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T: 03 7966 8388 F: 03 7955 3355
Do what you love
YOUR ULTIMATE CAREER& TALENT RESOURCE
WELCOMING CHANGEIt’s all about taking one step at a time
Pg 12
COME TOGETHER Putting away pride, gossip and dishonesty
Pg 11
LEARNING PAINSTools that take us beyond traditional, conventional trainings
Pg 10
Saturday 29 November 2014
HrevolutioNtHe Need to traNSform HrPaGeS 6-7
Embrace intrapreneursAre you empowering your staff to execute their brilliant, profitable ideas?
Pg 09
mystarjob.com, saturday 29 November 20142
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tUNE iN
The opinions expressed in this career guide are those of the writers or the people they quoted and not necessarily those of Leaderonomics.
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“True motivation comes from achievement, personal development, job satisfaction, and recognition.” – Frederick Herzberg
“Success in business requires training and discipline and hard work. But if you’re not frightened by these things, the opportunities are just as great today as they ever were.” – David Rockefeller
“The only vital value an enterprise has is the experience, skills, innovativeness and insights of its people.” – Leif Edvinsson
“Management is nothing more than motivating other people.” – Lee Iacocca
thE hr traNSForMErBy SARAH [email protected]
IN Ravin Jesuthasan and John Boudreau’s book, Transformative HR: How Great Companies Use Evidence-Based Change for Sustainable Advantage, they write about the need for evidence-based HR (human resource) practices and decision-making within an organisation.
The book (and as shared on business-financemag.com and talentmgt.com ) presents five guiding principles needed in order to shift our organisation’s HR from its previous method of functioning to becom-ing a more evidence-based division in their organisations.
Below are a few of them – you want to read more about it, read on to catch Shahran’s article on page 8 and 9!
1 Logic-driven anaLyticsThrough this, HR teams will
identify the most pressing issues of their organisation which affects the business’ performance.
Paired with a detailed analysis to describe them and the possible outcomes of various implementations used to address those issues, this principle is driven by basic logic.
As such, HR teams can then strategically pinpoint and focus on their specific issues and solutions more effectively.
2 segmentationRather than the usual categori-
sation of people by age, HR teams will instead segment their current and poten-tial employees by their many differences – i.e. their strengths and weaknesses.
As a result, the organisation will be able to plan and use specific programmes and talent management tactics to meet the needs of specific segments.
This benefits both parties – what the organisation needs from its employees and what can motivate these employees – on top of saving money in the long run, as it isn’t wasted on ineffective programmes.
Quoting the talent leader of EY Malaysia, Lee Soo Fern, “we make it our goal to help our people achieve their goals. Why? It’s simple – because our success depends on it”.
3 integration and synergy
Very much like a functioning body, HR teams should recognise the workforce as a whole.
Rather than zooming in on individual programmes or constantly adding on new ones, HR teams should work together within the whole of the HR department, and work together from there.
Just as how all the employees in Taylor’s Education Group (as mentioned on page 6 of our Nov 22 pullout!) are aligned by a common core purpose, a synergy and har-mony within the company is a driving force of success.
This can collectively produce better results, as opposed to having good individ-ual programmes but an underperforming overall function.
“Strategic HR is achieved beyond the HR function, beyond HR technology,” Boudreau says.
“It’s achieved between the ears of the people who make decisions about human capital.”
MorE thaN MEEtS thE EyETHIS week, we look at the transformative role of human resources (HR).
One way to see it is at the organisational level – whereby the focus of HR efforts is to have an effect on individuals in order to grow the organisation. Another consideration is how individual company HRs, in their zeal to be the best they can be, can, at the aggregate level, have a transformative effect on the nation.
It was a night to remember! More than 500 people milling about the foyer of the Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur ballroom for the black tie event organ-ised by GTI Media Sdn Bhd – the Malaysia’s 100 LeadingGraduate Employers Awards Night 2014 was the latest in the annual gathering of the Who’s Who of graduate employers in Malaysia.
The awards night was the cul-mination of work by GTI Media to identify the most outstanding graduate employers in Malaysia, including the most sought-after employers in their respective sectors.
As part two of the M100 special edition last week, we feature more of the companies who received awards and their journeys to success.
At this point, I detract from my usual ambidextrous musings, to consider the third – the need for HR itself to transform in order to achieve all the objectives above.
In our centrespread story, Shahran Masood explains what HR transformation is, what prompted the need for it, and what type of leadership is necessary to see it through.
Elisa Dass introduces the category of employee we may be over-looking – the intrapreneur, people with great profitable ideas who, as opposed to entrepreneurs, would still like to enjoy the security of employment. Elisa offers practical tips on how to support intrapre-neurs.
Following up on last week’s introduction to the theory of how people learn, this week, Hui Yi-Wen explores some of the models and tools that take us beyond traditional, conventional trainings.
Morag Barrett delves into what happens when things go horribly wrong in an organisation, and identifies underlying causes before building a collaborative culture.
Last but not least, an article on managing, and embracing change by Hyma Pillay.
Have a fantastic weekend all!
KAREN NEOHEditorleaderonomics.com
mystarjob.com, saturday 29 November 2014 3
IN PETRONAS, we challenge every individual to be innovative within their respective spheres of influ-ence.
As we pursue the search for hydrocarbon resources and ways to deliver value, we continue to be chal-lenged in achieving business efficiency and operational excellence. These efforts require skills and competencies which include ingenuity, creativity and resourcefulness to navigate the tough environments we are thrust into to maintain operational excellence, remain profitable and more impor-tantly, be sustainable.
As such, PETRONAS encourages innovation in core areas of work, and provides many opportunities to incul-cate an inventive mindset through various internal and external platforms across the Company. These platforms are primarily PETRONAS’ learning insti-tutions such as Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS (UTP), INSTEP Integrated Oil and Gas Training Centre, Malaysian Maritime Academy (ALAM) and PETRONAS Leadership Centre (PLC).
For in-depth core work areas, we leverage on our Upstream Centre of Excellence and state-of-the-art laboratory at PETRONAS Research Sdn Bhd; pioneering Fluid Technology Solutions used by the leading F1 team; our technology partnerships with global leading edge compa-nies such as GE, Schlumberger and Halliburton; PETRONAS’ hands-on bold ventures into deep-water, Enhanced Oil Recovery, High Pressure High Temperature; and unchartered uncon-ventionals such as the first-of-its-kind Floating LNG facilities, shale and coal-seam-gas.
Innovation also transcends other aspects of our business such as in finance and contract solutions (where Risk Service Contracts were introduced as an enhancement from the conven-tional Production Sharing Contracts; dual and triple Front End Engineering Design (FEED) competitions), integrat-ed business operations and human resource management.
INNOVATIVE TALENT MANAGEMENT
At PETRONAS, we believe in nurtur-ing our talents and stretching their abilities, to create leaders who are competent and ready to take on chal-lenges faced.
The company offers an Employment Value Proposition (EVP) that enables our people to experience the fundamental principles of Trust, Grow and Reward, and they are empowered to motivate their respective teams similarly. The EVP complements our Shared Values of Loyalty, Integrity, Professionalism and Cohesiveness, which are the core tenets of our people.
