Confetti and such

You may say I've been on a blogging sabbatical. I know I know, there are those who tell me I have to be consistent to capture followers. That is undeniably very true. Some days I get carried away with the routine of everyday that I forgot how important this is to my future dream. The dream of early retirement and running my own business. What has it got to do with blogging you ask? Apparently, famous people are more successful in business....so I have a few more years to get famous!

I popped confetti in the air today. Me along with about 100 of our business partners. It was fun. Like those shower type fireworks, but of course a lot more tame. By business partners I don't mean the kind whom you co-invest in business with. Business partners here are business owners who work together with us to take our products to market, reach our customers and for many, are the face of our brand. The people who make or break us.

Whether you're working for a company or managing your own business where you depend on others to 'sell' your services, this post is relevant to you. I find this relationship is most fragile in most business. To reach that win win situation, a term so freely used actually takes a lot of hard work and consistency. Trust need to be built and honoured. Like all relationships, it can get personal as at the end of the day we are dealing with people. Loyalty is hard to gain but easy to lose.

And as in life, you cannot please everybody. Nevertheless, the common values (sometimes uncommon!) holds...sincerity, humility and willingness to listen. Ultimately of course, actions speak louder than words. Hence, promises need to be delivered. By both sides.

Choose the right partners but don't forget to also be the right one! Good night.

People Management

Part 1. Simply because I think I will write about this topic again in future. Never short of experiences to write about when it comes to this.

There are a lot of books out there on leadership and specifically on managing people. The ones I have read almost always talks about the same things, the same tips. I can't remember when I stopped buying them. Nowadays, I think the Harvard Business Review keeps me updated enough on the new adaptations (I say adaptation because people management principles don't change, we just need to flexibly adapt to the generation and lifestyle we live in), latest research and management fads. And more so since over the years of being a people manager, nothing is like truly experiencing it on the job, everyday. Obvious, you could say.

I realized managing people has many similarities with managing your own children. Except in this case you have many (many many) more and that they're all adults who have been nurtured differently, come from different environments, have different perspectives on life and other people in general. Nevertheless, there is one dilemma about people management I find consistent with raising my own children. When do you be all supportive, encouraging, motivating and when do you be firm, demanding i.e. tough without necessarily meaning you 'love' them any less?

It's situational. 

There are times when a little bit of unreasonable-ness is needed to drive change. Else, everything stays status quo because it is the path of least resistance. 

There are times when you are extra supportive because you feel guilt that you have somewhat 'neglected' that particular area and your team is obviously trying hard.

There are times you need to be more motivating and understanding, not because you want to be popular and be liked but because we are all humans, and we need that encouragement occasionally.

..and there are times when toughness and 'guru besar' discipline is just needed. period.

Nevertheless, a key condition to situational leadership is professionalism. It's not personal and should not be.

Also, the further we climb up the ladder, expect that you will 'receive' TLC and 'tough'ness in a whole different light (darkness sometimes :P) and in different form than before. But that is fair, as demands and expectations of you are also higher.

Agree to disagree with me?

Setting Expectations

I am an Engineer by education. And whilst I have stated in one of my earlier posts that I did not enjoy the subject much, in many ways it has shaped my thinking. More left brain. More structured. 'Square' as a few who knows me inside out would describe.

My grandma on my graduation (me so nerdy!)

We were cool from back then :P

But the non interest in engineering as a subject has also seeded my passion for marketing. The right brain stuff. Not the extreme right but enough to appreciate the right brain thinking and ideas. And a related area that interests me in particular is sociology, the understanding of human behaviour. Malcolm Gladwell's books like Blink, Outliers and his latest David & Goliath are my favourites. It helps me with life in general, understanding my children better, understanding the people I work with. It helps me work on improving my leadership.

And I am fortunate to observe lately that leadership is not just about setting strategies and directions. It is more and one underestimated but very important aspect is setting clear expectations.

Expectations about not just deliverables but mindset, values and behaviour as an individual (especially if you are managers yourselves because what you do and what you say shapes others' mindset!), expectations how people should work together and the list goes on. 

