Do Thing Right, or Do The Right Thing!

"Ayah, what do you do in the office?"

Satu soalan yang memang susah untuk di jawap, walaupun yang bertanya itu Luqman yang berusia tujuh tahun.

You see, when I was on sick leave, so was he. He was down with fever and tonsillitis. We had plenty of time together - just the two of us recuperating. It is highly recommended to have one of you children to accompany you on a sick leave - the parent and child bonding find its right temperature! Luqman's sickness I must confess was purely coincidental and not manipulated by me in any way.

The question he asked two days ago, made me think. What if the same question was asked by my prospective new employer at an interview? What will my answer be! I can answer that I am a leader, and ask the interviewer to refer to my blog entry here. Or I can take myself out from the pack by coming up with an answer more authentic.

So, as soon as Luqman drifted into sleep from the effect of antibiotic, I listed down what I do at work. I came to half a page and it started to look like a page from a management book. How unoriginal I thought. If what I do everyday is so ordinary and common that it appears like a photo-copy from a management book then how do I differentiate myself as a professional?

The word professional finally stroked a chord with me. Yes I am a professional - I use the breadth and depth of my skills and experience to align, engage and mobilize other individuals and teams to grow sales, reduce cost, add profitability and develop people! I do so with emphatic care for my customers and my stakeholders. I actually like my final summary of what I do at work. I will edit my resume to reflect that.

Most of us want to do our jobs well. Most of us want more important jobs, bigger salaries, greater security, higher status and a bright future. So we will try to do our job so well that we will be rewarded, respected and promoted.

And that is where we go wrong!

To achieve all of the above, of course we must first and foremost do the job in our hand very well. But we must also be able to do the other job well - the job not directly in our hand but if we choose to do will differentiate us from the rest and get us noticed for the next promotion opportunity.

The other job is larger and more vague: It is about adding value to the whole organization. If senior managers can see that you are able to solve the problems of the organization itself, not just the part assigned to you - then you have broken away from the pack.

When I reflected back to my rapid rise through the ranks, being appointed to the board as a director at age 36 by my first employer - I could smile with pride at my numerous initiatives in areas outside of my immediate responsibilities. Many were successful, and a few failed. But even those failed endeavour were applauded by my employer for I have provided lessons learnt and prevented others from wasting time and resources from committing the same errors. When I was an engineer, I proposed to the management a paper to start a child day care center on the company premises. I contacted all the government agencies and the labour office to get their support - and my proposal was accepted with personal support from the chairman. I found out later, he supported me not so much by his own conviction that it will work, but he was impressed with my passion and resourcefulness. Of course, I looped in the HR people so as not to step on their toes, but everyone knows I was the brain and the brawn behind the set up of the first child care center on a company premises in the Klang valley.

That was only an example.

A secretary who wants to break away from the pack can do wonders by creating a niche as an expert on customer background. Know who goes where for holidays, what are their children's names, what are their wives names, etc etc...Be the one with the updated information. Soon you will find senior directors and managers will come to ask you for those information every time they have an appointment with customers. Don't you think that you will be rewarded and recognised for that? Well, if you don't after trying - then walk to another place where senior managers have their eyes wide open and their heart ready to appreciate your good deeds.

That is just another illustration.

You need to find your own area of strength and passion where you can really pick it up and make a real great contribution to the organization, without being asked to do so.

If you want to be a manager - start dressing, talking, thinking and acting like one. Start seeing decision from their point of view and don't play the "us" versus "them" game. You need to start being 'them' before you get there!

Peter drucker once differentiate between efficiency and effectiveness: Efficiency is about doing a job right, effectiveness is about doing the right job!

Your boss will tell you how to do the job right - but you have to be able to figure out for yourself what the right jobs are. Efficient people are good as technicians. Effective people stand more chance to be promoted!

Doing the right jobs is a trait of professionalism!

Have a self-assessment, are you an effiecient person with those must do lists, and the right colour ticks for each category? Or are you an effective person who spend time thinking and exploring what are the right jobs which will make a difference to your job, your objectives, your organisation, your team, and most imprtantly - your life!

I will one day share with Luqman what his little question has triggered me to think and write about.

I want to change subject ....

I really appreciate all the prayers and well wishes I received either for me to recover from my poor health situation or for me to find another good job or for both.
Thank you so much.
To know that there are friends who care make a difference.