Our people are developed on their functional capability through an Accelerated Development Programme where the targeted
timeframe to reach autonomy is between five to seven years. Benefits from the programme have been proven based on exposure, experience and knowledge gained, and recog-nised through awards for innovation granted by external bodies.
The Employee Performance Management (EPM) is a key driver that rewards individuals based on perfor-mance, which includes innovation, leadership and contributions to people development.
The spirit of innovation has formed part of PETRONAS’ clarion call since its inception and is reflect-
ed in the corporate positioning of reimagining energy™ of always push-ing boundaries and doing things differently.
ACCOLADESThe following accolades are a testa-
ment to PETRONAS’ solid reputation as an employer of choice: l Voted Malaysia’s Most Popular
Graduate Employer in the Energy/Oil & Gas/Utilities sector for three consecutive years in 2012, 2013 and 2014 by Malaysia’s 100 Leading Graduate Employers Awards.
l Ranked fifth in Asia’s Best Companies for Leadership by Hay Group in 2013.
l Voted Malaysia’s TOP 10 Most Preferred Employer by GRADUAN in 2013.
l Voted Best Employer in the Oil & Gas Sector for the GRADUAN Brand Awards 2013.
l Ranked Malaysia’s Top 1 IDEAL Employer by Universum for 2014.
l Won Asia’s Best Employer Brand Awards in 2014.
l UTP receives World Class Rating by Quacquarelli Symonds and it is the first private university in Malaysia to do so.
l UTP’s Centre for Intelligent Signal and Imaging Research (CISIR) recognised by the Ministry of Education as a National Higher Institution Centre of Excellence (HICoE).
l INSTEP wins Offshore Petroleum Industry Training Organization (OPITO) Chairman’s Award for improving safety and compe-tency in the oil and gas industry.
To know more about career opportunities in PETRONAS, visit www.discoverpetronas.com
AbOuT PETRONASPetroliam Nasional Berhad
(PETRONAS) is Malaysia’s fully inte-grated oil and gas multinational ranked 69th in the latest FORTUNE Global 500® list. Operating its core business in the Upstream and Downstream sectors, PETRONAS has a presence in more than 60 countries since it was first incorporated in 1974.
PETRONAS is among the top five oil and gas companies (in terms of production) and the most profitable company in Asia.
With a proven track record in inte-grated oil and gas operations span-ning the entire hydrocarbon value chain, PETRONAS is steadily driving
new solutions and push-ing boundaries to develop and add value to oil and gas resources in a manner that carefully balances commer-cial, environmental and social considerations.
www.petronas.com
The PETRONAS Floating Liquefied Natural Gas 1 (PFLNG 1) facility currently under construction in South Korea, is a world’s first and is expected to be commissioned by next year. Another LNG floating facility, PFLNG 2 with a larger capacity of 1.5 mtpa, is scheduled for commissioning in 2018.
DRIVING EXCELLENCE THROUGH THESPIRIT OF
INNOVATION
mystarjob.com, saturday 29 November 20144
Maybank: the M100 history Maker
IN the history of the Malaysia’s 100 Leading Graduate Employers Award, Maybank is the first financial institu-tion ever to win the coveted No 1 spot.
This puts Maybank as the most pop-ular employer of the nation. Not only that, Maybank has also extended its winning streak in the Banking & Finance category for the fourth year running.
In addition, Maybank won honours in the GradMalaysia Graduate Recruitment Awards in the categories of Best Innovation on Campus for Maybank GO Ahead Challenge and Best Internship Experience for Maybank Internship Programme.
Maybank’s achievements in this year’s awards are mainly driven by the enhanced focus towards graduates – the Gen-Y and the Millennials who make up the new blood for the bank’s various pipeline pro-grammes.
Each year, Maybank com-mits considerable investment and resources in its learning and development programmes for its people. These pro-grammes cater to the diverse needs and aspirations of staff to ensure they are equipped with the right knowledge, con-fidence, skills and capability to excel. For students and gradu-ates, the bank has varied entry level pipeline programmes for new recruits and graduates.
Malaysia’s 100Leading Graduate Employers Awards
1st
2nd
3rd
5th
17th
Graduate Employer of
the Year 2014
Placing for overall winner 2013
Placing for overall winner 2012
Placing for overall winner 2011
Placing for overall winner 2010
Maybank recognises that the Gen-Y and Millennials have distinct career aspira-tions. A new, revolutionary approach is needed to attract them to join; show them that Maybank is more than just the coun-try’s largest regional financial institution and a regional financial services group – but, also a cool and hip place to work in as well as grow professionally and personally.
That’s one reason the Maybank GO Ahead. Challenge (MGAC) was rolled out in 2012 – to bring a fresh approach in the graduate recruitment scene, especially for its engagement scene in campuses, domestically and abroad. It’s also to rein-force Maybank’s long term commitment to developing the nations Maybank oper-ates tapping the right home grown talents in the region to contribute to the growth of their respective nations.
Designed along the famed reality show The Apprentice, MGAC is a unique talent recruitment scheme where candidates are put to the test, beyond financials or pres-entations. The challenge is open to stu-dents of various disciplines to experience actual situations they will find themselves in today’s challenging work climate in suc-cessful high performance organisations such as Maybank.
Being an international case competition that challenges the intellect, stretches the creativity and tests the endurance, it has grown from strength to strength attract-ing 10,000 applicants this year compared to 5,000 applicants from 2013 and 1,000 in 2012.
It is also fully developed in-house by the Global Maybank Apprentices, some who were previous MGAC finalists themselves, for future Global Maybank Apprentices.
This year alone, MGAC has com-pleted multiple campus level challenges nationwide and in regional campuses in Singapore, Indonesia and the Philippines. This was followed by the national level challenge in 14 countries where Maybank is present, including the US and United Kingdom.
To show that the challenge is definitely international, in the grand finals, par-ticipants had the opportunity to travel to Jakarta and present their business plan to the management team in Bank Internasional Indonesia (BII), Maybank’s Indonesian counterpart.
In addition to the mental and physical
tasks participants face throughout the one week duration of the grand finals, one day of the challenge allows the final-ists to participate in a Maybank corporate responsibility (CR) initiative to experience the bank’s mission of humanising finan-cial services.
The finalists of 2014 spent the day helping to build homes for the indigenous community in Malaysia as well as feeding
the homeless.We are proud to say that many of the
alumni and finalists of MGAC have joined us through the GMAP in various countries, making the programme truly diverse, and global, with a strongly connected bunch of talented and energetic young blood in the pipeline for the bank.
To the potential challengers, stay tuned for MGAC 2015!
