Is this our daily routine of life?
Monday, November 16, 2009
Wednesday, November 04, 2009
Four Styles Of Leadership
From Forbes.Com
Four Styles of Leadership
----------------------
Forbes.com, November 2, 2009
By Rich Karlgaard
At the recent Forbes Global CEO Conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, my colleague Tim Ferguson, editor of Forbes Asia, led a panel on leadership. What struck me--and not for the first time--is the variety of leadership styles that work. And work really well. There is no single leadership secret; there are many. They are hiding in plain sight, and we can learn from them.
Visionary
One of the panelists was Helmut Panke, former chairman of German automaker BMW. As auto executives go, Panke was a late bloomer, not even entering the auto business until his mid-30s. He was a nuclear scientist and university lecturer. He came to BMW as head of planning and control in 1982. As head of strategy during the 1990s Panke retooled BMW's brand from yuppie toy to performance luxury car the equal of rival Mercedes-Benz. Panke rose to become chairman of BMW's management board in 2002 and there fulfilled his goal of BMW's becoming the biggest seller of luxury automobiles, overtaking Mercedes.
Panke says leadership is chiefly about vision. During his BMW tenure vision and brand became one and the same. While serving as BMW chairman, Panke was fond of saying such things as: "Every model we make has to earn the right to wear the BMW badge." Another Pankeism: "I want to be able to blindfold a person, set him down in a BMW and have him know it's a BMW by the feel of it." (If you could hear Panke's German accent, the statements would sound even more forceful.)
Apple's Steve Jobs and Whole Foods' John Mackey are examples of visionary business leaders today. For them, vision, product integrity and brand will always be one and the same.
Empathetic
Another leadership style is that driven by empathy. Admiral Bill Owens is an example of this. Owens, an Annapolis graduate, was a nuclear submariner from the 1960s through the 1980s. He served in Vietnam and later as commanding officer of the U.S.S. Sam Houston and the U.S.S. City of Corpus Christi. During Operation Desert Storm in 1990-91 Owens served as commander of the U.S. Sixth Fleet. In 1994 he was appointed vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, serving under Chairman John Shalikashvili.
Owens retired from the military in 1996 and now lends his leadership lessons to several corporate boards, including Indian software services giant Wipro and recently Daimler AG. (Full disclosure: I am a longtime friend of Owens'. We hail from the same town--Bismarck, N.D.--and currently sit on the boards of two private companies together.)
Owens told conference attendees that the top-performing sub commanders had "soul" and showed empathy for the sailors under their command. The very best sub commander Owens ever saw in the Navy was an officer who once spent an entire night consoling a homesick new enlistee.
Corporate America is replete with great empathetic leaders. Bill Hewlett, cofounder of Hewlett-Packard, was a legendary one. He liked to roll up his sleeves and inspire engineers by walking the floors and listening to their concerns. Empathetic leadership under founder Herb Kelleher and current CEO Gary Kelly is the reason that Southwest Airlines even today has some of the happiest flight attendants in the skies.
Humble Servitude
A third style of leadership is that demonstrated by Wal-Mart Chairman S. Robson Walton. At the conference Walton was interviewed onstage by Steve Forbes. Walton said it is the job of leaders to "listen to customers, listen to customers, listen to customers" and thereby establish a service spirit for the whole company. Walton took over his father Sam's empire in 1992, when Wal-Mart was doing $55 billion in annual revenue, almost all of it in the U.S. Today Wal-Mart is a global giant, with sales of more than $400 billion.
Rob Walton's secret is that he does not pretend to be Sam Walton, who founded Wal-Mart in 1962. Sam was an archetypal entrepreneur. Rob chooses to be the humble-servant leader. Under Rob Walton's leadership his company has listened well--even to its many critics--and prospered.
Moral/Ethical
An insistence on companywide ethical behavior--i.e., every employee practicing the Golden Rule in all company dealings--can be a powerful form of leadership. But it is also a fragile form, subject to human frailty. One mistake and a moral/ethical leader can easily look like a hypocrite.
If that's too much pressure for you, consider Francis Yeoh, head of Malaysia's YTL Corp., which builds utility plants, high-speed rail service and hotels. An advocate of moral leadership, Yeoh is also an outspoken Christian in a Muslim-majority country. In other words, Yeoh and his company have no room for ethical lapses. Yet Yeoh says the moral way is the only way to go. YTL's compound annual growth rate of 55% over the last 15 years (in pretax profits) is proof that the higher bar of moral/ethical leadership can pay off.
In the U.S. such companies as S.C. Johnson, Deere & Co., American Express and Starbucks have done well by doing good.
