Thought 15NOV2007

A LEADERSHIP PRIMER - [lesson 13]
"Powell's Rules for Picking People"
Look for intelligence and judgment, and most critically, a capacity to anticipate, to see around corners. Also look for loyalty, integrity, a high energy drive, a balanced ego, and the drive to get things done.How often do our recruitment and hiring processes tap into these attributes? More often than not, we ignore them in favor of length of resume, degrees and prior titles. A string of job descriptions a recruit held yesterday seem to be more important than who one is today, what they can contribute tomorrow, or how well their values mesh with those of the organization. You can train a bright, willing novice in the fundamentals of your business fairly readily, but it's a lot harder to train someone to have integrity, judgment, energy, balance, and the drive to get things done. Good leaders stack the deck in their favor right in the recruitment phase.
General Colin Powell - Chairman (Ret), Joint Chiefs of Staff - Former Secretary of State - USA

Young people tell what they are doing, old people what they have done and fools what they wish to do - French Proverb

Thought 14NOV2007

A LEADERSHIP PRIMER - [lesson 12]
"Perpetual optimism is a force multiplier"
The ripple effect of a leader's enthusiasm and optimism is awesome. So is the impact of cynicism and pessimism. Leaders who whine and blame engender those same behaviors among their colleagues. I am not talking about stoically accepting organizational stupidity and performance incompetence with a "what, me worry?" smile. I am talking about a gung-ho attitude that says "we can change things here, we can achieve awesome goals, we can be the best." Spare me the grim litany of the "realist," give me the unrealistic aspirations of the optimist any day.
General Colin Powell - Chairman (Ret), Joint Chiefs of Staff - Former Secretary of State - USA

To be loved is the best way of being useful - French Proverb

Thought 13NOV2007

A LEADERSHIP PRIMER - [lesson 11]
"Fit no stereotypes. Don't chase the latest management fads. The situation dictates which approach best accomplishes the team's mission"
Flitting from fad to fad creates team confusion, reduces the leader's credibility, and drains organizational coffers. Blindly following a particular fad generates rigidity in thought and action. Sometimes speed to market is more important than total quality. Sometimes an unapologetic directive is more appropriate than participatory discussion. Some situations require the leader to hover closely; others require long, loose leashes. Leaders honor their core values, but they are flexible in how they execute them. They understand that management techniques are not magic mantras but simply tools to be reached for at the right times.
General Colin Powell - Chairman (Ret), Joint Chiefs of Staff - Former Secretary of State - USA

If you would understand men, study women - French Proverb

Thought 12NOV2007

A LEADERSHIP PRIMER - [lesson 10]
"Never let your ego get so close to your position that when your position goes, your ego goes with it"
Too often, change is stifled by people who cling to familiar turfs and job descriptions. One reason that even large organizations wither is that managers won't challenge old, comfortable ways of doing things. But real leaders understand that, nowadays, every one of our jobs is becoming obsolete. The proper response is to obsolete our activities before someone else does. Effective leaders create a climate where people’s worth is determined by their willingness to learn new skills and grab new responsibilities, thus perpetually reinventing their jobs. The most important question in performance evaluation becomes not, "How well did you perform your job since the last time we met?" but, "How much did you change it?"
General Colin Powell - Chairman (Ret), Joint Chiefs of Staff - Former Secretary of State - USA

Life is an onion which one peels crying - French Proverb

Thought 09NOV2007

A LEADERSHIP PRIMER - [lesson 9]
"Organization charts and fancy titles count for next to nothing"
Organization charts are frozen, anachronistic photos in a work place that ought to be as dynamic as the external environment around you. If people really followed organization charts, companies would collapse. In well-run organizations, titles are also pretty meaningless. At best, they advertise some authority, an official status conferring the ability to give orders and induce obedience. But titles mean little in terms of real power, which is the capacity to influence and inspire. Have you ever noticed that people will personally commit to certain individuals who on paper (or on the organization chart) possess little authority, but instead possess pizzazz, drive, expertise, and genuine caring for teammates and products? On the flip side, non-leaders in management may be formally anointed with all the perks and frills associated with high positions, but they have little influence on others, apart from their ability to extract minimal compliance to minimal standards.
General Colin Powell - Chairman (Ret), Joint Chiefs of Staff - Former Secretary of State - USA

It is by believing in roses that one brings them to bloom - French Proverb

Thought 07NOV2007

A LEADERSHIP PRIMER - [lesson 8]
"Organization doesn't really accomplish anything. Plans don't accomplish anything, either. Theories of management don't much matter. Endeavors succeed or fail because of the people involved. Only by attracting the best people will you accomplish great deeds"
In a brain-based economy, your best assets are people. We've heard this expression so often that it's become trite. But how many leaders really "walk the talk" with this stuff? Too often, people are assumed to be empty chess pieces to be moved around by grand viziers, which may explain why so many top managers immerse their calendar time in deal making, restructuring and the latest management fad. How many immerse themselves in the goal of creating an environment where the best, the brightest, the most creative are attracted, retained and, most importantly, unleashed?
General Colin Powell - Chairman (Ret), Joint Chiefs of Staff - Former Secretary of State - USA

