Saturday 22 December 2018
Te l : 0 3 - 7 9 5 7 4 0 0 0
3
E-mail: editor@leaderonomics.com
Website: www.leaderonomics.com
Embracing the gift of gratitude Lessons from Joan of Arc
6
How to be happier with gratitude
10
the 21st century classroom
Merry Christmas
from all of us at Leaderonomics!
We will be fully digital in
2019!
Next Saturday’s publication on Dec 29 will be Leaderonomics’ final print issue, but don’t worry, we’re still available online at Leaderonomics.com for your daily dose of leadership insights and inspiring stories. Subscribe now at bit.ly/subscribeLD to get our e-mag delivered directly to your inbox!
If you would like your organisation to be featured in this pullout, contact us at editor@leaderonomics.com
2
www.leaderonomics.com | Saturday 22 December 2018
SUBSCRIBE TODAY at bit.ly/subscribeLD and get our e-mag delivered to your inbox weekly!
Like this article? Follow us @Leaderonomics on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.
The ability to connect two or more like-minded people with a common passion is a gift. The gift of connection not only builds networks but also creates opportunities for fresh initiatives that might just change the world. Explore how you can extend your gift of connection from this article here on Leaderonomics. com: bit.ly/ LDRconnectgive
n Bharat is a veteran FMCG marketer from Malaysia who is fondly known as the ‘memory collector’. He helps executive teams put stories to work by helping leaders find and tell stories in business that engage, influence and inspire people. To connect with him, email us at editor@ leaderonomics.com.
By BHARAT AVALANI editor@leaderonomics.com
T
HIS is the time of the year when most businesses will report their achievements against targets set. Most of it will be in numbers. However, valuable stories behind the numbers are often not captured or shared. In 2004, a study of 240 organisations in the United States (US) found that the greatest impact of employee turnover was lost knowledge, and not profitability! Even in a country where knowledge management practices abound, lost knowledge had negatively affected a staggering 78 per cent of these organisations.
Lost Stories at Work
It is through the stories that we tell that we share knowledge every day. Stories have the ability to communicate knowledge that can’t be represented as rules or best practices. Using stories is one of the more powerful knowledge management practices. Stories transform tacit knowledge into explicit knowledge, and are great vehicles to share that knowledge. Tacit knowledge is knowledge embedded in the human mind through experience. Personal wisdom and experience which are context-specific are difficult to extract and codify. Tacit knowledge includes such wisdom and other insights. Explicit knowledge on the other hand, is codified and digitised in books, documents, reports, memos, etc. It is knowledge that is easily identified, articulated, shared and employed. In an interview a few years ago, a senior manager from NASA confessed, “If we want to go to the moon again, we’ll be starting from scratch because all of that knowledge has disappeared.” Shocking, but true. No wonder NASA now runs one of the more evolved knowledge management practices in the world. Today, NASA’s Academy of Programme and Project Leadership (APPL) uses storytelling as a primary vehicle for transferring project management expertise. This is done using a series of storybased knowledge-sharing meetings that are supplemented by ASK, a bimonthly online magazine. ASK is dedicated to stories about project management at NASA. Here is a beautiful example of the
benefit of storytelling about knowledge management at NASA taken from David DeLong’s seminal work: Lost Knowledge: Confronting the Threat of an Ageing Workforce.
The NASA story
One example of how storytelling can effectively pass on knowledge that influences decision-making was reflected in the experience of Roy Malone, head of logistics services at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. Shortly before attending an APPL forum for master project managers, Malone was told his budget had been cut by 12 per cent. He spent a month trying to find other ways to deal with the USD1.1mil budget cut, but in the end Malone knew this meant he would have to lay off people. During the masters’ forum, Malone heard a story told by Judy Stokley, a programme director in the US Air Force, who described how she had handled a similarly painful downsizing challenge. The logistics manager returned to Marshall inspired by the storyteller’s ‘humanitarian’ approach, and he proceeded to adapt a number of the actions she used to his own situation.
For example, he began working with his key managers to find money from other sources to reduce the number of layoffs. Malone also told employees about the cuts the department was facing, giving those who would be let go a threemonth warning. Finally, he held a series of open meetings with employees to let them vent their anger at the cuts and to educate them as best he could about the centre’s financial situation. In the end, Malone attributed the lessons he absorbed from the Air Force director’s story to help minimise the impact of the layoffs he had to implement.
The only question is how to use stories consciously and in a concerted manner to capture and transfer knowledge. Here is what you can do to elicit stories. Ask questions such as: “What are the occasions when you miss his or her presence the most?” or “What kind of problems do you know he or she will have the solutions for?” Some of the questions that can be addressed directly to the individual are: “What have been some of the failures or failed projects during your tenure, and what have you learnt from them?” or “What are the things you wish you knew about this job when you started?”
The art of storytelling
As you close out the year and start planning for next year, have you taken the time to capture some of the stories that made this year what it was? Have you captured the stories that support the numbers that we all report? If you haven’t, do take the time now. Those stories captured and expressed intentionally will help build knowledge in your organisation. It will help drive your people. Isn’t that worth taking the time to do?
Storytelling is something almost everyone in an organisation indulges in, but mostly unconsciously. It is the way people make sense of the world around them and make meaning out of their experiences. It is through the stories that we tell that we share knowledge every day. Stories have the ability to communicate knowledge that can’t be represented as rules or best practices.
Take the time
www.leaderonomics.com | Saturday 22 December 2018
By ROSHAN THIRAN roshan.thiran@leaderonomics.com
S
“I am not afraid; I was born to do this.”
HE was an iconic leader who claimed to hear the voice of God instructing her to help free her people from English rule, and her fearless leadership inspired a nation to eventually realise her vision. Joan of Arc (c. 1412-1431) was born in Domremy, France to a poor farmer and his wife – a woman who would teach her daughter the virtues of piety and humility that would remain steadfast with Joan throughout her life. At the time of her birth, France had long been engaged in a series of conflicts with England, known collectively as The Hundred Years’ War (1337-1453). In 1420, Henry V of England took the French throne as regent to the insane King Charles VI. The plan was that Henry would take the throne following Charles’ death; however, in 1422, both men died within months of each other, leaving Henry’s young son as the ruler of both countries. Supporters of Charles’ son, who would later become Charles VII, pressed for the opportunity to return a French king to the throne, and it was around then that a young Joan of Arc began to receive visions instructing her to lead a virtuous life. By 1428, the young woman was convinced it was her mission in life to help save France from English rule, and so she set out to secure a private audience with Charles – then the assumptive heir to the throne. To achieve this, she sought the help of Robert de Baudricourt, the garrison commander and a supporter of Charles. Initially, she was refused; however, due to the support she was gaining among the people, her audience was eventually granted, and she got her private meeting with Charles in 1429. Despite his reservations, Joan had done enough to convince him that she should be given the opportunity to lead French troops against the English. It’s speculated that she revealed to him details of a private prayer he had made to God to help save his country, and that only a messenger of God could know this information. Eventually, the charismatic young woman, then aged 17, was given permission to join the army and go to Orléans, where the English had laid siege. Following a string of heated battles over the space of three days, the French managed to weaken English forces and their morale. Although Joan was injured twice, she returned to lead her troops to embark on a final push for victory. In 1429, Charles was crowned King Charles VII of France, and Joan was present at the ceremonies. The following year, the new king sent her to Compiègne to confront the
Leadership Lessons From Joan of Arc Burgundian assault. It was during this battle that she was captured and eventually turned over to the English for the price of 10,000 francs. Joan was subsequently turned over to church officials, and was charged with 70 counts including witchcraft, heresy, and dressing like a man. On May 29, 1431, the 19-year-old Joan was convicted of heresy and sentenced to death by burning at the stake. The following day, she was taken to the marketplace in the French city of Rouen, where her sentence was carried out in the presence of over 10,000 people.
