Year of Ox-ymoron

Hi my friends.

We just celebrated the Lunar New Year welcoming the Year of the Ox.

I will like to start the Year of the Ox, with a bunch of ideas that are, well, OX-ymoron.

We've all heard about the characteristics of the Ox that those born in the year of the Ox are known to be pragmatic and down-to-earth.

It is also known that Ox people (like someone who is close to my heart) are self-motivated and really hard working.

Also they rather independent though they sometimes place too much trust in others; just like others find it easy to trust them too. They also tend to establish strong bonds with their partners, families, and friends.

They can also be quite open-minded, but once they have decided about something, they rarely change their minds. This can sometimes be seen as being obstinate.

Taking the cue from some of these characteristics, let's see what we can learn from and also to chart our moo-ves (pun intended) onwards in today's environment.

Given the current economic situation, most are being fearful and uncertainties abound. Hence, it is even more important to be pragmatic in our approach. Having said that, we still need to trust in our hopes, dreams, and vision. Someone said to me that vision is a dream from God. Therefore, to me, believing in my vision is putting faith in that through God I will fulfill my dreams.

Also, we need to be independent as it has shown that while we can depend on others or institutions (or even government) we need to be independent in that we need to account to ourselves (and not blame others when banks go bust) and take responsibilities for our actions. To this end it is still critical that we establish strong bonds with our families and friends. Doesn't mean that being independent will see us being distanced from others.

More than that, while being independent we need to establish strong bonds with others so that we can create, add, and maximise value for (or with) them. That way they won't see us as a free-rider but more of someone they can count on. They can trust.

Finally, while remaining down-to-earth and not being boastful or become complacent with our achievements, we need to keep an open-mind, as you may have noticed that the world has shifted tremendously (will be blogging on how we must seriously re-examine our mindset and challenge certain assumptions we've held onto for so long) and hence keeping an open-mind will allow us to seize opportunities where others see gloom.

Of course it is good to re-examine those assumptions, we still need to learn from the Ox and embrace obstinacy in a different light. I believe we should stubbornly adhere to our visions and dreams and be obstinate and not give up no matter how bleak the situation seems. Remember the Lord works in mysterious ways.

Now, how's that for OX-ymoron?

(By the way, President Obama was born in the Year of the Ox. Is he, in any way, being oxymoron by selecting old-guards in his team of "Change-Agents"?)
Respectfully yours,
Melvyn Tan
(Sent from Blackberry Bold)

Blog Block

Do you ever suffer from blog block? I have. Right now.

Ever since I started using "posterous", I have been having blog block. And the fact that I have given up my E71 (I sold it recently over the net, but what's more amazing was the SPEED in which I sold it - I post the ad at around 9pm, interested party emailed me at 11pm, and by 11.40pm the transaction [actual face-to-face] was completed) just adds to the stoppage.

So, there are many reflections and thoughts about whether it is the platform, where I am more comfortable with blogger compared to posterous?  Or was it because the momentum was lost.

Both are possibilities.  To be honest, when I was publishing my blogs to blogger, I usually did it either before I sleep or while riding the train to go for my appointments.  Now, using posterous, I have to send it via an email.  Which seems kinda odd.  Of course its in the mind, but I suppose the difference in environment do makes a difference.  Another reason could be that, with posterous, I kinda know who's reading (through their subscription) but through blogger (and auto-import to facebook) I wasn't sure who could be reading.  Were these people my friends or could they be anyone who happens to land on my page?

Then of course I thought of using blogger for my usual discussion about issues pertaining to business in general, while using posterous more for discussion of "engaged mastery".

Am still trying to figure that one out.  Partially it was also because of the momentum, as we were on vacation for 14 days and there was little or no access to internet.  So, that 14 days did in fact breaks a habit.  But then again, if 14 days could have caused this habit to change, there is another habit that I kinda very quickly got back on.

Same issue with Obama.  Smoking.  Yes, of course there have been attempts (sincere) to quit.  And I thought, well, if I can do it for 14 days, I figured I got that one straighten out!  Could it again be environment because the people I chill out with smokes too?  Then of course it comes back to the Personal Mastery 101.  Do you shape the environment or do you let the environment shapes you?  Of course if you let the environment shapes you, then you will have little control over what happens.  As it is foolish to think you have 'everything under control'.  And if you have little or no control over what happens, then you'll be faced with lots of uncertainty, which then leads to stress.  And when you get stressed up, of course you are not able to think with a calm mind.

