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Do what you love
YOUR ULTIMATE CAREER& TALENT RESOURCE
Saturday 6 June 2015
G’BYE SOCIAL MEDIAIs blocking access the answer? What IS the correct question?
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GAMES PEOPLE PLAYThe SEA Games bridging the seas
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SLAM DUNK!Unleash the power of team sports on your people
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Ready to coachHow leaders continue their own development to better develop their teams
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tHe training groundfrom locker room to boardroom and back againPageS 6-10
mystarjob.com, saturday 6 June 20152
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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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Go CraZy For GolDBy NINA [email protected]
AS we celebrate the arrival of Asia’s rising sports superstars to the opening of 28th SEA Games this week, let’s not forget to save some applause for the tough band of supporters or “crazy” parents and coaches who perform the real show behind this marvellous parade.
It usually takes a team of dedicated supporters to produce a dedicated ath-lete. Each of these amazing sportsmen and sportswomen who you see in the marchpast most likely grew up with a family member who wanted to win more than they did. Hunger, the kind that can numb pain and dry tears, is inherited.
A person who can get up at 5am to train has the support and devotion of someone at home who is willing to get up at 4am.
“Crazy” parents are no longer the secret ingredient behind every sporting giant’s success. As a parent of a national-ranked junior tennis player myself, I like to use the term “dedicated and disci-plined” parent.
If you are a person who believes in becoming the best that you can be, remember, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.
>> TOUGH LOVEHigh-level athletes start really young.
For example, elite players in tennis, squash and badminton are introduced to their racquets at five to eight years old, which is really the age when they can count beyond their toes and keep score during super tiebreaks, the first mile-stone for children in competition.
Later on, coaches and other pro-fessionals such as nutritionists and
physiotherapists take over the role of the relentless parent, but by then the ground rules for discipline and excellence have been set.
In my experience travelling from one junior tournament to the next, I see parents showing tough love, which according to Todd Widom, a former ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) pro, “does NOT mean that you beat down the child mentally, but you explain and expect that certain things need to be done properly, and if they are not, what are the consequences.”
>> DISCIPLINEFor every young, up-and-coming
athlete, there is a parent or a coach who is leading by example through patterns of willpower and discipline.
For those who wail in horror and ask What about having fun? I can only point to the examples that grown-ups use in work. Fun is something you do, when the results don’t matter.
Success follows discipline, and if you pay your dues and put in your hours and your 100% focus into your job, there is a very high chance that you will win at this too.
Discipline is not punishment. Discipline is doing what needs to be done, at the right time, to the best of your ability.
>> PARTING THOUGHTSThe young men and women proudly
representing their countries at the SEA Games have physical prowess and men-tal strength, but beyond any doubt, they have been gifted with the right people in their lives.
They did not arrive in Singapore by themselves.
“An athlete cannot run with money in his pockets. He must run with hope in his heart and dreams in his head.” – Emil Zatopek
“Obstacles don’t have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don’t turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it.” – Michael Jordan
“I would say that it is the explosiveness that I possess in my game. Like a crouching tiger waiting to pounce on its prey.” – Datuk Lee Chong Wei
“I will tell myself not to think negative thoughts.” – Pandelela Rinong
“This success did not come the easy way since hard work, a high level of commitment, discipline and physical conditioning is needed.” – Sazali Abd Samad
CaN wE wiN toGEthEr?I have a great deal to be thankful for in life, but I do regret not being more active in team sports in school. I swam, played tennis, and had the occasional run-in with a foot-ball (but that was more comedic than it was athletic!).
My father was a serious badminton and table tennis player, and I saw how the discipline and perseverance he must have developed from young translated into his work life. More importantly, my father stressed “sportsmanship” – something I hardly ever hear people talk about these days – perhaps because even in team sports, the focus appears to be on the individual rather than the team.
This week, in conjunction with SEA Games 2015, we look at how sports as well as the behind-the-scenes unsung heroes, contribute to the development of leaders, young and old(er).
Marshall Goldsmith likens leadership to a contact sport – addressing the conundrum of how leaders themselves can continue growing, while focusing also on developing the next generation of leaders.
Bouncing in next, Nedim Karaevli revisits the role of team sports in building young leaders, and how team sports can be an important and welcome activity at the work place. For those who aren’t quite ready to don the company football jersey, new rituals like “walking meet-ings” have also shown a positive impact on creativity!
In a tribute to our sports greats, Prema Jayabalan tells the story of what impact their coaches had throughout their journeys to the top, while Joseph Tan spills the beans on the best kept secret in corporate coaching.
Skipping forward, Jonathan Yabut shares three life lessons from the Pacquiao-Mayweather fight, and John Baybay reflects on what the SEA Games means to all of us – Baybay however, could not help but also weigh in on the “Fight of the century”.
On the surface, the next pairing seems to be at odds, but Majura Perashot’s piece on “just say no” and Terry Small’s Brain Bulletin on the effect of negative thinking on our brains are, in fact, in sync. Let us know what you think!
Last but not least, we have an instalment of HR Talk where two HR (human resources) leaders share their thoughts and advice on a question near and dear to our hearts – social media at the office – yes or no? O no!
Onward, upward!
KAREN NEOHEditorleaderonomics.com
By MARSHALL [email protected]
MY career as an execu-tive coach began many years ago with a phone call from the chief executive officer
(CEO) of a Fortune 100 company. I had just given a leadership clinic to the CEOs human resources (HR) depart-ment.
This is what I was doing in the late 1980s – advising HR departments about identifying future leaders in their companies and creating programmes to form them into better leaders.
The CEO had attended the session and from what I’d said he thought I might be able to help him with a vice-president (VP) who, though smart, dedicated, motivated, hardwork-ing, and creative, was also a stub-born, opinionated, know-it-all. I was intrigued by this challenge.
I had coached many groups of mid-level managers who were on the verge of success, but never an individual who was already very successful and needed to make a change to be blast-ed into the stratosphere.
I took the job – and I took it on a pay-for-results basis. If the VP improved, I’d get paid and if not, I told the CEO it was free.
That was a couple of decades ago, and I did get paid. Since then I’ve worked with more than 150 CEOs and their management teams.
My job isn’t to make anyone smart-er or richer. It’s to help people identify a personal habit that’s annoying their co-workers and to help them elimi-nate it so that they retain their value to the organisation.
And to help them develop their people as well, because you see, with-out their colleagues, their people and teams, these leaders, as successful as
they might be, would have no one to lead.
Leader deveLopment: CruCiaL task
Developing as a leader is a difficult endeavour. If you’re reading this article you can probably relate to it.
Demands on leaders are increasing, meaning there is less time for focusing on change.
The catch is that as more is expected of you as a leader, the less time you have for development, and yet improving your leadership skills is more important than ever. It’s a tricky
situation.With limited time, you have to learn
on the job. You have to make the most of your surroundings and ask those around you for help. You have to enlist their support as you do your best to develop yourself, your people, and your teams – even them!