We can all impact the world around us if we follow our faith and make use of the courage that rests within us. In 1456, three years after the end of The Hundred Years’ War, King Charles VII declared Joan of Arc innocent of all charges and avowed her as a martyr. On May 16, 1920, she was declared a saint by Pope Benedict XV and became the patron saint of France. During her short life, she espoused and demonstrated the qualities of a courageous servant leader, not least of all, the virtues of piety and humility which she observed pristinely throughout her life. The story of France’s most unlikely heroine, who rose from obscurity to contribute to her country’s eventual freedom, is one of the most inspiring examples that
demonstrates we can all impact the world around us if we follow our faith and make use of the courage that rests within us. Here, I have picked up three key leadership lessons from the incredible life of Joan of Arc that we can all gain inspiration from:
Stick to your vision despite the obstacles 1 you face
Joan of Arc had a vision to free France from English tyranny. She was convinced that the starting point of realising this vision was to seek an audience with the heir to the French throne (the future Charles VII). She was refused countless times, despite the help of local military leader, Robert de Baudricourt. However, she never gave up and eventually was able to secure a private meeting. Joan of Arc was convinced that the specific ‘event’ (the audience with the King) would lead to great things for her country and, despite the obstacles she faced, she pursued her vision until it was realised. Many times in life, we don’t break our grand vision (to free France) into little achievable goals. Joan of Arc broke her big dream down into what the first step should be, and achieved that. Each step achieved gave her confidence that this was her calling and helped to take her nearer to the vision. How about us? Do we have milestones along our vision journey?
strong and lead the front 2 Befrom
France’s peasant heroine led her troops without fear, and despite suffering injuries
in battle, she sought strength in her faith and continued in her mission. Her faith and fearlessness inspired the nation and empowered her people. As a leader, it’s not enough to talk a good game, you must be ready to roll up your sleeves and lead by example if you want to capture the hearts of your followers. Prior to Joan leading the French, they were significantly humiliated and humbled in battles at Crécy, Poitiers and Agincourt. Then, 36,000 of the greatest French knights were annihilated at the battlefield of Agincourt in October 1415. A poor teenager, who had no schooling in the science and art of military warfare, then comes over and convinces them that she (with absolutely no experience or education) is the person to lead them. It would not have been easy convincing so many of those soldiers to follow her. But she was strong and kept doing impossible tasks – like going across 270 miles of enemy territory to send a message. Leading starts from the front, when you get into the thick of action.
3
READ US ONLINE! Leadership insights on the go at leaderonomics.com
It’s fascinating that we can have leaders whose ideas and philosophies have profoundly changed the world – and yet very little is known about the person. Sun Tzu is one such person. Check out the secrets to success here: bit.ly/ RTSunTzu
remain true to your values 3 Always
Following her private conversations with Charles, even though the future King of France was impressed by Joan’s spirit, he had eminent churchmen examine her. It’s said that they only found the young woman to be driven by piety, chastity and humility. These were values that she held dear throughout her life and they never wavered. In leadership, it is vital to have core values that drive everything you do; they help to ensure your authenticity as a leader and from there, the road to success becomes much easier to navigate. Even though there will be many calls to change your values, you must be clear as to what they are and you must hold on dearly to them, even if it may cause you short-term losses. Great leaders know that holding on to their values will bring longterm gains, even though it may be painful in the short-term. Did You Know? Despite her status as a warrior, Joan of Arc never took part in active combat. She remained behind the frontlines and would devise military strategies and direction for French troops. She also led them into battle.
n Roshan Thiran is the CEO of the Leaderonomics Group. One of the most amazing things about Joan of Arc was that she was constantly strategising and planning, and this led to her success. As such, companies should also be planning their 2019 strategy and actions to ensure success in the new year. To enquire about strategic retreats for your organisation, contact Caroline at +6016-209 5809 or email her at caroline.ong@ leaderonomics.com.
4
www.leaderonomics.com | Saturday 22 December 2018
SUBSCRIBE TODAY at bit.ly/subscribeLD and get our e-mag delivered to your inbox weekly!
In this Raise Your Game session, Ashvaani Ramanathan addresses the increasing need to get corporate culture right and how sometimes, the steps are simpler than we think. Check it out here: bit.ly/ RYGcorporate culture
n Jerome ParisseBrassens is a culture change expert and a management consultant with over 25 years of experience in culture transformation, change management, leadership development, and business improvement. To contact him, e-mail us at editor@ leaderonomics.com.
By JEROME PARISSE-BRASSENS editor@leaderonomics.com
C
ognitive culture is sometimes defined as ‘our mental and symbolic representations of reality’ or in other words, our worldview. Cognitive culture is the culture that is typically addressed upfront by organisations. This is the culture that is advertised to the external world, and also the culture that the business is aiming for, often called target or ideal culture. Typical elements that feed into the cognitive culture include: l Cultural attributes such as customer centricity, collaboration, innovation or agility l Behaviours. For example, speaking up, responsiveness, empowerment, making things simple l Stated values. These values are identified by the organisation as those needing to be lived by employees in their daily interactions. However, what we often find is that stated values are not always the values espoused by the people. l Any artefact or norms. Processes and systems fit into this category. They have been designed (or not) to push people to behave in a certain way.
Emotional culture
Emotional culture can be defined as the culture centred around the shared affective values of an organisation i.e. feelings, moods and attitudes. These emotions and feelings, including fears, that employees experience in the
Cognitive Culture Or Emotional Culture?
Are they mutually exclusive? workplace, and of everything that leads to those emotions being expressed or repressed. Typical elements that feed into the emotional culture include: l Lived values. These are different from the stated values. Lived values are often the result of external and internal events, such as a crisis, changes in leadership, changes in the environment, or deliberate attempts at shaping values. l Feelings are often the direct result of particular emotions playing out in the workplace. Engagement data measures those feelings, and in particular, how committed employees are in doing their work. l Emotions. A huge variety of shared emotions can be found in any organisation. I often find the following fears when conducting culture assessments: fear of exclusion, fear of making a mistake, fear of leaders / hierarchy, fear of not knowing, fear of not being perfect. l Any artefact or norms that contribute to the creation of particular emotions.
Many symbols in an organisation can send a message about what is valued and create emotions and feelings that are at odds with what the business intends to create. Put simply, cognitive culture is about thinking, emotional culture is about feeling.
What is the link between cognitive and emotional cultures?
The two types of cultures are created and reinforced through different mechanisms. Cognitive culture is created through strategic culture planning, role modelling by leaders, and a combination of systems and symbols. Emotional culture is less influenced by systems but a lot more by leadership and symbols. The emotional culture can reinforce the cognitive culture or play against it. A large gap between emotional and cognitive cultures tends to indicate that the culture is not being managed actively in the business, that leaders may not walk their talk.
What does this mean for your culture journey?