Sometimes we take that for granted. Sometimes we assume people should know. But I have seen almost always, leaders achieve better outcomes when expectations are made clear..and consistent. It's time tested. This video is proof of it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7WUxb8YB88o

Thinking Big

Ok I'm on a roll but this will be short and easy.

Think Big! I think at times we need this reminder. It's so easy to get sucked into daily routines, issues, limitations and fire fighting in your job that you forget..to think big.

And we may think it's hard to think big if we only know so much. But, you'd be surprised. 

Mind you, thinking big is not the same as a big idea.

But a friend shared this with me about big ideas. Someone said, to test whether an idea is big enough, tell it to someone else. And if the answer is 'Are you out of your mind?'..that's a sure sign it's big (or cuckoo) enough :P

So, this is a public service announcement. The next task you get, think big and see what you come out with.


Picture courtesy of Google Images

War strategies and business

So I finally watched 300: Rise of Empire. The first 300 movie was very good so when I heard of the new release I wanted to make sure I caught it. No, not for the Greeks in tight underwear..well, not just ;)

I find war tactics and strategies very interesting, particularly the ones that seem so unexpectable. Ok my idea of this topic may not be original if you've heard of or read Tsun Zu's Art of War but this is my take on it. Actually, I have not read the book. Books with obvious titles don't interest me. Yeah yeah I do judge a book by its cover so judge me :P 

Not only from movies but through many conversations I've had with my father, grandfather, uncles and in laws who have been in the line of duty I've heard many stories, tactics and tricks being used in war and battles. Whilst I am impressed by the stories, what amazes me more is what it took to come up with them and this, I'd like to relate to business..

An effective strategy is prolly half in the execution and half in the planning. And planning effectively means a few things and in the case of this movie, it means knowing your opponents and in business, your competition. How big the fleet, how strong the ships, where is its weakest point, who is the general and what is his weakest point (and Themistocles the general's weakest point I knew from the part the movie got slightly cut, you know what I mean). These are just to name a few.

The second important part of planning is knowing your environment and in business context, knowing your market. In this movie, at least two battle strategies made effective use of the environment, the battle at the rocky valleys and the bay. Both 'terrains' naturally trapped the opponents.

Another lesson learnt from 300 and this applies especially to men (I of course pointed it out to my husband), don't ever piss off a woman. The saying 'hell hath no fury like a woman scorned' must have been said for a reason! 

One of those days..

'Where I am' vs 'Where I'd like to be'

Yes, even as chairwoman. I'm human :)

Moral of the story:
Sometimes, try to see bosses and staff as normal human beings and not just as the boss or employee. It can lead to better understanding and working environment for both sides.

Rubber stamp manager

The first time I heard the term 'rubber stamp management/manager' it was directed at me, pointing out a presumption I made which someone wasn't too happy about. Needless to say, it was a valuable lesson but I found humor in the term itself to never forget the incident..

You see, the most effective to way to build a positive, credible reputation at the workplace for ourselves is to consciously make a point to add value to the task we are required to deliver.

Ask ourselves. When something is in hand, are we adding value to it before the final output is delivered? or before it is passed on to the next person? or division? or (and especially..) the boss?!

If we feel our role in something is only a messenger, believe me that should be enough to be insecure about. It's too easy to become irrelevant and redundant from such a role.

I have seen others take it to the extreme. There are those who just declare it and walk out of meetings where they feel they can add no value. Asians are too polite to do this but I believe it is needed sometimes. Time is precious.

So, what is a rubber stamp manager/management and what has this got to do with it? Well, at any level and even more so when you're a boss, you must ensure you are adding value. 

Bosses are not there just to sign a.k.a 'rubber stamp' documents for approval (Most Malay TV drama series to this day portray bosses as doing just that! That is so 80s…). Nor as employees, we should expect our boss to not question us and that they should just approve our papers the moment we send it to them. 

And that was the lesson I learnt that day..many moons ago, when I was a young and eager executive (younger and more eager now :P). Having brought up a paper I presumed is a no-brainer at the last minute, only to find the boss had a view on it and needed time which I did not hide my frustration about. "We are not rubber stamp management" is what he said to me. Thank you DBO. I carry this with me to this day….