It’s not easy, but I’ve developed a leadership development model that has now proven to work with thou-sands and thousands of people.
ConCLusionThis simple model for leadership
development works! If you want to
get better, at work or at home, try it for yourself and see.
If I can help you consider the pos-sibility that despite all of your success to date, you might have some things that you can change to be “even bet-ter”, then I will have done my job.
n Marshall Goldsmith (www.MarshallGoldsmith.com) is the author of 35 books, which have sold over two million copies and have been translated into 30 languages. Email us your thoughts at [email protected]. For more leadership insights, visit www.leaderonomics.com
mystarjob.com, saturday 6 June 2015 3
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Leadership is a ContaCt sport
8-step Leadership deveLopment modeLThis model is just eight steps: Ask, Listen, Think, Thank, Respond, Involve, Change, Follow Up. The following is a very short description of each step.
askAsk people “How can I be a better manager/partner/team member?”
ListenListen to their answers.
thinkThink about their input. What does it mean?
thankThank people for sharing the valuable feedback with you.
respondRespond positively when receiv-ing input.
invoLveInvolve the people around you to support your change efforts.
ChangeChange isn’t an academic exer-cise. Act on what you learn.
FoLLow-upFollow up regularly and stake-holders will notice the positive actions you’re taking based on their input.
Great Leaders Go Beyond the oBviousWhat differentiates top Companies? GoinG from Good to GreatA recent study by Aon Hewitt – Top Companies for Leaders, found that what characterised these top companies in the past, including competen-cies, organisational values, accelerated learning programmes, engagement dashboards, diversity scorecards, are no longer distinguishing factors.
Leading companies that went beyond the obvious took six differentiating key strides (please see the diagram).
Leaders do more than the oBviousAre CEOs ready to lead top companies? What differentiated companies before, have become the norm today. For companies to keep raising the bar, our leaders have to be “engaging leaders” that go above and beyond to create an environment conducive for nurturing leaders of tomorrow.
Source: Great Leaders Go Beyond The Obvious 2015, Aon Hewitt
For more information, email [email protected]
top Companies...
ProcessesFocusing on Outcomers
Measuring Engagement
Developing Engaging Leaders
Diversity Driving Inclusion
Accumulating Followers
Focusing on Leaders Developing Leaders
Assessing skills Aligning for Fit
Higher Performancestriving for Higher Purpose
...are 3 times as likely to offer employees special assignments directly related to their CsR strategy
...use personality assessments to measure potential of front line managers
...have fully integrated diversity & inclusion goals in selection and development practices for leaders
...hold leaders accountable for the promotion rate of high potentials
...have a leadership mind-set where leaders connect with their people and personally mobilise the talent and successors of tomorrow
...also focus on the source of engagement – trying to build leaders of tomorrow who can better engage with colleagues
By TERRY [email protected]
WHEN was the last time you thought about your thinking? How much of your thinking is positive? Negative?
“Well-known neurologist” Willie Nelson said, “Once you replace negative thoughts with posi-tive ones, you’ll start having positive results.”
It turns out that this is true where your brain health is concerned.
Is negatIve thInkIng bad for your braIn?Scientists seem to think that it is. Researchers at King’s College London found that repeti-tive negative thinking may increase your risk for Alzheimer’s disease (Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease). Remember, at this time there is no cure for Alzheimer’s, so this deserves your attention.
The study found that a habit of prolonged negative thinking diminishes your brain’s ability to think, reason, and form memories, essentially draining your brain’s resources.
Another study reported in the Journal of American Academy of Neurology found that cyni-cal thinking also produces a greater dementia risk.
Remember, brains get good at what they do. Negative thoughts create “channels” in your brain. This way of thinking can become your default.
If you do a lot of negative thinking, your brain wires to be good at producing negative thoughts. Your brain also gets good at seeing things to think negatively about.
One of the byproducts of negative thinking is stress, which then leads to more negative thinking.
a ‘sure fIre’ stress busterHere’s a suggestion:When negative thoughts come, and they will,
don’t just ignore them. Pay attention. Stop what you are doing. Close your eyes if you need to. Replace the negative thought with a positive thought. Hold the positive thought in your brain for a full minute, or more.
When you do this, neuroplasticity starts to work in your favour. The two keys are attention density, and holding the thought long enough for your brain to begin to create new “channels”. Scientists refer to this as quantum Zeno effect.
you become a sculptor of your own braIn. how cool Is that?
A good book to read on self-directed neu-roplasticity is You are Not Your Brain by Jeffrey Schwartz. When you change your habits of mind, your life changes.
Tom Hopkins once said, “Being miserable is a habit; being happy is a habit; and the choice is yours”. There is some truth to this.
One more suggestion:Go for a whole week without complaining.
Not even once. Log it. If you relapse, start your week over. Back to day one. Go for a week without complaining.....and watch the people around you change. Such is the power of mirror neurons.
mystarjob.com, saturday 6 June 20154
LIFELONG SPORTS LEADERSHIP
IS NEGATIVE THINKING BAD FOR YOUR BRAIN?
THE ROLE OF TEAM SPORTS AT WORK
By NEDIM [email protected]
GROWING up in a family of athletes and coaches, playing basketball, foot-ball and volleyball was a major part of my life.
The great thing about sports is that young people can enjoy themselves, while learning skills like perseverance, motivation, sportsmanship, discipline and teamwork that can help them in life. I have had great teachers and mentors, who helped shape the way I interact with others on the court, in the field and also in the office.
Team sports like basketball teach us important life skills which can trans-late into business life. In whatever career we choose, we need to under-stand people, establish friendships, motivate others and work together. Everybody has a role to play in his or her job. There might be a basketball play or strategy – like a business plan – which every team member must execute on.
A recent article in the Journal of Leadership and Organisational Studies examined how participation in com-petitive youth sports is related to early-career job prospects as well as late-in-life outcomes. The study find-ings:
l People expect former student-athletes to display significantly more leadership, self-confidence, and self-respect than those who were active outside of sports
l Men who participated in high school sports an average of 60 years prior appeared to demonstrate higher levels of leadership and held more senior positions. They also volun-teered and donated to charity more frequently.
But what if it has been years since you last dribbled a basketball, put on your football cleats, or run and swam in a team?
team work: breakIng boundarIes
Through sports activities at work, we don’t just get a chance to meet people from different functions or depart-ments we usually don’t work with, we also become united with a common goal to perform well as a team.
The perseverance, being a good team player and positive attitude of accepting defeat that one learns from sports activities can be transferred to daily work.
Staying connected with your team also helps build your support sys-tem. Yes it is possible to build lasting friendships at work!
productIvIty: physIcal and mental agIlIty!