There are many more leadership styles beyond these four. If there's any secret to leadership, it is "fit." Leadership style must fit the leader, and it must fit the organization.
Read Rich Karlgaard's daily blog at http://blogs.forbes.com/digitalrules or e-mail him at publisher@forbes.com. See Rich Karlgaards new TalkBack video series at http://forbes.com/talkback.
Also read this article at: http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2009/1102/opinions-rich-karlgaard-digital-rules.html
Read it with rational and open mind...
Four Styles of Leadership
----------------------
Forbes.com, November 2, 2009
By Rich Karlgaard
At the recent Forbes Global CEO Conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, my colleague Tim Ferguson, editor of Forbes Asia, led a panel on leadership. What struck me--and not for the first time--is the variety of leadership styles that work. And work really well. There is no single leadership secret; there are many. They are hiding in plain sight, and we can learn from them.
Visionary
One of the panelists was Helmut Panke, former chairman of German automaker BMW. As auto executives go, Panke was a late bloomer, not even entering the auto business until his mid-30s. He was a nuclear scientist and university lecturer. He came to BMW as head of planning and control in 1982. As head of strategy during the 1990s Panke retooled BMW's brand from yuppie toy to performance luxury car the equal of rival Mercedes-Benz. Panke rose to become chairman of BMW's management board in 2002 and there fulfilled his goal of BMW's becoming the biggest seller of luxury automobiles, overtaking Mercedes.
Panke says leadership is chiefly about vision. During his BMW tenure vision and brand became one and the same. While serving as BMW chairman, Panke was fond of saying such things as: "Every model we make has to earn the right to wear the BMW badge." Another Pankeism: "I want to be able to blindfold a person, set him down in a BMW and have him know it's a BMW by the feel of it." (If you could hear Panke's German accent, the statements would sound even more forceful.)
Apple's Steve Jobs and Whole Foods' John Mackey are examples of visionary business leaders today. For them, vision, product integrity and brand will always be one and the same.
Empathetic
Another leadership style is that driven by empathy. Admiral Bill Owens is an example of this. Owens, an Annapolis graduate, was a nuclear submariner from the 1960s through the 1980s. He served in Vietnam and later as commanding officer of the U.S.S. Sam Houston and the U.S.S. City of Corpus Christi. During Operation Desert Storm in 1990-91 Owens served as commander of the U.S. Sixth Fleet. In 1994 he was appointed vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, serving under Chairman John Shalikashvili.
Owens retired from the military in 1996 and now lends his leadership lessons to several corporate boards, including Indian software services giant Wipro and recently Daimler AG. (Full disclosure: I am a longtime friend of Owens'. We hail from the same town--Bismarck, N.D.--and currently sit on the boards of two private companies together.)
Owens told conference attendees that the top-performing sub commanders had "soul" and showed empathy for the sailors under their command. The very best sub commander Owens ever saw in the Navy was an officer who once spent an entire night consoling a homesick new enlistee.
Corporate America is replete with great empathetic leaders. Bill Hewlett, cofounder of Hewlett-Packard, was a legendary one. He liked to roll up his sleeves and inspire engineers by walking the floors and listening to their concerns. Empathetic leadership under founder Herb Kelleher and current CEO Gary Kelly is the reason that Southwest Airlines even today has some of the happiest flight attendants in the skies.
Humble Servitude
A third style of leadership is that demonstrated by Wal-Mart Chairman S. Robson Walton. At the conference Walton was interviewed onstage by Steve Forbes. Walton said it is the job of leaders to "listen to customers, listen to customers, listen to customers" and thereby establish a service spirit for the whole company. Walton took over his father Sam's empire in 1992, when Wal-Mart was doing $55 billion in annual revenue, almost all of it in the U.S. Today Wal-Mart is a global giant, with sales of more than $400 billion.
Rob Walton's secret is that he does not pretend to be Sam Walton, who founded Wal-Mart in 1962. Sam was an archetypal entrepreneur. Rob chooses to be the humble-servant leader. Under Rob Walton's leadership his company has listened well--even to its many critics--and prospered.
Moral/Ethical
An insistence on companywide ethical behavior--i.e., every employee practicing the Golden Rule in all company dealings--can be a powerful form of leadership. But it is also a fragile form, subject to human frailty. One mistake and a moral/ethical leader can easily look like a hypocrite.
If that's too much pressure for you, consider Francis Yeoh, head of Malaysia's YTL Corp., which builds utility plants, high-speed rail service and hotels. An advocate of moral leadership, Yeoh is also an outspoken Christian in a Muslim-majority country. In other words, Yeoh and his company have no room for ethical lapses. Yet Yeoh says the moral way is the only way to go. YTL's compound annual growth rate of 55% over the last 15 years (in pretax profits) is proof that the higher bar of moral/ethical leadership can pay off.
