Beware of Career Advisors

I have always had the view that we should be very careful on who we get our career advice from early on in life, especially during the school days.

The following are people a person should NEVER get career advice from:
1. Parents
2. Relatives
3. Close friends
4. Teachers

Here is why - a person should only get career advice from people who have succeeded in some way in their careers. For example, if your father is an Engineer, and you would like advice about the Accounting profession, then it is not wise for you to seek advice from him. If he happens to be a really successful Accountant, then yes.

This goes the same with Relatives and Close Friends. Especially relatives. Most of them are just nosey people who think they know what's best for you. Again, if they happen to highly successful in their respective fields from which you want answers, then go ahead. Otherwise... beware.

'Tecahers' is a sensitive topic here. Teachers can teach...but... only about subjects that they have been trained to teach e.g. maths, statistics, accounting, physics. But from what I know, most teachers have not been trained and do not have deep experience in relations to different professions. Unless, of course, if the teachers happens to be a highly successful lawyer but decided to teach law because she wants to contribute to society - then I would advice you to take advice from this teacher (but only in the field of law, nothing else).

We have too many 'advisors' trying to tell us what to do every step of the step of the way. Be very careful, but do not be rude. Just say 'thanks' and seek the real pros.

Note to parents:- I hope that you try NOT to pressure or give advice to children about their careers. Help and support them, but do not mislead them if you are not sure yourselves. The days of "you must be a doctor, accountant, lawyer, engineer etc..." are gone. Give them the freedom but guide them to the proper resources and people for the real advice.


I have got many many hate mails from this message. But... I have also gotten a lot of 'thank you' notes. Anyway, it's your choice.

-TURD-

My Boss, the Client

Here is something I shared in some trainings about managing bosses:

1. RULE: Do not treat your boss as a boss. Treat your boss as a Customer
   
   What I have learned about properly managing clients and customers:
   a. Make them look good and they will make you look good
   
   b. What ever you give to the CEO (bis boss), give to the HR Manager (direct boss)
   
   c. You better be more prepared than the client
   
   d. The client wants results, not activity
   
   e. No matter how much I hated my client, he is still the one buying rice for my family
   
   f. Clients don’t like to hear the word “No”. They prefer “Maybe”. The best is “Yes, can be done.”
   
   g. Clients will pay you for one job but request ten other jobs for free if they can.
   
   h. You have to produce first, then only get paid.
   
   i. If you want a big project, aim for the small project first.
   
   j. If something goes wrong, the client will kill the consultant. He won’t kill anyone else.
   
   k. A client will pay you the rate that they think you deserve, not what you think you deserve.
   
   l. A client won’t pay for your development. They expect you to get better by yourself. If not, they just look for another consultant.
   
   m. You are not the only consultant they can hire. Are you better than the rest? How do you know?
   
   n. The client is always right. Agree first, try to change later.
   
   o. Clients hire you to solve problems that they cannot solve or do not want to solve.
   

You will thank me for this someday.

-TURD-

Flat Org Structure vs. Succession Planning

This entry is in response to the Talent Management issues raised in a few entries ago. This is the issue:

In flat organizations, it is difficult to convince existing leaders the merits of Succession Planning & Talent Management. This is true when those leaders know that there is no where else to go. The only other 'higher up' position is the CEO. So how?

This is tough. I can only think of three solutions:
1. Spin-off new small Business Units
2. Special Projects
3. Specialist Ladder

Before I continue , I have to make this statement: Embark only in pursuing these options ONLY IF the existing leaders are worth keeping.

Ok. Now let me explain:
1. Spin-off new small Business Units - break up the the entire business into smaller Business Units (BU). The beauty of this is that the BUs do not need to be officially registered. Just make the BU Head be in charge of Revenue and Profits. Caution: Ensure that there will be no in-fighting among BUs.

2. Special Projects - re-create the organization as such that Departments become secondary and Projects become primary. Most Consultancies are managed this way. The existing leaders can then be heads of various Special Projects (hopefully each project lasting avg. 2 years).

3. Specialist Ladder - Instead of Heading a Department/Division, existing leaders who are technically inclined can be promoted into 'Consultant', 'Advisor', or 'Master' positions in subject fields that are important to the company.

No easy way out.
-TURD-

Feeling Lonely? Conduct a Meeting.

This is great. Someone sent it to me a couple of days ago, and it shows exactly the point that I always raise about conducting meetings:

MEETINGS MUST BE THE LAST RESORT

-TURD-

How to reach your maximum Potential

You think you've got potential? You think you are the special 'one' and the world will open up for you? You think that talent is all it takes? Boy have I got news for you...

Ok Ok. You've got Potential, and you know it. Interested in maximizing your potential to the fullest? Here goes:

1.Grow up
Stop whining and complaining. Life is not fair. Get used to it.

2.Understand Yourself
Know who you really are. Put your strengths to good use. Beware your weaknesses.

3.Invest in Yourself
Invest = Time + Money. Go do it.

4.Eliminate “Cannot be Done”
These three words will stop you from going far in your career. Stop it.

5.You are being observed all the time
Performance Appraisal is conducted on you 365 days a year. Don't forget it.

6.Everything depends on Relationships
If people hate you...well, it's hard to get things done.

