Friday, June 26, 2009

Leadership in the Office #2

Hi again,

continuing on the series - this time we will jot down the various leadership style.

Leadership style

Study of great leaders, past and present, shows that in one way or another they had the gift of getting people to give their best. We are all born with an individual set of talents. We can acquire some more; but others are more difficult to develop. Most people can improve their communication skills but find it difficult to acquire a sense of humour.

The first thing to do in developing your own leadership style is to make the best use of what you have and not to worry too much about what you haven't. A sense of humour is certainly a great help on many occasions, but there have been many successful leaders who have gotten by without one.

To develop and build on each talent you need to match your own character and personality to the range of leadership tools and qualities. There is no mould or blueprint, but do not hesitate to follow the example of others whose leadership you admire, provided there is some match to your own personality. For instance there is no use aping Winston Churchill if you can't match his linguistic skills.

So you must be yourself and not pretend to be what you are not. You must also be ready to adapt your leadership style to varying situations. Being firts on the scene at a road traffic accident calls for a very different style of leadership to chairing a meeting.

Commanding a war ship is very much different from being a manager in a civilian office environment. Indeed some of my friends find the adjustment very difficult. Command is not automatically adhered to and respect has to be earned and does not rest on how broad or how many stripes there is on your shoulder board.

There is nothing dishonest about adapting your style to suit the situation: indeed it is good leadership to do so.

Till the next time - have a happy weekend and do seek out a leader that you most admire and try to copy him, a word of advise though - no one can copy Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamed. Be warned.

de 9W2SBS

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

LEADERSHIP IN THE OFFICE

Hi,

Just to continue the 'Now you are a Manager' series, I have decided to mix it up with a pamphlet that I produced in my previous working life entitled Leadership in the Office. It is not a dogmatic approach to leadership but I hope it will inspire discussion on the matter.

As it is, developing leadership is not cheap, the amount of money needed to attend such courses is exorbitant and yet our bosses expect us to have it and implement it.

So here goes - the first article in the series of many (I hope)

Foreword

Leadership is not a black art. It can be learned, practised and polished by anyone who is prepared to make the effort. In that sense it is no different to other professional attributes required in your field. If you want to get better at it - you have to spend time on it and at it.

There are many of us who could improve our leadership in one way or another. You might find it heldful to read this pamphlet when you join a new organisation, are promoted or take on new responsibilities. Six months later it may be worth having another quick read to help review and refresh your leadership knowledge. It might also be able to give you personal guidance if you are confronted byu a particularly difficult leadership challenge.

Improved leadership leads directly to improved effectiveness. we have recognised the gains of the Scientific Revolution, the Industrial Revolution, the Social Revolution and the Computer Revolution. The next step up in performance needs to come from a Leadership Revolution.

Till the next time - de 9W2SBS

Thursday, June 18, 2009

lest we forget

How could I ever forget the day you came into my life? Your mother dropped you off last and what a mite you were... The moment I laid my eyes on you I was hooked. Your clear green eyes and your wide mouth melted this ole heart of mine. You were cute and to think that it was what 7 years ago.

Anyway, I tried to pick you up when you were about 3 weeks old and, man, was your mother angry! She hissed and hussed her at me - eyes shooting fire bolts and shooting stars ..... "hey I only want to cuddle your baby up" I said.... 'dirty old man' that's what her eyes were saying.....

Fast forward last 3 years, and I could see that you had left your mark on the world.... so many ginger haired kids around the neighbourhood..... so that explains your absence from home. You were out gallivanting and partying around the neighbourhood. Funny though you were never the fighter always the lovey dovey type and man, could you purr your way into my family's heart.

I must admit that I neglected to take care off you lately, what with my busy schedule and my work related matters. I could only see you around mid night that too when I see you scrambling up the road to greet me exiting from the car. Hey, I must admit that your greetings were sometimes heart warming and heart renderingly fresh. You did not impose on me anything nor did you want anything from me, just a pat on the head and a scrub on your belly and that's it.

and when I called for you, even in the middle of the night - lo and behold there you were, waving and scrambling to come. There were times in your haste that you were nearly runned over by the traffic but hey you had nimbleness as your middle name.

No histronics or drama from you. You were pleased that I came back ... that's it....full stop.

and now I will miss you. You decided three days ago that you had to move on, you could no longer stay on this side of the world. You tried to tell me but I could see that your lips just could not move and that you looked terribly beaten down. You looked like you were saying your goodbyes to all your relatives and off springs in the neighbourhood.

and ..... this morning, I find you at your favourite resting place... not a stirr and not a sound.

My touch now fails to excite you and I find that you have gone. You must have tried to come in as I can see your prone body facing the door.

So Ginger, if cats do go to heaven - I will be seeing you there - if not then you will always have a place in my heart.


to my tom cat Ginger

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Another one bites the dust

Hi Again

We had fun this weekend at the Relay for Life National Cancer Society of Malaysia event at Bukit Jalil. Some of us who promised their time and sweat could not make it so that is that and i understand that there are commitments made which take priority.

Any way congratulations to the organisers for being able to keep the program running as planned and congratulations too to all the volunteers.

Did you know that some of the participants walking on the track kept their friends updated through their facebook postings? Yup that's how powerful the social network has become and boy you should see their faces - full of smiles and cheerfull.

Maybe next year you will be there? See you then.