Picture courtesy of Google Images

Choosing your battles

When you work for someone or some'body', be it a private owner or institutional shareholders i.e. when you work for a company, you are almost always dependent on others in some aspects of your job. Be it acceptance of your ideas, views, perspective or just simply, to get the other half of a job done and complete.

And there are days you will feel like:

a. pulling your hair

b. pulling the other person's hair

c. just leaving (and go shopping)

d. all of the above

Because, there are days when you feel people don't get you or what you're trying to make them see. When things just don't go your way.

And you feel like you want to charge head on and get your point across there and then. All fired up. Not just that, you want to insist on having things your way. 

But here is a thought. When I was young-er (ehem!), someone wise told me to learn to choose my battles. Over the years, I think the better term would be to learn to 'choose when to fight your battles'. As important as the when, is also the 'how'. 

Pause and think it over or perhaps bring it up at a different time. Sometimes, after giving it some thought, you will find other people's perspectives are not wrong too although it could have been opposite of yours..

Don't get me wrong, being open and transparent is good. Not accepting things as it is and pushing relentlessly for things to get through are admirable, sought after qualities in an employee *read extra points when you emphasize these qualities in an interview*. 

But there are many ways to resolve a conflict or to influence your views unto others. Best not 'charge ahead' all the time. Trust me, the reputation you gain will be the opposite of the 'sought after' attitude above.

On the other hand, as a boss I get impatient when there is too much 'redha-ness' i.e. acceptance for the way things are just because they are. Remember the familiar phrase of, "Ahhh…but it has always been that way". Don't go there (if you want to gain points in my interviews!)

Also, if you are part of a decision committee. State your views (all sides of it) and weigh the pros and cons during discussion but when a decision is made, honor the team spirit and support the decision. If you can't deal with this expectation, then you need to think about a career as your own boss. Then, it's different.

Confused yet? Perhaps you are..because it is situational. There is no template or framework of ways to react. It requires judgment of a situation and some understanding of the personality whom you are dealing with. I guess the trick is to balance and assess the best approach for handling every situation. There's also the saying, don't win battles but lose the war..

Feel like pulling your hair yet?

Picture courtesy of Google Images

Rhetoric

Good leader for good people. Most people want a good leader to lead them, most leaders want to lead good people. So which comes first? I don't know. This is not what I will elaborate on in this post but a good leader is certainly made up of many qualities. 

Effective leadership comes in many styles but there are common values we observe of inspiring ones and as someone I know, who is a reputable CEO puts it, one of them is;  

rhetoric

defined as:

1. the ability to use language effectively

2. the art of making persuasive speeches

3. the art of influencing the thought and conduct of an audience

4. the undue use of exaggeration or display

And looking around, I agree. When you are leading a team, your task is to deliver an outcome through a combination of individual acts, and to get everyone on board, you have to influence, clarify and sometimes even dramatize.

Use of analogies are also powerful. I 'grew up' in my career around a boss who was particularly good at this. Whilst I get the message much much more easily, I am also entertained by the humorous side of it.

Then you say, well not everyone can be a good speaker, communicator, whatever. Unfortunately, I find very few leadership roles where one can be 'minimumly' effective without the ability to be rhetorical. Maybe in specific task-based roles aka 'mandur' but in most cases, you will have to be able to communicate more than just 'do this, do that' to influence and motivate. 

The good news is, this is a skill that can be developed. Nobody is born with it.

"I have a dream"

Picture credits to kids.nationalgeographic.com

Work for the cause, not the boss

If you had to read the title twice, it's ok. This is something I too only figured out upon several observations and reflections throughout my journey.

Unlike entrepreneurs, employees like most of us seldom have the luxury of working on our true passion (or passions if you're restless like me). But, even in the concrete jungle and between the maze of cubicles, there are causes we can find our belief in.

Be it a cause to provide the best customer service

Or a cause to create the best work place

Notice a cause is never a small thing. Yes, not all of us have 'big important' tasks you may say, but it's not about how 'big' your title is or having your name plate on the door.. Everything we do in an organization is part of a bigger cause (well most of it, unless you are mafia - then again, even they can justify a cause). You just have to know what it is.

So, if you can, find one that you believe in. Because it makes getting up, going through 2 hour traffic jams 5 days a week, and just being in the rat race worth the while. 

But never work only for the boss. For many reasons. 

