"I'm being real here"

 

Sometimes when I advise people, they look at me weird and say "that's not gonna work, get real". They think I'm being unrealistic. But what is real? Everyone has a different reality. We live in the same world, but we all see it through different lenses. If you believe your people are not trustworthy and cannot grow, you will not see their improvements and you will only see their mistakes. This becomes your reality. I choose a reality where people can be better, and we expect better of ourselves and our people.

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Am I a motivational speaker to you?

I have never intended to become a motivational speaker, but quite a few people have asked me whether I am one. Do you see me as a motivational speaker? Why so? Or why not? 

What do you do with 100 different opinions?

 

Sometimes when I have a business idea I am excited to share it with friends. I want to hear their opinions and pick their brains. Often they give me good feedback. Sometimes they shoot the idea down. Sometimes they suggest something completely different. It can be demotivating and even confusing at times, but these are the most valuable opinions. When your friend is not afraid to shoot down your idea, you know you have a true friend who feels safe and trusts you to be able to take criticism. In the end I know I can't follow every suggestion I get. However by spending the effort to get feedback I get many useful perspectives and new information I would not have thought of or come across myself. 

Love your friends who are willing to shoot you. 

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How do you stop politics in the workplace?

The short answer is, you don't. When you have more than one person in an organisation, politics start, because no two persons are exactly the same. People have different needs, wants, expectations and agendas. We have to live with politics, because we are all human. We minimise politicking by encouraging an open, honest and transparent culture, by being good role models ourselves, by learning to lead and to communicate well, and by developing our social-emotional skills. Politics is something we live with and manage, not something we exterminate. We are humans, not machines. We just need to constantly learn to be better humans.

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How often do you talk purpose in your organisation?

 

Imagine this. Your employee finds himself sitting in his car in a traffic jam on the way to work and questioning himself, "What the heck am I doing this for?". Do you worry about this scenario?

I celebrate this scenario, because I believe everyone in the organisation should always think about and remember their purpose. We should always know why we are doing what we do every day. An organisation which does not communicate and align purpose with employees ends up with people doing things for the sake of doing. Purpose is not only what motivates us. It is also what helps us prioritise our time effectively and make the right decisions.

This and other tips in my book Every Employee an Entrepreneur: 

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

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What hiking taught me - listening

Listen to the cicadas, the insects, the unexpected bird sounds. Listen for the approaching footsteps of the fast hikers from behind so that you step aside and let them pass. Listen to your body and take a break when you need it. Or take a sip of water.

In business, amidst our busyness we must remember to listen. Be alert of dangers. Be aware of trends. Be sensitive to customer needs. Take note of signs of change. Sometimes we do have to stop and smell the roses too. Appreciate your team and show that appreciation. If you find this post useful, please like, comment or share.

Don't assume your cat is stupid

 

This often happens with my cat at home. Onga doesn't finish his food, but he meows at me to ask for more. Maybe he doesn't like what's left in the bowl because it's getting stale, or dry. The old-fashioned part in me says never waste food so I refuse to discard what is still edible. What I then do is I pick up the bowl, put it on the kitchen top where Onga can't see it, and use a spoon to gather the leftover food into a tidy little clump at the centre of the bowl. I present the bowl to him like a waiter bringing a new gourmet dish, and he happily finishes it as if I have served him a fresh plate of food. I chuckle inside - what a dumb cat! One day as I had just done this again and was smugly watching Onga eat, a realisation hit me. What if all this while he wasn't complaining about wanting more food? What if he was just directing his minion (me) to tidy up the food so that it was easier to eat? And I had thought I was outsmarting him. This reminded me of a lesson I learned from my boss many years ago - don't think your customers are stupid. We sometimes easily assume and draw conclusions, without thinking deeper about the behaviours of our customers. We think we can trick them, outsmart them, convince them to buy our products. If we don't look deeper into why they are buying and what needs they are seeking to fulfil, we will not improve. Yes, I must admit my cat is the master and I am the slave. He's the customer I am serving. If you find this post useful, please like, comment or share.

Bohemian Rhapsody

 

Bohemian Rhapsody (2018 film), for which Rami Malek won Best Actor at the Oscars, is the story of Freddie Mercury (1946-1991) and Queen, the iconic rock band of the 1980's. One element in the movie which deeply moved me was how the fierce loyalty of our friends help us get through the toughest times to achieve great things. We bicker. We fight. But we never forget we are on the same team. 

Taboos when selling - don't keep telling people they've made a poor choice

 

Here "selling" refers to not only selling your product or service, but also selling an idea, making a proposal and convincing someone of something they should do. Sure, you want to show how your product is superior to what your prospective client has purchased. However it will likely be counter-productive to keep harping on how poor her choice had been.

Talk about problems she has and how you may be able to help. Talk about what's possible with your product. If you focus too much on her past (poor) choice, you may only alienate her and put her on the defensive.

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