There are obvious health benefits of regular sports activity – improving fitness, as well as building endurance, developing concentration and increas-ing self-discipline.
Swedish researchers found that a sports programme at work increases productivity (Journal of Occupational & Environmental Medicine, 2011), and results from another study suggest that sport may play an important role in stress management intervention programmes at work.
walkIng meetIngs and the Impact on creatIvItyRemember how we used to crave having classes or lectures outside rather than being con-fined to classrooms? Managers can step up their game by step-ping out for meetings! Having walking meetings are becoming increasingly popular with Mark Zuckerberg and Barack Obama reportedly being big fans of it. One study found that “Walking opens up the free flow of ideas, and it is a simple and robust solution to the goals of increas-ing creativity and increasing physical activity” (Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition).
So walk and talk while you walk the talk!
makIng It happen!Managers and organisations can
play a role in creating a healthy work environment.
1. Start sports teams which can take part in workplace challenges internally and against other compa-nies. Basketball for example, can be played by people of all ages and abili-ties – so no one needs to feel left out.
2. Come one, come all! Younger employees can demonstrate their leadership by taking the initiative to organise activities – further develop-ing their own leadership skills, as well as confidence and self-esteem.
3. Way of life: More than just a peri-odic event, employees can be encour-aged to cycle to work rather than drive. Companies can provide secure bike racks and shower facilities, as well as space for exercise classes.
n Nedim strongly believes that sports is a critical component in leadership development. He is often seen enthusi-astically sharing his passion for sports as well as the basketball skills he has amassed having actively played since age 7! To connect with Nedim, email [email protected] For more leadership content, do go to www.lea-deronomics.com
n Terry Small is a brain expert who resides in
Canada and believes that anyone can learn how to learn easier, better, faster,
and that learning to learn is the most important skill a
person can acquire. For more interesting articles on Brain
Bulletin, log on to www.leaderonomics.com
mystarjob.com, saturday 6 June 2015 5
A rewArding cAreer ‘TAke cAre of our PeoPle, And The Business will TAke cAre of iTself’ – This is The MoTTo ThAT driVes McdonAld’s in deVeloPing The cAreer of iTs eMPloyees
By A K [email protected]
WHILE many of us have walked to the Golden Arches (some of us for several decades now!) and come to expect the
welcoming smiles of the McDonald’s crew, I wonder how many of us really know what it means to be part of the team at McDonald’s. I caught a glimpse of this at the recent Aon Hewitt’s Best Employers Malaysia 2015 awards where I shared a table with the managing director Stephen Chew and human resources director Hezzi Hamid.
When the Best Employer special recognition for diversity and inclusion award recipient was called, the McDonald’s team leapt up in unison – cheering uproariously. Their delight was infectious and it clearly reflected their pride in the brand and their camaraderie as a team.
BEST EMPLOYER FOR WOMEN IN 2015The Aon Hewitt Best Employers Malaysia 2015 study offers a professional, data-driven approach to recognising the best employers through the use of three data sources and an external judging panel.
This year, the Aon Hewitt Best Employers Malaysia 2015 Special Recognition for Diversity & Inclusion (Women) was awarded to McDonald’s Malaysia for their best practices in attracting, engaging and retaining women in the workforce.
“This prestigious award is a testament to our concerted efforts in promoting diversity and inclusion in our organisation, especially in terms of offering career pro-gression, development opportunities and flexible arrangements to help the women in our workforce realise their full poten-tial,” said Stephen Chew.
Also at our table, I met Nur Qaisara Aisyah Mohd Omar, a bright-eyed young woman whom I soon found out was a bit of a rising star, and who probably deserved her own award for going from new hire to restaurant manager in less than four years. She looked completely poised – but con-fessed she was a little nervous before going on stage to address the entire conference.
Hailing from Sabah, Qaisara holds a degree in Counseling and Psychology from Universiti Malaya. Upon graduating in 2009, she answered an ad and joined McDonald’s soon after. Today, Qaisara is the restaurant manager of McDonald’s Puchong Permai.
“I really enjoy working with our youngsters as it makes me feel young as well!” she enthused. “My team members are from different back-grounds and age groups, and I get to apply my knowledge of counseling and psychology to keep the team engaged.”
When asked about her own early experience at McDonald’s, Qaisara shared, “I was inspired by my supe-riors who developed me and helped to unleash my true potential.” It is no wonder then that restaurant manager Qaisara also strives to inspire her own team.
A GREAT WORKING ENVIRONMENTWe asked Qaisara about her job and what motivates her to do better every day. Her answer was as short as it was significant.
“My company makes me feel valued,” said Qaisara.
Here is a woman who clearly feels empowered and trusted to do the right thing – who, when provided the necessary systems and resources to do her job, is also equipped with the know-how and zeal to maximise her potential and that of her team.
“When I’m given added responsibilities, I see that as a sign of trust. And I keep chal-lenging myself to do even better,” Qaisara said with conviction.
COME AND LEARNIn answer to Qaisara’s aspirations to grow and become an effective leader, McDonald’s has provided her with extensive training and development courses ranging from coaching and people management; to balancing quality, service, cleanliness and value; to advanced leadership and opera-tional skills.
Building on her natural abilities and leadership potential, Qaisara was groomed to take on more responsibilities each year; and the more she was entrusted with, the more committed Qaisara was to meet and overcome her new challenges.
She went from strength to strength and within four years of joining the company, Qaisara became a McDonald’s restaurant manager.
“It’s great that McDonald’s encourages lifelong learning – every day, we learn something new”, Qaisara said enthusiastically.
McDONALD’S FAMILY“We respect each other – our col-leagues are also like family and friends,” beams Qaisara. “It’s important to have a good attitude. And there must be teamwork. Our founder, Ray Kroc, said, ‘None of us is as good as all of us.’”
So Qaisara, why would you encour-age your own family and friends to join McDonald’s?
“We give opportunities to everyone to succeed. Whether you’re young or old, educated or not, male or female, you can succeed as long as you perform well at your job. McDonald’s provides
the environment – you just have to learn and deliver!”
Indeed, Qaisara is an excellent exam-ple of someone who has worked hard and succeeded at McDonald’s. There’s no stopping her now – after all, three out of nine McDonald’s global CEOs started as crew!