In the U.S. such companies as S.C. Johnson, Deere & Co., American Express and Starbucks have done well by doing good.
There are many more leadership styles beyond these four. If there's any secret to leadership, it is "fit." Leadership style must fit the leader, and it must fit the organization.
Read Rich Karlgaard's daily blog at http://blogs.forbes.com/digitalrules or e-mail him at publisher@forbes.com. See Rich Karlgaards new TalkBack video series at http://forbes.com/talkback.
Also read this article at: http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2009/1102/opinions-rich-karlgaard-digital-rules.html
Read it with rational and open mind...
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Sudut Kesihatan - Lowering Toxic Exposure
An excerpt from Does Detoxing Really Work?
10 Ways to Lower Your Toxic Exposure
Whatever you think about detoxing, both critics and proponents agree on one thing: The best way to reduce the level of chemicals in your body is to limit the number that gain entrance. Crinnion compares the body to a boat with a hole in it: “You’re better off patching the hole in the side before you start bailing.” In short, reducing your daily toxic exposure may be the best detox of all. Here’s how.
Don’t smoke. Tobacco smoke contains more than 4,000 compounds, including 40 known carcinogens, and it’s the leading source of indoor air pollution. If you can’t break the habit, at least smoke outside and spare your family and friends.
Cut down on mold. Inhaled mold spores can cause allergies, asthma, and other respiratory diseases, so ventilate bathrooms, launder area rugs regularly, and thoroughly clean water-damaged carpets. Also, keep moisture levels to a minimum; an indoor humidity level below 50 percent is best. (Hardware stores sell devices that measure humidity, as well as dehumidifiers that lower humidity levels.)
Eat organic fruits and vegetables. If your budget balks at the idea of relying exclusively on organic produce, consider substituting organics for the worst offenders. According to the Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit research organization based in Washington, D.C., the 12 most pesticide-laden fruits and vegetables are strawberries, bell peppers, spinach, cherries, peaches, cantaloupe (from Mexico), celery, apples, apricots, green beans, grapes (from Chile), and cucumbers. For a list of the 12 least contaminated produce picks, visit the group�s website at www.ewg.org.
Use sink and shower filters to reduce your exposure to chlorine. Chlorination byproducts are linked to elevated risks of birth defects, miscarriage, and bladder cancer.
Leave dry cleaning to ventilate outside of its bag for a day or two in the garage, on a deck, or inside the trunk of your car. Within 48 hours after you hang dry-cleaned garments in your closet, your home will actually contain elevated levels of solvents. The EPA lists tetrachloroethylene , a common dry cleaning solvent, as a probable carcinogen.
Scrutinize your cosmetics, deodorant, and hair spray. Last year, 52 out of 72 name-brand beauty products were found to contain phthalates, a family of chemicals known to cause birth defects. Unfortunately for consumers, a loophole allows companies to leave phthalates off of ingredient lists. For a list of phthalate-free cosmetics, visit www.nottoopretty. org.
Use nontoxic bug repellents. Long-term effects of pesticide exposure may include damage to both the liver and the central nervous system as well as cancer.
Substitute all-natural household cleansers and detergents for chemical- laden, overly scented ones. Look for products at health food stores, or, for scrubbing, make your own mix of water, vinegar, and baking soda.
Limit your use of paint, varnish, and wax, all of which contain cancer-causing organic chemicals. When you must use them, be sure to ventilate the area as thoroughly as possible. Or choose non-toxic paints.
Don’t buy products presoaked in formaldehyde, such as particleboard, plywood, and permanent-press fabrics. Formaldehyde is a suspected carcinogen that can cause everything from nausea to headaches to asthma attacks.Thursday, October 15, 2009
Wang Pemangkin Motivasi?
Adakah wang pemangkin motivasi? Secara tiba-tiba persoalan ini bermain di benakku. Mungkin kerana sejak kebelakangan ini aku sedang mengkaji apakah yang perlu dijadikan sebagai pemangkin motivasi di masa akan datang.
Manusia memerlukan motivasi untuk menggerakkan daya dan upaya mereka dalam melaksanakan sesuatu. Rangsangan motivasi boleh diperolehi dalam pelbagai bentuk dan cara, mengikut selera dan kemahuan seseorang itu.