The winning team of MGAC 2014
MGAC finalists building homes during the CR day
Participants in action during MGAC campus level challenge
Nora Abd Manaf, group chief human capital officer flagging off the finalists during the MGAC grand finals
a winning streak and counting
PERSONaliSEd: cut Out fOR itS PEOPlE
GlObal MaybaNk aPPRENticE PROGRaMME (GMaP)Maybank’s reputable graduate pro-
gramme, GMAP, is aimed at developing an all-rounder banker through a struc-tured two-year programme. It’s a home grown programme and runs simultane-ously in countries where Maybank operate. Apprentices will learn the ropes of banking under the guidance of experienced bankers as they undergo a challenging yet balanced introduction to the world of banking.
Other exciting features of GMAP: l International assignments to immerse the
Global Maybank Apprentice in its global network operations.
lStructured personal development by pro-viding a blend of interventions comprising formal, relationship-based and experien-tial learning.
lOpportunity to lead special projects to build special competencies.
Recognition for GMAP:l Finalist in the Best Management Trainee
Programme Category in the Graduate Recruitment Awards
l Champion – Graduate Development Award Category in HR Excellence Award 2014
Get the best of both worlds with Maybank!Apprentices with aspirations to be chartered accountants can sign up for GMAP PLUS. The “PLUS” offers full certification
cost sponsorship in collaboration with ICAEW. You can get a chartered accountant title and work in a bank at the same time.
diVERSEGlobal Maybank Apprentice Programme (GMAP) is now
available in most of the countries that Maybank is operating, with Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines, Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, Pakistan, Hong Kong, China and as far as the United States (US). Apprentices come not only from diverse cultures but also different backgrounds, i.e. multi-disciplinary qualifications from conventional banking to even architecture or psychology. This diversity makes GMAP live up to its name as a truly global programme.
Check out Maybank’s other signature home-grown pipe-line programmes:
l Branch Management Entry Level PipelineDesigned to groom aspiring branch/centre managers by providing them with targeted learning and skill sets through an intensive training experience in branch manage-ment.
l Maybank Scholarship Programme This offers financial support and learning and development interventions to complement students’ academic studies.
l Maybank Internship ProgrammeMaybank’s internship programme provides an initial over-view of the industry, coupled with structured learning objectives, as interns grow into working professionals.
The programme follows standards set by TalentCorp under their Structured Internship Programme scheme.
REcOGNitiON: Winner – Best Internship Experience Category in the Graduate Recruitment Awards
iNNOVatiVE
GMaP P
luS:
mystarjob.com, saturday 29 November 2014 5
Maybankers taking part in a tree-planting exercise as part of Global CR Day initiative
Pow Leng
Pow Leng (Malaysian), is also in Shanghai working alongside head, corporate banking there to build our corporate clientele.
Elisa
“The international assignment in KL has widened up my network with the other young bankers from other countries in the bank. It’s been great being here in KL!” says Elisa (Indonesian) who is cur-rently on international assignment in KL.
Kim Choon
Kim Choon (Malaysian), with a bachelor’s degree of aeronautical engineering is currently in Shanghai closing deals for transaction banking.
Zack
Zack (Filipino) who was recruited from MGAC 2012 currently residing in New York and undergoing an international assign-ment here in Kuala Lumpur. Definitely bringing international mobility to the next level.
to be truly global,Maybankers go abroad!
We are serious about developing young talents like you! As we make our mark across the world, we bring our talents along too. Here, we call it international assignments! Let’s hear what they have to say about their assignments.
“ gMaP experience is what i always looked forward to. the dynamics of
the bank, flexibility of rotations, friendly and helpful colleagues, and promis-ing career prospects. another edge of gMaP is that the prestige of being an award-winning management training programme that is inclusive and accepts international graduates.” – Bermet Kamchybek Kyzy Global Maybank Apprentice
(from Kyrgyzstan) (MGAC 2013 finalist)
“ as a former scholar and also intern with Maybank, i am thrilled to be in the apprentice programme. i am given the
chance to apply what i have studied into practice and by working with other professionals in the bank, i am confident of excelling further in my career. besides, my colleagues in Maybank are very friendly and helpful, what more can i ask for? Maybank has cer-tainly exceeded my expectations in terms of career.” – Syazwani Zakaria Global Maybank Apprentice (Maybank scholar)
“ the greatest benefit of becoming an apprentice is the networking opportunity with Maybank’s senior
management. although capable people will be naturally discovered, this programme gives you the spotlight that you need to shine and accelerate sooner than most other people. without this programme, i wouldn’t be here leading the transaction banking unit in shanghai after only three years working for the bank.”– Poh Kuan Khiaw Manager, Transaction Banking, Maybank Shanghai
(Global Maybank Apprentice – graduated)
“ i can’t thank Maybank
enough for the awe-some internship experience given to me back in singapore. My colleagues in singapore were very kind and guided me through my first corporate experience and that led to the opportunity to join the client coverage team in Malaysia.”– Wilson Beh Executive, Client
Coverage, Maybank Investment Bank
(MGAC 2012 final-ist)
“ gMaP is indeed an incredible programme; one that offers multiple job rotations including overseas attachments. being
an apprentice kickstarted my banking career and for someone without banking and finance qualifications, i was given the valuable opportunity to train in Maybank investment bank, high net worth and affluent banking, human resource and market risk among others. My stint in Maybank singapore as part of my international assignment led to my current full-time role here.”– Vince Lim Executive, Private Wealth, Maybank Singapore
(Global Maybank Apprentice – graduated)
#cONNEctEdMaybank stays connected with engage-
ments via university roadshows, and career fairs. Maybank also partnered with the lead-ing student organisations – International Council of Malaysian Scholars (ICMS) and AIESEC to support their programmes such as the Industry Partnership Forum, Malaysia Public Policy Competition and Global Ambassador Programme. These partner-ships help to attract talents to return to their domicile countries to build their talent pool for nation building.
Maybank is also connected virtually with Gen-Ys and Millennials! One can bond with Maybank via the Facebook Group – GO Ahead.Academy, a lively and informative group of like-minded peers who can connect at the same time.
Look out for special contests, movie nights, personality tests and inspirational quotes to keep occupied while getting to know Maybank as an employer. In to Instagram? Check out Maybank’s Instagram page @roaringcareers. To connect on a pro-fessional platform, look no further and link with them on the LinkedIn page!
Maybank placed CR projects as one of its priorities which allow graduates to contribute back to the com-munity while achieving their professional aspirations. Volunteerism is deeply entrenched in Maybank’s global workforce. Each year, Maybankers enthusiastically vol-unteer their time and effort in sharing passion, exper-tise and resources to improve the lives around them.
This shows that Maybankers consider the group’s CR volunteerism initiatives as an important factor that gives them a sense of pride to be associated with the organisation. Being at the heart of the community reinforces the mission of humanising financial services.
Experience can make a world of differ-ence when it comes to real life corporate tasks. Maybank’s internship programme is one platform that has excelled in producing industry ready graduates. It is designed to provide a valuable learning opportunity by working with a lead-ing regional bank. With a minimum of eight weeks attached to a department, Maybank interns are able to have hands-on experience by assisting the teams with on-going projects.
