or sit at the Starbucks at the Curve reading the Economist.Yet, as I was enjoying my conversation with Tony, I noticed a little poster on his wall that said " Perform meaning...add meaning" and my thoughts went straight back to work! So here I am blogging about work...I guess its an incurable disease but love it. In a sense your calling never leaves you and I guess I should not be complaining as some people spend a lifetime trying to find theirs. Tony found his after over 50 years of searching.I found mine when I was perhaps 20 years old.

That phrase on Tony's wall is powerful and I have seen its power. In fact just a few days ago, I delivered a half day seminar for a client and I witnessed how powerful it is when you spend some energy in determining what exactly the meaning behind what you are doing. Essentially, at least for me, what it means is that you need o find what exactly the meaning behind what you are doing and having found that meaning continue to add more of that meaning into your action so that it becomes filled with meaningful discovery, knowledge, experience, emotion, learning, etc for yourself and others. In my chosen calling, often times it is not what I have to say that is important but what my audience needs to know that becomes the key concern. I can be armed with the best research or equipped with the most advanced tool but they are of little use if they can't provide the meaning (read value)that my audience is seeking for. Sometimes we do great injustice to the product or service that we have when we think that the product by it self should be sufficient to attract a potential customer. In my experience the more sophisticated or cutting-edge your product or service is, the more you rely on the product or service to sell it self. In other words, you don't add meaning/value. You don't innovate, improvise, re-configure, change or adapt. You become the GM and Ford of the past (present too perhaps?).

Guess what? It is also very easy to find out what meanings you customers want out of your product or service. Just ask them. Tell them what you have and ask them what they need and end by telling how much of their needs your product is going to fulfill. Finally, suggest ways how you are going to help them meet their needs or requirements which your product will not be able to satisfy. Now, that's what I call adding meaning to what you do.

Someone once told me that people don't buy a Nike because they want shoes. How true.
They buy the meaning behind Nike and Nike has added lots of that into its products.

Game Over...in the Tunnel!

Can anybody tell me how much money is going to exchange hands now that the US has finally decided to reform its health care system? Did you say about a trillion dollars? You are right I think. Can you tell me how much of this Malaysia is going to benefit from? Wait a minute you say. What does this first significant 'win' of the Obama presidency got anything to do with us? Plenty I say. In fact its going to be in the hundreds of millions of dollars and its not us who will get to enjoy that but Indian and Philippine outsourcing firms.

Think about it! Who is going to do the paperwork and data management that will be the first tangible result of this overhaul in the American health care? Not the Americans themselves that's for sure. They have gotten used to Indian doctors reading their x-ray images and I am sure they don't mind giving a little bit more paper work for Bangalore. And imagine all that financial transaction that needs processing. Dont forget too the demand for the whole range of medical professionals and its supporting industries.

So, there you go. We had lost the game in the locker room. We had lost before the race even began. Oh, we might get some of course. Maybe. A little as what we have gotten used since the BRIIC babes came along and carted away all our suitors of the past (the additional I is for Indonesia...read the financial papers, you will see).

Its funny how most countries and organisations look at 'competition' in terms of competing with other organisations and other countries for market space. They never consider that the real competition today is not in the market or in the R&D laboratories. The real competition is actually in the talent-space. Its in the
schools,colleges and universities. The most dire need for many organisations today is not about culture change, change management or team building. All these will come to nothing if you don't hire the right people. The most critical need now is to empower the hiring ecosystem of an organisation so that it is able to identify, attract, select, develop and retain the best and most talented.

Its sad really if you think that by just copying Google style 'campus' environment, you can produce the right people. You need the right people to benefit from Google style environment. Google, Infosys, 3M, IDEO, AirAsia,the Ritz know exactly the kind of talents they need. They then hire these talents after an exhaustive identification and selection process and along the way also provide whatever it takes to retain these talents. These companies start winning the game way back in the tunnel while their competitors are vigorously warming up on the pitch waiting for the game to begin. Its game over by then really.

I think it was last year or late in 2008 that I wrote about how Africa will rise soon. I have changed my mind since. Its not Africa that will rise but rather Africans who will rise and compete aggressively. Africans who are now forming a significant diaspora community in many parts of the world will form a critical mass in the next 5 years and will displace newly minted talents from the developing world. As a continent, Africa may take some time to threaten others but as a People, Africans will rise much sooner. The war talent will go up a notch.

So where does all these leave us; both as a nation and as corporate leaders. Well, lets not worry where it leaves us but rather think about where it will take us if we ride the wave smartly. We should now start thinking about competition as a far more overarching thing than just competing for market share. We should have Chief Hiring Officers or Chief Recruitment Officers who does nothing but develop and execute strategies to attract the best and brightest.

Plan Once...Review Constantly

Whether you are leading a multi million dollar business or managing a group of 5 front desk operators whose work quality will impact directly on your own deliverables, you should remember to Plan your Plan and Review that Plan.