Working on culture means aligning your emotional culture with your cognitive culture. The smaller the gap, the healthier your culture. You may be across your cognitive culture but may not know your emotional culture. One of the first steps of a culture journey is to discover your emotional culture. This is about diagnosing culture to understand why it is the way it is. What is the shared belief system that exists in the organisation and pushes people to behave in a certain way? What are the values that are truly lived? What are the fears, emotions, and feelings that impact people? Once you deeply understand your emotional culture, you can compare it with your cognitive culture and assess the extent of the gap. To reduce the gap, you will need to support your leaders in becoming role models of the behaviours you want to see displayed by employees. You will also need to realign your systems and processes with what you are trying to achieve.
www.leaderonomics.com | Saturday 22 December 2018
Investing In The Future
The role of R&D in building a sustainable business By CHRISTIE CHUA christie.chua@leaderonomics.com
I
Segamat Panel Boards (SPB) originally specialised in high quality, thin panel medium-density fibreboard (MDF), but the product has become commoditised over the years with fierce competition coming from neighbouring countries such as Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam. As business cycles grew shorter, the company realised that its business model was quickly becoming outdated. This was partly due to the dwindling availability of rubberwood, the natural resource used to produce MDFs and other wood-based products. “It’s not just our business model; it’s really a challenge for the Malaysian timber industry as a whole,” says SPB managing director Peter Fitch. “This issue has been highlighted over the years, but the progress in terms of finding a solution for the industry has been very slow, or not happening at all.” “Fortunately, the Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI) finally seems to understand that this is a real issue, and now the focus is on having the private sector lead the change, instead of the government institutions.”
Challenges in R&D
Fitch says that the private sector – especially SMEs – are the birthplace of innovation, and the next phase of growth will come from these innovative ideas. However, they are often held back by the fear of failure and tend to play it safe, preferring to be followers rather than leaders in the industry. “They (SME owners) will see what others are doing, and they’ll do the same, with the mindset that ‘maybe we can be one or two per cent better because our labour costs are a bit lower’ or that they can do things a little bit better in other ways,” says Fitch. Fitch believes that this mindset is – to a certain extent – created by government
READ US ONLINE! Leadership insights on the go at leaderonomics.com
Like this article? Follow us @Leaderonomics on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.
F you had to rate the importance of research and development (R&D) on a scale of 1-10, with 10 being ‘extremely important’, what score would you give it? Many small to medium-sized enterprise (SME) owners do not understand, or at least underestimate, the importance of R&D and it is all too often pushed aside to make way for aspects of the business which are deemed more crucial. However, R&D provides a platform for creativity and innovation to flourish in an organisation, and many innovative breakthroughs have only occurred as a result of countless years of R&D. On a larger scale, R&D is also vital for the development of the country and to maintain our competitiveness in the international market. The dynamism of the business enterprise sector plays a large role in whether Malaysia will achieve its target of a two per cent gross domestic expenditure on R&D (GERD)/gross domestic product (GDP) ratio by 2020. In the 2015 Unesco Science Report: Towards 2030, it was reported that while the private sector participation in R&D in Malaysia had risen significantly since 2005, it was still relatively low compared to other dynamic Asian economies, such as Singapore and the Republic of Korea.
Compelling reason to change
5
The total land area dedicated to rubber plantations in Malaysia has shrunk over the years, causing a decline in the availability of rubberwood. Thus, businesses that are reliant on this resource are not able to grow any further, and are in fact struggling to find alternative sources. What can the wood-based industry do about this? Read more: bit.ly/ timberdilemmaCC policies that seem to penalise, rather than support businesses in the industry. “Many of these policies seem to be about how to restrict industries with all the rules and regulations, and this is all stifling innovation and the development of new businesses. There’s so much red tape that SMEs hesitate to step out and take a chance.” For this to change, Fitch says that government agencies must realise that innovation and scalability originate from the private sector, and because the industry players know best, their advice should be heeded when it comes to creating policies that will directly impact the industry. He shares an example of his experience in Thailand: “I attended a meeting between agencies from the government and private sectors, and it was very clear to see that the direction for innovation, changes, and any policies was coming from the private sector. “The government agencies were told to support and facilitate those changes, to help the private sector develop further and reach their commercial potential.” Fitch believes that this should be the case in Malaysia as well. Government agencies should facilitate the industry’s efforts to be innovative, instead of dictating its direction. “If we make this change, it’s going to be a huge shift in mindset and more innovation will definitely start to come through,” says Fitch.
Unlocking potential
Unlike the majority of SMEs, SPB does not shy away from innovation. Faced with the decline of its main source of raw materials (rubberwood and tropical timbers), the company sought an alternative that would be more sustainable in the long term. Through collaborations with researchers from several European universities, SPB successfully identified oil palm trunks (OPT) as a viable source of raw material.
Moving forward
Fitch: The private sector – especially SMEs – are the birthplace of innovation, and the next phase of growth will come from these innovative ideas. At the moment, oil palm biomass – which includes OPT, empty fruit bunches (EFB) and palm fronds – is the most abundant but underutilised natural resource in Malaysia, as they are considered waste products. Fitch says that several Malaysian institutions have worked on projects to utilise oil palm and oil palm biomass. “However, they kept coming to a dead end in terms of how to commercialise the process, so this is where we had to think out of the box – how we can use this material in a new way to create a product that would not just replace timber, but be more superior to it.” He shares that the research conducted by the European institutions was originally on coconut palm, but they soon realised that some of this research and technology could be applied to develop timber-type materials from oil palm as well, since the two resources are similar. “The clue was to try to use it in a similar way as other people have used coconut palm,” says Fitch when asked about the idea behind using OPT.
SPB’s long-term vision is to synergistically combine the existing products (thin panel MDF and decorative papers) with an OPT core to produce an engineered panel that is superior in properties compared to wood panel products that are currently available. According to Fitch, this new product has many advantages such as being light weight and having greater physical strength. It is also fire retardant and has minimal impact on the environment as it has low formaldehyde emission. Fitch elaborates: “The beauty of this product is that it is extremely versatile and can be engineered for specific purposes, all achieved in a cost-effective package. Once the business model is proven, it can be scaled very quickly due to the abundance of raw material. “We currently don’t have the facilities to process OPT on a commercial scale, but we have already secured the necessary funding and the first phase of production is scheduled for completion by the end of 2019.” Fitch eagerly adds that the development would not just stop at producing engineered OPT core panels; the company has plans to develop other structural products from OPT, such as glue laminated beams (glulam) and crosslaminated timber (CLT) – both of which are trending globally as eco-friendly building materials. Innovative green products should be the next driver for the industry’s growth, as this will help Malaysia maintain its edge in an increasingly competitive global market. Dedicated R&D opens up many opportunities for innovation, and with traditional sources of raw material for the timber industry on the decline, it is even more crucial that businesses seek sustainable alternatives to help the industry grow further.
“It doesn’t matter whether it’s a technical or product problem, a sales or marketing issue, or even a challenge with getting financing – at the end of the day, it’s all about people and company culture.” Read what Segamat Panel Boards managing director Peter Fitch has to say about empowering his employees and adapting to change at: bit.ly/ SPBstaying relevantCC
n Segamat Panel Boards Sdn Bhd won the grand prize in the AmBank BizRACE 2018, beating close to 1,000 SMEs to win the AmBank Business of the Year 2018 title. Visit spb.com.my to find out more about them.
6
www.leaderonomics.com | Saturday 22 December 2018
SUBSCRIBE TODAY at bit.ly/subscribeLD and get our e-mag delivered to your inbox weekly!
Like this article? Follow us @Leaderonomics on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.