So, ok.  I know all these intellectually, but why did I let the 'environment' shape me?  Didn't I talked about personal mastery and to work from inside-out?  And that if you think the problem is out there, that very thought is the problem?  Well, several explanations.  One is that, hey!, I am human after all!  And like you, and everyone else, we have struggles, we get put to test.  We do all sometime acknowledge that common sense does not equate common practice!  Another explanation could be, well, when it comes to smoking, it is not all that simple as there is that chemical equation when it comes to quitting smoking.  So even when you want to quit, there are chemical reactions that will cause the withdrawal effects to pull you back.  Then of course one could argue that there are individuals like J. Paul Getty (in his autobiography "As I See It") where he related an incident where he got up in the middle of the night while on the road and found he's out of cigarettes.  Instinctively, he put on his jacket and was about to brave the weather to get a pack.  At that point, he laughed and said he could control hundreds or even thousands of people and yet he couldn't control himself (letting cigarettes control him)?!  And from that point onwards, he's never touched another cigarette again!

I suppose, it works differently for different people.  Having said that, in applying my success process - I call it TEAM - (to my NLP course mates, you probably recall hearing me talk about developing my own success process? Well, here it is!) to this situation, here is how it works.  While working from inside-out is indeed a fabulous idea, in real life, we must also acknowledge that we also need to be 'systems thinker' to get this to work.  How so?  The success process goes like this: with a particular MINDSET, we will have certain ATTITUDES.  For instance, if my MINDSET is "I am an educator", then my ATTITUDES towards the child could be "every child learns differently" or "every child WANTS to learn".  Given these set of ATTITUDES, how much EFFORTS we will put in will also differ.  For instance, if those were our ATTITUDES, then we would make the EFFORT to treat every child with respect and find ways to engage the child!  And as a result of our MINDSET, ATTITUDES, and EFFORTS, we will see whether our TARGETS will be met or not.  So, if our TARGETS are not met, then we will have to work backwards, checking on our EFFORTS, ATTITUDES, and MINDSET to see what can we do so that our TARGETS can be met.

Hence, in a way, the process is just like bootstrapping, where we can borrow the term as a metaphor for a series of self-sustaining processes, without external help, that continue until the TARGET is met.  Therefore, what's key here is that our TARGET must be clear, precise, specific.  Else, this process can possibly go on forever!

So, back to blog block again.  It does look like the block has been cleared.  Later today, I will be getting my Blackberry Bold, so perhaps with that tool, I will be blogging away again soon!

Posted via email from Leadership

Increase our ability to act with integrity

Integrity, by our definition, is "moral capital".

We see it that way because having integrity is where we are able to

1. Pause
2. ASK with good intentions
3. LISTEN with empathy
4. ACT with courage

In fact, over the next few days we will be taking about the various forms on "capital" in this New Economy.

Before the recent financial crisis, everyone knows about financial capital and how with financial capital we are able to do wonderful things, or so it seems.

However, in this New Economy, there are essentially four types of new capital, chiefly,

1. Intellectual Capital,
2. Moral Capital,
3. Social Capital, and
4. "Me" Capital.

Never fear the space between your dreams and reality. If you can dream it, you can make it so. -- Belva Davis

 

Posted via email from Leadership

The first is the last and the last is the first

Leadership,
–noun
1. the position or function of a leader: He managed to maintain his
leadership of the party despite heavy opposition.
2. ability to lead: She displayed leadership potential.
3. an act or instance of leading; guidance; direction: They prospered
under his leadership.
4. the leaders of a group: The union leadership agreed to arbitrate.
 
Sources:
American Psychological Association (APA):
leadership. (n.d.). Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Retrieved
January 07, 2009, from Dictionary.com website:
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/leadership
 
Chicago Manual Style (CMS):
leadership. Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Random
House, Inc. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/leadership
(accessed: January 07, 2009).
 
Modern Language Association (MLA):
"leadership." Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Random House, Inc. 07
Jan. 2009. .
 
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE):
Dictionary.com, "leadership," in Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1).
Source location: Random House, Inc.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/leadership. Available:
http://dictionary.reference.com. Accessed: January 07, 2009.
 
Our definition of leadership is someone who is able to live each day
according to the 9 principled-centered values of being a leader who is
able to influence with integrity. To unpack this further, when we say
"live each day" we are looking at it through the three major roles
that almost all of us play daily; i.e. personal, people, and
professional. Briefly, "personal" means our relationship with self;
"people" is our relationship with others; and "professional" is our
relationship with our colleagues, partners, clients, and the like.
The "9 principled-centered" values are SERVES ALL (self-discipline,
empathy, rectitude, vision, engage, synergy, abundance, leverage, and
legacy). "Leader" is someone who works on the T.E.A.M. approach,
meaning s/he will examine issues in this order; Mindset, Attitude,
Effort, and Targets. "Influence" can happen easily only when we have
gained the trust of others; and for that to happen, we will need to
have both Competency & Character (c.f. Stephen M.R. Covey). And
finally, "integrity" is guided by our compass or our conscious, which
is aligned to rectitude.
 
Hence, when we talk about leadership is not about being served, but to serve.

Posted via email from Leadership

Self-discipline forms the core of our character

Character has always been the one thing that is much talked about but
very very difficult to teach and measure.
 
