Saturday, March 31, 2018

The Dirty Little Secrets of Successful Leadership




Every game has its rules. To come on top of the game, you need to become well-versed with those rules. Being a leader for all these years I’ve managed to acquire a little knowledge about the secrets of leadership.

In this post, I’m going to talk about those dirty little secrets of leadership that no one likes to talk about.

Accept yourself before the world does.

Leadership is not a title or a position, it is action and example — Unknown

Don’t expect the world to look at you as a leader, unless you feel the same for yourself. The biggest asset of a leader is self-reliance, and if you have doubt in your capabilities then leadership is not the game for you. No matter how skillful you are, if you doubt your power as a leader, you are giving power to your doubt.

The strongest factor that determines success is self-esteem. To start your leadership journey inculcate these traits in your personality along with self-assurance -
• Confidence
• Clear thought process
• Gratitude
• Team building skills

Once you will adopt these four major skills in your personality, you will climb the ladder of leadership earlier than others.

You cannot always be right, or the best.

Great leaders are not the ones who are always right or the best at what they do. They are the ones who know how to bring the best out of themselves, and other people when it matters the most. From outside it might look that great leaders like Bill Gates, Warren Buffet and Richard Branson always make the right decision. But, in reality, they do make mistakes but what differentiates them from others is that they learn from them and make more informed choices in future.

As Richard Branson says, ”Don’t be embarrassed by your failures, learn from them and start again.” Others might say that great leaders cannot fail or they always make the right decision, but the reality is that great leaders know how to make peace with them and turn them into their success stories.

Your best employees will leave you.

No one is going to stick with you to fulfill your entrepreneurship aspirations forever, but yourself. The sooner you realize it, the better it is. You might have poured your heart and soul into building a great team and to bring the best out of your employees.

But, a time will come when even your best employee — the one you have high hopes from, is going to leave you. You have to accept the reality that leadership comes with its fair share of challenges. And, coping up with such situations is the biggest challenge that a leader has to face. If you can embrace it, it will be great for your future as a leader. Accept these things with an open mind. After all, at the end of the day it is a personal choice — you cannot force anyone to be with you when they have some other plans in life.

Doing the right thing won’t be easy.

There will be times when you will have to be harsh, brashy and critical of other people’s performance. That’s when the true test of a leader’s mettle comes across.

A leader has to be unbiased when it comes to making the right decision. You might have to lay someone off, or take some harsh decisions that others might not agree with, but you have to do what’s right for the business.

This is the time when you would come to a realization that leadership is not easy. In fact, it is the toughest job in the world. You have to deal with people, situations, success and failures with equal calmness and composure. And, this is what makes leadership such a huge challenge!

It will be a thankless job.

Leadership does not come with a thank you note. In fact, at times it is a thankless job. When things go right, it is the credibility of a team. But, when things don’t go right, he is the first person answerable.

It is the responsibility of a leader to make sure the team gets the first taste of success. But, when failures knock at the door you need to guard your team and be the first man to whither the storm. That’s how you make a strong team!

Leadership is not for the faint hearted!

In the end, all I have learned from my journey as a leader for all these years is that leadership is not a game for the faint hearted. It requires courage, conviction, skill, adaptability and most important of all — people skills.

Whether you have to lead a team of 2, 20, 200 or 2000, these dirty little secrets of leadership are going to be your passport to success. The sooner you start adopting these traits, the better it is for you and your journey as a leader!

Are you leading or managing? Are you being led or managed? Which do you prefer?




LEADERSHIP IS...the process of influencing others to understand and agree what needs to be done and how it can be done effectively, and the process of facilitating individual and collective efforts to accomplish the shared objectives.

LEADERS ARE...people who carry out these processes or, people in positions of authority in societies/organizations.

Leaders have followers:
• Leaders NATURALLY create followers by being trustworthy and consistently dependable
• Leaders DO what they say and SAY what they do
• Leaders LEAD by example
• A leader without followers may be about as useless as a bike without wheels

The Difference between Leaders and Managers:
• Both personalities were thought to produce a different sense of self that would guide conduct and attitudes
• Managers are seen as regulators and perpetrators of the existing institutions, identifying with them
• Leaders were viewed as individuals who did not depend on membership for identity, working for an organization but never belonging to them

This distinction offered a theoretical basis for understanding why leaders seek opportunities for change
• Leader seek change and innovation
• Leaders do not depend on others or institutions for identity
• Leaders work for the organization but do not belong to them
• Managers and leaders are different
• Leaders are active, not reactive, they exert an influence to alter moods, evoke images and expectations
• Managers are more rational, more detached, more concerned with process and tactics than with substance.

