Do you Zoom properly?

One thing which many of us have become used to in the past one year is Zoom meetings. Yet many people still do not understand some of the basic etiquettes of video conferences. 

1. When speaking, look at the camera, not at your colleagues on the screen. The camera is that black dot along the top edge of your laptop, or your webcam. This way, from your colleagues' perspective, you are looking at them straight in the eye as you speak. 

2. Your face and body should be both facing the camera. If you use a phone, face the phone. Don't put it to one side while you face your laptop and type away while speaking in a distracted manner. Put your phone on a platform slightly above your laptop, so that you are facing it at eye-level. 

3. Even when you are listening, especially in small meetings, look at the camera instead of the screen showing your colleague who is speaking. Chances are she is looking at you on her screen, and she will feel more engaged to see you apparently looking straight at her. 

4. Smile. Truly connect with people. 

knowing vs doing

When we fail, it is often not because we don't know how, but we do not apply what we know. 

If you know, but do not apply, it's as good as not knowing. 

Marketing Tricks #9 A.C.R.O.N.Y.M.'s and diagrams

You have 20 years of HR experience. You summarise the lessons you've learnt into 5 big areas, and you find corresponding keywords which form an acronym H.U.M.A.N. You draw a five bubble diagram and name this your system. It is certainly unique to you, because you came up with it. A simple thing to do, and with it, you are now perceived as an expert who has developed a methodology. 

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. 

The pond and the shrine

小池难养大鱼，小庙不供大佛

A small pond will not have big fish, a small shrine cannot fit a large Buddha statue. 

If you want great employees, your organisation must first have the right leadership, values and culture. Else you will only retain small fish. 

Rich Dad Poor Dad is a dangerous book

One of the concepts in the book is something like this:  

Employee --> Self-employed --> Business owner --> Investor 

If you are an employee, you will be working your butt off earning little and spending your life helping other people make money. If you become self-employed, you may earn more, but your income will still stop if you stop working. Now when you become a business owner, you spend your time building a system, and you leverage that system to make money for you. The system still runs when you are on holiday. Finally when you are an investor, your money makes more money for you and you are totally free. 

It all sounds sensible. Many people encourage this. There is a Chinese saying that "you'll never get rich staying an employee". 

I argue that this narrative is a narrow way of looking at life, focusing on monetary wealth. It is based on the notion of "when I become rich, I will be free to do what I love". Also it downplays the risks and difficulties. There is nothing wrong choosing to be an employee. There is nothing wrong choosing to do what you love today and not wait until you are "rich". 

What would you do? - the most loved guy on the team

Imagine this scenario. You have this guy who has been on the team for many years. He's kind, hardworking and well-liked by the whole team. In the past year, as business needs change, he is starting to fall behind, unable to learn new skills and adapt to new requirements quickly enough, and it is starting to affect the team's work. The team doesn't seem to mind. However you worry things will get worse if nothing is being done. What would you do? 

Life is fair

Everyone has 24 hours per day. 

How you use your time, i.e. your life, is all about how you prioritise. Where you put your attention. What you choose to do with your time every day. 

We make our choice. Every day. 

Conflict is good

 

In fact, it is necessary. 

In most of our work, we cannot avoid dealing with people. Our natural tendency is to avoid conflict. However when you need to work closely with others, and for the long term, there will be personality clashes and differences in opinions. If we only avoid and ignore these, we may not get far. The key is to learn how to manage and resolve these, and move on. Find common goals, agree on rules, gain understanding. In some cases, agree to disagree and part ways. Even that's better than sweeping conflicts under the carpet.