Have been doing Quiet Time (prayer) at Our Daily Bread both online and in book form. Yesterday’s reading struck me again on how we face each of life’s challenges – as God meant things to be. A good time to count one’s blessings.

Credit: In The Field by ~Bliitz

Beloved
I have found my beloved. My other half in life. And there’s no greater blessing than her in my life. Together. Forevermore.

Family
A supportive family. Unique it its very own way. Loving, nurturing into who I am today.

Friends
People of common interests. People who listen. People who talk & laugh. People to have discourse & discussion with. A blessing indeed. Friends unexpectedly joined together through our paths in life.

Work
To feel happy with work in today’s world. To get back each day knowing that you have accomplished a bit more – especially if you have helped another person. To look forward. To be motivated. To plan, live & achieve.

Play
Reaching out in many ways. To have fun. To relax. To enjoy. To reward. Simple blessings.

Question
What are you thankful for today?

Plug for friends =)
WW21.6 (May 23, 2009) 9AM-6PM
Penang International Squash Center
Help squash make the 2016 Olympics
Win cool prizes or bid for a date with women’s world champion Nicol David
More info: www.squashstars.com/events

Image Credit: 7shadows

Source: Harvard Business Review May-June 2000

Why & How Changes are to be Made:-
Theory E: Based on Economic value
Theory O: Based on Organizational capability

Theory E
Main focus is on shareholder value involves:-
Economic incentives
Drastic layoffs, Downsizing, Restructuring

Theory O
Develop corporate culture & human capability through individual & organizational learning
Process of changing, obtaining feedback, reflecting & making further changes
Typically have strong, long-held, commitment-based contracts with their employees

E versus O
Leadership
• E: Top-down approach with little involvement from managers/lower-levels
• O: Get all employees emotionally committed & focus on bottom-up
Focus
• E: Streamlining “hardware” – structures & systems
• O: Building up “Software” – culture, behavior & attitude of employees
Process
• E: Viewpoint held that battle requires clear, comprehensive, common plan of action with specific deadlines
• O: Changes and more evolutionary & emergent; Using innovative work processes, values & culture changes adopted from one dpmt/plant to another
Reward System
• E: Primarily financial $$$
• O: Compensation supports goal of culture change & but does NOT drive these goals; E.g. Skills-based pay system, Profit-sharing plans
Consultants
• E: Rely heavily on external consultants – E.g. To identify many painful cost-cutting initiatives
• O: Rely far less on consultants – E.g. To help managers & workers analyze their own solutions

Note: Click for larger view

Combining E & O
To build a company that can adapt, survive & prosper over the years, both E & O strategies must be combined
CAUTION: Mixing E & O techniques can destabilize the company
E.g. FEW exceptions like Jack Welsh, GE’s CEO by imposing E-type restructuring demanding all GE businesses be 1st or 2nd in their industry, else sold off
After laying off > 100k employees, switch to O strategy by initiative to change GE culture to be boundary-less with open feedback & communication
Note: Also very difficult to implement O before E as employees will distrust the company

Strategies for Combining E & O
Focus on both Hard (Economic value) + Soft (Transforming culture) – E.g. Freeze pay-rises; Less hierarchy & more transparency
Plan for Spontaneity to allow real experimentation without penalizing for failures – E.g. Actively promote new ideas/testing to drive innovation
Incentive to reinforce but NOT drive change: To apply Theory E incentives in an O way – E.g. Pay to reward commitment (stock options) & employees pay based on corporate & personal performance
Consultants as Expert Resources to Empower: To provide specialized knowledge & technical skills company lacking especially in early stages of change

Question
Are you in a Theory E or Theory O company? Which works better?
(Also are these ‘Rat Race’ posts interesting to you guys? )

The other side of the story to Expectations of a Direct Report — Interesting key points on what most people expect from their Top Managers/CEO/GM/Leaders in a company. Have a great weekend! (posted a couple of days in advance as will be busy from Friday to the weekend)