The mistake that we often make is that we get excited about how fool-proof our plans are and how well thought out they are to the extent that we actually believe that it will work it self out. But a plan will not work it self out. A plan will only work when you work the plan. The most effective way to ensure that you are working your plan is to constantly review it.

Once again, it doesn't matter what your role is or what your business is as the habit of reviewing plans will provide you with the following:

1. Tell you how far you have come (or not come) since you put the plan in place
2. Allow you to modify and alter your approach as although your plan may be water-tight the environment in which you function is always in a flux
3. Enables you to decide whether your resources are adequate and used efficiently
4. Helps you to stop doing the 'interesting' stuff and start doing the 'meaningful' stuff. Or at the least, with a proper balance of both. The meaningful stuff are essentially those things that give you a revenue while the interesting stuff are 'the nice to dos'.
5. Ensure a sense of urgency is maintained. Notice how the board-room air is thick with energy and enthusiasm while the plan is being debated and how it slowly ebbs away as the days go by. Well, that's natural. It is bound to happen. Frequent reviews will pump in that energy and sense of urgency
6. Creates space for team members to provide their own inputs to make the plan work better
7. A sense of direction that you are heading the right way towards your annual goal or budget.

A review doesn't have to be all formal and serious in the sense that you don't have to drag your team into the board room all the time. Quarterly reviews could be done formally but your mid-quarter or even monthly sales reviews could be done (in fact I strongly suggest this) over a cup of coffee or lunch. If you are going to do this over drinks at the pub, then I suggest you do the review first before you view the drinks! For obvious reasons of course.

I have an interesting experience with conducting a business review at a pub. This happened many years ago at a pub in the city of Sandakan, east Malaysia. My boss and I had just delivered a workshop for the first time for a particular client and wanted to discuss on whether we had pitched the first-day of the workshop at the right level. We discussed this over coffee at the pub and did in fact work-out some critical changes for the next day. Once that was out of the way, we ordered our favourite beers and soon enough, we had our ideas flowing freely but all within the parameters that we had already decided just an hour earlier. I am not proposing that you run off to the pub every time you do a review. But a relaxing environment does indeed help.

Now, I am emphasizing on the nature of review setting is because of the following reasons. For any review to be effective, it must be:

1. Free of threat and pressure
2. Free of blame game
3. Full of respect and ownership
4. Full of goal focus
5. Always friendly and motivating
6. Always inquiring and advocating

So, a relaxed and friendly environment will help with the above.

Remember. A plan is only as good as how effectively you review it.
Go review!

The New Economic Model - Old Wine?

One of the things that I will certainly remember come December 31st 2010 is the fact that to the best of my knowledge my organisation was the first to talk about the New Economic model. I did this in a radio interview in early January on BFM 89.9 fm. To date, except for one or two other consulting companies, nobody has really spoken about the NEM nor provided any thought leadership on this matter. I am proud that I had done my part through my organisation. I remember telling my team that "the NEM is the thing for 2010"!

Since then I have been waiting eagerly for the NEM to be unveiled. It was supposed to be end February but now I am told that it will be in April. Why the eagerness? Well, I wil be 40 this year and I am very sure that the NEM will in one way or another determine my life for the next 40 years as a professional, as a Malaysian and as a world citizen. In fact it will largely influence me on whom I am going to vote against in the next general election. It will also, more importantly, determine the type of country, society and polity that my children will live in. For these reasons, the NEM is very important for me. So, they had better not mess this one up.

And here is my wish list that I hope the NEM will reflect:

1. It must be a workable and realistic plan to achieve tangible economic goals. It must be worded in objective and clear language and not in opaque politically expedient rhetoric
2. It has to be an economic model not a political model though I believe if it is well conceptualised, articulated and executed, it will also become a successful political model which will once again place Malaysia as model democratically Islamic country
3. It must be an economic paradigm that is aimed at quantum changes and not incremental changes. The world is too fast now for incremental changes. The NEM must take this strong sturdy ship that we know as Malaysia into the high seas instead of staying pitifully close to safe harbour
4. It must be a model that gives rise to real meritocracy
5. It must be an economic model that finally interprets the federal constitution both in letter and its spirit
6. It must be an economic model that hammers in the final nails on the coffin of downstream manufacturing as the life-line of the country
7. It must be (oh God!) it must be a Malaysian NEM and not a Peninsular NEM.
8. It must be the catalyst for a radical and revolutionary change in our education, employment and immigration laws.
9. It must be the catalysis for a a true managed-free market system and not a manipulated-free market system.
10. AND it has to be an economic model that rides on ASEAN, India and China. In fact, there must be a supporting and documented strategy for this last point. I have no doubt that the future of this country will be closely tied to the future of ASEAN,India and China.

My biggest fear is that the NEM is the new NEP!...old wine in a new fancy face-book laced bottle!
God forbid for the sake of Ahmad, Chong, Raju, Jack, Mojuntin and Pinto.