Management – 'to bring about, to accomplish, to have charge of or responsibility for, to conduct'.

Leadership –'influencing, guiding in direction, course, action, opinion’.

Leadership
• Creates change
• Works through relationships with people
• Establishing direction
• Aligning people
• Motivating and inspiring

Management is:
• Planning and budgeting
• Organizing and staffing
• Controlling and problem solving

The real challenge is:
To combine strong leadership and strong management and use each to balance the other!

Golden Bowl




"It does not make sense to hire smart people and then tell them what to do. We hire smart people to tell us what to do." Steve Jobs

"The greatest contribution of a leader is to make other leaders. Simon Sinek

Nobody can be a leader if they do not trust their employees.

No trust, no leadership - as simple as that.

I hired a young woman once. She was very bright and energetic, but she had no prior experience, just a university degree. Nobody else wanted to hire her. I even had to convince her to take an offer higher than what she requested - if I short-changed her, she would be too easy to hire away in a few months.

I decided to give her a chance.

She now heads up the whole product management function at a major online publisher.

I have a simple formula of 5 Ts for her success:
Trust + Talent + Training + Tenacity + Thoughtfulness = Triumph

She had Talent, Tenacity, Thoughtfulness.
All I had to do was to do my part: Trust her and Train her.

"When we tell people what to do, we get workers. If we trust people do their jobs, we get leaders." Simon Sinek

Leaders do not lead by authority.
They lead by trust, training and empowerment of others.
Do you agree?

Grass Scholar




Uncle Andy, Mr. Horton’s Secretary, Samuel >> of course, I am outnumbered…hahaha…all 3 of them received their bonuses & increment leh...if G13 have another round of VSS...I'm a liability and surplus for sure...but...I'm on God's side...hahaha...God, we came this far...the ending is not like this...

Crown Bar




Evil Case 003 >> the Mike’s meeting minutes, Mr. Horton’s Secretary got write down and immediately email out to everyone…the Hari Raya Presentation meeting pula…the one I volunteer to help to write down...this Mr. Horton’s Secretary pula lengah – lengah want to check and sent out…fine…you hijack me like that…buat baik dibalas baik, buat jahat dibalas jahat

Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness




Evil Case 002 >> this one I really stupid…Marcus not around…Mike ask me to attend the meeting on behalf…so, I also an idiot…ask Mr. Horton’s Secretary to masuk sekalimana tahu…the next day… Mr. Horton’s Secretary email out the minutes of the meeting…Mike said thank you for the updates…and Sir Thomas complimented that it was excellent…celaka betul dia…and celaka me too…gave the opportunity to her to shine…she was so clever…no one was jotting anything down…so, she took the opportunity to be the minutes writer…and I was so naïve…I also write down the minutes…but to brief Marcus only…

What is wrong with me! Why do I feel so threaten and being competitive…with an aunty!

Catalyst Inc




Mr. Horton’s Secretary is jahat…she is not jahat in the sense that she steals, sabotage, lies, back stab…none of those yet…jahat…in terms of…she knows how to make herself visible…perceived to be more competent…hard working…adding value…so, when I stand next to her…I failed in comparison…I look completely the opposite…

Evil Case 001 >> I just had the access to the SAP system recently. Usually, Mr. Horton’s Secretary will extract the product list for me from the SAP, then she will email me…the first few times…got cc to Marcus lah…thereafter, no more already…but in yesterday email…all of a sudden, she got cc to Marcus wor…the thing here is this…Marcus know that I have already gotten the access…Marcus was on leave for the whole of this week...why still need Mr. Horton’s Secretary to extract for me…why can’t I do it myself…so, meaning that I have the access but didn’t go and learn lor…so I look bad right…celaka betul dia

Duchess of Blekinge




Promotion Charter, Store Walk Revamp, Sales & Marketing Meeting Revamp >> the circumstances have change…it’s either God saw that there is a mismatch between myself & the job…or…God feels that I have learned enough…and now it’s time to move on to something else…hahaha…

Thursday, March 29, 2018

Our Prayers, God’s Timing




Sometimes God takes His time in answering our prayers, and that isn’t always easy for us to understand.

God’s memory is perfect. He is able to remember our prayers not only for years but also for generations beyond our lifetime. He never forgets them and may move in response long after we first brought our request to Him. Sometimes His answer is No, other times it is Wait – but His response is always measured with love. God’s ways are beyond us but we can trust that they are good.

God’s timing is rarely our own, but it is always worth waiting for.

When we cannot see God’s hand at work, we can still trust His heart.