Menurut pendapat pakar motivasi, wang atau duit merupakan antara pemangkin motivasi yang terbaik, terutama di dalam sektor pekerjaan profesional. Dikatakan semakin tinggi imbuhan wang, semakin tinggi motivasi yang boleh dijana pada seseorang itu.
Adakah ia benar? Kalau dilihat dari banyak contoh peristiwa di dunia ini, ada benarnya. Wang memang pemangkin motivasi, terutama di kalangan masyarakat yang mengutamakan materialistik. Ada wang, semua jadi. Kalau ditaburkan wang, kerja akan berjalan dan dilaksanakan. Lebih banyak wang diberikan, lebih cepat kerja dibuat serta disempurnakan dengan jayanya. Ada sesetengah orang menyamakan wang sebagai "minyak pelincir" yang melicinkan pembakaran "enjin". Tanpa minyak pelincir, enjin tidak akan beroperasi dengan lancar dan efisien.
Jika demikian, ini nampak menjurus kepada amalan rasuah. Semua orang tahu tentang amalan ini dan kaitannya dengan rasuah. Aku tidak mahu mengulas panjang kerana itu merupakan dimensi yang lain terhadap penggunaan wang.
Berbalik kepada wang sebagai pemangkin motivasi, sebagai contoh sekiranya kita menyuruh pekerja kita melakukan sesuatu tugasan yang memerlukan pengorbanan masa dan tenaga yang banyak, maka wang mungkin menjadi pemangkin motivasi kepada mereka untuk bekerja keras, umpamanya "overtime" atau imbuhan (bonus).
Wang juga diperlukan dalam melaksanakan projek/program promosi, contohnya aktiviti pemasaran dan pengiklanan. Kalau tiada peruntukan wang, adalah mustahil aktiviti sebegini dapat dijalankan dengan efektif. Dunia pemasaran kini dikuasai oleh wang sebagai pemangkin untuk pelbagai aktiviti menarik pelanggan untuk membeli barangan dan perkhidmatan. Penjual akan lebih bermotivasi untuk sekiranya syarikat mereka membelanjakan sejumlah wang untuk menjalankan program menarik pelanggan baru atau mengekalkan pelanggan sedia ada. Ditambah lagi dengan imbuhan khas seperti bonus sekiranya sasaran dicapai, ini juga akan meningkatkan lagi motivasi pekerja syarikat berkenaan.
Di dalam keluarga, wang juga boleh dijadikan pemangkin motivasi kepada anak2 untuk melakukan kerja rumah atau tugasan pelajaran mereka. Biasanya ibu bapa akan memberikan habuan wang kepada anak2 yang berjaya dalam peperiksaan atau telah melakukan kerja2 rumah mereka dengan sempurna. Namun demikian, ibu bapa haruslah berwaspada dan tidak menjadikan wang sebagai habuan sepanjang masa. Kita tidak mahu mendidik anak2 untuk menganggap wang sebagai sasaran hidup mereka. Wang hanyalah pemangkin motivasi, bukan matlamat atau penyelesaian kepada semua perkara.
Walau apa pun perspektif atau pendapat tentang wang sebagai pemangkin motivasi, wang bukanlah segala-galanya. Wang tidak dapat membeli semua benda di dunia ini. Benda yang bersifat "intangible" tidak dapat dibeli dan dinilai dengan wang. Wang tidak dapat membeli kasih sayang, cinta, perasaan, dll. Sebanyak mana pun wang ditaburkan, ia belum tentu menjamin kasih sayang, cinta, perasaan, dll itu berkekalan, walaupun impak segera (dalam jangkamasa singkat) boleh dilihat.
Manusia memerlukan motivasi untuk menggerakkan daya dan upaya mereka dalam melaksanakan sesuatu. Rangsangan motivasi boleh diperolehi dalam pelbagai bentuk dan cara, mengikut selera dan kemahuan seseorang itu.
Menurut pendapat pakar motivasi, wang atau duit merupakan antara pemangkin motivasi yang terbaik, terutama di dalam sektor pekerjaan profesional. Dikatakan semakin tinggi imbuhan wang, semakin tinggi motivasi yang boleh dijana pada seseorang itu.
Adakah ia benar? Kalau dilihat dari banyak contoh peristiwa di dunia ini, ada benarnya. Wang memang pemangkin motivasi, terutama di kalangan masyarakat yang mengutamakan materialistik. Ada wang, semua jadi. Kalau ditaburkan wang, kerja akan berjalan dan dilaksanakan. Lebih banyak wang diberikan, lebih cepat kerja dibuat serta disempurnakan dengan jayanya. Ada sesetengah orang menyamakan wang sebagai "minyak pelincir" yang melicinkan pembakaran "enjin". Tanpa minyak pelincir, enjin tidak akan beroperasi dengan lancar dan efisien.
