DC Chapter 3 - Arouse the Eager Want

"He who can do this has the whole world with him.  He who cannot walks a lonely way".

We are interested in what we want. So the only way on earth to influence other people is to talk about what they want and show them how to get it.

If there is any one secret of success, it lies in the ability to get the other person's point of view and see things from that person's angle as well as from your own - Henry Ford.

 

It is - arouse in the other person an eager want.

 

This principle calls for some sort of sacrifice as well. Imagine, if you have a good idea and you want people to implement this idea, you have to be able to sell it as if the idea belongs to the people, not you. So you suggest A, then the other people will add, edit, twist and turn to make it A++, arouse the eagerness to implement the idea, then only people will buy and commit to implement the idea well. This is a big secret to the corporate world. Most people with good ideas would select which audience to present the ideas to, and certainly the implementors will not be one of the audience. They are just to accept and do it. No wonder 98% business improvement and change management programs fail.

 

The biggest challenge is to arouse that eager want. The carrots have to be big, to benefit the mass as well as the individual. Man, it's not easy. This is why I highly respect leaders who can turn around companies, e.g. our very own Dato's Idris Jala, known as the turn around expert. Imagine you have to flip the whole organization. To flip one person is already a challenge, now imagine having to do it with thousands of staff.

 

 

 Let's summarize the 3 chapters I have read, Fundamental Techniques in Handling People:

Principle 1 - Don't criticize, condemn or complain.

Principle 2 - Give honest and sincere appreciation.

Principle 3 - Arouse in the other person an eager want.

Of Attraction and Retention

This is what I got today by reading this book - The BUDGET - How the Government is Spending Our Money by Teh Chi-Chang.

The Top 10 Employers in Malaysia for 2009:

1. The Ritz-Carlton, KL
2. American Express (M) Sdb Bhd
3. Four Seasons Resort Langkawi
4. Federal Express Services (M) Sdn Bhd
5. Agilent Technologies
6. SP Setia Berhad
7. Hilton KL
8. Intel Technology Sdn Bhd
9. Golden Arches Restaurants Sdn Bhd
10. Telekom Malaysia Bhd

 Of the top 10 above, only 2 companies are home-grown - SP Setia and Telekom. Malaysian companies are in general have far more to do to improve in the areas of attracting and retaining their talents.

 

Today, in Business Times, it again has confirmed the fact that we are really very far from achieving that "developed" country status. You can tell from Hewitt's study of companies, still very far. To negotiate, communicate, influence and persuade others are not easy mate!

 

Happy, inspired workers will boost bottom line

 

For each employee it hires who show leadership potential, the company sends a personal letter to the parents, thanking them for having groomed such talent for the company.

This is the practice of China Mobile Communications Group Shanghai Co Ltd, which ranked second on the list of Asia Pacific Top Companies for Leaders 2009.

 

Global human resource consultancy Hewitt Associates found that top companies in leadership practice viewed high potential talent as a strategic asset; treated leadership as a business strategy; and saw talent development as a mission-critical business process.

 

At these companies, leaders were actively involved in coaching and mentoring, and were measured by outcomes.

 

In recent years, Malaysia's profit-driven private sector has also begun to give more attention to its employees.

Rather than seeing the workers as labour or input, more companies are now acknowledging the role of their workforce in delivering results. The functions of the human resource (HR) department have gone beyond just recruitment and training, and HR has become part of a company's business strategy.

 

Companies are now rated based on their financial performance and how well their HR programmes drive the bottom line.

A company's brand or reputation is also seen from how well it attracts and retains talent.

 

In an organisation, leadership and workforce are intertwined. Without one or the other, the company cannot achieve its goals, let alone conduct business activities effectively.

 

Most companies have excellent plans, programmes, targets and key performance indicators (KPIs) on paper, but only those with good leaders are most likely to successfully execute the plans and, thus, achieve the targets.

 

In its excitement with the newly drawn KPIs or brand strategy, the senior management might neglect to ensure that leaders at every level of the company, including union leaders, communicate the strategy and objectives to each and every employee.

 

It is unfortunate if the zealousness of the management to meet the targets results in middle managers imposing near-impossible deadlines and targets on the employees.

 

If this happens, the KPIs or brand objectives will not only be out of reach by failing to attract wholehearted support from the staff, but resentment could develop in the employees, who may feel alienated from the management and its aims. Companies have been known to lose their best employees for such reasons.

 

Competent leaders should be able to negotiate, communicate, influence and persuade others, and, at the same time, be diplomatic in dealing with diverse human resources with different values, opinions, attitudes, beliefs, work habits, goals, ambitions and dreams.

 

Today, some Malaysian companies are rated highly for their HR programmes, while many still have a long way to go in establishing themselves as the employers of choice.

 

According to Hewitt Associates' survey, the best employers in Malaysia do not necessarily pay high salaries to their workers.

 

While the pay is in line with market rate, employees in these companies are inspired by their leaders and feel respected within the organisations. This makes them stay on, in tune with company objectives, and voluntarily go the extra mile to support their employers in achieving business success.

DC Chapter 2 - Nourishment for Self Esteem

The big secret of dealing with people - Give honest and sincere appreciation.

1. The deepest urge in human nature is "the desire to be important" or "the desire to be great".
2. Just like food or sleep, human beings crave for appreciation, but this craving is seldom gratified.
3. People sometimes became invalids in order to win sympathy and attention, and get a feeling of importance. About half of the people who go insane apparently have nothing organically wrong with their brain cells. They go insane because they find in insanity a feeling of importance that they were unable to achieve in the world of reality.
4. In the words of Charles Schwab, among the richest man in the American history - "I consider my ability to arouse enthusiasm among my people the greatest asset I possess, and the way to develop the best that is in a person is by appreciation and encouragement. I am hearty in my approbation and lavish in my praise".
5. In the words of Alfred Lunt, one fo the great actors in his time - "There is nothing I need so much as nourishment for my self esteem". How often do we nourish the self esteem of our children, family members, spouse, friends and employees?
6. Honest appreciation got results where criticism and ridicule failed.