It is time to change subject. Time to cheer up a bit, and not let the doom and gloom spread. I myself have moments when I smiled today and felt happiness in my heart, especially after reading blogs belonging to friends - seperti bila membaca bagaimana seorang anak membuat seorang mama konfuse, atau pun bila seorang doktor bermuncung, dan juga bila melihat gambar2 di sini. Semangat pulak jadi berkobar2 bila membaca tentang impian dan wawasan anak bangsa di sini. To change the subject, I want to write about something close to my heart - Leadership! This is a topic which many management Gurus have been making tonnes of money writing about. There are many sides of leadership which one can focus on.
I am writing about leadership for execution! Leaders who do not bring results are only good if his or her profession happen to be in malaysian politics. Other than that, a leader better bring some positive results to his/her constituents!
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Leadership is not rocket science but a simple act of bringing positive change for the betterment of others or in the case of personal leadership, for yourself. *I can only wish that some of our dear Yng Berhormats practice or at the least has the intention*. Leadership happens everyday and everywhere. Leaders make things happen. You can either be born with leadership flowing through your blood or you can also acquire the skills. What is important is as a leader, one exudes compelling reasons for others to follow. A leader without followers is called a lembu!

Key roles of a leader are
1. To identify the end results,
2. To assess the gaps between now to there *there being the end game!*
3. To have a game plan on how to get there
4. To have a rigourous review and monitoring systems
5. To build a contigency plan, just in case.

What is the end result you are aiming for? It can be for yourself, if we are talking about personal leadership, and the follower in this case is you, your brain, and your emotion. You really have to follow yourself - what you have set up to achieve! As a student, an end result can be to pass the final exams in July with distinction! As a mom, an end result can be to teach a child one new skill every month. As a head of department, an end result can be to improve customer service index by 50% by end of the year. Pls note, the objective has to be SMART: Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Realistic and Time bound.

Identifying gaps is perhaps the most critical. This requires assessment of realities, issues, data, capabilities etc. A student, to see te syllabus which he /she has to cover. How much time needed to complete them all. He must identify gaps in term of where he/she is currently to where he/she ust be in order to score distinctions in the final exams!
In the above example, the head of department, has to assess and evaluate what is current score of customer satisfaction index. Where are the weaknesses ......and what must happen before an improvement of 50% can be achieved.

What differentiate great leaders from those in the middle of the pack is their ability to spot and mobilize the right people.
Who are the right people? The answer will vary from a leader to the next. In the end it is also dependent on chemistry and preferences of styles. A leader who has a tendency of recruiting only people who mirrors his/her own style and image may miss out the benefits which diversity can bring. But all said, the final measure rests on how effective the person is in executing. If he/she is one - then he/she has the most important ingredient.

Talking from a personal perspective, the 'right' people for me are.....
- People who have a burning passion to achieve. One who makes extra effort, especially on their own initiative. For example a secretary who research the profile of the VIP who the boss will be meeting - is a better secretary who keeps to the routine.
- People who has energy and is naturally energizing others. Energy is contagious, and an office requires energy to enbale creativity and innovations. A factory requires energy to be productive. Positive energy comes from confidence, and confidence comes from having knowledge, skills, and relationship.
- People who are great executioners. To be visionary is one thing - but even the best of visionaries need to be willing to roll up their sleeves and do things. Leaders who are satisfied to have binoculars to their eyes from the top of the ladder, and lead only through the vision they have will not achieve much and may find himself/herself without great followers. The leader must be able to translate the vision into actions and results through executing with the team. And I will also add highest level of personal integrity into the mix.

Mobilizing talents is an art. It requires emphaty, and a big heart on the part of a leader.

I can recall one incident which happened at a BBQ dinner here in Jeddah. The host was an Indian and amongst the invitees were his boss - an Arab.
I was at the BBQ pit with the host, when his boss appeared. The host asked the boss - "how do you like your steak?".
Without thinking, the boss replied, "Well Done!".
And as quickly, with a smile on his face, the host said,"You know, in two years I have worked for you - that was the first time you said Well done to me!".
It was of course said with humour, but the message was anything but funny. It was sad - ain't it.
A leader should know how to mobilize his team members emotionally and intellectually.

A friend can play leadership too. Be the one who take charge to mobilize friendship. Be the one who identify gaps in a friendship when it occurs and take effort to close ranks. After a few tries, and if it still does not work, time to move on. You will just know it when you hit the right wavelength with a person, one with whom you can forever be great friends come what may!
I have mine - and I am ever so grateful for their presence in my life. Until tested with difficult times, one can never be sure. Like I said before - a real test for an umbrella is when it rains.

The above short write up is to provide myself with some distraction from the doom and gloom!
I hope you do find it useful too. Latest check - my blood pressure has came down to 130/90.
That is steady improvement compared to 150/100 just two nights ago.
My usual is 120/70. With more rest and exercise, my target is to hit the normal level before the end of this week.