Catherine Robertson writes, “Over the course of three months I was humbled and amazed by the impact that focusing on gratitude had begun to have on my life. Day by day, I felt calmer and more at peace and my overall energy levels and enthusiasm for life started to rise.” Read her story here: bit.ly/ benefits-gratitude
Gratitude Leads To Happiness H By MATT O’GRADY editor@leaderonomics.com
APPINESS is a goal that almost everyone in this world hopes to achieve. It may seem like a simple concept, but what does ‘happiness’ actually mean? If we go by the dictionary definition from Merriam-Webster, happiness is ‘a state of well-being and contentment’. In the English of Shakespeare’s time, happiness was used as a noun, defined as ‘good fortune’. In today’s world, we tend to see happiness as an elusive ending to our complex life stories, something that will symbolise completeness in our lives once it has been achieved. According to a recent survey, only 33% of Americans were able to say that they are happy in their daily lives. There is no concrete path to happiness and there likely will never be, but perhaps if we go back to thinking of it as a compilation of good fortunes, we’ll have built stepping stones to increase happiness as we go through life. The most rewarding way to identify each good fortune in your life is by practising gratitude. When you focus on the best things in your life, you’ll find that your overall happiness has grown and that you feel less burdened by the world.
Those who have been practising gratitude for decades are able to take time each day to acknowledge their appreciations, but when you are just starting out, you must take gradual steps before reaching that clarity. Right now, you are caught up in the hectic rhythm of your daily life, and you don’t want to disturb these important aspects of your life by focusing solely on your inner world. Find balance between your regular responsibilities and practise gratitude by carving out a few moments in your day to really think about its best aspects.
When you put your attention specifically on the things you are grateful for, such as the shining sun after a storm, your pumping heart that keeps everything going, or the smile on your daughter’s face, you’ll encourage happiness to flow into your thoughts. These positive thoughts fill up the space that bad feelings or intrusive thoughts tend to occupy. For some, the simple practice of thinking is not enough to create a feeling of happiness. While there are no specific remedies to bring absolute happiness into your life, you can get active with your gratitude practice with these tips.
By SANDY CLARKE editor@leaderonomics.com
Address your physical spaces When your home or workspace is in a state of disarray, your mind will be as well. These are spaces that you have to look at, live in, and interact with every day. In order for your mind to be healthy, they must be in tip-top shape as well. Dedicate a weekend or take some time off from work to sort through your belongings and get rid of anything you don’t need. Try donating to a local shelter – that way, you know that your unwanted things have gone to someone who will be grateful for them. Once you’ve purged your space of everything that is extra, try reorganising the space. Sometimes a shake-up of what you’re accustomed to will launch you into a new mindset as well. Write down your gratefulness For some, the most effective way to measure progress is by doing a visual action. Find a journal that speaks to you and dedicate it to daily gratitude writings. You don’t have to be a gratitude author to write about what you are grateful for. Simply put pen to paper and write down what you are grateful for on that day. Your small list could include the people in your life, the food you ate that day, a heartwarming interaction you witnessed, and so much more. Write down as many details as possible, so that you recognise each small thing. After practising this regularly, you will be more likely to notice and remember what allows you to feel thankful. Keeping everything in a journal also creates a space you can look back at and recall all of the good that you’ve experienced in a week or a month. Find advice from a gratitude coach Practising gratitude on your own can be very effective, but sometimes you need an outside voice to motivate you or help you appreciate everything in your life.
To do this, you can schedule personal sessions with a gratitude coach, who will lead you in practices that help to organise your mind and give you tools to use in your daily life. You can also listen to gratitude podcasts by life coaches. This is very easy to incorporate into your daily life – you can listen to podcasts as you drive to work, clean the house, or cook a meal. Listening to a gratitude coach can help you put things into perspective and get a more solid grasp on all of the good in your life.
gratitude and happiness
When you practise gratitude every day, you are essentially rewiring your brain to focus on happiness. As you engage in activities like re-organising your home or listening to a gratitude podcast, your brain releases dopamine, a neurological chemical that makes you feel happy. This process happens quickly as your gratitude practices make their way from your actions, through your eyes, and into the working gears of your brain. Outside of the feeling of being happy, practising gratitude can have the following effects that can significantly impact the happiness in your life.
1
Falling asleep becomes easier According to a 2013 study in the Journal of Psychosomatic Research, people who showed more gratitude during their waking hours were able to fall asleep easily at night. This relaxed state for gratitude-minded people likely comes from having fewer negative and more pleasant thoughts that fill their mind as they drift off to sleep.
2
Your hypothalamus is in better shape In the human brain, the hypothalamus is responsible for regulating bodily func-
tions, including body temperature, hunger, metabolism, sleep, and how the body grows. A series of studies that used MRIs of brains showed that the hypothalamus is activated when you feel grateful, encouraging those functions to work more smoothly.
3
Symptoms of anxiety and depression lessen A study published in Psychology Today reported that when people with anxiety kept a daily gratitude journal, they were able to sleep better. People with depression who did the same also slept more soundly, and even those who didn’t rated better with regards to their depressive symptoms on regular mood tests. This could be because engaging in gratitude practices challenges negative thought patterns, a core pillar for serious depression.
Don’t wait, be happy
It should come as no surprise that those who find happiness haven’t done so by making millions or buying the biggest house on the market, but by focusing on gratitude. Take steps to bring gratitude into your life today, and the happiness will follow. There’s no reason to put off working on your happiness for another day. When you’re trying to improve your physical health, you don’t do two jumping jacks and call it a day, so why would you try to achieve happiness with so little effort? When you put in the work to be grateful, to count your blessings, you’ll see your happiness bloom right in front of you. Incorporating the practice of gratitude into every minute of your day is a life journey, but it is never too late to start the practice – feel happier and watch it grow.
In the best leaders, those resonant leaders who truly inspire and empower others through their own example, we find in their actions what true wisdom consists of: authentic reflection plus deliberate contemplation over time. Abraham Lincoln once said, “I am a slow walker, but I never walk back.” Lincoln was known for his humble stoicism, and the respect he garnered – even from his rivals – stemmed from his tendency to better understand himself, how the world works, and where he fit into the grand scheme of things. Lincoln constantly sought to get a handle on himself, to understand what made people tick, and perhaps most importantly, was in pursuit of knowing the appropriate course of action in relation to any given situation. Doubtless, he made mistakes – but he took those mistakes and used them as life lessons to help him change course and chart a new direction where necessary. Whereas superficial reflection might say, “I messed up, there – I’ll try to do better next time, can’t win them all,” authentic reflection digs deeper and asks questions of ourselves that we do not wish to ask. Let’s take a closer look at the three components of wisdom and how we can tie them together to better serve ourselves and others:
Like this article? Follow us @Leaderonomics on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.
Reflection In Leadership 1
Authentic reflection is where we find the courage to ask ourselves, “Where could I have done better?” as well as “What did I do that I should carry on doing?” Just as we shouldn’t shirk from facing up to where we can improve, we should also have the courage to recognise and appreciate our strengths so that we might build upon them.
2
Deliberate contemplation is similar to reflection, except it goes beyond ourselves and explores the people, the environments, the dilemmas, and the challenges that exist externally. We might ask, “Why does this challenge exist?” and “What are some of the possible solutions that could be put in place – how can I work with others to help alleviate the problem?” Deliberate contemplation focuses on what’s significant or important in the immediate future – it’s what gives us insight to get a sense of the most beneficial steps to take.
