“Leadership” in itself is a function

Have we been part of an ad-hoc team, a committee or worked on a group project?  Have we at one point or another wondered if the team leader had any work to do?  Have we often question if the boss has any “real work”?

Due to the many expectations from team members nowadays, I often observe that many new leaders are over-doing “leadership by example”.  While “leadership by example” and “hands-on leadership” is something that helps build credibility and gains respect from team members, over-doing it could sometimes backfire.

Security concerns stopping you from using Cloud?

In a short span of 8 years, Workday.com has grown from a start-up to a well respected company providing Cloud Human Resources Management System it is today.  However, despite the huge credibility in the market, there are bound to be many worries preventing the management’s decision to go for Cloud computing in a corporate organization.  Some of them are:

  • If we don’t host it on our own server, it’s not secured.
  • If the company hosting it goes bust, our data is gone.
  • You can’t customize it to suit what you really need.

Let me share why do I think that these are myths rather than reality.

Founder Institute – A must visit for aspiring entrepreneurs …

I came accross an article published by Founder Institute via LinkedIn and got to know this very interesting company with an objective to help aspiring entrepreneurs ease their journey and lower the cost of start-ups.  It’s definitely worth more publicity than it’s getting, thus I thought of sharing it here with everyone.  Do watch the video below to understand more.

 The Malaysia Spring 2013 session will take place 1 April till 15 July, and application is open NOW!

Top 1% most viewed LinkedIn Profile!

Wow!  Didn’t know my LinkedIn profile has been so frequently viewed.  Unfortunately LinkedIn have discontinued the function of embedding WordPress blog within it.

LinkedIn Profile

Top 1% LinkedIn Profile

For those who hasn’t got onto this social network, do try it out.  Definitely one of the best place to network and get new ideas!

Why does corporate Social Media Strategy Fail?

In recent years (not so recent actually), we’ve seen more corporate companies jumping onto the social media bandwagon.  However,  while we’ve heard many success stories, there are many who have failed to create a real impact and became one of the many in the crowd.  Let’s look into the possibilities in which corporate social media strategy may fail.

Quantity vs. Quality – Voluntary Services Membership Perspective

I’ve recently been invited to speak in a youth conference by a voluntary services organizations.  During the 1 hour session, I’ve shared the similarities between membership engagement in voluntary services as compared to employee engagement in corporate environment.  The differences, however, is that voluntary services would have been more challenging as the “reward” & “position” power of the leader may be somewhat lacking because of its nature.  Here’s the deck for those who would like a copy of it.

I’d appreciate further views and discussions beyond this =)

Strategic Thinking aren’t limited to HR Business Partners

Since Dave Ulrich popularize the concept of organizing HR into shared services, centers of expertise and business partners; much misperception has been formed by those who’re applying them in the business environment.  In a typical reorganization, management tends to make the strategic thinkers the business partners; specialist to join the center of expertise while the “non-strategic”, “non-specialist” administrative support is moved to HR Shared Services.

While some may see this as the most logical move to “outsource administrative for efficiencies”, it’s likely to amplify the inefficiencies along the way.  What was the most often forgotten?  The fact that every team here needs strategic thinkers and drivers to ensure maximum effectiveness!

KEY Performance Indicators – Measuring what’s important

It’s that time of the year again when employees begin thinking about what are their KPIs for next year.  I find it interesting every year when employee begin scambling through their thoughts thinking about what are their KRAs & KPIs.  My question is simple – “If your role didn’t change, how much could your KRAs & KPIs change?”.  There’s a possible reason why your KPI changes frequently even when role doesn’t change – You’ve done it wrong!

There’s a reason why it’s called “KEY Performance Indicators” instead of “Performance Indicators” or “Task / Activities List”.  KPIs are meant to be empowering and not limiting.  It measures what’s important but does not dictate the activities carried out to achieve the targets.

Are meetings still relevant today?

I’ve been going through a bi-weekly routine of evening meetings with a voluntary organization for more than 5 years now.  Recently, one of its meeting was exceptionally long and tiring, ending at 11pm.  This has triggered some arguements about the relevance of meeting in today’s environment.  In a typical general meeting, the following agenda takes place:

  • Protocols – Called to order, passing of minutes … etc.
  • Items brought forward from previous meeting.
  • Key officers updates.
  • Any new items.
  • Other discussions.

Were these really necessary?  Let me share some views.

Wrong career advice that may backfire

Being a HR Professional, I’ve often been asked to share my thoughts on the employment market and to provide advice to students on tips & techniques of job-hunting.  Through this journey, I often wonder if some of the advices working professionals gave to students were the cause of manpower issues we’re having today.

I shall examine some of these frequent advices and issues it creates:

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