Boss Blindspot #12 - "I know how this works"

Boss Blindspot #12 - "I know how this works"

All senior leaders develop an ability to quickly assess and judge a new acquaintance, opportunity or proposal. It is a necessary skill, given how busy our schedules are. The danger in this is we sometimes jump to (incorrect) conclusions, because of our preconceived notions. 

"Yeah, yeah, I've heard this before. Sounds good, doesn't work." 

Sometimes we miss opportunities because we close our minds. 

We need to ask the sharp questions, and have the curiosity to explore, in order to find the nuggets. 

unforgettable team-building

What is one team-building activity at your workplace you will still remember after 10 years? 

For me, it was one activity invented by my team, which I'll call "Remote Control". It is a team vs team race game. Each team has one blindfolded person assigned to hunt treasures. He has a camera mounted on his face, to allow his teammates (in another room) to see his surroundings. He can only hear instructions and cannot speak. His teammates need to guide him from a remote location to find all treasures. Sounds simple, but very challenging in practice. 

tribes and trust on the internet

Why it is challenging to build a functional community on the internet.

https://seths.blog/2021/02/tribes-and-the-trust-layer/

Marketing Tricks #07 - Testimonials

Marketing Tricks #07 - Testimonials

Testimonials show grateful fans sharing the results of using the product. They always paint the best case scenario. They are not necessary lies, but they may not give you the full picture. The hair growth therapy company will not highlight customers for whom the product didn't work. They show you the bald "before" guy and the full-haired "after" guy. Testimonials are a powerful tool because they sell the dream of the best possible outcome. To achieve such an outcome it may not be as easy as an ad makes it sound. 

What to do with this information: 

When you are a buyer, recognise these tricks and don't let them affect you making the right decision. Don't hate marketers. It is their job to help sellers connect to their target audience. As a buyer it is your responsibility to understand the product and whether it fits you. 

When you are a seller, this is a trick you can use. No matter how well you market, you must still have a good product if you want to stay in business. Do right by your customers. 

When there is a will, there is a way?

When there is a will, there is a way? 

Sometimes it's even simpler than that. For many years, my extended family has not had any big Chinese New Year gathering, because we are now scattered in many different locations, even different time zones. Ironically it was the pandemic which gave us the idea of doing an online gathering. It was a wonderful moment seeing everyone together again. 

The technology has been around for some time. We should have done this much earlier. It is not hard to organise. It comes down to just us deciding to do it. It is just a simple choice and it doesn't even take much will. 

Make a conscious choice.  

Thank your critics

Thank your critics

...because they spend time and effort to tell you what they don't like about your product. You may not necessarily have to change your product based on what everyone says, but you certainly should try to understand their objection. You may think they are wrong, but you must understand why they feel the way they do. 

Listening to your critics is a learning opportunity. They give you insights and inspiration. Don't be shy to ask for feedback.  We naturally tend to be defensive about our work, or we are shy to show it to people. Put yourself up for scrutiny. That's how you learn and grow.  

reasons of conflict

 

What is the most silly reason you've seen two colleagues stop talking to each other for?

Book now available at bookstores

Feeling excited that my book "Every Employee an Entrepreneur" is now available in bookstores. 

Also available online via the following channels. 

• Shopee Malaysia
• Lazada Malaysia
• Amazon
• Amazon Kindle e-book
• Google Playstore e-book

 

Happy Lunar New Year

 

Here's wishing everyone a great year ahead. Good health and success in whatever you do. 

Character featured: Erlang Shen

Power Tool - People problems come down to two words.

 

Power Tool - People problems come down to two words. 

Unmet expectations. When you are unhappy, what is the expectation that is not met? Is it fair to have such an expectation? If not, then no need to be unhappy. If yes, who should have done what to fulfil that expectation? Do you need to communicate more clearly your expectation to them? Are they intentionally not fulfilling your expectation? What are their expectations and are those being met? What action is to be taken if the issue persists? Example: Your staff is always late in filling time sheets and that makes your accountant unhappy. Is it fair for him to expect timely submissions? Let's assume yes, because he needs to process salaries and allowances on time before month end. Has the cut off date been communicated to all staff? Has a rule been set on how to handle late submission? Allowance payments for employees with late submissions will be delayed by 2 weeks? Take the other angle. Are staff expecting the time sheets process to be simple and quick, and currently there is too much paperwork, or the system is not reliable? Are staff expecting a fully automated process so that they don't need to fill time sheets at all? Is it fair for them to expect that? It will save time and minimise manual error? Have they communicated and discussed this with the accountant? In the end people problems is about aligning expectations.

social media echo chamber

The social media echo chamber is not as bad as we think.

Echo chamber definition: When you only interact with like-minded people on Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp etc, both the platforms and you yourself filter what information reaches you, and you become exposed to only views similar to yours. You lose an objective view of reality and become biased due to this limited and distorted exposure. This article suggests that online disharmony is not caused so much by limited exposure, but by how people react to what they are exposed to. So, not that there is no problem, just that the causes may be different from what we thought. https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20180416-the-myth-of-the-online-echo-chamber