3
Time is what affords us the room to grow. It’s something we all share for a while. However, it is how we use the time we have that determines
UNFORGETTABLE. TRANSFORMATIONAL.
MOVE INTO THE WORLD OF IMMERSIVE LEARNING with
7
READ US ONLINE! Leadership insights on the go at leaderonomics.com
WHAT is wisdom? A common definition is that it’s something cultivated by experience over time. It’s often said that experience is what you’re left with after life throws at you what you don’t want, the implication being that we learn from the setbacks: what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, and so on. But if wisdom stems from accumulated experience over time, this would suggest that the older we get – the older everyone becomes – the more wise sages we would see in the world. Alas, even the most furtive glance around us quickly confirms this isn’t so. “Aha!” some might exclaim, “wisdom is what’s cultivated by reflecting on our experiences over time.” That’s certainly a step in the right direction; however, if the reflection is skewed towards the belief that “Everything I’ve done today was totally awesome,” it deals a blow to the cultivation of wisdom.
True wisdom
How do you practise gratitude?
When you put your attention specifically on the things you are grateful for, such as the shining sun after a storm, your pumping heart that keeps everything going, or the smile on your daughter’s face, you’ll encourage happiness to flow into your thoughts. n Matt O’Grady is a business, fulfilment and success coach, author, speaker, and podcast host. He guides people around the world to attain new levels of connection, serenity, happiness and success while also managing the stresses and challenges of modern, daily life. To connect with Matt, send an email to editor@ leaderonomics.com.
www.leaderonomics.com | Saturday 22 December 2018
how we grow and develop. It rolls on by whether it’s wasted or utilised – if we use it sensibly, we’re bound to get the most from it in terms of who we grow to become.
Reflection and contemplation
The 19th century Danish philosopher, Soren Kierkegaard once said that, “Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.” In leadership, reflection and contemplation are vital tools that allow us to chart the best course moving forward by understanding what has gone before. In a Washington Post article, the late Eric Kail – former course director of military leadership at West Point – wrote, “Reflection requires a type of introspection that goes beyond merely thinking, talking, or complaining about our experiences. It is an effort to understand how the events of our life shape the way in which we see the world, ourselves and others. And it is essential for any leader.” Some people might contend that there is little point ‘dwelling on the past’ – that we should live in the present and build our future from the point at which we
find ourselves. While it’s true that aimless rumination offers little benefit, being mindful of what the past can teach us is a smart move in helping ourselves to progress: yesterday’s experiences can help us today in shaping what’s to come tomorrow.
Great leaders practise selfreflection on a regular basis. They ask themselves questions regarding both positive and negative situations, too. Here are four reasons to selfreflect: bit.ly/ LDRself-reflection
Tying it together
Having said that, reflection doesn’t come easily to us. We are, in general, adept at presenting a crafted image to the outside world precisely because we’re able to construct such a convincing self-narrative that justifies rather than investigates, conforms rather than questions, and sits in comfort rather than seeks to be curious. The end of the year provides us with a wonderful opportunity to reflect on what has passed over the last 12 months. Indeed, 2018 has seen a torrent of twists and turns and has undoubtedly left us all with much to ponder. As with any 12-month period, what has been is gone, and in its trail, we are invited to reflect, contemplate and ask ourselves a potentially life-changing question: “What’s the best way forward from here?”
n Sandy agrees with the idea that ‘an unexamined life is not worth living’ but, being one for balance, he also believes that life should be enjoyed – especially during the festive seasons – with family and friends. To connect with Sandy, email us at editor@ leaderonomics.com.
MOST LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT COURSES TEACH YOU SOMETHING. GEORGE KOHLRIESER AND OUR TEAM WANTED TO DESIGN A PROGRAM THAT AWAKENS SOMETHING IN YOU. Edouard Getaz, InsideRisk Founder
InsideRisk is a unique way to enhance your ability to think critically and thrive within constant change.
Watch the trailer at bit.ly/InsideRiskLDR
For more information, email info@leaderonomics.com
8
www.leaderonomics.com | Saturday 22 December 2018
SUBSCRIBE TODAY at bit.ly/subscribeLD and get our e-mag delivered to your inbox weekly!
Like this article? Follow us @Leaderonomics on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.
“I have observed and experienced leadership in different countries that brought me closer to understanding how culture transcends all the ‘Dos’ and Don’ts’ of becoming an effective leader.” Check out this article by Adrian Rong: bit.ly/ leadership-differs
Understanding Leadership Here’s why it’s crucial in ensuring success
Reason for viewing % of the above as good times leaders cited
By EVA CHRISTODOULOU eva.christodoulou@leaderonomics.com
Drive to help people
6
Inspirational
6
EADERSHIP means different things to different people. It can be applied to self or a group of people, and can be leveraged to achieve something extraordinary, or simply be more effective in day-to-day tasks. Sometimes leadership is seen as something special for a select few. The truth is, everyone needs a certain amount of leadership in their lives, and in the end, it is not as exclusive as it is made out to be. Being such an important quality, leadership is something we are striving to nurture in everyone we interact with, in line with their dreams, aspirations and life journey. Here in Leaderonomics, we found that leadership is a journey that starts from a young age. And as such, there are multiple elements to it, all needing to be developed intentionally at different stages. Earlier this year, we ran a survey to try and understand what parents tend to value and work on with their children. As a part of this survey, we also tried to understand what parents’ perceptions of leadership are, and how they see it relevant to themselves. In this article, we’ll be talking about the responses we received.
Lead by example
6
Significant achievements
6
Grit and perseverance
6
Listens and understands others
5
L
What is the value of leadership in your current context?
n Eva Christodoulou is the head of research at Leaderonomics and works on numerous research projects revolving around leadership. If your organisation would like to co-fund a research project in 2019 to help Malaysians learn more about leadership through scientific and breakthrough research, please contact Eva at eva. christodoulou@ leaderonomics. com.
We posed this question in our survey, and received a variety of responses: 9.7% said that it is very important without elaborating, 8.8% stated that they are unsure, while another 8% felt that leadership has high value. The rest provided an understanding of leadership in their context instead. For example, 5.3% of respondents emphasised the role of a leader as a role model for those around them (including children). Another 10 % of respondents emphasised personality and character traits such as integrity, honesty, responsibility, and accountability as the determinants of leadership. Other answers covered attributes such as confidence, ability to have followers, leading others to achieve something, influencing, empowering others, serving others, teamwork and collaboration, being humble and considerate, dedication, commitment, important for success and income/wealth. One respondent mentioned that leadership is important in all areas of life, e.g. a family needs a leader. Others focused on how it is important in work.
Who do you think is a good leader?
We wanted to understand who parents look up to as a good leader. To this, our respondents gave the following answers: 13.2% of respondents identified several religious figures; while 6.2% of respondents identified Mahatma Gandhi. Former United States president Barack Obama and Nelson Mandela were identified by 4.4% of respondents each; 3.5% mentioned Winston Churchill; 4.5% named a work leader or manager; 43.5% identified their own parents; 2.7% their uncle or aunt; 2.65% stated Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad; Elon Musk and Lee Kuan Yew were named by 1.76% of
respondents each. Another 1.76%stated that their husbands were good leaders. A variety of other names came up, categorised in Table 1. The reasons given for choosing the above as good leaders, are categorised in Table 2. Overall, we found that respondents recognise the value of leadership, and it seems that everyone has very different opinions as to how and where it is applied. What’s interesting to see is how some respondents recognise that leadership is needed in all aspects of life (including family and community). Yet, the majority of people stated that they see leaders as people whose actions impact larger groups, instead of just family members (majority being statesmen and religious figures as leaders). The reasons for choosing those people also indicates the kind of qualities, character, values and abilities that people generally associate with leadership, indicating a good mix of skills and character traits.