When you work for a cause, you will naturally have a principle. And that ensures your actions and decisions are consistent. When everything you do is centered around an individual, your actions will be inconsistent (and I say 'will' not 'may' as I have seen this too many times), because you are focused on pleasing the individual. 

And inconsistency is a bad habit that leads to poor leadership. There's a Malay word for this, 'lalang' i.e. tall weeds that sway in the direction of wherever the wind is blowing. Don't get me wrong..decisions can be changed, but for logical reasons.

And most important, as long as the boss is earning a monthly salary like you, who the boss is can change. And in situations, when there is a 'hostile' takeover (which happens!), your obvious allegiance to an individual and not your principles will not help you in the eyes of the new person. 

Then, there are bosses who expect loyalty above all else. And disagreeing to them equals disloyalty. That's unfortunate, more so for the boss because then all he / she will have around them are 'yes' men (or ladies), people who only think like them and that's a recipe for disaster..

Picture courtesy of Google Images

My preference as a boss? Loyalty is hoped, but not above all else. Most important is to align on the cause. There is nothing wrong to disagree or debate about the many options to achieve it.

So, when you're stuck in that traffic tomorrow, ask yourself this for a moment:

What's my cause or am I a lalang?

Lady Boss

It's annoying to be called Lady Boss. I admit. There are few that do call me that and I'm pretty sure they do not come with bad intentions, but still, very annoying. I can almost feel my eyebrow twitch when I hear it.

I spent some time thinking about this and wondered why two simple words can be so irritating.

As a woman and as a boss, one thing I feel we are constantly managing is the prejudice that has always been there ever since I walked into a company as an employee. 

That women bosses are:

bossy

emotional (as if PMS is the root cause of all our problems..)

moody

micro-managers

basically....your living nightmare.

Picture courtesy of Google Images

Concious of this prejudice, we try to (well at least I do) not be the kind of boss that can be generalized into those categories..and I guess when I get called that, it reminds me of this prejudice.

Heck, some days I can be all of that but I have seen men bosses who are all of that too but somehow they are not subjected to the same prejudice. We are human, we have issues that some days makes us bossy, emotional and moody (I have thought of hanging a skull at my door for those days - I think my staff would appreciate that)....

But they're not because I was born a woman! (sometimes they're caused by men but that deserves another posting altogether...yes I see you ladies nodding there)

As for micro managing, I believe it really is about timing. At different points of your task as a leader you apply different levels of management. In situations where you need to drive change and transformation, you may be pressing down the throttle harder looking through your microscopic lens but as things are headed in the right path, you begin to take your foot off the paddle and look over panoramic lens. It just depends on where you are in that journey.

Although I admit knowing of bosses who are women AND who seem to be living up to that prejudice everyday. To her staff, good luck. To the men dealing with her, just compliment her dress once in awhile ya (whatever you do, DO NOT ask if she is pregnant!)

Gen Y for the Gen X

I believe I am a borderline Gen X, according to Wiki by the year I was born and according to traits I read about Gen X-ers. We are gorgeous, lovable and simply fabulous. No. Ok I lied. That is what my mirror tells me everyday :P

Anyway, a big part of the team I work with for the past 5 to 6 years have been Gen Ys. And there have been a lot of discussions in HR and Management communities in recent years on managing Gen Ys for Gen X *read old* bosses like yours truly. 

But, my best insights come from actually opening myself to engage with them and observe their perspective on things.

And all that talk about us being different, I must say is mostly true. But the point is, to embrace the differences and capitalize on understanding and using these traits to motivate them.

Things like they have to believe in the cause of doing anything so explain the context of your strategy or assignment to them. The why and not just the what. 

They are opinionated so use them when you need honest feedback. 

They like visibility and recognition so give them praise, celebrate their wins and get them involved. 

They appreciate regular feedback, so point out clearly when they need to improve.

They're respect must be earned and doesn't come from authority or positions, so stay on your toes boss!

They 'work to live' not 'live to work' so respect their need for work life balance, as long as they are delivering. You'll get the best out of them.

And...this is in no way related to maturity. Over the years I have found maturity is not necessarily a factor of age but more a function of what gets thrown to you in life but that's a topic best left for another day.