IT’S A (Mc)WRAP!With over 260 McDonald’s restaurants in Malaysia and counting, the prospects of starting a career with the world’s leading food service retailer is available to everyone.
of McdonAld’s resTAurAnT MAnAgers in MAlAysiA Are woMen50%
n If you think you have what it takes and want to be a part of this iconic organisation, get in touch with McDonald’s at [email protected]
“loVe The TeAMwork And leArning And deVeloPMenT oPPorTuniTies AT McdonAld’s MAlAysiA”Nur Qaisara Aisyah, 31, restaurant manager
2011 2012 20142010OCT: Appointed Trainee Floor Manager
MARCH: Promoted to 2nd Asst Manager
OCT: Promoted to 1st Asst Manager
JAN: “Made it! Today I became a Restaurant Manager.”
mystarjob.com, saturday 6 June 2015 7mystarjob.com, saturday 6 June 20156
our Star atHLEtES SHarE tHEir StoriES and PiLLarS oF StrEnGtH
DARREN LIEW (BADmINtoN)
“I can say that my coach plays a very big role in shaping me to become who I am today in badminton. Hendrawan saw the poten-tial in me and nurtured it. He encouraged me to go further and to always reach for the stars. He is always pushing me to do my best and has never stopped believing in me.
“My coach sees things that I miss and he doesn’t give up on me even when I am at my lowest point. He constantly motivates me and keeps me going.
“Hendrawan has inspired me not only on the courts but in life as well. He has disciplined me and made me a better person on and off the courts. I want to take this opportunity to thank my coach for being an awesome person, for having faith in me and for constantly believing in me.
“I wouldn’t be who I am today if it wasn’t for him!”
tHE BESt KEPt SECrEt oF CorPoratE CoaCHinGBy JOSEPH [email protected]
Why should self-made corporate leaders require coaching?
IF leaders are made and not born, who or what makes them? Many leaders take pride that it is their own hands coupled with guts and grit which form the success which they experience today.
Why then should successful corporate leaders require coach-ing when most of them should be coaching others?
Why should a capable leader pay good money to listen to an outsider telling him or her how to run the business or manage his or her life?
Here’s the best-kept secret of corporate coaching:
Corporate leaders who are look-ing for sustainable success have a regular sounding board which reminds them that there is no such thing as a well-rounded leader.
From a BBC interview with Usain Bolt after he won the 100m final, we learnt that Bolt is not a good starter. He’d been worrying about this, trying to improve his start, try-ing to react quicker and get out of the blocks ahead of his rivals. And all this worry was tensing him up and making him run worse.
Until his coach said to him: “Forget about the start. You’ll beat them when you get into your stride. For you, it is the second half of the race that matters.”
And when he realised that, and let go of the desire to put everything right, he was fine. More than fine: he was 9.63 seconds.
Many leaders are worried about not being a good enough “starter”, constantly trying to improve gaps and weaknesses. While we cannot neglect weaknesses, the coaching focus should be on strengths – just like the type of coaching that Bolt received.
Leaders who focus on their strengths and create opportuni-ties every day are six times more engaged and three times as likely to have a higher quality of life in general.
As a leader, here’s the best ques-tion you can ask yourself today:
Do I have a strengths-based coach who has an objective and scientifically-validated approach to amplify my strengths instead of constantly focusing on my weak-ness?
Each of us has a race to run.To run (and finish) this race well,
we cannot afford to be distracted by our weaknesses. Any help we can get which focuses on our strengths is well worth the invest-ment of time and effort.
n Joseph Tan is CEO of Leaderonomics Good Monday. His passion is to work with performance-focused leaders to capture the hearts and minds of their employees through a strengths-based and accountability-driven approach. Much of what is shared in the article above comes from his work as a Gallup-certified strengths coach. If you would like to engage him to enhance the engagement level of your organisation, email [email protected] for more details.
Malaysian Goalkeeper Khairul Fahmi Che Mat during the AFF Suzuki Cup in Singapore.
Liew Darren of BAM/KL in action against Mohd Ziyad Md Tahad during the Maybank Sirkit National Open Kuala Lumpur 2015.
Azizulhasni Awang of celebrates his bronze medal at the final of the Men’s Keirin race at the Track Cycling World Championships in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, outside Paris, France. –AP
Photo credit: squashsite
Bolt of Jamaica crosses the finish line winning the 200ms men event at the Golden Spike Athletic meeting in Ostrava, Czech Republic. – AP
DAtUK LEE CHoNG WEI (BADmINtoN)“What I have achieved today is due to the fact that I had a very strict coach.
Datuk Misbun Sidek is a tough person and he trained me hard. I trained with him for about six years and have received reprimands, been banned from taking part in tournaments and made to practise for long hours.
“I remember this one time when I lost my temper during practice and threw my racquet to the ground. I was banned by Misbun from returning to the court for two weeks. I then apologised for throwing a tantrum. Training went on as usual after two weeks. I guess my coach’s principles and strict training made me the champion that I am today.
“I remember him asking me what I wanted, on the first day of training. I replied that I wanted to make money and become Malaysia’s No.1. He smiled and told me that for that, I had to give him my time and dedication. I agreed and started training hard. When I won the first Malaysian Open, I really basked in the success and craved to win more tournaments.”
Mentor and protege Misbun and Lee are the men of the hour as they meet fans.
DAtUK NICoL DAVID (SqUASH)
“My coach Liz Irving has played a significant role in my success today. She has a lot of experience being a for-mer World No. 2 squash player and a World Champion for Australia for more than 10 years.
“She has taken me through the transi-tion of being a junior player to a profes-sional one, with a lot of patience and effort. She creates the best training envi-ronment for all her trainees.
“I had to start from scratch with her to develop the correct basic elements of proper tech-nique, movement and applied tactic awareness by strengthening my volleys and setting up a solid base game.
“Apart from the game, she understands what a female athlete goes through and can relate to it very well from her own experiences.
“She is a true mentor and a great friend who
has always been by my side and I’m grate-ful for all her efforts to make me the best
player I can be. “She inspires me to always
improve myself. Not every top play-er can be a good coach but Liz cer-tainly worked hard to add to her
coaching abilities and allow the right support team to be involved with my progress.
“She knows there are other experts in their field such as
physical trainers, sports psycholo-gists and physiotherapists who can
provide me with specific tools to make me successful and she brings them in to work with me.
“Every area is taken into consideration and I have full faith in her abilities to help me reach my full potential.
“She is also very humble and has a big heart for her passion in squash and I’m fortunate to be her student to share this with her.”
By PREMA [email protected]
THEY are relentless, motivators and at times come across as slave drivers with only one aim in sight; to cheer and steer their mentees towards reaching for the skies by leveraging on their potential and highest level of abilities.
However, they are also strong pillars of support who provide a shoulder to cry on when their mentees are down and help them to rise to the occa-sion.
In conjunction with the SEA Games which kicked off in Singapore yesterday, I asked some of our country’s foremost national athletes on the roles that their coaches have played in their success today. (A special thank you to Kubrina Dass who went all out to help me connect with our stars). This is what they said:
AZIZULHASNI AWANG (tRACK CyCLISt)
Azizulhasni shared the valuable les-sons imparted by his coach.
1. Knowledge: “My coach, John Beasley is a professional certified coach level three in Australian cycling and currently, he is completing his Bachelor of Science in Coaching.