Clear Direction
• Where the business is going, why & what are the benefits if we accomplish it
• Every quarter, the boss should get up in front of the team & explain the financial results & the progress of any operational/strategic initiative

Set Goals & Objectives
• Each person should know EXACTLY what individual goals he/she are going to be measured on over a given period & where to invest precious time
• When goals & objectives are clear, promotions & bonus decisions can be based on merit
• Morale suffers if people think there’s some mystery behind the process
• People are much happier & more comfortable when they’re working in a meritocracy

Give Frequent, Specific & Immediate Feedback
• What he does well
• What he can do better
• How he & his boss can work together to fill any gaps

Be Decisive & Timely
• Give clear, unambiguous answers
• Input from boss when there’s much time BEFORE, not when it’s last minute & having a crisis

Be Accessible
• If I expect people to keep me informed about what’s going on, I need to be available when they see me
• Most people only turn to the boss when they need help

Demonstrate Honesty & Candor
• Don’t spend too much time on how to deliver news in a diplomatic way
• Be direct, yet objective & honest

Offer an Equitable Compensation Plan
• People want to be compensated fairly, in a way that reflects their contributions & they want to understand how the compensation works

Question
What do you expect from your boss?

Posts have been very sporadic due to time being spent on love, MBA studies & MichaelStephen. Decided to expand the sharing of some thoughts & insights beyond colleagues/friends/clients to the blogosphere as well. As usual discourse & discussion is most welcome including whether you find these reads interesting. The following post contains key points from an interesting article on what a manager usually expects from his/her direct reports reporting to him/her.

Photo Credit: Cafe Mon Amour by Valexina

Get Involved
• Delegation is very important but need to know when involvement is required
• Depends on judgment call but usually when:-
o Somebody is falling behind in his/her commitments
o When important personnel matters arise
o Conflict/crisis

Generate Ideas
• Hear what you have to say (and not what you think I want to hear)
• Even corny, funny, weird ideas – we can try it out!
• Come up with ideas as you are the best people to come up with ideas!

Collaboration/Working together
• Best if can work together & share credit
• Even if somehow you do not like someone, need to communicate & work together

Be Willing to Lead Initiatives
• Take a chance & take up challenging new projects
• It’s the best way to get noticed & climb the corporate ladder faster

Develop People as You Develop
• Take interest in your peers/subordinates expectations as in your own
• Get personally involved in performance appraisals
• Give specific & useful feedback (no ambiguity/vagueness)

Stay Current
• Read new, reports, etc & know what’s happening in the world
• Know how customers & the competition is changing
• Know how technology & world events are affecting customers strategies
• Customer relationships are an asset!

Anticipate
• Stay current to avoid risking a setback you should have anticipated
• The best people who are constantly looking around corners are best suited to leadership positions

Drive Your Own Growth
• Seek perpetual education & development (not only though studying, but through other people & ideas)
• Get feedback from your boss, peers & subordinates
• Accept demanding assignments & as you learn more than from cushy/simple projects

Be a Player for All Seasons
• Collaborate & offer ideas whether the company is growing with +20% profits, or -20% growth

Question
What do you think a manager expects from his/her employees?

Talking. To simply get a point across from one point to another.

Yet. Communication can be difficult as we all know that we each individually see things from different perspectives.

Photo Credit: priscilla~world

The Power Gap
Especially existent in the Asian workplace whereby we are so used to manager’s being on a totally different plateau from employees. Yet does this communication style really work begs to be asked? Consider though if a manager & his/her employee could be sitting side-by-side working together. A different set of results altogether. Respect doesn’t come with distance.

Assertive Communication

Assertive Communication = Behavior + Effects + Feelings

It’s about not being aggressive, nor passive
It’s about a balance & dialogue
It’s about being direct & focusing on the situation/effects
Yet an interesting point is knowing that putting feelings into the equation, actually makes it even more effective. The challenge would be to put in feelings, without being emotional.

Reflective Listening
“Let’s talk together”

Reflecting Listening = Paraphrase + Ask questions

Question
Do you practice assertive communication & reflective listening in your daily life? What barriers/challenges do you face?