7.Choose your close Friends
Close friends influence your character, thinking, and attitude. Enough said.

8.Serve
Aim to be always of service and you can get anything you want.

9.Control and use your Emotions
Gettting angry at the right moment in the right place is crucial. Practice.

10.Discipline
Do important things first. Prioritize things that are of Value. Switch off your TV and go play with your kid.

Time to do something.

-TURD-

Questions on Talent Management: March 2007

After delivering the topic on Talent Management (TM) in the recent Comfori HR Conference, I managed to pick up several recurring questions concerning Talent Management & Succession Planning (SP) that kept on appearing in every concersation that I 'eavesdrop' on.

In summary, the following seam to be the top TM issues of the participants:

1. Flat org structure restricting existing leaders from moving up



2. How to define 'Potential'



3. Managing Prima Donnas



4. Getting Top Management support for TM & SP

Have I got it right?

-TURD-

LC vs. MES = ?

At a recent Training & Development Conference, I was asked to share on how to instil Learning Cultures (LC) in organizations. Halfway through developing my materials I realized that the Malaysian Education System (MES) was the biggest stumbling block to instilling any LC in any company that consist of mainly Malaysians.

MES vs. LC:

1. Individual problem solving vs. Group problem solving
2. Classroom vs. Work Groups
3. Memory power vs. Reference power
4. Tests vs. Improvement Scores
5. Single Intelligence (IQ) vs. Multiple Intelligences
6. Keep Quiet vs. Discussion
7. One right answer vs. Multiple correct answers
8. Accept everything vs. Question everything
9. Follow Standards vs. Creativity
10. Pen & Paper vs. Calculator
11. Absolute points vs. Lifelong Learning
12. Narrow thinking vs. Broad thinking
13. Serious vs. Play
14. Telling methods vs. Questioning methods
15. Fear vs. Fun
16. Single Media vs. Multimedia

Go figure.

-TURD-

Leadership Contradictions

"in the past 18 months, we have heard that profit is more important than revenue, quality is more important that profit, people are more important than profit, customers are more important than our people, big customers are more important than small customers, and that growth is the key to our success. No wonder our performance is inconsistent"

The number one Leadership Challenge is that leadership itself is full of contradictions. However, a great leader is someone who can accept and use both sides of the contradictions at the same time.

The contradictions become even more and more ridiculous when a person rises in the leadership hierarchy. The following are some leadership contradictions that will pose difficult leadership challenges to all leaders:

• Decisive
  Accept uncertainties. Decide on what you need to decide and get on with it.
  
  BUT…. Not Decisive
  Think Gray (not black, not white), Delegate the decision-making, Put off to tomorrow - Timing of decision is as important as decision
  
  
• Dependent
  A leader must learn to trust and depend on their people
  
  BUT… Independent
  Ability to simultaneously view things from two or more perspectives
  
  
• Get advise from Experts
  
  BUT… Be careful of Experts
  Never take experts too seriously & Never trust experts completely
  
  
• Take recognition
  For losses
  
  BUT… Don't take recognition
  For victories
  
  
  
• Focus on present
  Reality, Results, Systems, and Processes
  
  BUT… focus on future
  Strategic foresight & Vision
  
  
  
• Skills are important
  
  BUT… Skills are not important
  Especially in human relation matters
  
  
  
• Its not what you say, its what u do that's important
  
  But… its not what you do, its what u say that's important
  
  
  
• You are in control (resources, processes, systems)
  
  But… You are NOT in control (people)
  
  
• Need ego (confidence)
  
  but… cannot have ego (pride, inflexibility)
  
  
• Decision based on feelings
  
  But… Decision CANNOT be based on feelings
  
  
  
• Leadership is the goal (influence, credibility, trust)
  
  But… leadership is NOT the goal (achievement, next level leadership, improved lives)
  
  
  
• Continue changing
  
  BUT… Consistent (values)
  
  
  
• Big view (business, community, lives)
  
  But… Small view (individual lives)
  
  
  
• Leadership is all about Inward (mind)
  
  BUT… leadership is all about outward (measure of success)
  
  
  
• Mature (thinking, actions)
  
  BUT… child-like (explore, why?, ideas)
  

Who said being a Leader is easy?

-TURD-

But first...

First...


A picture of 'us'









Our Princess - Audrey Ong. Sometimes known as MONGEL (MONster/AnGEL alter egos)





In my opinion, the best food in the world...MAGGI GORENG

(otherwise known as 'Malaysian Muslim-Indian Fried Instant Noodle MAGGI brand')

OK... that should be all for now.

-TURD-

Why am I here?

Hi. This is my very first posting on blog that has been created out of necessity rather than voluntarily. This is why:

At the end of most conferences that I have been invited to speak, I have been asked to write down and share my thoughts on various topics - some related (and many not related) to the ones that I spoken on. Why they ask me to share is still a mystery to me - my grammer so-so, I have limited vocabulary and I cannot seem to speell a lot of words propearly.

However, I do admit that the very same people who have heard me speak gave comments such as "unorthodox", "weird", "debatable", "not according to best practice", "honest", "practical" etc. Hmmm...maybe that's why. Anyway, here is the blog. I am not sure what I will share in each posting. It's going to be quite random (hence the title)... but hopefully useful and occassionaly life changing.

-TURD-