Friends are lost by calling often and calling seldom - French Proverb

Thought 06NOV2007

A LEADERSHIP PRIMER - [lesson 7]
"Keep looking below surface appearances. Don't shrink from doing so (just) because you might not like what you find"
"If it ain't broke, don't fix it" is the slogan of the complacent, the arrogant or the scared. It's an excuse for inaction, a call to non-arms. It's a mind-set that assumes (or hopes) that today's realities will continue tomorrow in a tidy, linear and predictable fashion. Pure fantasy. In this sort of culture, you won't find people who pro-actively take steps to solve problems as they emerge. Here's a little tip: don't invest in these companies.
General Colin Powell - Chairman (Ret), Joint Chiefs of Staff - Former Secretary of State - USA

Fortune is a woman; if you neglect her today do not expect to regain her tomorrow - French Proverb

Another Small Gathering - Elfian's Place

Excellent Hosts (Elfian and the 'better half')
40 year old stories to be told
much to discuss and laugh about

Following through the last 'small gathering' we had at my place, Elfian did another one at his house in Taman Subang Murni. Mad Yusof, Haji Mohamed Meon, Dr Dzulkifly Hashim, Dato' Jamshah, Dato' Fuad and me were there to enjoy the roti jala with chicken curry, mee hoon goreng, kek kukus, and host of other foods. It was an afternoon well spent, still with old 40 year old stories.

Even the respective wife followed, except Haji Mohamed Meon's wife who is in East Malaysia. Discussion went over to creating industries or businesses in the Kuala Pilah area. With our respective expertises in our own area, we could start something back in Kuala Pilah. After all, we gather that there are a lot of abandoned land that could be turned to be used for something very productive. In the agriculture and food area, Dr Dzul will be the main person to consult.
Dr Dzul - Haji Mohammad Meon - Elfian - Aziz Alhaj
Dato' Jamshah - Dato' Mohd Fuad - Mad Yusof
Aziz's Son - Dean Mala (Mrs Aziz) - Mrs Mad Yusof

Dean Mala (Mrs Aziz) - Datin (Mrs Dato' Fuad) - Dato' Fuad's Daughter - Datin (Mrs Dato' Jamshah)

Lets have this 'small gathering' again; in Kuala Pilah. We can have more friends chit chatting 40 year old stories to more people. We'll see !!! Have to start calling old friends again.

Lets go to Guru Besar Zainiyuddin's House - that's an idea !!!

BE GOOD - DO GOOD - THINK GOOD - FEEL GOOD

Thought 05NOV2007

A LEADERSHIP PRIMER - [lesson 6]
"You don't know what you can get away with until you try" You know the expression, "it's easier to get forgiveness than permission."
Well, it's true. Good leaders don't wait for official blessing to try things out. They're prudent, not reckless. But they also realize a fact of life in most organizations: if you ask enough people for permission, you'll inevitably come up against someone who believes his job is to say "no." So the moral is, don't ask. Less effective middle managers endorsed the sentiment, "If I haven't explicitly been told 'yes,' I can't do it," whereas the good ones believed, "If I haven't explicitly been told 'no,' I can." There's a world of difference between these two points of view.
General Colin Powell - Chairman (Ret), Joint Chiefs of Staff - Former Secretary of State - USA

To change and to improve are two different things - German Proverb

Thought 02NOV2007

A LEADERSHIP PRIMER - [lesson 5]
"Never neglect details. When everyone's mind is dulled or distracted the leader must be doubly vigilant"
Strategy equals execution. All the great ideas and visions in the world are worthless if they can't be implemented rapidly and efficiently. Good leaders delegate and empower others liberally, but they pay attention to details, every day. (Think about supreme athletic coaches like Jimmy Johnson, Pat Riley and Tony La Russa). Bad ones, even those who fancy themselves as progressive "visionaries," think they're somehow "above" operational details. Paradoxically, good leaders understand something else: an obsessive routine in carrying out the details begets conformity and complacency, which in turn dulls everyone's mind. That is why even as they pay attention to details, they continually encourage people to challenge the process. They implicitly understand the sentiment of CEO leaders like Quad Graphic's Harry Quadracchi, Oticon's Lars Kolind and the late Bill McGowan of MCI, who all independently asserted that the Job of a leader is not to be the chief organizer, but the chief dis-organizer.
General Colin Powell - Chairman (Ret), Joint Chiefs of Staff - Former Secretary of State - USA

May your anger set with the sun and not rise again with it - Irish Proverb