Do you consider yourself a leader?
Reassuringly, most of our respondents answered a clear yes (61.1%). 8% answered with a clear no, while an additional 6.2% with ‘not yet’, ‘not really’, ‘not an effective leader’, ‘not there yet’, and ‘working on it.’ 11.5% of them gave some variation of ‘partly’; one was unsure, answering ‘maybe’. The one who was unsure also added that sometimes he/ she is a leader, but at other times may be a follower. Some of the comments from those who answered ‘no’ were interesting as they pointed to the attributes that these people consider crucial in leadership, and those they feel they lack on a personal level. These include influencing powers; being ‘truly’ self-sacrificing; enthusiasm; preference to be more of a follower; not a people person; just ‘an ordinary teacher’; gaining consensus in a team/group; charisma, and preference not to lead all the time. Interestingly, those who responded yes or a partial yes explained that they are leaders because of one or two attributes
Delivers on promises; commitment
5
Foresight and vision
4
Speaks up
4
Courageous
3.5
Humble
3
Truthfulness
3
Get people to follow
3
Lead successfully through challenging times
3
Calm
3
Values
3
Respected by peers
2
Going beyond
2
Fight for ideals
2
Non-violence
2
Care
2
Empathy
2
Knowledgeable, intelligent
2
Honesty
2
Decisive
1
6
Respectful
1
Work manager
4
Witty
1
Religious leaders
3
Successful business leaders
Emphasis on health and education
1
6
Wisdom and maturity
1
Famous personalities
6
Upright
1
People in the community
Innovative
1
2
Made a difference
1
Superheroes
1
Served others
1
Mothers
1
Multitask
1
Family values
1
Agility
1
Not afraid of failure
1
Inspire hope
1
Clarity of thinking
1
Pragmatic
1
Faith
1
Charisma
1
Kindness
1
Fight for good over evil
1
Loving husband
1
Command
1
Giving back
1
Type of leader % of times mentioned Religious figure
13.2
Mahatma Gandhi
6.2
Various statesmen and heads of state Family members
Local NGO leaders and justice fighters Someone who can work with everyone
17.8
1 1
Table 1 they consider important. They did not focus on gaps they may have or try to list down all attributes they think a leader should have. One parent responded: “Yes. Because I lead myself and others all the time. Sometimes well, sometimes great, and sometimes not so great.” When asked what she meant, she said that most people have a perception that the leader has to do the right thing all the time, and she tries to make it much more real for herself and her children by being brave, enforcing what ‘we’ believe is right, and doing things without worrying about consequences (while still being aware of what may happen in effect). It is interesting to also see a number of parents answering not yet, or not really, indicating that they are aiming to get there, but currently lacking certain skills or aspects of what they see as necessary to leadership. It is reassuring to know that people understand that leadership is for everyone, and not a concept reserved only for those whose names are attached to specific designations or titles.
Table 2 In Leaderonomics, we truly believe that anyone can be a leader in their field as long as they are able to make a difference, guide a group of people (be it at work, the family, the community, or the country), and inspire change or improvement. This is the sixth and final part of a series of articles based on the Leaderonomics 2018 Parenting Survey. To read all the past articles in this series, head to bit.ly/ParentingSurvey18
www.leaderonomics.com | Saturday 22 December 2018
By ALAN MANLY editor@leaderonomics.com
T
HE thrill of establishing a startup is much like the thrill of a new relationship. It’s new, exciting, and everyone involved is highly motivated and interested – at least for the first six months or so. Whilst this is too short a time to measure business success, it is long enough for founders and supporters to start to wonder about the viability of their new venture. The initial surge of sales, often from opening specials or pre-launch sales, has by now been exhausted. New sales are hard work because one new startup rarely expands the market. Rather, it disrupts the incumbents who will make changes to address the disruption. In doing so, they slow down the newcomer’s success. The start-up’s ability to work through this challenging period relies on the energy of a highly motivated team. Maintaining that motivation is the magic of many successful start-ups. Here are a few steps to help you and your team stay motivated as you grow.
1
Revisit your business plan If the enthusiasm starts to wane, start by revisiting the document that holds your vision and purpose. Your business plan explains why your start-up exists, and why it should continue to exist. It will remind you of the viability of the venture and help put any doubts to rest. Read it and celebrate how far you have come since it was written. Assess what has changed in the market and what was just plain wrong. Look for opportunities that can be exploited now that the business is up and running.
Start-up’s Guide To Staying Motivated 2
Rewrite the introduction The introduction of the business plan for a start-up is intended to entice entrepreneurs, investors and supporters to get on board. It aims to inspire all who read it – but down the track, its once sound assumptions can often be exposed as glaring errors. Solid leadership skills are required to honestly review the introduction and ideas to fit the new-found realities that have become apparent over the last six months. Managed carefully, this is a great motivational opportunity.
3
Reassess the market When you identified your target market in the business plan, it was all about being in tune with the market at the time the start-up launched. Tales abound of famous companies that initially missed the market. Few products and services end up selling exclusively to the market they were originally targeted at. Your expected customers may not materialise while others will appear seemingly out of nowhere. The last six months will have equipped you and your team with an understanding of the market that few others would enjoy. Use it before they catch on.
4
Is your unique sales proposition still working? This is an interesting and surprisingly common point of discussion for start-ups. How can it be that a unique idea is not only not working, but no one even seems to understand its advantages? The ‘unique’ bit is often a dash of wishful thinking merged with a great idea. But maintaining its clever uniqueness, and convincing others of it, requires as much hard work as any other selling proposition. Sometimes, with horror, you might discover the unique sales proposition is really not unique at all – just a bit different. That’s okay as long as you acknowledge it and adjust your sales proposition accordingly.
5
Cashflow, cashflow, cashflow There are only three things that matter in business and they’re particularly true of start-ups. The first is cashflow, the second is cashflow and – lucky last – cashflow. And not just any cashflow. Positive cashflow is the lifeblood of a successful business. You must address how the company is going to accomplish it.
While it’s not a glamorous-sounding goal, it is a huge motivator for you and your team as it allows you to keep building. Achieve it, and you’ll keep the dream alive.
9
READ US ONLINE! Leadership insights on the go at leaderonomics.com
Like this article? Follow us @Leaderonomics on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.
Bringing it together
Staying motivated as you build your start-up can be just as challenging as establishing the business in the first place. Once the initial thrill fades, the demand for business acumen kicks in. When in doubt, take heart from one of history’s greatest entrepreneurs and inventors, Thomas Edison who said: “Many of life’s failures are people who did not realise how close they were to success when they gave up.” n Alan Manly is the founder and CEO of Group Colleges Australia, one of Australia’s largest private education institutions, and recently launched the private MBA school, the Universal Business School Sydney. From a high school dropout to successful entrepreneur, Alan is a true disrupter in the private education space. He is the author of two books, The Unlikely Entrepreneur and When There Are Too Many Lawyers There Is No Justice. To engage with him, send an email to editor@leaderonomics.com.