As we work with the Schools, many a times they struggle with the
issues on character education and how they can have programmes that
will drive the right characters and also measure its effectiveness.
 
I suppose within the realm of "engaged mastery"; first, we need to
exercise self-discipline. It could mean really difficult situation
for some people as it calls from abstaining from certain activities or
breaking of certain habits.
 
Then again, once we are able to discipline ourselves and hence win the
battle with ourselves, the activities or habits will give us the
momentum to not only surge ahead, but also to face the world with
strength and purpose.
 
Hence, bringing us back to our personal mission, where it will be
linked to our "spirit" domain of engaged mastery.

Posted via email from Leadership

Where there is no vision, the people perish

It's into the 5th day of the New Year and already there is so much to do... I must admit that although it is just the second working day of the New Year, it is already feeling like work is taking over me. Spent some time today translating my reflections of 2008 into goals that I would like to achieve this year. Firstly, my reflections were sub-divided into nine areas namely; body, mind, spirit, personal, people, professional, time, emotion, and economics. No specific order were they arranged but for me, I found it useful to think of it as a three-tiered.
 
Now that the reflections are being done, it is time to then think of what my vision will be for 2009. Given the overall vision for 2009 is defined, it is now time to translate it into goals. After the goals are being identified, the next step would be to break it down into smaller sub-goals that can be done progressively at a daily, weekly, or monthly level.
 
Some examples include a daily reflection, weekly write-ups on materials that are relevant to me professionally, weekly family time, monthly review of financial position, quarterly spa retreat (I like this one very much), 6-monthly visit to the dentist (not a pleasant thought though, LOL).
 
Of course after this it calls for self-discipline to see things through and/or leverage to get things done.
 
[I'd be glad to walk anyone through these steps, if you'd drop me an email.]

Posted via email from Leadership

Engaged, not managed

We manage resources, finances, and things; but we engage people. People, unlike things/objects, have self-awareness and intelligence.

Posted via email from Leadership

Engaged Leadership

The next level is Engaged Leadership, which is to say how we can engaged another person or group of people to embark on their journeys towards Personal Leadership. There are also 4 areas, like Personal Leadership and they are (i) empathy, (ii) synergy, (iii) abundance, and (iv) leverage.
 
Of course the link between Personal Leadership and Engaged Leadership is Engaged Mastery.

Posted via email from Leadership

Personal Leadership

Leadership has several levels. We first start with Personal Leadership; which focuses on 4 areas namely, (i) self-discipline, (ii) vision, (iii) rectitude, and (iv) leave a legacy.

Posted via email from Leadership

Leadership Quote

"Life is full of risks, but until you turn them into opportunities, they will always remain uncertain."

Posted via email from Leadership

Faith is the substance of hope (Part II)

The four areas that we talked about, self-discipline, vision, rectitude, and leave a legacy are essentially the body-mind-heart-spirit respectively.

Every human being has to have their needs fulfilled in at least one of these four areas. So,e when your bodily needs call to replenish food, it is how you exercise self-discipline to accept some food and reject others.

You get the point.

Having said that, very often these needs are also closely linked in such a way that we sometimes don't even notice it. For instance, when we are bombarded with ads about a certain brand, it creates a visual image that goes into our subconscious mind, where it evokes certain feelings in the heart, so that we will want (bodily) it.

In a corporate context, it could be that because the work you do (body) is purposeful (spirit) and hence it creates a good feeling (heart) that you want to apply your intellect (mind) wholly.

Therefore, these are the four areas where when they coalesce together form the substance of hope, and that is faith.

Faith is the substance of hope (Part I)

Have you ever been in a situation, where you were given a certain task that you have no previous experience in?

How did you overcome that? Did you give up and said you've done it before and hence don't even attempt it? Or did you find a way to accomplish the task despite the odds?

My personal experience was when I was task to make a presentation to a Chinese company, which is publicly listed in Singapore, about why they will need to engage a team of professionals who are trained in the management of relations with the investment community in the region. (We got the contract.)

My first immediate reaction was, "but I can't do it as I have never done it before!" The reply to my response was, "if you were hungry and there is a bowl of rice in front of you, the only thing is you can only eat it with a pair of chopsticks; and let's say you don't know how to use chopsticks, would you learn or walk away from the food?"

I believe we all have been in situations like this before, so do we find a way to get it done or do we walk away from it?

There could be times when we did get it done and there are also instances that we walk away from it all; for better or worse.

Some people may find it really absurd that if you have never had the experience, then how would you know what to do? There will also be some who says, when you believe it, you will see it.

Let's not get spiritual about it but look at it not based on intellect, logic, or reasoning but look at it from the marvels that the human brain can do. At least this way, we know that everyone can do it, provided they put their mind into it and not just merely dream about it.