Take A Number




Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.

In any circumstances, no matter how dire or trivial, we can turn to Jesus in prayer. There in His presence we can make our worries and fears known to Him. Then, Paul assures us, the peace of God will come to guard our hearts and our minds in Christ Jesus. Even if we’ve had one of those weeks, we can have His peace.

How Much More!




Father, You are the giver of all good gifts!

Serve & Be Served




My God will meet all your needs. God is faithful and His provision for us has no limits!

Multiplied Generosity




Lord, You meet our needs in surprising ways sometimes…

Wednesday, March 28, 2018

Stemettes




Ini baru macam lah…this is the kind of feedback that I need to get to further improvise and fine tune on the store walk process…these kind of feedback, I will not get it from Sörenstam & Marcus…I truly appreciate Sir Thomas’s sharing today…but at the same time…angry with myself…because I should have initiate these new initiatives…and not wait to be instructed…sigh…okay, a reminder on not repeating this same mistake again…because Trade Planning do not have the access and authority…it is indeed very hard to create the story line…so, today…Uncle Andy, Mr. Horton’s Secretary and myself sat down…brainstorm…on how to redefine the entire store walk process…not sure whether both Marcus & Sörenstam is happy about it or not…and I know this shift from Trade Planning to Merchandising…it meant that our role can be downplayed…but like Uncle Andy said…then, we will have more time to do the real and value added work…and as I am sandwich between Marcus and Mr. Horton’s Secretary…I am just a liability, a surplus…so God…now how…

Millennium Point




Disappointed…I didn’t receive The Letter…so, meaning that…I will not have any salary increment and performance bonuses…the only consolation prize that I have currently…is that Marcus allows me to claim for my handphone allowance…

Tuesday, March 27, 2018

Teargarden by Kaleidyscope




Very well written J___! Clear and precise…

It’s a skill and art to write clearly…

It’s a relief to read things written clearly…some of the next steps I get, I have to first transform my inner spirit to Yoda + C3PO to understand…

Email from Don Philip 2 weeks back…perk up my day at that point of time…

Siamese Dream




Angry…embarrassed…what happen was…today is the Hari Raya Presentation…from the Marketing & the Merchants team…so when it comes to the promo space layout…it was my turn lor…now, here’s the catch…Sir Thomas wants to do some changes…remove the Middle Highway blocks…wants the customers to navigate into the normal bay aisle…fair enough…but in the first place, this Sir Thomas only held internal discussions with the Operation Team, Trade Planning Team was not included…and now…in today’s meeting…Sir Thomas make the comments that he doesn’t agree with it…in front of everybody somemore…of course, it’s not my fault…but…because I presented it…it was my work…whether I am aware about it or not…it was just my slides…I felt like my work has been condemned…I’m like a victim of circumstances…I was nervous for this presentation & prepare for it too...what a waste of my time...God, you know what…I need to get myself into a company that does real Trade Planning work…sigh…but on the other hand, I also know that I am also not ready for the real Trade Planning work…hahaha...

Saturday, March 24, 2018

Harvest & Thanksgiving




God reminded Noah and his family – and us – of His provision for our flourishing existence on the earth. Earth would have seasons, daylight and darkness and seedtime and harvest. Our gratitude for the harvest, which sustains us, goes to God alone.

Dear Creator God, thank You so much for the wondrous way You fashioned this world – with seasons, with harvest time, with everything we need to exist.

The Heart’s True Home

Draw me near…

Make A Joyful Noise




God has done marvelous things!
Lord, thank You for who You are and what You’ve done!

Helicopter Seeds




Unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.

Friday, March 23, 2018

Seven Night Stand




Lantak lah…I don’t care or give a damn if this message fell onto Marcus’s ears…and at the same time…I also want to see which one of them is so kepo…I have told; very publicly to Mr. Horton’s Secretary, Uncle Andy, Samuel & My Source…that G13 is not the place for me to retire…I have to bertahan untill August, because if I leave now, I will need to pay back to G13 the early release payout money that they had pay to The Japanese. The quartet know very well that the current Trade Planning job is unfulfilling for me…can also be interpret as it is stagnant, not growing, not adding value, not moving forward…will I go back to being a buyer…nope…but going into an organization that does real Trade Planning work…sigh…but with Sir Thomas who is newly on board…looks like Trade Planning still got some hope lah…crossing fingers…I hope that I can learn and do what The English is doing and what I really learn here for the past 6 months is communication, presentation, collaboration, brainstorming and total picture of the business. Trade Planning will be doing the ‘head’ part where as the merchants will be part of the action scene of implementation & execution…

Rowing with the Wind




Marcus is away for 1 week…Shanghai holiday trip with the family…so, before Marcus left…Marcus pesan to Mr. Horton’s Secretary to take down the minutes for the Hari Raya Presentation next week…and in Marcus’s email to the Merchants…any leaflet sku that needs to unblock…email over to Mr. Horton’s Secretary to compile…then me leh…what role do I play…sigh…

Sunday, March 18, 2018

Travaux, On Sait Quand ça Commence...