“With his vast knowledge, he has helped me build my successful journey. He educates me on all the mechanics of track cycling as well as empowers me to become fitter, stronger and a more efficient pro-athlete.”
2. Communications: “My coach basically gives me special training pro-grammes depending on tournaments. This gives me a clear understanding on the goal of each match.
“Clear, positive communication between a coach and athlete is really essential in establishing good teamwork between the duo. His clear communica-tion style helps me easily understand my goals and the amount of work needed towards achieving my objectives.”
3. Motivation: “He inspires and moti-vates me to fully utilise my potential to bring honour to my country. He helps me set up my long term goals that comprise my personal, academic and career spheres. Regardless of whether I win or lose, he keeps motivating me by measuring my progress, be it small or big.”
4. Discipline: “For a cyclist, disci-pline is the glue that holds everything together and rules are part of it. My coach basically drills me with consist-ent, realistic and enforceable training programmes to keep me on track.
“My success today is definitely attributed to him. Thank you very much John Beasley!”
KHAIRUL FAHmI (FootBALL)“My goal-keeping coach, Ismail Chawalit plays a
very big part in all of my successes and in who I have become today.
“Without his dedication and hard work I would not be a national goalkeeper for the Malaysian football team. He saw the potential in me and trained me really hard because he knew I had it in me. Coach Ismail has always urged me to go further in my career.
“He instilled in me a deeper passion for football and goal-keeping and is constantly pushing me to give my best per-formance when I am out there in the field.
“From giving advice to providing me with physical and men-tal training, Coach Ismail is with me each and every step of my career journey. And I know that if I slip, his hands are always there to pull me up.”
LoW WEE WERN (SqUASH)
“Many in the squash world know that I am the first and only Malaysian who is based locally to break the Top eight of the World Rankings but only a hand-ful know of my coach, a man who has spent countless hours with me ever since I was 12, ensuring I achieve my goals.
“Since my junior days, Aaron Soyza has stood by me every step of the way, from losing in the second round of the British Juniors Under 11 to eventually winning the prestigious British Juniors Under 19. Just as com-mitted as I am, Aaron would ride his bike to my apartment early in the morning to have morning sessions before I go to school.
“With the amount of time the both of us spent training, I had an outstand-ing junior career, having won the British, Scottish, Dutch and Malaysian Junior Champion tournaments. I also emerged the Asian Junior Champion three times.
“Turning professional and making squash my career was not an easy deci-sion, having received scholarships from renowned universities in the United States. I could not do this on my own but Aaron assured me that he would always be there.
“Both our commitments doubled with training twice a day and sometimes even on Sundays to prepare for my tournaments. He willingly made the extra time and effort, even when most of his dedication went unnoticed.
“We’ve faced many obstacles together to the extent of people not believing in his ability as a local coach to guide me into the Top 10 rankings. But that never stopped us. Where I am today speaks a lot about his capabilities as a world class coach. I owe it to him to be the best player in the world.”
a driVinG ForCE
mystarjob.com, saturday 6 June 20158
By JONATHAN [email protected]
YES, many of us anticipated and watched the Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather fight last month, dubbed as the “fight of the century”.
It probably took us a week or more to accept the fact that our Asian hero wasn’t able to bring home the bacon. Despite his loss, Pacquiao remains the winner in our hearts.
His failure in that match made us realise how much more we value him for being the ultimate Asian pride.
The support wasn’t just evident among his fellowmen, but the rest of the world clearly cheered Pacquiao on as the real winner.
In the spirit of celebrating Pacquiao and our pursuit of hacking the corpo-rate world, here are some life lessons Pacquiao taught us despite his defeat.
1 Your choice of ‘being feared’ vs
‘being liked’ to succeed in life matters
You may have noticed that while Mayweather is already too expensive to endorse any brand, his boxing shorts carried zero logos compared with Pacquiao’s.
He is the star athlete that sponsors don’t want to touch, as CNN quotes. After all, which company likes to be associated with someone who prefers “money” as his nickname?
His last endorsement deal was in 2009 for a telecommunications and shoe company, and neither was renewed the year after.
His records of domestic violence and racist rants online will probably take more than an Olivia Pope to clean his image.
This is not to say that Pacquiao is a saint (as our Pinoy hero himself has his own fair share of personal short-comings), but the latter does a better job in keeping an image that the gen-eral public aspires for.
The biggest dilemma every-one faces in life is the choice between “being feared” vs “being liked” to succeed in our goals.
There is no right or wrong option to this. In South-East Asia, prosperous neighbours like Singapore and Malaysia prove that in the context of pursuing progress amid chaos, an iron hand can be effective (and in the long run, earns the respect of people after good results become visible).
Research shows that a com-manding ruler works best if sub-ordinates accept hierarchy as part of society.
But nice guys can also finish first as long as they use the right strategies that prevent oth-ers from “taking advantage of them”, as studies suggest.
Harvard Business Review cites studies where acts of altruism, something which Pacquiao is known for, can increase some-one’s status in the group. Leaders who project warmth (and smile like Pacquiao), even before they exhibit competence, are trusted more than others.
While the numbers clearly show that he lost the fight, you can say that Pacquiao was the real victor in the eyes of the spectators – the battle which we all aspire for in real life.
The reason is simple: people love him more. He smiles while he is being weighed, he shares his personal life, he introduces us to his mother (and the world was never the same again),
he sings whenever there was a microphone.
He knows that even though he is a sports
icon, he still takes the time to show that he’s one of us.
In the context of sports where every
athlete is celebrated
with the ideals of motivation, disci-pline, and drive, Pacquiao simply wins the people’s hearts by a mile, and a smile.
2 look for a ‘higher purpose’ once You
reach the topWhile I’m not a big fan of Pacquiao
as a politician, you have to give it to the man who decided to get out of the ring to help and inspire people to greatness.
He makes the Philippines prouder than balut or dried mangoes does. He generously gives back to the people he associates himself with, and proves that success is best enjoyed when it is shared with others.
Like Pacquiao, people who sustain their success all realise one thing when they get to the top: they start thinking about others before themselves.
They reach out to discover their higher purpose. They look
for opportunities to develop peo-ple because they feel good when they share what they know.
They take accountability when their people fail to succeed because they own the respon-sibility of setting them up for success.
Beyond fame or making more money, they look for opportuni-ties to give back to communities, and they don’t need press con-ferences to shout these deeds.
It is no wonder that when these people fail, they easily get the support they need to start all over again.
Like Pacquiao, they still have people’s unwavering loyalty, win or lose. Indeed, it is crucially important to have people beside you who will lift you up when you get shot down.
In John Maxwell’s Five Stages of Leadership, he demonstrates that successful people influence best because of what they repre-sent, and because of what they
have personally done for others.