Let's look at some examples that we can all relate to. For instance, sales people face situations where, either they are selling services or products, they will often have to deal with questions like what are their track record, success stories, if they are selling services.

When it comes to products, they will often need to leverage on the products' brand name. Simply because people trust brands that they are familiar with. Brands that deliver on their promises. Same with services, people want to trust that you, the sales person, can deliver on your promise.

I think, for most people, the toughest is for them to have confidence or trust themselves. We sometimes are not sure if we are up to the task, if we might screw up, if we might look like a fool. And that's why for some of us we gave up on a childhood dream of becoming an astronaut, a singer, a veterinarian.

Hence, for situations like this, how do we have confidence in ourselves, even for tasks that we have no apparent previous experience in? How do we rise up to the occasion?

I believe that, if we want something so badly, whether it is to challenge ourselves or just to force ourselves out of our comfort zone, to achieve our dreams, to hope that we can do something worthwhile for ourselves and our family (or even mankind), we can do it. And at the cognitive level, we just need to have our brains see it. It may even defy logic and reasoning.

Did the Wright brothers defy logic and reasoning that man can fly? Did Edison defy logic and reasoning about light bulbs? They probably have one thing in common and that is imagination. As Einstein said, imagination is more important than knowledge. And he would know best, as if he didn't day-dream in class about how light travelled, we would not have E=MC2.

So, while we can imagine, visualize, day-dream; whatever you call it, we still need an element of hope that our dreams and vision can come true. And it is important to have a vision, for when there is no vision; the people perish.

And to be able to have hope and hold it in our minds till it becomes a reality, we need to know what is hope (positive) made up. I believe that faith is the substance of hope.

For when we have faith, our hopes and dreams can stay alive, and if our hopes and dreams can stay alive, then we can do something to work towards it and make it a reality. But how do you teach someone to have faith if they have never seen "faith" or does not have any idea how to "have faith"?

Faith can mean, in a context, having faith in your doctor, having faith in marriage, having faith in a friend, having faith in a product, having faith in the plan, having faith in a situation. But how can one have faith in themselves? Or how do you have others have faith in you, even when you do not have a track record or experience or a degree to your name?

I believe that faith comes from trustworthiness. In order words, before you can convince another to have faith in you, you must have faith in yourselves. You must, prove to yourself, that you can trust yourself, that you have confidence in yourself, that you believe in your own self that you can accomplish the task.

And in order to do that, you must have personal mastery, or mastery over oneself. The greatest enemy is within. You are your own client. You are your fiercest critic. Therefore, the four most important areas to work on are; self-discipline, vision, rectitude, and leave a legacy.

We will explore these four areas in our next discussion.

Experienced vs. New Ideas

Recent announcements by Obama have caught the attention of skeptics and advocates alike. Many of his economic committee and advisors are who's who in their field, lending extensive experience to the one-term senator who now has the most powerful job on earth (or is it still?).

Hence, the talk around town has been, "what ever happened to change?"

In the Wall Street Journal (Nov 26) article, "Obama works on economic plan; Volcker tapped for advisory role", Mr Obama was quoted as saying that "what we are going to do is combine experience with fresh thinking, but understand where the vision for change comes from, first and foremost. It comes from me."

You see, Hitler led an army in an attempt to wipe out the Jews, while Churchill led an army to liberate a nation. In order to achieve the aims of either man, a strong, competent, and dedicated force was needed. However the main difference lies in their vision.

Henceforth, in Obama's case, he needed a team that is strong, competent, and dedicated too. His team must have individuals who have the expertise to complete the task. The task where he envisaged, which is to change not only America, but also the world.

Seen in this context, what we can learn from is that, a leader must, first and foremost, have a vision that has good intentions. After which, you will then engage others in meaningful ways so that you can expand your circle of influence so that, while recognising others' strengths, expertise, and differences. In this way, you will then be able to lead them into the professional arena to collectively achieve the higher order goal.

So, with change at the back of his mind, and putting together a strong team, Obama will, and can succeed in this new economy.

Happy (Part II)

You may sum up that life is but about relationships. No man is an island and being social animals, we cannot survive in solitude. Neither can we be everything to everyone nor do we have all the skills, wisdom, or abilities to achieve everything. We all achieve our goals through others. We leverage, we seek synergies, we work in teams.

Therefore, at the interpersonal level, it is all about relationships. How we build, strengthen, and grow relationships are dependent on the same three elements at the personal level.

We need to observe the natural laws of "personal mastery" and they are self-discipline, rectitude, vision, and leave a legacy". At the interpersonal level, we have another four more components of empathetic listening, synergy, abundance, and leverage. And the conduit of these two sets of natural laws is "engaged".

As we, at the personal level, work from the inside-out, and by engaging others who share similar set of values, dreams, and purpose with us to also work from the inside-out; we achieve two things. One, we are able to engaged another person to also work from inside-out, and because we share similar sets of values, dreams, and purpose; we expand our circle of influence through those that we have engaged.