Marcus feels demotivated…
Mr. Horton’s Secretary feels not adding value…
I pula feel…identity crisis…
What happen was…Maximoff left G13 already mah…incoming replacement is Sir Thomas…typical French…priority now is margin…sales is secondary…all is Sir Thomas says; we have no say…thus, this is making us redundant…so how now…

Gish




Ohh…I haven’t been blogging about The Reds for ages…

Liverpool 5 – 0 Watford
Mohamed Salah scored four as Liverpool swept aside a poor Watford at Anfield on Saturday evening. Roberto Firmino scored the other goal in what was a fabulous display from the Reds, with Salah back to his devastating best at Anfield.

Monday, March 12, 2018

Zeitgeist




I am 36 years old…and still battling with ACNE problem…ish…what the…

That Famous Smile




You are a good Father, dear God, and You make us smile.
You provide joy that is beyond what anything the world can offer.

Second Chances




God is willing to give us a Fresh Start.
Dear Lord, thank You that You let us begin again and again.
God gives us Second Chances.

The Hand Of Comfort




Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ...who comforts us in all our troubles.

Saturday, March 10, 2018

The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists!




Ishishishbiar betul nirupa-rupanya, this Marcus remain very closely in touch with Mak Tiri…not only a strong connection but quite recently too...Marcus told me that MT WatsApp Marcus; asking Marcus got any buyer to recommend or not, from G13…Marcus recommended Jecca but don’t think that Jecca will take up the offer…but Marcus suspected that MT got give a call to Jecca lah…according to Marcus, the reason that Jecca will not take up any offer at the moment is because Jecca is seeing the results of the Shoe category which Jecca have put in so much effort into…Marcus only pointed out that Jecca only loves to complain and currently is very kecil hati because the Apparel Director is only paying detail attention to Pietro…hahaha…I also share with Marcus that MT needs to hire someone that is of certain maturity so that MT can delegate the job to, MT’s current buying team is slightly immature, Tin Min is smart but then again, didn’t want to do more…and I also acknowledge that it was not fair for Mak Tiri to return the Furniture portfolio to Celtic; after she & Abigail have done such an excellent job together and now have to telan Jonas’s entire division…in my heart, I also wonder why Stewart make such an arrangement, really can see that it is not fair for MT…and also very obvious that Stewart side Celtic…hahaha…

Thursday, March 08, 2018

Lord James D'Ampton




The other day, we had a team meeting…Marcus mention that both Mr. Horton’s Secretary & myself will need to help out Samuel because the Upscale business is just so screwed up; upside down and Samuel is practically being overloaded with everything and anything…well, I certainly don’t mind…get to learn new things mah…seriously, even though I see the bigger picture of the business in this new portfolio and learn more about human nature & interactions, I feel…insufficient & incompetent leh…no doubt the pay is good but the job is too routine, I feel redundant, otak also not that cergas like last time…but at 36, still want so many challenges meh…hahaha, all I know is that I just want to learn & do what The English Trade Planning Department is doing…and I hope G13 will get there before it’s too late for me…hahaha…because I…I want to grow and add value…I like what I’m doing currently but I don’t feel like I'm growing and adding value to myself…

Rock Steady




This afternoon, Marcus bought the Trade Planning team lunch…at Ding Tai Fung; Empire Subang…then, for dessert, Marcus ordered Mochi; which came in a plate of 3…but there are 4 of us…so Marcus said that the both of us share half…why can’t Marcus share with Samuel…or with Mr. Horton’s Secretary…why me pula…Marcus know that I kuat makan what…half; where got enough to whet my appetite…or is it because the both of us are more closer, so Marcus is not that paiseh to share is it…hahaha…

Frédéric Chopin




I have a LinkedIn Profile…and every week, LinkedIn will update me if there were any searches that matches my work profile; done by an individual, companies or headhunters. Then, last week…LinkedIn updated me that G13 was doing a search on me…hmm…now, I’m wondering…it is done by an individual or was the search came from the Human Resource Office…let’s see who will be approaching me next; to make a comeback as a buyer…hahaha…