Being an entrepreneur is not a walk in the park – it is in fact a path filled with thorns. You need to understand “WHY?” you are venturing into a business in order to remain passionate and dedicated to your goals. Check out this article by Roshan Thiran: bit.ly/ QuickGains OrPassion
10
www.leaderonomics.com | Saturday 22 December 2018
SUBSCRIBE TODAY at bit.ly/subscribeLD and get our e-mag delivered to your inbox weekly!
Like this article? Follow us @Leaderonomics on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.
FrogAsia has been giving children access to quality 21st century education through the Frog VLE regardless of background and geographical location. Read more: bit.ly/ RMFrogVLE
By ROUBEENI MOHAN roubeeni.mohan@leaderonomics.com
T
ECHNOLOGY is everywhere and it is entwined in our daily lives. It impacts the way we live, play and also learn. The learning environment in schools has the power to influence a child’s learning experience. As technology advances, schools today must be able to weave knowledge of computer sciences into the core curriculum in order to prepare students for the future. According to code.org (a non-profit organisation in the United States (US) that is dedicated to expanding access to computer science in schools) founder and chief executive officer (CEO) Hadi Partovi, 44 states in the US have changed policies to recognise computer science as part of the academic core. Malaysia is also heading in this direction, with the 2016 announcement by the government to expand school-day access to computer science.
Giving classrooms a facelift
The widespread use of technology has paved a new path in the learning experience. This became a catalyst for the creation of the Frog Classrooms, a concept by YTL Foundation to facilitate learning through collaboration and critical thinking, and by encouraging creativity. The very first Frog Classroom was designed for a secondary school in Puchong in 2014, after YTL Foundation Programme Director Datin Kathleen Chew paid a visit to the school. “When I entered the classroom, I was rendered speechless. The tables and chairs were broken. There was even a hole in the door,” she tells us. “The classroom that we wanted to build was something that would make the children excited to go into every day. It had to be fun for the kids, and noticing that the children had a lot of pent up energy, our designer decided to fix a punching bag for the boys. A mirror was also added for the girls.” “Also, we saw that the kids loved doodling on their tables, so to curb that, the designers drew beautiful murals, quotes and poetry on the tables.” This, she says, was done to encourage the students to channel their creativity in the right way. Each transformed classroom also uses the Frog virtual learning environment (VLE), a platform that allows teachers to upload their learning materials onto its system. “When a teacher retires, they take all their experience and expertise with them. The Frog VLE encourages teachers to create content, and then share and store the content. When a teacher retires, these stored materials will be helpful for the new teachers,” she adds. The process of building a classroom should be one that is relatively simple, Chew says. “While building the Frog Classroom, we took into account that transforming a normal classroom should be easy. This was done to encourage schools to do it themselves with the help of teachers and parents, (and) with no need for contractors.” The Frog Classroom was initially a project carried out by the YTL Group of Companies under which 12 classrooms in various schools nationwide were transformed. A year later in 2015, the project caught the attention of schools, students, parents and the Education Ministry. As more schools became interested, the YTL team realised that there was the potential to get schools across the country to be on board as well. However, the schools needed to meet a set of criteria and work alongside their parent-teacher associations (PTA). “The school also has to be ready to
Changing The Outlook of Learning How modern and vibrant classrooms motivate students to learn become a part of the Frog Hub programme, so that neighbouring schools can come and use technology or share what they are doing with other schools,” says Chew. Through this effort, there are now 250 classrooms. Chew explains, however, that rural schools have a harder time raising funds to set up a Frog Classroom. Chew says it is when the principals of the participating schools spearhead the initiative to take part in this programme that it becomes a success. “Some schools are very active in participating as a Frog Hub, and some schools don’t do so well. We just believe that if we can get 1,000 of these classrooms and teachers who are willing to help and teach this way, then we will be able to influence the rest of the 10,000 schools in the country to transform how they teach, utilising technology and the Frog VLE.” A recent research to study the impact of the Frog Classrooms on teaching and learning was conducted by Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, involving over 15 schools with 400 teachers and over 2,000 students. The results of this study indicated that the Frog Classrooms allowed for more effective learning, active participation and better student engagement. Teachers were also found to be more innovative and creative in their teaching approaches. Teachers – equipped with the chance to facilitate rather than simply instruct students’ learning – were found to help students become more self-driven in their learning methods. The classroom had also improved peer-to-peer relationships as well as interactions between teachers and students.
Empowering teachers
YTL Foundation soon realised that school leadership is critical to school transformation. “The whole ecosystem has to work,” says Chew. “Every principal and teacher should take up a leadership role.” To achieve this, they started incubating a two-year programme known as the Global School Leaders (GSL) Malaysia Programme, in collaboration with Global School Leaders – a successful school leadership programme. The GSL programme was first started in India and has a cost effective model that has been run in hundreds of schools there. GSL India co-founder and CEO Sameer Sampat was invited to Malaysia to discuss how they could implement this here. At the end of 2017, the programme received government approval and a pilot was launched early this year. Twenty-four primary and secondary schools – with 75 principals and senior assistants – are currently participating in the GSL Malaysia programme. Participants are trained in utilising technology in classrooms as well as in the school administration. Aimed at developing school principals and senior assistants, the programme consists of workshops where participants are trained to become more observant. Instead of scrutinising their teaching
Chew: The whole ecosystem has to work, every principal and teacher should take up a leadership role. methods, the GSL trainers encourage participants to reflect and help them realise what they can do better. These principals and senior assistants will then go on to coach the other teachers in their schools, and GSL trainers will visit the schools at least once a month to observe if they continue to implement what they have learnt from the programme. Chew adds: “It is sitting with the teacher and talking through the challenges that is the unique part of this programme and makes it stand out from others.” “Trainers go to the school and coach the participants, hands on. I have asked the teachers themselves, and they said if there was only one part they can take
from the programme, it would be this. “There are a lot of people working to try to improve the education system and we all want to make a difference – how we all can help the ecosystem. We are trying to collaborate to see how we can make a bigger difference when we come together collectively,” says Chew. Please visit www.frogclassroom.com to check for eligibility and the eight steps to the application process. Schools will have to meet the criteria set by the Foundation before the air-conditioning units, chairs and custom-made tables are provided.
www.leaderonomics.com | Saturday 22 December 2018
11
Thinking Of Starting A Business? T By RAMA DHONANTO editor@leaderonomics.com
Here’s what you should know
HE most common mistake made by people who are just starting up their business is that they are too focused on the products way too early. Don’t get me wrong, your product is important, it’s the source of revenue for the business and it is sitting on the front line with your customers. But the painful truth is, nobody cares about your product! Not in the early stages anyway. Your product means nothing if you don’t know who is it for, why you create it, and how you sell it. There are, in essence, three main things you should know before you start building your products for your business:
First, be fully aware of what you are passionate about and write it down. Remember, your passion is not the same as your hobby. Hobbies are the things you enjoy doing. Passion is something you deeply care about and there is a huge curiosity to dig even more. Your passion can be a specific task, a particular industry, or the way you present your business. For example, I have a passion in sport, retail, and the digital industry. Hence why, Sportdeca was born.
1
Knowing yourself
This may sound simple, but it can cost you tremendously (financially and mentally), if you get it all wrong. Your business defines who you are, it’s what you care about, it’s the definition of all the learning you’ve done in the past.
your customers 2 Knowing
Who will buy your products? Where are they? Why would they buy from you? How do you communicate with them? Your customers are probably the most important element of your business. However, people tend to underestimate the power of customer research. Most people assume they know their customers better than anyone
else, but it’s not just what you know about your customers, it’s more about what your customers know about you. The best way to know your customers? Talk to them. No need to present your products. Just get to know what they really need, what can improve their lives, what they struggle with, and what help they would need.