In a corporate context, the next two levels are evident. Of course, it can apply to the family, not for profit, community, and social context. In any organization, there will be a certain hierarchy where someone reports to someone else. And usually, that someone else is called a "manager" or its equivalent.

Sometimes people mistaken and say, a manager is one that manages people. Well, perhaps in the industrialized age, where workers are managed purely through 'external motivational' factors, such as rules and regulations (e-motivated away) and compensation and benefits (e-motivated towards).

If you still operate within those environment then you may need those external motivated factors. Or, if in your organization, where there are a lot of back-stabbing, politics, or distrust; then those external motivated factors are still needed.

However if you operate in an environment where people are highly valued for their contributions, their creativity and innovativeness, their passion, and their purpose in life, then those external motivated factors are not going to work. Having said that, in any corporate setting, there is a need for both external motivated away and towards factors. Thing is, deciding on what's the balance is indeed more of an art than a science.

Here, at the managerial level is where we talk about systems and processes. You see, every organization needs systems and processes to oil the very wheels that run the firm. Without systems and processes, the situation will be chaotic. Every does things according to their liking and preferences. Imagine, if a bank doesn't have systems and processes, you may get your check cleared in one day some of the time and have it cleared in three days at other times.

What happens here is that, you, the customer, begin to have doubts the next time you does any business transactions with the bank. We see this in some countries, where preferences are given to a select few, where they get their things done faster than others. One example would be in China, where people talk about guan-xi, where if you have it things get done. If you don't have it, then you may have to 'comply' with some customs to get your things through.

Imagine having to work in such an organization, you'd be wondering if you were passed up for that promotion was it because of your abilities or was it because your boss have his favourite. Of course even with systems and processes in place that can still happen. Which is why the last two levels are so critical, that even having systems in place does not guarantee an equitable treatment.

Therefore at this level it is where managers need to manage these systems so that they are effective in achieving the goals and objectives of the departments and organization. So the responsibilities of managers here is to ensure effectiveness through constant monitoring, assessment, and review.

With regards to reviews, we can talk about different levels of reviews; including program reviews, process reviews, and systems reviews. Program reviews will look at the particular program to see how effective it was. Process reviews will look at how the program can be carried out in a more effective and innovative manner, including looking at can we do the same with less.

Systems reviews are key as they look at the program in a larger context and the impact it has on overall goals. But before we can conduct a systemic review, alignment must be established. And that is what happens at the fourth-level, organization, where we look for alignment of systems to the overall goals, culture, and purpose of the organization.

How this can be established is where top management must ensure that every system, process, program, practice, policy, strategy, and structure must be aligned to the goals, culture, and purpose. In other words, if you want a culture of excellence in the pursuit of organization's goals, you must, as top management, ensure that those processes, strategies, etc are indeed encouraging, supporting, or acknowledging those desired behaviors.

Hence, in summary, from the personal level where everyone embarks on their journeys towards personal mastery so that at the interpersonal level they are able to engage each other in a way that is purposeful and given the systems that are effective in helping them achieve their goals, which in turn are aligned to the purpose, culture, and goals of the organization; can this be a happy, sustainable, and great organization.

Live by the sword, die by the sword

I've been plagued by this thought that you've gotta be successful before you have the 'right' to talk about success.

Well, I've thought about it and am approaching it from a different point of view.

Sometime back, as I listened to Tony Robbins' Lesson in Mastery, he mentioned about conducting yourself as if you are already a public figure.

I think he has a valid point. His rationale for saying that is, if you conduct yourself as if you're already a public figure, then you would always be consistent with what you say you are. In short, walk the talk.

As I blog regularly about issues, opinions, and my perspectives; some people come to expect that my behaviors are consistent with what I write.

In a sense, there is added pressure as you would want be consistent with what you write. Meaning to say, we will practice what we preach.

There are some who doubt what people like Robbins teaches, or whether Obama will be the man that he says he is. Or they might say that Covey is more authentic as he does not claim to be perfect.

I think in a way, we are not being fair, by expecting someone who says one thing but does another. We are all humans and humans err. No doubt. I believe that while we blog about issues like what I discuss, we are, by no means perfect or always doing the right things.

Granted, if I blog about "engaged mastery" but consistently do not demonstrate in the way I behave, then it is only fair to say that I do not practice what I preach.

However, if under certain circumstances I slip and do not behave in the way that I say I would, though in most cases I am consistent, then I firmly believe that I should be given some leeway.

Don't get me wrong, I am not finding excuses to give myself an exit clause. What we are talking about is being consistent.

You see, if someone slips from time to time, we ought not be too quick to judge. However if that someone deviate most of the time, then judgement is deemed fair.