HuMaNiSiNG
tRuly GlObal
ExPERiENtial
“ during my internship with Maybank, i was given
substantive work that made me learn and allowed me to contribute to the project team. there was a definite collabora-tive culture between employees and i learnt a lot from working with experienced and passionate employees. i am proud to say that i received the gMaP offer right after my internship ended and will be joining the bank after my graduation.” – Lim Gian Yang,
Monash University
Do you know that many of those who interned with us are now work-ing full time in Maybank? That’s our commitment to develop you!
hear froM our young tigers
“ the experience gained from the job rota-tions in gMaP definitely broadened my per-
spective of the banking industry. the knowledge i gained in operational frameworks of different insurance and banking products, governance, risk management, and the various banking divisions certainly eased my ability to establish myself firmly in my current role.” – Fikri Hairuddin Global Maybank Apprentice
(MGAC 2013 finalist)
GO Ahead and explore your opportunities with the nation’s new No 1 employer at www.maybank.com/mycareer
HR TRANSFORMATIONBy SHAHRAN [email protected]
SINCE the start of the Baby Boomer era, the human resource (HR) function has been an essential part of business operations – taking care of the hiring, firing, and calculating the balance of an employee pay packet.
Fast forward 50 years to today, and HR has greatly evolved in scope and sophistication. While still managing the headcount and remuneration related to employment, HR practitioners now have many tools to get the best out of their people; including systems for compensation, performance management tools, and talent development strategies.
As businesses are pressured to create more value from less input, the most progressive business leaders have elevated the value of the HR function, which has led to the integration of HR and business strategy.
HR insights and strategy are now an invaluable part of business operations. Best HR practices are no longer a response from ‘management’ to recruit,
develop, or retain, but rather a key influence and partner in business decisions to maximise growth by matching HR activities with future market trends, setting the direction for a growth culture in varied context, and proactive preparation an
allocation of HR.
mystarjob.com, saturday 29 November 2014 7mystarjob.com, saturday 29 November 20146
5 LOOKING to the trends of future HR
management, there is focus on how we process information for better decision-making.
Not just looking at the manner in which we process, but most importantly the way information is utilised.
In an interview with Ravin Jesuthasan, co-author of Transformative HR: How Great Companies Use Evidence-Based Change for Sustainable Advantage, he mentions that ‘evidence based change’ programmes have their roots in ‘evidence based medicine’ – the practice of well-conducted research in healthcare decision making. In short, a better diagnosis.
According to Jesuthasan, he wants to instil rigour and science in the making of HR decisions – “just like finance and marketing functionshave the tools, processes, and decision supports systems.”
Instead of just having data driven decision making in HR, it’s also about having hypotheses, the most relevant information, coupled with change management skills.
He suggests that when we identify the essential ingredients or tasks to make change happen, we are better prepared to transform company culture and raise productivity.
MeeTINg THe NeedS OF evOlvINg HR FuNcTIONS ANd ScOpe
pRINcIpleS FOR HR TRANSFORMATION
A company that goes through a HR transformation reframes how their HR team interacts with business divisions to drive business strategy. This new philosophy refocuses HR to become accountable for business objectives, instead of a reactive and isolated function of a business.
HR must understand how the market’s competitive environment affects the business as a whole. HR transformations expose the HR function in all business activity of an organisation, because at the root of all challenges and progress, is people.
There is a heightened accountability that forces HR to move out of their natural silo and frequently enter
into business dialogue, in areas that affect process and bottom line. A spirit of HR transformation also leads to re-evaluating the measurements of success.
Transformation aspirations lead to seeking metrics from different data correlation.
Previously, we looked at cost vs benefit of a resource in a specific department. Now we should look outside of the box to locate
the best resources company wide, that when grouped together, provide the greatest benefit to the company – when preparing for a boom or recession period.
For example, this strategy couldinclude succession plan readiness, incentive compensation for high and low performers, and to prepare for drastic business market changes.
It’s safe to say that markets all around the world go through evolutions, changes and transformations. We live in a time where companies, financial markets, and social connectivity link us together in a global business market.
When a country is in recession, there is a domino effect around the world.
This phrase exemplifies how we are all linked, where mild and volatile reasons call for the need for strategies like HR transformation.
In the last 10 years, there has been a big expansion of western companies into developing countries. Slowing markets in western nations have forced growth-seeking companies to set up operations in rapidly developing countries.
The reverse is also true for leading Asian companies, as big players from the Asian region have also expanded into western countries.
These companies’ low cost philosophy and operations create opportunistic growth opportunities in western countries, where potential customers affected by slowing economies seek less expensive products.
According to a survey conducted by PwC and HfS Research, there are key global factors driving the need for HR transformation:
1 Economic hardships have left companies with buffer
Recessions and tighter markets over the last decade have forced companies to decrease their recruitment rate, and to keep their labour force as efficient and
lean as possible. The ‘leaner companies’ have survived
through sheer persistence and efficient practice. This has created a new paradigm in optimisation.
2 Increasingly complex regulatory environments
With shifts in international business, cross cultural operations, and attempts to rationalise changes, there has been an increase in regulations and compliance.
Financial, environmental, consumer rights and privacy standards have advanced in both western and eastern economies.
Employees must be knowledgeable of local market requirements and overseas markets. Adaptation in multiple contexts has ensured success.
3 The pace of business has accelerated
Customers have a higher expectation for a delivery experience. At the same time, business competition is quick to capitalise on gaps in the market, and to reduce the share of the pie.
As a result, more companies rapidly launch multiple products into many countries at one time to drive revenue objectives.
They must react quickly to competitive products and remain connected with customers – whose business environments are also changing quickly.
Market dynaMics – the need for hr transforMation
A transformative leader has a noble vision, is business-minded and in this regard, committed to creating an impact with the HR transformation methodology.
An individual can champion a programme, but rallying others to do the same, or at least foster the same spirit can truly transform an average company into a profitable ‘Employer of Choice’. It starts with leading by example.
In addition to this, a transformative leader is focused on building a case to make a company’s situation better today and tomorrow.
This vision translates through their presence and becomes the driving force to integrate HR and business conversations and translate this to operations and activity.
For a moment, if we looked at developing a nation in the same context as developing a business, HR transformation practice is not only applicable, but also makes it possible to appreciate what a nation would look like if people (human resource) are developed and optimised, when a culture is fostered (with diversity and alignment) to reach a common result, and with measured results (that refine strategy and growth) in a local and international economy.
If more transformative HR leaders are practising in business and community groups, the effect of this methodology and philosophy could impact the way we live and grow as a nation.
Applying transformative HR for the nation:l Logic driven analytics using census data can be
processed to map critical opportunities and gaps in our national workforce.
l Segmentation can provide a tool to look at industries and markets to assess when it is a good time to focus on one group over another.
l Risk leverage can be used to identify the truly bad risks in markets and industries, but also capitalise on the risks that are manageable and worthwhile for sustainability.
l Integration and synergy would help a nation of transformative leaders to realise the benefit of optimising and leveraging current resources and strengths that are unique to their nation, instead of perhaps looking for ‘the answer’ to a problem from a new project or by importing capability.
l Optimisation enables a nation to get maximum value from all resources by efficiently allocating
unique industry cultural strengths to create the best national result.
n Shahran is a regional strategic manager with the Learning and Acceleration division at Leaderonomics. To engage with him, write to [email protected]. You can read more articles on www.leaderonomics.com
1 Logic driven anaLytics
Is there information that is not being utilised? There is value in all information so it is important to make sure that all data is processed and utilised for decision-making. Take opportunity to connect the dots to find new clues and opportunities.