Manny Pacquiao (left) trades blows with Floyd Mayweather Jr, during their welterweight title fight in Las Vegas. Pacquiao lost his biggest fight in the ring, but that won’t stop him from plotting a bigger comeback - in the political arena that is. Some fans still want a rematch because they felt cheated by the lackluster Pacquiao-Mayweather bout billed by promoters as the ‘battle for greatness,’ though boxing analyst Ed Tolentino calls it the ‘fiasco of the century.’ – AP
3 Life Lessons from
‘The fiGhT of The CenTUrY’
> TURN TO PAGE 9
mystarjob.com, saturday 6 June 2015 9
At work, being the fast-est worker, the most creative Powerpoint slide maker, or the most strategic planner are well rewarded only if you work alone.
But these are not enough to succeed if teamwork is at play (and who works alone these days anyway?).
This is the same reason why I get so frustrated whenever I see brilliant managers or students who do so well when given a solo task, but fail painfully when they’re asked to work with a team.
They refuse to trust people with work, and they refuse to share what they know because getting ahead of the race is their main priority.
In life, finding a higher pur-pose that involves “others” may just be the most fulfilling task to achieve when you have conquered all the mountains available.
It matters to show to your friends and colleagues that while you have a personal race to fulfill, you also got their back.
3 fight the fight that You promised
The world voted for Pacquiao because he fought the sport the way we expect it to be fought. After wait-
ing for five years, we were promised a good fight and while it’s wrong to say we wanted to see blood, we were disappointed that we didn’t.
Credit goes to Mayweather for his technical gracefulness in defending himself in the ring – he avoided many punches and reserved much of his strength until the end.
He was also a very patient fighter who refused to win by volume of punches, but by the quality of it. He fought smarter, and he deserves the victory for this strategy.
But this isn’t the boxing that the people were waiting for.
“Boxing is dead!” was an outcry on social media by many fans who were expecting a slugfest between the two legendary fighters.
The world cheered for Pacquiao because while both athletes played fair and square, Pacquiao gave the fight that he promised. He walked the talk.
Successful people are those who fulfil their words and hold on to what they commit to the public. They commit to a specific goal, and work hard on it, until they finally accomplish it.
They pick themselves up no matter how many times they fall down. They simply have grit.
Pacquiao chased Mayweather to fight even if all the conditions were stacked against him because he
sincerely wanted to prove himself as the best. He also wanted to prove that he can give both a good show and emerge victorious at the same time.
And when he lost, he showed his usual sportsmanship by sincerely congratulating his opponent but firm enough to share his side of the story (of course the man has the right to believe he won!).
on a final noteThis is why we all love Pacquiao, no
matter how many times he will lose his fights. We all like him for what he has done, and what he continues to represents.
At work or in life, we all wish we can leave a legacy as big as Pacquiao did. Not because we’re simply good at what we do, but because the most fulfilling thing to do is to consciously share what we’re good at.
n Jonathan Yabut is a faculty part-ner at Leaderonomics and is the winner of The Apprentice Asia. He is based in Kuala Lumpur with a leading airline. He also engages in motivational talks about youth and leadership across Southeast Asia. His book, From Grit to Great, recalls his inspiring journey in winning the show. Visit his website at www.jonathanyabut.com. To engage him for organisational work in your organisation, email us at [email protected]
> FROM PAGE 8
sPeAK, ConneCT, enGAGe in A CrisisWhen A Crisis hiTs, orGAnisATions mUsT PUT Their besT fooT forWArd
By KRISHNAMOORTHY [email protected]
SEIZING the opportunity to speak, connect and engage the public through positive key messages can win over the hearts and minds of
stakeholders. It’s important to learn how to conduct yourself professionally in a media briefing or press conference
I have emphasised in Flying Through Crisis MH370: Lessons in Crisis Communications, that communicating effectively, valuing an organisation’s reputation and providing practical ideas for effectively managing an organisation’s image is crucial in crisis management.
With the world increasingly becom-ing a global village, we also need peo-ple with English competency at the fore when dealing with crises. Either that or get good translators like many countries do.
When it comes to conveying news through communications, here are the elements that are needed by both sides of the communicating bridge.
What Journalists WantThe accessibility of suitable spokes-
people is crucial. Malaysia met this requirement by holding regular press conferences at pre-determined times
during the crisis.In order to connect with an audi-
ence, the spokespeople must appre-ciate the needs of the media. Every journalist wants a scoop and to be the first to break the news. This causes problems since an organisation should rarely give an exclusive to one news outlet at the expense of others.
Driven by ratings, journalists always want a good story and MH370 was certainly one of those. They need well-written media releases to support their stories with facts, figures and graphics.
What they don’t want is to be talked down to, brushed off and given weak, vague and insipid statements by officials. They don’t want turgid and verbose media releases.
“Never speak disparagingly of anyone, not even in jest,” says Dick Pirozzolo, who is an American expert in public relations and crisis commu-nication.
What the organisation Wants
Unlike the journalist, the job of a spokesperson is to strategise and build effective media relationships to deliver the right corporate messages. Now, the question to ask is: “Was Malaysia’s or the airline’s image accurately por-trayed as being transparent and forth-
coming to questions by journalists?” People can make their own analysis
through observations.The challenge of crisis communica-
tions is to balance the needs of the journalists with the needs of the organisation. The organisation wants its story to be reported fairly, accu-rately and prominently with the key messages. The organisation expects balanced reporting supported by good visuals. They fear misquotation, poor
coverage and factual errors.The Government did not always get
fair, balanced and accurate reporting either from the international media or even the local alternative media as some leaders observed. CNN and Fox News came under heavy fire for their at times “sensational” coverage.
A crisis can occur anywhere and anytime. Only planning, preparation, practice, and training in managing a crisis will enable top management to
overcome a crisis. n Krishnamoorthy Muthaly was an experienced full-time journalist for 25 years until he retired recently. He now freelances for Al Jazeera, CNN, BBC, German and Australian TV networks, overseas newspapers and TIME magazine in Malaysia. He has written four books and co-authored Flying Through Crisis MH370: Lessons in Crisis Communications with David Kirkham.
The ChALLenGe of Crisis CommUniCATions is To bALAnCe The needs of The joUrnALisTs WiTh The needs of The orGAnisATion.
mystarjob.com, saturday 6 June 201510
GAMES PEOPLE PLAYA REfLEctiOn On thE SEA GAMES And WhAt thiS BiEnniAL MuLti-SPORt EvEnt MEAnS tO uS
n John Walter Baybay is a regional
management consultant who has
worked more than 17 years in the areas
of corporate strategic planning and economic
planning. He is a faculty representative
of Leaderonomics in Philippines. He
is a competitive athlete who balances
his time between business coaching,
family and working with communities. To engage him for
your organisation or to connect with him,
write to [email protected]
By JOHN WALTER [email protected]
AS anyone can imagine, Singapore has braced herself for the upcoming 28th South-East Asian Games this June 5 - 16, 2015. The multi-sport
event will host 7,000 athletes from 11 countries in the region.