There were times when people come up to me and say, you did not do what you said you would do. Yes, I acknowledge it. My sense is, as long as I am aware of it, and am looking at how I can do better the next time, I don't see what's the fuss. However if I deny and say that my actions were justified, while at the same time refusing to make improvements then I think I deserve the boot.

In a sense, it is like all public figures. Everyone is out to catch them with their hands in the cookie jar. Or people who are too quick to judge. Is it fair? Are we out to 'catch' them? Or should we give them the due respect?

I believe it this way.

We who dared to make a commitment publicly should be given a chance. We lay our claims about how or what we should do. Having said that, we should be taken to task should we consistently fail to deliver.

How does one get stronger, mind or character? It is during this testing times. Under normal circumstances, or in a non-challenged environment of course we are able to live by our values. It is easy. But it is when trying times happen that's when if we stick to our guns and still choose to live by those values, that's when our character gets stronger. Yes, we may waiver under pressure too, but we must then have the guts to admit our mistakes and move on.

I think, when we have made a commitment to live by a certain set of values; when we come under attack and still chose to live by those values, we emerge stronger in our character. That's what building character is all about.

But if we slipped, we must then also be open about it and readily admit our mistakes, ask for forgiveness, say how we will do it differently in future, and move on.

And for those of us who might be too quick to judge, let us be a little more kind and be prepared to give others another chance.

So it is two-way.

Besides, with the internet this is how we can either succeed in a big way or fail miserably. Because netizens would be quick, and merciless in making their judgements about us. Hence, it gives us a chance to work on our character and emerge stronger.

Finally as a parting shot, I appreciate and owe a great deal of gratitude to all those who gave me this opportunity to strengthen my character. Thank you...

Happy

How can your organization become one that is happy, where your customers; stakeholders; shareholders; partners; suppliers; and staff are happy?

Some people, including myself, believe that "happiness" is a state of mind. Indeed!

As we phrase the question as "being", not "having". It is because we believe in the "be-do-have" paradigm, so we must first BE happy, so that we are happy DOING what we're doing, which then lead us to HAVE happy outcomes.

Notice we said outcomes and not results, as the latter might give others the notion that it must only be positive results. It is not necessary as it can be not so positive results but yet we are happy with it as we know that we have done our best.

Of course that is not to say that, being happy means even accepting not so positive results. Quite the contrary, as because we are happy, we will evaluate the outcomes, including the process that leads to these outcomes, and look at the positive side of things by asking ourselves what we can learn from the process itself. That is of course about our attitude as well.

Sure, we can go on about the state of mind and the "be-do-have" paradigm but it may not allow someone else, who is not happy concrete steps to work towards happiness.

I believe there are four critical levels that need to be worked on so that we can be happy. Starting at the bottom of the four levels is "personal". If at the personal level, people are not happy then we might as well forget about a happy organization.

Hence, at the personal level how does one work on happiness? I believe it is to do with personal mastery. As we can have an elaborated discussion about personal mastery, here, allow me to offer you the broad steps in personal mastery. In a nutshell, the way, I believe, that one can work on personal mastery is to acknowledge three fundamental concepts; i.e. circle of influence, working from the inside-out, and natural laws.

In our previous discussion we talked about natural laws as laws or rules that operate in the environment regardless of whether you acknowledge it or not. Working from the inside-out is the T.E.A.M. approach, where we focus on our mindset, attitude, efforts, and targets. And finally, the circle of influence will allow you to focus on what you have influence on rather than what you do not have influence on.

Once we have embarked on our journey towards personal mastery then we can move on to the next level. (Note, one never quite arrive at achieving personal mastery as it is a life-long journey without a finishing line) At the next level, which is "interpersonal", our focus is on "engaged mastery".

Roots and Fruits

I think using the tree as a metaphor for values and behaviors is an excellent one. This was previously illustrated by Stephen M.R. Covey in his book, "The Speed of Trust".

When we talk about "values" and "behaviors", the link here is that values must be translated into behaviors. The reason is because, values are like the roots of a tree. You cannot see the roots of a tree, unless of course you unearth it, as it is underground. Just like values, you cannot tell just by looking at a person what his values are. And if someone tells you he can be trusted, where trust being a value, you are not able to make out whether what he is saying is the truth. Of course you can give him the benefit of the doubt. But what you can observe are his behaviors.

If someone tells you he can be trusted, what might be some of the behaviors that you must see in order for you to trust him? These behaviors must be consistent with "trust". Of course our interpretations might differ, but fundamentally, if trust is a value, you might expect the person to tell the truth about his background. Or you might expect the person to exhibit behaviors such as being dependable, returning a call when he says he will, being on time when an appointment is made, etc.

And of course, the person could slip on one or two occasions, and we might even overlook those instances.

At times, the person may even want to be consistent with a value that he wants to uphold. Like, if an ex-convict tells you that he can be trusted. Do we give him the opportunity to prove himself or do we deny him the chance?