2 segMentationsLook at the whole
business and groups of talents to understand when it is a good time to put emphasis on one group more than another.
3 risk LeverageRisk can be utilised
where an outcome is still suitable. Instead of protecting against all outcomes we need to distinguish between good and bad risks.
4 integration and synergy
How are your programmes integrating and building upon one another for improved outcome? Resources are better spent on integration rather than starting new initiatives.
5 optiMisationMake decisions about
where resources are allocated (HR and money) and analyse how effectively these resources are generating a return.
Transformative HR is based on five principles that build upon one another:
a transforMative Leader: getting us there
Transformative leadership behaviour includes:
l Vision Create a noble vision to work towards that inspires others.
l Authenticity Authentic in their commitment to their vision, and not just for their personal gain. Their integrity inspires others to take action.
l Perseverance They are transfixed on making this change happen.
l Coach Cultivate their team’s professional and personal development. They invest time and energy knowing their efforts will bear fruit.
l Acknowledgement They recognise their teams individual effort as well as personal performance.
l Spirited Encourage team leader to develop their ideas, work with flair and embrace originality.
l Risk taking They allow measured risks to foster innovation.
l Change agent Focused on taking the change initiative from concept to implementation.
What is hr transforMation?
“nation” transforMation
Looking at things functionally, a transformative leader must be business-minded. The future transformative leader has a holistic perspective of his or her company and perhaps has tertiary qualifications from a business school and has studied HR management.
This kind of leader will look for indicators to see where the market is going, and will
adjust internal capabilities and seek integration opportunities to optimise his or her operations.
It’s important to quickly realise they need a set of skills and capabilities
within the organisations to move to the next level of success.
A transformative leader must make the vital connection
between a strategic business plan, talent management plan and the programmes, processes and culture to enable all plans are sustainable.
Stud
ied
HR
M
anag
emen
t
iN Out
mystarjob.com, saturday 29 November 20148
The Sky IS The LImITAIrASIA encourAgeS openneSS
AIRASIA is a unique company in terms of its culture and innova-tive human capital management.
An open office environment and the application of high tech
elements are only the tip of the iceberg of exceptional qualities that sets AirAsia apart from the rest.
Crowned the world’s best low cost air-line for six consecutive years, the airline acknowledges that excellent human capital development is one of the important fac-tors that guarantees the success of the company.
AirAsia practices meritocracy, in which the airline’s employees, otherwise known as AirAsia Allstars, are rewarded for their effort and hard work. The company also does not limit the career opportunities of its people, but instead encourages growth, which is an integral part of its culture.
The airline supports its people in pursuing their passion and achieving the best that they can. By encouraging career growth and inspiring them to be the best, it develops a surge of new skills in-house which the airline can tap into and utilise.
We are familyAirAsia always aims to be the best com-
pany to work for, and by which its Allstars are treated like family. The airline strives to eradicate bureaucracy, a barrier that may restrict the flow of ideas and opinions which are essential to a fast growing airline like AirAsia.
Aireen Omar, AirAsia Berhad CEO, com-mented, “I derive inspiration from our Allstars who are highly dedicated and who work very hard for the company. Their pas-sion for success has made AirAsia the best low cost carrier in the world.
“To be an AirAsia Allstar, one needs to be ever-ready to go the extra mile to satisfy even the most eccentric customer’s needs, and at the same time be fun-loving and enthusiastic with a passion for life!”
an open conceptThe airline practises an open door policy
with an open structure – no cubicles or office rooms – and an inclusive work environment in which every view matters and every voice is heard.
The culture that AirAsia has stems from the fact that the airline desires openness and wants its people to be creative and pas-sionate about what they do.
Hiring and promoting is based solely on talent and competence, with no regard for gender, creed, ethnicity or age. The com-pany opens up equal opportunities to all its employees and the validation of this would be the fact that AirAsia is the first company in Malaysia to have women as pilots, with many among the early pioneers moving on to becoming captains – commanders of their own aircraft.
AirAsia also provides the space and oppor-tunity for its Allstars to take an active part in innovation, and allows its employees to take risks. This is true to AirAsia’s culture and spirit, where taking risks may result in better things for the company.
In fact, the management often takes the initiative to implement ideas from its employees, thanks to the open environment concept where everyone does not feel afraid to express their ideas, regardless of rank.
Diverse cultureAt AirAsia, people from various back-
grounds and diverse cultures work together harmoniously. The high level of understand-ing and respect for each other allows AirAsia Allstars to communicate and work without boundaries. This is something unique and rare in many countries and companies.
The airline instills an entrepreneurial culture among its Allstars, which presents a degree of freedom for them to be their best and holds them accountable for what they do. Being entrepreneurial, they will strive for success as failing is not an option.
The airline always seeks for creative and passionate people. They must also be good team players for the business to prosper in this challenging era of globalisation.
unrestricteD creativityFree flow of ideas and unrestricted crea-
tivity is something that the airline always believes in, as proper development of tal-ents within the company is fairly beneficial
for AirAsia in the long run – especially for younger employees. They are to be potential successors in running the company, ensuring positive continuity and sustainability.
In its quest to achieve constant business excellence, AirAsia is privileged to be con-tinually blessed with the necessary means to fulfil its responsibility towards underprivi-leged communities, lending a hand to those in need.
GivinG backStaying true to the pledge of going the
extra mile to satisfy needs, AirAsia Allstars are also encouraged to be involved in CSR (corporate social responsibility) activities and interact with communities around the busi-ness, as AirAsia believes in giving back to the community that has been supporting it all these years.
Inspired by the caring attitude of its Allstars, the airline established the AirAsia Foundation, a philanthropic arm of the AirAsia Group entrusted to share the compa-ny’s values of entrepreneurship, equal oppor-tunity and innovation throughout ASEAN.
The foundation is mandated to support social enterprises as a way of empowering underprivileged individuals and to enable them to build sustainable livelihoods. Through its work, the foundation is commit-ted to helping build an ASEAN community of the future, and providing AirAsia Allstars the opportunity to share their energy and expertise in making the world a better place to live in.
AirAsia Allstars
n For a career takeoff with AirAsia, visit us at http://www.airasia.com/ot/en/about-us/careers.page
mystarjob.com, saturday 29 November 2014 9
TAKE A CHANCE WITH INTRAPRENEURSBy ELISA DASS [email protected]
I have a group of friends who often used to joke about who makes the ‘perfect’ employee – the yes-man, the one who doesn’t fight very hard for promotion or remunerations,
takes on extra workload based on empty promises and is afraid to venture out of the company in fear that no one would ‘appreciate’ them as much elsewhere.