3 Knowing the market
How big is the market size? How much is the annual growth? Who are your competitors? What is your competitive advantage? How will the future look like? Unless you have been in the industry for years, there is no ‘enough’ when it comes market analysis. You need to dig deep into your market place. When I started Sportdeca, I spent days analysing the potential market in sports and e-commerce industries. I took time to talk with the experts, so I could get more detailed insights. That data will be very valuable when you decide which direction you want to choose for the business and
define your entrance strategy to the market. Remember, it’s the market that defines your business, not the other way around. n Rama Dhonanto is a serial entrepreneur in the tech and telco industry, who has raised several companies from zero to million-dollar valuation. A mentor, advisor, and guest lecturer at top universities and digital companies in Indonesia, he is currently serving as a
CEO for Heroleads Indonesia. To connect with him, drop us an email at editor@leaderonomics.com. In today’s business world, you need to be able to walk in the shoes of your customer; to find clues and collect artefacts that build a whole picture of your customers’ experiences. Here’s why understanding your customers is crucial to your business: bit.ly/LDRcustomers
new country general manager Caroline Ong has been appointed Leaderonomics Country General Manager, Malaysia. She expands her portfolio to oversee operations in Malaysia after serving nearly two years as Director of Client Engagement. Leaderonomics Group Chief Executive Officer Roshan Thiran will focus on strengthening the organisation to support expansion plans.
leaderonomics scores
The HD Leaderonomics football team led by captain Roshan Thiran (centre, in red) and managed by Pravin Nair (far right) after the Masters Football League (MFL) Cup final at the Ardence Arena in Setia Alam last Saturday, where the team won 4-3 against Beluga FC.
Curiosity is sometimes not encouraged in our lives. Yet curiosity is a high determinant of success and progress in one’s journey through life. Eva Christodoulou shares about the importance of curiosity in one’s leadership journey: bit.ly/RYGbeingcurious FOR other great leadership insights, including those by John Maxwell, visit www.leaderonomics.com. If you missed any of our past issues, go to www.leaderonomics.com/publications and download for FREE!
Editorial Editor Roshan Thiran Managing Editor LYDIA GOMEZ
Digital Content Leader (Bahasa Malaysia) YEOH LIN LIN Head of Sales Owen ng This Leadership Guide Is Powered By
Assistant Editors christie chua KHOR HUI MIN louisa devadason michelle harris ROUBEENI MOHAN
Like us at www.facebook. com/Leaderonomics/ Layout, Art & Design Tung Eng Hwa adznam sabri RAzziah nurul amni
Shankar Mohd Khairul NUR ASHARAH RAzziah
Follow us @leaderonomics Writers & Contributors Bharat Avalani Jerome Parisse-Brassens Matt O’Grady Sandy Clarke
Untuk kandungan pembangunan kepimpinan dalam Bahasa Malaysia, kunjungilah portal BM kami di www.leaderonomics.com/bm atau halaman Facebook kami @LeaderonomicsBM.
Eva Christodoulou Alan Manly Rama Dhonanto Jeff Haden
12
www.leaderonomics.com | Saturday 22 December 2018
SUBSCRIBE TODAY at bit.ly/subscribeLD and get our e-mag delivered to your inbox weekly!
Think about people you truly respect. Think about people you truly admire. Think about people you love to be around. You love to be around them– and you would love to be more like them. So what sets them apart from everyone else? Find out here: bit.ly/ genuine-giving
n Jeff Haden is a speaker, ghostwriter, and author of The Motivation Myth: How Highly Successful People Really Set Themselves Up to Win. Connect with him by sending us an email at editor@leaderonomics.com
How To Build Great Relationships By JEFF HADEN editor@leaderonomics.com
tial. A friend asked me what I thought about an especially hard Gran Fondo; what he really wanted to know was whether I thought he could get in shape to ride it (he was and did). Behind many simple questions is often a larger question that goes unasked. Look for the unasked question, and answer that one, too. Then the people around you will know you care about what they ask, and you care about them.
W
ARREN Buffett once said, “The difference between successful people and really successful people is that really successful people say no to almost everything.” In a way, he’s right. (Anyone worth more than USD 60bil clearly gets a few things right.) Still, saying ‘no’ so you can focus on doing a few things really well still doesn’t guarantee success. But this does. As Buffett tells college students: “When you get to be my age, you will be successful if the people who you hope to have love you, do love you.” Clearly that’s true where family and friends are concerned. In fact, research shows you’ll definitely be more successful if you marry the right person. Substitute ‘like’ for ‘love’, though, and it’s also true in business. Skills, education, experience where success is concerned – all those things and more matter. But one thing matters more: True success – the kind of success that also results in happiness – isn’t possible if you don’t build great relationships. (Sure, you can be self-serving, obnoxious, and insufferable and still get rich. But you’ll be rich and lonely.) Plus, it’s a lot easier to be successful if people like you – when your employees, your customers, your partners, and your colleagues not only hope you succeed,
3
but without being asked, actively help you succeed. Those kinds of relationships don’t just make you successful in business. They make you successful in life and a lot happier. Here are some simple ways to be the kind of person who feels successful:
1
Help without being asked Most people lend a hand when someone asks. Very few people offer help before they are asked, even though most of the time, that’s when a little help can make the biggest difference. When you see someone struggling, offer to help, but not in that vague, “Is there something I can do to help you
out?” way. Offer specific ways you can help, because then you can push past the reflexive, “No, I’m okay” responses. And you can roll up your sleeves and make a real impact in another person’s life. Not because you hope someday, the favour will be returned, but just because you care.
2
Answer the question behind the question Many people ask a different question than the one they want answered. Employees used to ask me if they should take a business class; what they really wanted to know was whether I thought they had management poten-
Show a lot more patience Showing patience is a wonderful way to let people know we care about them. Showing patience and expressing genuine confidence is a wonderful way to let people know we believe in them. Showing patience is a great way to not just tell, but show how much you care.
4
Give first and even last Great relationships are mutually beneficial, but they rarely start that way. That’s why it’s your job to start the giving ball rolling. Don’t think about what you might want. Start by thinking about what you can give. See giving as the best way to establish a lasting connection and a genuine relationship. Make it all about the other person, not about you. In time, you’ll build relationships with people who think the same way, and have great professional relationships, which is the surest path to success no matter how you define it.
JAMIE ANDREW
Leading from The Edge
Despite losing his hands and his feet in a climbing accident at the age of 29, Jamie Andrew has achieved the seemingly impossible: running marathons, completing an Ironman triathlon, skiing, snowboarding, sailing, and of course mountain climbing. Jamie has inspired people across more than 30 countries through his 13 years of speaking experience where he tells his story with great passion, sincerity, and humour. As a regular presenter for The International Institute of Management Development in Switzerland on several programmes, including the hugely popular High Performance Leadership course, Jamie uses his experiences as a mountaineer in relation to principles of successful business practice. His sessions are gripping, inspiring, and uplifting — addressing the following topics: LEADERSHIP | MANAGING CHANGE | RESILIENCE | MOTIVATION | GOAL SETTING | TEAMWORK | ACCEPTING CHALLENGE
Book a session with Jamie Andrew for your organisation today! Available dates: 28 March – 8 April 2019
For enquiries, email info@leaderonomics.com