The number does not account for the expected spectators and perhaps many more who are affected by the logistics and economic impact of the event.
While the event could be seen as a mini version of the Olympics, the impact of the games deserves a deeper under-standing into how it affects all of us and our mindsets, even after the event has taken place.
The history of the original Olympics goes as far back as ancient Greece in eighth century BC. The games were sup-posedly played in Olympia in homage to Zeus but was later banned in 393 AD by the Christian Roman emperor Theodosius.
It was not until 1896 that the first “modern” Olympics was held again in Athens with 280 participants from 13 nations and was later held in different host countries every four years. The last one was held in Sochi, Russia in 2014.
The SEA games or what was known back in 1958 as the South-East Asian Peninsula (SEAP) games came as an offshoot of the Asian Games in Japan when then vice-president of the Thailand Olympic Committee Luang Sukhum Nayaoradit conceptualised an event that would help promote cooperation, under-standing and relations among South-East Asian countries.
I had once qualified for the Youth SEA games for swimming when I was twelve after having won two silvers (butterfly and freestyle) and one gold (breaststroke) at a local cup. Before then, I had been standing on podiums on numerous sprint events as well as being part of the La Salle swim team for years.
What ensued after qualifying, however were days upon days of swimming four km per day. My eyes were bloodshot from chlorine and I found myself absolutely sick of smelling the pool. I eventually quit halfway in training and never made it to the games but the experience is some-thing that I will carry with me for the rest of my life.
It takes a lot of grit; and apparently I had not enough of it at that point in my life. But because of that, I do know for sure what it takes. It requires dedication, focus, financial and family support. Some of which I did not have at the time. The bottom line is that winning and compet-ing takes commitment from all sides of the game.
But with all the grandness and scale of these events, what do all of these games mean to us on an individual scale? What do these games have to do with our own games in life? Science says that the games we watch have a direct impact on us and tell a lot about ourselves and our needs.
In a scientific study, it was found that watching a game increases endocrine activity such as the production of testos-terone, adrenaline and cortisol as much as actually being in a game.
Some sports psychologists are still try-ing to get to the root of crowd behaviour which sometimes lead to riots at football games.
Truly, there is more to sports than
what we take in for amusement. In 1994, when Brazil won the World Cup, Brazilians in New York City rallied to the streets in an ad-hoc parade around town. New Yorkers who were unfamiliar to football (soccer) were shocked to see all the fuss.
Sports and game promoters prey upon our primal and emotional needs by attributing the best of what we could be upon our athletes. Some of the narra-tives that we often hear are as extreme as Good vs. Evil, just as we saw in the Pacquiao and Mayweather fight, to a bat-tle between East and West.
With the SEA games, it is a friendly and fair battle among our Asean nations. The good thing is that the SEA games con-textualises its events to accommodate games we usually play that are not found in the regular Olympics. This includes Muay Thai, Silat and Arnis.
In the Philippines, the nation came to a grinding halt as the entire nation was glued to the screen in watching what supposedly was to be the “fight of the century” between the Philippines’ national hero Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather.
While the event was somewhat of a disappointment, I had to reflect upon the reason why a game such as this seemed so important. Here are some of the rea-sons I found:
l NatioNal pride: Games of this scale (international in magnitude) tend to inspire nationalist sentiments as our ath-
letes carry
the flag for our
nation. In these moments we are able
to compete on a level playing field on equal footing with some of our neigh-bours who at times might seem to have been better endowed.
l Self-projectioN: Watching a sport allows the audience to project them-selves upon the athlete. In some cases, especially in a close match such as boxing or fencing, we might even find ourselves swinging at an invisible opponent in excitement. We project some of our own challenges upon these athletes in a brief moment of escape. In the moments where they win or lose, we also feel their sentiments in real time.
l perSoNificatioN of valueS: For the most part athletes are role models. They personify qualities that we want to see in ourselves. They reflect an improved version of ourselves with admirable vir-tues such as: courage, dedication, focus, endurance and performance.
The takeaway in all of these is perhaps the character we all need to incorpo-rate from the athletes and the process of sports itself. We need to ensure an atmosphere of fairness, sports minded-ness and grit and take them into our own life manoeuvers.
We all have our battles but we also need to have the heart of a real cham-pion to win in the game of life.
mystarjob.com, saturday 6 June 2015 11
JUST SAY ‘NO’By MAJURA [email protected]
EVERY year, in DIODE, DropZone and Leaderonomics Club, we encourage young people to work on their AVP (Awareness, Vision, Plan) by choosing at least one vision that they aim to achieve
by the end of the year.As part of the Leaderonomics youth team,
I am not spared from doing the same thing myself, just to set an example as to how aware-ness helps in planning and achieving our per-sonal vision.
I have a few visions that I planned to work on this year and one of them is to be able to be firm and say “no”.
I thought that I have been a really “nice” per-son by saying “yes” to almost everything that I am asked to do or attend and I realised I was not only burning myself out, I had also let some peo-ple down by not being able to be there for those who matter.
Why is it so difficult to say ‘no’?A lot of people especially women have dif-
ficulty in saying a firm “no” to something they don’t really want to do.
The inability to give a firm “no” is not only counterproductive, it is also very stressful as you will need to juggle the additional tasks and appointments that you have agreed to.
Many of us find it challenging to say no because we want to be liked as individuals. We do not want to disappoint or close doors to opportunities.
However, believe it or not, by saying no, we are actually opening doors to many other chances which can contribute to our learning curve. We will have more time to focus on what is best for our career growth.
Another reason I think it is difficult for many to say no especially at work is because we believe by doing more things, we will be able to climb the ladder faster. While it may be true for some, it might not be for you if you are not able to pro-duce the best quality of work assigned to you.
Some may also find it difficult to say no because we want to avoid feeling guilty. We may feel that we are being selfish by saying no. However, it is more selfish to feed our guilt and jeopardise the quality of our work.
Here are some ways that you can apply to
build up that strength to say “no”.
decide to say noTo say “no”, you have to begin with a decision
to do so and be firm with the choices that you have made. Be firm and unapologetic in your response but avoid appearing aggressive as this may burn the bridges between you and the asker.
Oftentimes, people tend to give reasons as to why they cannot take the extra load of work or participate in a particular event as a way to say no. However, sometimes “no, thank you” is the complete sentence.
By giving excuses, you are allowing people to manoeuver around you.
You are also allowing yourself to fall into the cycle of lies should you not be honest in your excuses. This will not only tarnish your reputa-tion as an individual, you will also appear as someone who is not able to make decisions and hold his/her ground.
stop offeringAsians are known for their generosity and
therefore, we tend to offer as much help to others as possible. However, when it comes to work, sometimes it would be best to identify our capacity in doing the job before offering to actu-ally do it.