These remarks were of course made with the underlying message to say that our ‘perfect’ employee friends should be more courageous to venture into some-thing on their own.
Needless to say, these jokes were made by the entrepreneurs in our midst, those who have set in their minds that they will not work for another entrepre-neur again.
These courageous friends of ours have definitely braved the seemingly scary world of not having a constant stream of income; they have endless streams of profitable ideas, and absolutely enjoy not having to face the anxiety of year-end appraisals!
The dawn of inTrapreneurs
And not surprising to most of us, there are always those on the fence – people with
great profitable ideas, but would like to enjoy the security of being employed. Namely, the intrapreneurs.
With the conclusion of the Global Entrepreneurship Summit last year, the call for more focus on raising entrepre-neurs is further hyped up. Strongly linked to entrepreneurship are innovation, resources and risk appetite – what I’d like to term the “Entrepreneur’s Trinity”.
The thing is this, while being equipped with this ‘E-Trinity’ is ideal for growing any business, we often find many within an organisation who are excited about innovation but may have limited resourc-es and a medium risk appetite.
Thus, organisations should really start looking at growing their business through intrapreneurs within their com-pany who can be their source of innova-tion and growth, while supporting them in different ways.
I remember some years back when I shared a profitable idea with the organi-sation I worked for.
It was an idea that had nothing to do with my job, yet would have fitted very well into the organisation’s strings
of businesses. It was welcomed with much enthusiasm by my mentor, the
HR (human resources) people and some key stakeholders.
Unfortunately, the idea came to a major roadblock when they
requested for resources to be borne by me.
Hence, while I was innovative, I did not
possess enough
resources to run my idea, nor was I in a place to take the risk of leaving salaried employment – an obvious case of the absence of ‘E-Trinity’.
With that experience, I wondered if organisations and employees would grow faster and have more satisfaction if intrapreneurship was encouraged.
The inTrapreneur champions
Every other management guru today talks about the lack of innovation in organisations. Among those who have successfully cultivated such culture are companies like Google, LinkedIn, and 3M.
Coincidentally these are also organisa-tions known for their support and active development of intrapreneurs.
For those new to this term, and have yet to Google it since you started reading this article, in the simplest way possible, intrapreneurs refer to those working in an organisation who think of how to grow the business by monetising ideas, regardless if it is officially part of their job.
The late Steve Jobs describes his intra-preneurial team in Macintosh as “… a group of people, going, in essence, back to the garage, but in a large company.”
sTepping up The inTrapreneuring game
Here are some thoughts I’d like to leave with you about stepping up your game in growing your organisation through an often neglected group of employees in Malaysia.
l Be intrapreneurs ourselves! Oftentimes, HR hides behind the
workload of processes, recruitments and endless operational func-
tions. Although we have grown to be ‘strategic’ in our approach
through organisation devel-opment, let’s go one step
further to consider how HR can have or grow profit-
able ideas through the intrapreneurs that we will select, enhance,
embrace, support and leverage.
l Redefine talents. HR practitioners should
go beyond just focusing on high performers – those who exceed their key performance indicators (KPIs). Instead, can we also look at the intrapre-neurs within the organisa-tion that may or may not be exceeding their KPIs but have great ideas brewing that can be turned into profitable projects but have nowhere to nurture it?
l Actively search for intrapreneurs in our midst!
Create a culture that encourages ideas to be brought forward. Google allows their intrapreneurs 20% of their work hours to just chill and spill ideas! Make it a safe place for crazy, wild and silly ideas to be thrown around. The only require-ment: it must be profitable. Get these budding intrapreneurs to pitch their ideas to a select committee before agree-ing to support it.
l Motivate intrapreneurs to be intra-preneurs!
While these potential entrepreneurs have great ideas, there are definitely rea-sons why they are still in your organisa-tion and not out there making their ideas happen for themselves! Some of them may not be big risk takers or cannot afford to take the risk with their given situation. So, create that platform for them to explore and make mistakes, but, at the same time, hold them accountable for the ideas presented and resources invested from the organisation.
As Richard Branson says it cleverly, companies should have intrapreneurs – employees who are “… given freedomand financial support to create new products, services and systems, who do not have to follow the company’s usual routines or protocols.” The idea perceived as most profitable should be given an opportunity to be seeded, watered and grown.
l Fund your intrapreneurs! One of the other reasons that your
intrapreneurs are still with you would be that they do not have the resources required. Some experts recommend that each organisation have an annual ‘Intrapreneur Budget’ to support the selected projects to reduce the approval – implementation gap. Take a chance onthem!
l Reward your intrapreneurs like how entrepreneurs would be rewarded!
Here’s the real challenge! Give them a share of profits in the ideas that have been originated and executed by them. If it makes money, let them have a stake in it! This way, they would have a sense of ownership of this idea to ensure that it is successful. Don’t be afraid to let them be financially rewarded – this will encourage more intrapreneurs to step up as well.
If you’re in doubt, just try to imagine a world without intrapreneurs. That would mean no PlayStation, no Post-its, no Virgin Atlantic (which means no inspira-tion for AirAsia) and no GMail.
Would you search, support, fund and reward the next person who may change the way of life for millions? Think about it…
n Elisa is married to an entrepreneur whose idea bank never seems to exhaust. She strongly believes everyone with a
great idea should have the opportunity to have someone believe in their ideas
enough to invest and grow it! Write to her at [email protected]. For more leadership content, visit www.leaderonomics.com
LooKINg bEyoNd HIgH PERfoRmERS foR ComPANy gRoWTH
CREATE THATPLATfoRm foR
THEm To ExPLoRE ANd
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ACCoUNTAbLE foR THE IdEAS
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By HUI [email protected]
Last week in “How We Learn”, we looked at the early days and subsequent growth of adult learning.
This week, we explore some of the models and tools that take us beyond traditional, conventional trainings.
EVERY year, a number of us still make new year’s resolu-tions. Those usually follow some theme of positive trans-formation – new job, better
relationships, a slimmer waistline…Hands up if you have fulfilled your
2014 new year’s resolutions. Well, congratulations! You’ve just joined the 8% club.
The truth of the matter is, a hefty 92% of us start out with good inten-tions to change something about our-selves and fail spectacularly. In 2013, Forbes reported that research from the University of Scranton suggests only 8% of us keep our new year’s resolu-tions.
Granted, none of us intentionally set out to fail. So, why is it so difficult to succeed in changing ourselves? How does understanding how our brains are wired help in creating an effective learning culture within organisations?
At the heart of it all, is this little spectre called fear. Conventional wis-dom tells us that we fear the pain of change and the unknown.
Let me illustrate this with a short anecdote:
Recently, my grandmother had to go for some physiotherapy sessions to stretch her leg muscles in order to prevent stiffening.
As we began her physio session, she cried out for us to stop. The doctor then told us that she cried in anticipa-tion of the fear of pain, not pain itself.
Arguably, one could say that the fear of pain is the residue of a healthy survival instinct – we flee from situ-ations that carry the risk of pain or injury, raising our chances to live another day.