This is where the tree analogy becomes interesting. Say, when you see a tree now, do you think that the tree was there all along? Or did it grew out of seeds? Of course it does. So, when we plant the seeds today, we will also need to take several steps forward so that it can blossom into a tree, and possibly one that bears fruit. So, what are the steps we can take?

We'll need to water the seeds everyday. Possibly add fertilizers. Loosen the soil once in a while. Clear the weeds around the plant. In other words, before we can see the tree, we need to take the necessary steps to nurture it, care for it, give it attention, make sure it gets enough sunlight. Because if we don't, if we neglect it, if we throw coffee in the soil, then not only we will not see the tree, the seeds might not even grow.

Hence, the one thing we must understand is that, the tree is subjected to what we call, natural laws. These natural laws must be observed. We must learn of these natural laws in order for our tree to grow. Say, for instance, we ignore just one of these natural laws. Sunlight. We keep the seeds indoors, while we continue to water it, give it fertilizers; do you think the tree will have any chances of survival? Absolutely not!

Hence, values being the roots, need to be cultivated. It needs to be nurtured. It also needs the right environment to flourish. Especially when it is a value that one has just began to embrace it. It will need to observe the equivalent of the natural laws to blossom into fruits.

Of course, one great way of looking at values and behaviors is to use the logical levels of change first introduced by Gregory Bateson. Some people believe that it is the environment that shapes their behaviors. But of course, we all would have experiences that shows us given the same environment or situation, two people can behave differently.

So, if environment is quite the factor that causes us to behave in a particular way, then what is?

Some believe that it is capabilities that determine our behavior. While it is true in some instances, like unless you have the capability to know how to swim, your behavior in a pool will be very different from someone else who doesn't know how to swim.

However one can also think of a capability that we all have in common. That capability is to murder another person. But why we don't do it, I hope, is because we believe that it is wrong to take another man's life. So how we behave is also a function of our beliefs and values.

And where do beliefs and values come from? They come from our experiences, educational background, upbringing, the company we keep, for instance. And all those aforementioned will form our mindset or identity.

Therefore, if you take the advice of Stephen Covey's Habit 1: Be Proactive, you will work on behaviors if you want to make minor changes. But if you'd like to make a quantum leap, work on mindset. Work on your identity. Because once you are able to shift your mindset, you see a new you, the behavioral changes will happen. Therefore working from inside-out, will require you to start with your mindset, your identity.

And just like the tree that observe natural laws, when you do make that shift in terms of mindset, you will also need to observe the natural laws here.

And the natural laws here are similar to those as the tree. You'll need to work on it everyday. Give it the attention everyday. You will need to constantly remind yourself of the behaviors that are consistent with this new identity. In short, it doesn't happen over night. And unless sufficient attention is given to it, it too will die. And you might revert to the old ways. And then people will see that your behaviors are not consistent with your stated values, and hence you will lose the trust that others see in you.

So, in order to get the fruits (behaviors) that we want, we must have the right roots (values), while observing the natural laws that operate in this environment.

Elements of a Winning Strategy for Obama

After studying the Obama presidential campaign, we began to draw several key learning points that led to his successful bid.

Here, we will discuss the three fundamental important elements that have created a winning strategy that is based on Mr Obama's campaign.

One of the most talked about is his choice of the theme for his campaign; change. Mr Obama's campaign was not just about gathering more votes or just winning the bid for presidency, its about change; and that change is not just for America, but it is to change the world together.

It is not only bold and ambitious, but it is also the fact that even with less experience, money, and a funny name, he talked about the Audacity of Hope that these changes can bring.

In a word, it is BIG. And because of the size of his hope, it created synergy, he is able to excite others, gives them the energy and motivation, and of course the inspiration that this hope will bring.

In addition, he understands the MINDSET of the people better than his opponent, to be able to see things from their perspectives; to be able to relate with the Maytag workers being laid off, with the emotions of those families who have loved ones, like Shamus, serving the country, with the father who wonders how he can afford to pay for prescription drugs for his son now that he is unemployed.

And that he is able to promote his ideals as being WORTHWHILE to the cause of the Nation, to be able to align the outcomes to the core beliefs of the people; that no one wants their tax dollars to be wasted on fighting someone else's war. And more importantly, it is also about the changes that will allow more people to realise the American Dream. Often citing himself as an example.

Henceforth, in sum, these are the key points again. To begin, you must have a main message. What is the essence of your message?

Next, your main message must be BIG, so that it can allow as many people as possible to participate. Then, in order to communicate your main message clearly and effectively, you will need to understand the MINDSET of the people you are talking to. So that you can present your main message in a manner that is WORTHWHILE to them.

Now, I encourage you to reflect on these key points (or you can remember it as BMW) and see how it may apply to you in the three areas of your life; personal (self), people (relationship with others), and professional (in your working environment).