If the task is something that you believe would be really great in accelerating your growth, improve your skills as well as help you
achieve what you want, then take some time to identify your current workload and understand how much effort you will have to invest before volunteering to help.
You are, after all, responsible for your own portfolio.
take your timeWhenever you are asked to do something,
always make time to decide whether you should take the task or not. Avoid agreeing on the spot to any invites or additional work. Give yourself some time to understand your priorities, avail-ability and capacity.
This way, you will be able to set a viable work pace and avoid spreading yourself too thin. You do not want to fall into a life that has minimal time for rest.
Make use of the calendar app in your phone to block your time for work and personal appoint-ments. From here, you will be able to see clearly your availability to do certain things.
It is a good idea to consider if the tasks that you will be doing is going to help you build new skills and experiences.
It is not going to be easy for many who are not used to saying no. However, saying no is a skill that can be learned. All you need to do is to start saying no right now. Do not delay your decision.
Start caring for yourself more as that is essen-tially the most important reason to start saying no. The lack of courage to say no will slowly erode a person who lacks confidence, self-belief and trustworthiness. This may not only cripple your relationships, it may potentially cost you your next career advancement.
n Majura Perashot is part of the Youth Team who seeks to continuously improve herself by applying
AVP (Awareness, Vision, Plan) in her daily life. For those who are interested to find out more
about DIODE Camps and AVP, you can e-mail her at [email protected]
WAYS TO STAY FIRMMY difficulty in saying “no” has led me to search for ways to stand my ground when neces-sary, and to make it a habit. I started by using the AVP map in three easy steps:
a for aWarenessWe need to identify and be aware of why we tend to go “yes,yes,yes” when asked to do something. Once you are aware of the drivers in your behaviour, you can manage your responses better by modifying your gut reactions.
V for VisionNext, set an achievable target for yourself. Know what you want to see by the end of the year after you started saying no. Does your health improve? Did you get enough sleep? Are your friends and family happy with the time that you get to spend with them?
p for planAnd last but not least, plan your way to achieve this vision by identifying tools or methods that can help you say no.
IS YOUR WORST hAbIT The INAbIlITY TO TURN dOWN ANY ReqUeST?
IF YOU ARe NOT FIRM IN SAYINg ‘NO’, YOU AllOW OTheRS TO MANOeUveR AROUNd YOU
mystarjob.com, saturday 6 June 201512
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
Working for a bigger purpose
Also next week
Personal branding for women
A unique leadership development tool
The social enterprise story
Does blocking YouTube, TwiTTer anD Facebook improve proDucTiviTY aT work?
JANET LUISenior VP group human resources, Taylor’s Education Group
WHAT LUI SAYSWhile some employers believe that blocking social media access in the office will improve productivity, such a measure is difficult to accomplish in our connected world.
When employees are not engaged, they fall victim to the endless dis-tractions at work. Long before the introduction of online social media, disengaged employees were chit-chatting around the office, socialis-ing on the phone or finding other personal things to attend to instead of working.
If they are blocked from sites like YouTube, Twitter and Facebook, employees who are determined to go online can still use data plans on their personal mobile devices to socialise on the Internet.
If implemented poorly, the policy of blocking social media sites at the workplace can increase staff dissatis-faction and reduce productivity.
Employees may feel aggrieved towards their company for not trust-ing nor empowering them and, instead, controlling their personal space.
Some companies use sites like YouTube, Twitter and Facebook to engage with their customers and to build their corporate and employer brand.
When employees tweet or com-municate on Facebook about the positive aspects of their work expe-rience, they become good brand ambassadors for the company, which
will benefit the employer.That said, to have no governance
at all on social media usage at the workplace will tempt Internet-addicted employees to abuse their rights.
To weed out the small percent-age of problematic cases, a policy with guidelines on personal Internet usage during working hours can be established.
Some companies use tools to monitor Internet activity levels. This is a viable option for employers who do not wish to totally block access to social media sites during work hours.
Rather than blocking Internet sites to try to improve productivity, employers can focus on enhancing employee engagement and retention instead.
Drivers to keep employees engaged at work include having a shared purpose, promoting core values that steer company culture, providing clear direction and goals, measuring outcomes objectively and creating an enjoyable working envi-ronment.
Surveys have shown that there is a positive correlation between highly-engaged employees and high-performing companies.
JusT as oFFice supplies anD work phones can be abuseD, so can social meDia. Does ‘resTricTing access’ To social apps, viDeo sTreaming, gaming anD sTock TraDing siTes help an emploYee Focus aT work?
In our special HR Talk Q&A, we gather a number of human resources experts to answer questions from readers.
Here, you can get the right advice from professionals who are actively involved in human capital development, and who understand your grouses about dealing with the competitive forces in employment today.
QUESTION
geT Your quesTion answereD bY experTs From corporaTe malaYsia!Do you need advice about work? Send your wringers to [email protected] and we will get our HR experts to answer in the next Q&A column.
You will have the benefit of receiving advice from not just one, but two senior professionals from the industry.
Your email can also be in the form of an opinion, as we hope to share knowledge through debate.
Write in today!
ARESANDIRAN J. NAIDUPresident, Malaysian Institute of Human Resource Management
WHAT ARESANDIRAN SAYSSocial media is the way forward for everyone today. But it has received unfa-vourable attention at the workplace by some employers, who do not realise that social media incurs a negligible cost.
In the new world, technology and communications are important buz-zwords. Higher usage will undoubtedly result in higher productivity and effi-ciency.
But like everthing else, there is a need for discipline to ensure that usage and application of social media at the workplace is regulated properly and not abused.
There must be rules and guidance for the usage and application of social media. Unfortunately, organisations that are set in the traditional patterns apply decision-making in a hierachical manner. This is an old school way of doing things which prevents new think-ing or innovations to be made openly and hence nobody takes responsibility for new approaches, such as introducing and integrating social media into work.
So the easy approach is to follow the crowd, and discourage the introduction
of social apps. However, in certain workplaces,
employers have encouraged the use of such apps with guidelines and rules. These employers have seen the benefits that social media can provide, such as improved communication and organisa-tional effectiveness.
Whether you welcome or discourage such apps, it all depends on the attitude of leaders in the organisation. A conserv-ative leader will always see the negative side and discourage the usage of apps.
They fail to realise that technology through “social media” comes with no cost, and there are gains to be obtained for organisations that are quick to adopt and harness new products on the Internet.
Survey has shown, Malaysians, are savvy when it comes to social media application. It has become part of their lives, mainly through the educational environment.
If employers block access to such apps at the workplace, there may be poor engagement and sharing/growing between employees.
Talents may not be attracted to work with such organisations. Therefore, employers must welcome changes and adopt social media at workplace whole-heartedly.