However, it is precisely this fear of ‘what may not come to pass’ that paralyses us. Whilst we sit in our comfort zone, we become so terrified of what horrors lie in the ‘terror zone’ that we resist even stepping into our ‘courage zone’ (See Figure 1).
In other words, our fear and resist-ance to anticipated pain causes us to self-sabotage, and is precisely the rea-son why learning, development and transformation programmes can fail.
Content and ContextLast week, we briefly explored
how a combination of learning styles embedded into the learning process can significantly help increase post-training retention rates.
Let’s look at how learning purpose should inform our decision-making when it comes to choosing an effec-tive delivery method for retention and application.
Figure 2 effectively demonstrates the balance between content and context emphasis in the learning process. If the intended outcome of the learning session is informa-tion and knowledge gained, a suit-able means of delivery would be content-focused, through reading or watching videos (visual and auditory delivery).
Arguably, the higher the expecta-tion of behavioural change from the learning process, the more the content-delivery must be situated in an applicable context.
An example of this would be the Situated Learning model first pro-posed by Lave and Wenger, French social anthropologist and Swiss edu-cational theorist respectively, in the early 1990s.
Many principles of situated learning resonates with the underlying basics of adult learning – namely, learning is not just a transmission of abstract knowledge from human to human, or even text to human.
Learning, be it child or adult, is a social process by which knowledge is co-constructed by both the teacher and learner – the teacher decon-structs, the learner reconstructs. Learning has to be accessible by being situated in the contextual environ-ment specific to the learner.
e-LearningWith technological advances and
the rise of mobile computing devices, it’s no wonder that e-learning has revolutionised education methods, especially with the scaling of knowl-edge and technical skills.
Although the word ‘e-learning’ is now 13 years old, there is still tremen-dous growth in the global and Asian market.
According to Global Industry Analysts (GIA), corporate training alone is a growing USD200bil industry,
and e-learning is estimated to grow into a USD107bil market by 2015.
What’s more, the world’s most rapidly-growing e-learning markets are Vietnam (44.3% growth rate) and Malaysia (39.4%), according to New Ambient Insight report. Other Asian markets such as Thailand, the Philippines, India and China are fol-lowing closely behind.
E-learning is an arguably cost-effective delivery method. However, organisations would do well to keep in
mind that different delivery methods would suit different learning purposes and outcomes.
Business simuLationsThe US National Center for
Biotechnology Information cites the average American attention span as a total of eight seconds.
Unsurprisingly, given our increase in exposure to external stimuli, our ability to focus on a given task with-out being distracted has dropped in recent years. Horrifyingly for the human race, we now fare worse than the humble goldfish’s attention span of nine seconds.
Yet, I’m sure you’ve read the horrific news articles on a number of youths who die from dehydration, starvation and a lack of rest due to prolonged playing of video games.
Although an extreme example, video games’ ability to hold our concentration for extended lengths of time has ensured that the study of gamification remains a fascinat-ing exploration in the psychology of learning.
Business simulations borrow much from game theory and mathe-matical models in their replication of real-life scenarios. Simulations are, in
essence, a controlled environment that creates interactive learning
experiences for participants. The Center for Creative Leadership
(CCL) identifies ‘feedback’ as a critical
component in effective learning and leadership development – business simulations allow participants to experiment with different decisions and see immediate consequences for their actions.
Critically, participants can give and receive instant feedback within the ‘safe’ environment of a simulation, and immediately work on apply-ing their learnings for continuous improvement.
When you immerse a person within a safe but believable con-text, having to constantly make decisions, experience consequenc-es, reflect on feedback whilst being motivated to complete the challenge in the game, mental focus is taken away from the fear of pain and change.
The participant is gradually eased into a pattern of new think-ing and behaviours.
miCroLearningAmong the latest buzzwords in
the learning and development space, microlearning is a series of relatively short, specific ‘bursts’ or ‘units’ of learning. It’s commonly delivered on mobile devices, promoting learning through short-term interaction with micro-content.
Whilst not yet widely recognised in educational psychology, microlearn-ing is gaining momentum as ‘educa-tion for Generation Distracted’ – not surprising, given that today’s young learners have been weaned with rapid-fire online knowledge.
Microlearning has the potential to be a powerful tool for organisations to keep students and employees in a state of continuous learning as part of a blended learning philosophy.
However, organisations should also know that microlearning has limited potential for sensing the subtleties of real-life context and situations, and hardly robust enough to replace an entire learning philosophy.
Stay tuned – this space keeps on evolving.
n Yi-Wen is part of the Learning and Development team in Leaderonomics’ Corporate Services unit. For more infor-mation on Leaderonomics’ business simulations and Silega™ simulations, contact her at [email protected]
mystarjob.com, saturday 29 November 201410
OF LearningTHe Pain
Source: Adapted from Forbes
Terror Zone
Courage Zone
Comfort Zone
Growth & OpportunityConfidence & Bravery
Paralysis &Overwhelm
Figure 1
The US-based TRI Corporation team will be in Malaysia to conduct a one-day preview on ‘Knowing the Business’ and ‘Leading the Business’. TRI Corporation delivers state-of-the-art business simula-tions with live interactions that take participants out of their com-fort zone to help them think strategically. For more information on the preview in December, contact Stephanie Ho at [email protected]
Context Content
Awareness
Skill
Advanced Skill
ExpertiseComposition of Delivery:10% Content, 90% Context
Composition of Delivery:90% Content, 10% ContextInformation/
Knowledge
Source: Copyright © LeaderonomicsFigure 2
mystarjob.com, saturday 29 November 2014 11
How to build a collaborative culture
By MORAG [email protected]
THERE probably isn’t an organisation in the free world that doesn’t want its employees to play well with others.
Everything becomes easier when people get along with one another. The work environment is positive, people are relaxed and happy and, as a result, they get more work done.
So why is it that creating a collaborative culture is so difficult?
The underlying reason is a lack of trust. Employers don’t trust employees. Employees don’t trust employers; and often, employees don’t trust each other.
Everyone thinks that others are out to get them, to steal their best ideas, or to sabotage their efforts. It’s a kind of “mutual suspicion society”.
And with all that’s going on, it shouldn’t surprise anyone that the organisational culture is characterised by subterfuge. Why would you expect it to be otherwise?
A displAced trust?There are three principal causes of dis-
trust. If you eliminate them, then people will naturally collaborate with each other; and they’ll do it because you would have removed their fears.
1 PRIDEThere’s good pride and bad pride.
Good prides comes from the satisfaction of knowing that you made a difference.
Bad pride comes from thinking that you did it all on your own, or that it was because you were superior to everyone else.
When you think of yourself as being so far above the hoi-polloi (the masses), you act as if you are. You also talk as if everyone else is beneath you.
Unless you are a trained character actor, it’s impossible for you to be one person inside and a completely different one outside.
When you look down on people, you’ll also look down on their work. That’s because when you have bad pride, you tend to com-pare your work with that of others. But it’s not as simple as that.
What tends to happen is that you compare what you do the best with what they do the worst. But that’s the nature of bad pride: You wouldn’t be able to feel superior if you did it any other way.
