Tuesday, July 31, 2007

Relationship Management: Simple but effective...

I just learned this today..

There are 3 basic tools that we use when we want to 'communicate' with someone..
1- Phone
2- E-mail
3- Face-to-face

Now, in order to have a good relationship, one must be able to understand how the next person would react to what we want to say.. so to have the best of both worlds, try this out...

1- When you are sharing information, use the phone
2- When you are sharing information and seeking for opinion, use e-mail
3- When you are sharing something that is debatable, talk face-to-face..

Why?
Because the other person might be offended by what you want to say... added with our own lack of skills in the communicating (bad story teller, wrong choice of words, etc) we might end up making things worse...

In fact, studies have shown that in communication, 55% of what is being understood by the receiver is influenced by "visual" while 38% is "vocal" and only 7% is "words".. so your body language can actually support your point -- saying for the sake of sharing concerns and not debating to prove wrong or right..

So guys, let's maintain a good relationship (especially with the ones we care for) by making a small change in our daily communication.. ;)

Sunday, July 15, 2007

Logically understanding Vs. Emotionally understanding..

The difference between listening to something then saying, "hey.. that makes sense" and feeling it is not the same.. How often do we hear statements, advise and whole lot of other sequence of words that is logically true in nature? And how often do we ourselves say something logically correct but don't really believe in it?

Way before I even had interest in becoming a 'sensei' (Japanese language teacher that is) I had often heard that "teaching is a very rewarding profession".. I know teachers don't make a lot in terms of silver and gold but I've seen the satisfaction in the teachers when they see one of their students become successful in what the student themselves want to achive.. My late father was a teacher and my mother too was a teacher.. So, logically when I started, I understood that if I sincerely teach my students what little I know, I will find that satisfaction..

Recently my class came to a crossroad.. the kids have been learning Japanese for almost 2 years (even prior to me being their sensei) and other commitments started to clash.. some are facing major exams, some are moving on with their lives while some are just trying to figure out what's next.. I had seen it coming so I gave them the power to choose for themselves.. no sales pitch, I just told them to do the right thing for themselves.. with that, 2 of them decided to call it a day..

It was expected and I was cool with it.. but then came the SMS that went straight to my heart.. from a student who occasionally speaks a few words in class...exact letter by letter..

it's been great learning from sensei :)

And at that exact time (19:49:21 - July 14th, 2007), I had emotionally understood the saying "teaching is a very rewarding profession".. Pure gold!!

I can't say anything more......

Thursday, July 12, 2007

For what it's worth...

Caught Buletin Utama's sports segment last night.. it seems that most of our soccer fans are furious at the National Squad's defeat to China.. to me, it was no suprise actually (unlike Japan's draw - they played bad!)..

5-1 at home ground is no joke, I know that but come on la guys, you really thought we had a chance ke? China actually qualifed for the World Cup in 2002, we couldn't even win a SEA Games gold medal!

Anyway, what lies beneath all this is more than the squad, the coach, FAM, or even the government for that matter.. it all has to do with the Malaysian attitude in general.. read this article and you'll understand where I'm coming from..

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Don’t mock ‘process’, follow it
By N R Narayana Murthy

One of India’s best-known business leaders argues that the Indian cricket team failed because Chappell’s process was not implemented correctly
The tragedy of India is that instead of seeing what’s wrong with us and taking steps to correct it, we indulge in hysterics and look for scapegoats. Right now, everyone’s busy blaming the coach and the captain. But India has a long record of playing badly away from home, which precedes both Rahul Dravid and Greg Chappell. So why single them out?
The real problem, I believe, lies with the system. Not just in cricket, but in virtually any walk of life, we are unwilling to put in hard work and live with discipline. Other countries are so neat, clean and well-organised but Indian cities are a mess, because we’re simply not willing to respect the rules. We can succeed, not just in cricket, but in everything else if we only follow four basic principles: strictly adhere to meritocracy, be willing to work hard, adopt global best practices in training and follow absolute discipline.
We need to pick the best guys available, based purely on merit and no other considerations. And the same applies to the coach. People keep asking whether we need a foreign coach. I don’t think that’s an issue at all. We should ask, who’s the best guy for the job? Whoever it is should get it.
Next, once you’ve given someone a mandate, let him implement it without interference. At Infosys, we have all our debates, arguments and discussions before it’s decided who’ll be responsible for something. Once it’s decided that X is the boss, all arguments stop and everyone rallies behind him. We shouldn’t be constantly undermining the coach by trying to second-guess him.
I know ‘process’ has become a much-mocked term, but at Infosys we firmly believe in following processes and it’s always worked for us. If Chappell’s process didn’t work, maybe it was because it wasn’t followed properly or he wasn’t allowed to implement it in full. I’ve read that some senior players were allowed to get away with indiscipline and that’s totally unacceptable. No matter how big a star you are, if you’re disruptive to the team, you need to be shown the exit. Never mind if we lose a few matches. If you follow the correct process, positive results are bound to eventually follow.
Frankly, I don’t think having a coaching camp for a few days helps. I’d suggest that we pick the 30 guys who we believe are the best in the country. They should all be given good salaries by BCCI and closeted in a hitech training centre round the year. Rotate them so that even if 15 are playing a series, the other 15 are training.
Ensure that everyone gets to train intensively during the year. Follow best practices from around the world, give the players the best facilities and make them work really hard—eight hours a day. If anyone refuses to practice or follow the rules, axe him immediately. Follow these principles and you’re bound to have a worldbeating team.

(As told to Vikas Singh)

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A businessman's take on sports.. now you know why most international football clubs generate better players..

Tuesday, July 10, 2007

LOST & FOUND

Guys...

I know I've been 'LOST' these past few months.. I'm so lost that I've even missed the new season of LOST! and knowing me as a TV freak, you'll be suprised to know that the only show I watched for the last 4 months is 'HEROES'.. and now that 'HEROES' has ended its season run, I might end up not watching TV at all.. geezzz...

Anyway I did managed to catch Transformers last Friday night.. It was an effort on its own as me and my wife left the house at about 11pm to catch the 'early morning' show at Cineleasure... It was probably the best night out since.......... goshhh.. tak boleh recall laa.. hehe.. The movie actually made my wife a fan! Me, I had chills hearing Optimus Prime's voice!! If only they had put in more time for the robot's character to develope... it was also quite sad to see Jazz die.. I know for a fact that his original voice also passed away not long ago.. I guess they wanted to bring a closure to that character..

So guys... TRANSFORM AND ROLL OUT!!