Please do write to me (leadership@tanmelvyn.com) so that we can share our thoughts on this subject.

Is he the next Obama?

He has established himself as an entrepreneur, speaker, author, scholar, and community servant.

A "serial entrepreneur", he also previously launched four socially responsible business ventures.

First, selling compact discs and cassette tapes out of his dormitory in college and using the proceeds to fund high school outreach activities, where it later evolved into his second venture; a firm committed to providing the highest caliber training and development for emerging and seasoned professionals.

Third, he co-founded a multi-disciplinary consulting firm that specialized in the unique needs of inner city communities. And fourth, an organization with a mission to ensure that affordable housing was equipped for the 21st century by implementing innovative, sustainable, broadband network and telecommunications solutions.

A sought after public speaker for corporate, youth and community groups, he has been featured on nationally televised programs such as The Today Show, Live with Regis and Kelly, and CNN, as well as featured in Parade magazine, The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Boston Globe.

He holds five academic degrees including the last, where he made history as the first African-American ever to receive a Rhodes Scholarship at Rutgers University.

He is also a published writer and academic scholar, where he is currently co-authoring a book with his Rutgers roommate and business partner, tentatively entitled, Black Faces in White Places, which chronicles their experiences as African Americans who have successfully navigagted predominantly white institutions.

He maintains an active involvement in community service and is a national spokesperson for Autism Speaks, the National Black MBA Association (Gold Key Access events), New Jersey Reads ("Change a Life Through Literacy" campaign) and Junior Achievement of New York (Groundhog Job Shadow Day program).

And, of course, he is the winner of the Apprentice Season 4.

His name?

Dr. Randal Pinkett.

Key Lessons on "Change Management" from Barack Obama

Given the results of the recent U.S. presidential elections, leaders of organizations (both private and public) can draw three key lessons from the President-elect Mr Obama's election campaign about change management.

We've all heard the phase, "people are resistant to changes". The converse is true, on the contrary. People DO NOT resist changes. They resist the uncertainty that changes bring about. People know that some changes are good. But what they fear are the uncertainties.

So, the three key lessons that one can learn from Mr Obama are: clear communications about these changes, the plans behind how these changes will unfold, and how each individual are involved in making these changes happen.

But before we discuss in detailed about these three key lessons, let's examine the underlying systems and structures that must be in place. To bring about successful change management, the organization's existing systems & structures and processes & policies must be re-examined.

Henceforth, the systems & structures and processes & policies must support and/or reinforce the outcomes of these changes. For instance, if you want more cooperation amongst your staff, you will need to identify current systems & structures and processes & policies that do not support or worse, run counter to cooperation. If you want more creativity than the systems & structures and processes & policies must allow for creative efforts to exist, if not flourish.

This is only, but at one level. And this level is what most consultants or corporate management experts will recommend. We offer another level, where the key lessons are drawn from the successful campaign for presidency by Mr Obama.

The level that we've discussed above is an "external" level. Meaning, at the organizational level, these systems & structures and processes & policies can do to reinforce, support, acknowledge, and encourage the behaviors that bring about the desired outcomes of the "change". However, though external factors can succeed, it can also be implemented but staff still feel disengaged or worse, disenfranchised.

This is where the internal factors become so critical that, we believe, even if those external factors are not present, with a strong internal desire for this "change", "change" can still happen. These internal factors address the very issue of "people resist changes" directly and effectively.

First, "changes" must be communicated clearly to staff. As changes often, though not always, require a shift in mindset, it must be communicated in such a way that it creates a vivid picture of the outcomes for the staff. People need to know what will these changes bring about, what are the benefits and what might be the pitfalls.

As long as the benefits outweigh the pitfalls, as well as the current situation, people are gonna want in. Mr Obama made it clear that with him as the Commander-in-Chief, he will work to bring about the changes, that will not only benefit the people but will bring the people out of this current mess.

So, one of the best ways to communicate such changes, spell out the plans ahead, and give examples of how each individual can be involved is to use a technique that Walt Disney had employed when creating his famous Mickey Mouse cartoons. That technique has allowed the Walt Disney Company to capture the imagination of millions of people over many generations.

The technique that we are talking about is the "story-boarding" technique. The "story-board" technique allows you to build up the "story" from where we are currently to where we want to be. Masterful usage of this technique has allowed its users to build their stories to a climax, where the listeners become totally inspired, as in the case of Mr Obama. Essentially, it progressively shows how we, as an organization, can do this together.

There is a six-step process that you can follow to help you design your own "story" in communicating the "changes", which you want to bring about. Let's examine these steps in greater details in our next discussion.

*Note: Of course there are some leaders who do this at a subconscious level, meaning they do it without knowing that the principles are essentially that of the "story-board" technique. Thing is, if it is subconscious then the ability to re-create the same desirable outcomes then become opportunistic.