How do you feel when you’re around someone like this? Do you feel sorry for him or her? Probably not.
How about defensive? Do you want to take that person down a peg or two, or knock him or her off the proverbial soapbox?
However you feel about someone like that, it will be exactly the way others feel about you if you have bad pride.
What’s the remedy? Esteem others as better than yourself. A little humility goes a long way.
2 GOSSIPOften, gossip accompanies pride. On
the one hand, the proud person looks down on others; but just to make sure that every-one agrees with him or her, a little gossip is thrown in for good measure.
No matter how you slice it, gossip ulti-mately is intended to emphasise the worst characteristics of a situation or another per-son.
Cast your mind back. When was the last time you heard through the company grape-
vine that your organisation was going to give everyone a 10% pay increase?
When was the last time you heard that everyone would be getting a four-day week-end every month? Or when did you last hear that everyone’s work day would be cut to just six hours at no cost to you?
For some reason, rumours like these never start.
3 DISHONESTYYou’ve probably noticed a progression
of ideas. First there’s bad pride – a superior feeling about other people and its associated behaviour.
Then there’s gossip, the grease that makes sure that everyone notices that you’re squeaky clean while others are up to their eyelids in soup.
Dishonesty completes the trio. There’s nothing like a bald-face lie to persuade others that you’re so much better than the riff-raff.
Whether it’s true or not, if what you say is believable, then others will automatically assume that everyone else is lying.
cultivAting A collAborAtive culture
To create a collaborative culture means
that you must think and do the opposite:l Humility comes from sharing the credit
or attributing success to others in a genuine way. This is really hard for most people.
It’s one thing to say that you couldn’t have done it without your team; it’s quite another to say it in such a way that people actually believe that you mean it.
l Those who collaborate also assume the best about their colleagues, and they only say good things about them. In fact, they stand up for them in their absence.
l If you are as collaborative as you make yourself out to be, then you won’t be afraid to tell the truth.
A collaborative culture comes from collec-tive collaboration. If all you do is talk about it, then it will never happen.
n Morag Barrett is the best-selling author of Cultivate: The Power of Winning Relationships and CEO of SkyeTeam (www.skyeteam.com), an international HR consulting and leadership development company. Morag’s experience ranges from senior executive coaching to developing leaders and teams across Europe, America and Asia. For more articles on leader-ship and personal development, visit www.leaderonomics.com
wHat prevents it in tHe first place
everytHing becomes easier wHen people get along witH one anotHer.
mystarjob.com, saturday 29 November 201412
If you have any suggestions or feedback on our content, get in touch with the Leaderonomics team at [email protected] For advertising and advertorials, contact Pravin Kumar at [email protected] or +6011 2377 7850
The mathformula for talent
Also next week
HR champs in our camp
When quitters are winners
Crashingin on creativity
Embracing changEBy HYMA [email protected]
“THE only people who like change are babies in wet diapers,” a friend of mine said to me a few weeks ago, while we were having a
conversation about change over coffee and cakes.
It is true, to some extent. No one likes change. I personally don’t. Change is difficult, it’s messy, and it’s troublesome. It involves risks and uncertainty.
However, as we all know, and as it has been talked about countless times in various articles, change is good.
Change pushes us forward, takes us out of our comfort zones, and helps us achieve things we never knew we could achieve. It brings out the potential we never knew we had.
Like every other big step, the one thing that stops us from embracing change is fear. Fear of uncertainty, the fear of failing.
Whether it is a move to a new depart-ment at work, taking on a new leadership role, moving to a new organisation, or even to an entirely new industry, these steps can be very scary because of the uncertainties of what it may bring.
So, how do we overcome this fear?
Here are three steps to help overcome the fear of change:
Step 1: UnderStand and acknowledge the change
The first step to embracing change is to understand, acknowledge, and accept the change that you’re going through.
List down the benefits you get from this change, and how it can help you in your career acceleration and future growth.
List down your fears as well. Once you have written your fears down, you would be able to go through each fear and rationalise it. You can also craft a backup plan for some of the fears.
This way, instead of just being afraid and worrying, you will have an action plan so you are prepared in case the worst of your fears come true.
Once you have a clearer understanding of the benefits and your fears, it will be easier to accept the change.
Step 2: Set SMart goalSSetting goals enables you to keep track and
consciously guide changes, which also helps you to recognise your success. You can try using the SMART technique to set your goal:
l SpecificCreate goals that are specific. For example,
‘I want to increase the sales income of my new division by 40%’, instead of ‘I want to increase the sales income’.
l Measureable Make sure there is a way for you to meas-
ure the goal to know that you are successful in achieving it.
l Actionable Create goals that have clear action
plans which you can take to achieve it. For example, ‘I will dedicate two hours a day to research new clients I can approach for sales’.
l RealisticYour goal has to be something that is
achievable. Although it is good to dream big, there’s no point in setting a goal which is unrealistic.
l TimelyGive yourself realistic timelines to achieve
your goal. This keeps you on track with your goal, e.g. ‘By May 2015, I will increase the sales income by 40%’.
By setting goals, you are also setting a good perception towards the change. Your goals would give you certain positive things to look forward to and keep you excited.
Step 3: keep a poSitive MindSet
Fear can create a lot of negative energy. It is important to keep a strong focus on the positive aspects of the change.
If the change you are going through is
really big, have a strong support system. Speak to experienced people from work and outside of work to help you through it. They can probably help you see the positives.
Approach this change with a positive outlook. Change is progress. Most times, the beginning stages of the change can be a very painful one. It sometimes involves letting go of things we have grown very comfortable with.
Keep in mind that although it may seem very difficult in the beginning, it is up to you to make it better. If you’re afraid of not doing well in your new department, work harder and show them that you deserve to be there.
If it’s the fear of not having close relation-ships with your colleagues in your old job, step up and make new friends. Even the greatest relationships started with a simple “hello”.
Food For thoUghtEarly last year, I went for a job interview,
and I was asked if I wanted to join the editorial team. I said I would prefer not to, because I was not used to writing and was not very comfortable with it. In short, I didn’t think I would be good at it.
I’m grateful that my interviewer didn’t listen to me and decided to put me in the
Leaderonomics editorial team. More than a year later, here I am, writ-
ing so frequently for this career guide. By embracing and accepting that change, I was pushed out of my comfort zone, and I found joy in something I never knew I could enjoy – writing.
“Without change, something sleeps inside us, and seldom awakens. The sleeper mustawaken.” – Frank Herbert
n Hyma Pillay is operations leader for the Leaderonomics.com editorial team. She is still learning to cope and accept things that change around her, but has never regretted any of the big steps she has taken in her life. You can email her at [email protected]. Read more of her articles at www.lea-deronomics.com
EDITOR’S NOTE: Having faith in Hyma’s abilities and ‘can-do’ attitude, she was recently entrusted with a monumental project – way out of her comfort zone – through which she has proven yet again that she can accomplish great things when she sets her mind to it.
Taking onE sTEp aT a TimE
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