It has been a good exercise to reflect on this topic. I very seldom give appreciation to people around me, because they rarely do the same to me. We have to admit, how often do we actually say out loud to people something that go like this:

 

1. To your mom - thank you mom for all the love you have showered upon me, and the continuous love and support you have given me throughout all these years. Never.
2. To your dad - thank you dad for working very hard to ensure that we have enough food on our table everyday and send us to school so that we become useful citizens to our religion, race and nation. Never.
3. To your children - thank you so much for giving me such happiness, and having you guys makes me feel complete as a person. Maybe not yet.
4. To your spouse - thank you for choosing me to be your partner in life for now, for accepting all my weaknesses and hence, compliment my journey towards becoming a much better individual. Ehmmmmmmm.....
5. To your staff - thank you for helping me completing a few tasks, without you I would have been impaired in several matters which I know you can do better than me. Not yet. This one skill I need to learn from Mr. Schwab.

Well, actually yesterday I sent 2 sms after I read this chapter. First to Mr.X - thank you for massaging my back for 2 nites in a row since the pain on my left shoulders have become unbearable. I really appreciate it. As usual, I did not expect any reply.

 

Second, to Mr. AHM - thank you for giving me the opporutnity to be a member of a few initiatives. I truly appreciate your passion for people development. Guess what, Mr. AHM replied and asked me - "TQ. Ada apa2 ke?". As always, when we rarely practice what have been preached, people will ask - "Are there some prawns hiding behind the rocks?"

 

To Allah Almighty - may I become a better person by being able to give honest and sincere appreciation more often to people around me. AMIN.

Laukku Tak Cukup Masin

Setelah sekian lama tak menjengah dapur atas sebab-sebab yg tak dapat dielakkan, aku telah bertekad untuk masak semalam dan Mr. X siap beli sayur dan bagi arahan nak masak cara apa. So tengahari aku masak lauk Ikan Asam Pedas, style Kelantan taruk gula merah, then malam aku masaklah sayur kacang panjang masak kicap, following exactly the specifications given. Kang tak pasal2 aku kena NCR, payah pulak. Aku perasan yg lauk tengahari tu, kurang masin. Masa aku masak, rasa macam dah OK. Tapi lepas hidangkan, aku pun rasa macam kurang masin, tapi quite OKlah. Maybe tekak orang Johor bab masin ni agak rendah kot berbanding org Pantai Timur. Maknanya bukan gula je, garam pun sama kot....

 

Sebelah malam pulak, aku rasa masa masak tu dah letak 2 sudu garam. Tak nak lah cepat dapat darah tinggi kan...akhirnya Mr.X bersuara jugak, maybe sebab dah tak tahan tahap NCR dah tinggi, so kena keluarkan FI jugak kat aku.

 

"Tak taruk garam ke?"

"Dah, 2 sudu tadi. Tadi rasa macam dah OK".

 

Aisey, dia makan banyak jugak, tapi aku dapat rasakan, memang kes kena improve ni. Kalau ada Client Feedback Survey, sah2 aku kena query, lepas tu kena buat reply letter camne nak improve....

 

* NCR - Non-Conformance Report, FI - Field Instruction

 

Ini Mr.X pun kena belajar prinsip Dale Carnegie - the 3C's ni....dialog tu sebijiklah apa yg Mr. Carnegie cuba ajar dalam buku tu. Sebijik.

DC Chapter 1 - The Insatiable 3C's

I was advised to read several books as part of my development plan in handling people. It's not just to read, I have to note down the learnings by each chapter and try to apply to my two identified individuals whom I planned to apply the lessons. Tough eh...the first challenge is to try to find the time to read. The best thing about reading a newspaper is that you just read at one glance and that was it. You don't have to infer, trying to imagine, etc. Reading a book on the other hand, requires full concentration. If not, it won't stick on your head. Hence, after reading chapter 1, I have to record my completion date and try to reflect how to apply on these 2 persona. Quite tricky actually. I was advised to read at least 15 minutes a day.

 

There are 4 books which I have to cover in 6 months, they are:

1. Dale Carnegie - How to Win Friends and Influence People
2. Florence Littaeur - Personality Plus
3. Allan Pease - People Skills for Life
4. "Something Holiday" - Coaching vs. Mentoring (I seem to not be able to find a book by that author, so I replace it with a book in the Harvard Business Essentials series - Coaching and Mentoring.

To kick start the challenge, I grabbed the very famous evergreen by Mr. Dale Carnegie. I read it once, courtesy of a borrowed copy from Mr. Akmal, some years back. None of the lessons actually stick in my brain. Now I had to get it, read it and note down on how to apply all the lessons. Come to think of it, not bad....not bad at all. At least I can remember the lessons, and insya Allah will try to apply that in my daily life.

 

This is what Chapter 1 says - "If you want to gather honey, don't kick over the beehive". Do not criticize, condemn or complain.

Lessons:

1. It is foolish to scold people, since God has not seen fit to distribute evenly the gift of intelligence.
2. Criticism is futile because it puts a person on the defensive and usually makes him strive to justify himself. Criticism is dangerous since it wounds a person's precious pride, hurts his sense of importance and arouses resentment.
3. Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain - and most fools do. But it takes character and self-control to be understanding and forgiving.
4. Instead of condemning people, let's try to understand them, why they do what they do.

4 major lessons, there you go. Now try to imagine the 2 persona's faces, and try to not condemn or criticize. Bear with them. Patience is truly a gem here.