Jika demikian, ini nampak menjurus kepada amalan rasuah. Semua orang tahu tentang amalan ini dan kaitannya dengan rasuah. Aku tidak mahu mengulas panjang kerana itu merupakan dimensi yang lain terhadap penggunaan wang.
Berbalik kepada wang sebagai pemangkin motivasi, sebagai contoh sekiranya kita menyuruh pekerja kita melakukan sesuatu tugasan yang memerlukan pengorbanan masa dan tenaga yang banyak, maka wang mungkin menjadi pemangkin motivasi kepada mereka untuk bekerja keras, umpamanya "overtime" atau imbuhan (bonus).
Wang juga diperlukan dalam melaksanakan projek/program promosi, contohnya aktiviti pemasaran dan pengiklanan. Kalau tiada peruntukan wang, adalah mustahil aktiviti sebegini dapat dijalankan dengan efektif. Dunia pemasaran kini dikuasai oleh wang sebagai pemangkin untuk pelbagai aktiviti menarik pelanggan untuk membeli barangan dan perkhidmatan. Penjual akan lebih bermotivasi untuk sekiranya syarikat mereka membelanjakan sejumlah wang untuk menjalankan program menarik pelanggan baru atau mengekalkan pelanggan sedia ada. Ditambah lagi dengan imbuhan khas seperti bonus sekiranya sasaran dicapai, ini juga akan meningkatkan lagi motivasi pekerja syarikat berkenaan.
Di dalam keluarga, wang juga boleh dijadikan pemangkin motivasi kepada anak2 untuk melakukan kerja rumah atau tugasan pelajaran mereka. Biasanya ibu bapa akan memberikan habuan wang kepada anak2 yang berjaya dalam peperiksaan atau telah melakukan kerja2 rumah mereka dengan sempurna. Namun demikian, ibu bapa haruslah berwaspada dan tidak menjadikan wang sebagai habuan sepanjang masa. Kita tidak mahu mendidik anak2 untuk menganggap wang sebagai sasaran hidup mereka. Wang hanyalah pemangkin motivasi, bukan matlamat atau penyelesaian kepada semua perkara.
Walau apa pun perspektif atau pendapat tentang wang sebagai pemangkin motivasi, wang bukanlah segala-galanya. Wang tidak dapat membeli semua benda di dunia ini. Benda yang bersifat "intangible" tidak dapat dibeli dan dinilai dengan wang. Wang tidak dapat membeli kasih sayang, cinta, perasaan, dll. Sebanyak mana pun wang ditaburkan, ia belum tentu menjamin kasih sayang, cinta, perasaan, dll itu berkekalan, walaupun impak segera (dalam jangkamasa singkat) boleh dilihat.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
A to Z Motivation
Avoid Negative Thoughts, People, Things and Habits.
Believe in yourself.
Consider things from every angle and others points of view.
Dare to Dream and Dream Big .
Energy, Excitement and Enthusiaism is in your blood.
Family and Friends are hidden treasures; enjoy these riches.
Give more than you planned to.
Have a good sense of humour.
Ignore Critisism, Ridicule and Discouragement from others.
Jump on Problems because they are Opportunities in disguise.
Keep up the good work however hard it may seem.
Love yourself, just as you are.
Make Impossibility a Possibility.
Never lie, cheat or steal, always strike a fair deal.
Open your eyes and see things as they really are.
Prefect Practice makes you perfect.
Quitters never Win and Winners never Quit.
Reward yourself for every small success and achievement.
Stop Wasting your Time and Procrastinating important Goals.
Take control of your Life and your Goals.
Understand so that you could Understood.
Visualize your Goals and Dreams everyday.
Win over your own weaknesses and make them as your Strengths.
Xccelerate your efforts.
Yes Yes Yes, Yes you Can and You Will.
Zap your Stress and Enjoy your Life.
Believe in yourself.
Consider things from every angle and others points of view.
Dare to Dream and Dream Big .
Energy, Excitement and Enthusiaism is in your blood.
Family and Friends are hidden treasures; enjoy these riches.
Give more than you planned to.
Have a good sense of humour.
Ignore Critisism, Ridicule and Discouragement from others.
Jump on Problems because they are Opportunities in disguise.
Keep up the good work however hard it may seem.
Love yourself, just as you are.
Make Impossibility a Possibility.
Never lie, cheat or steal, always strike a fair deal.
Open your eyes and see things as they really are.
Prefect Practice makes you perfect.
Quitters never Win and Winners never Quit.
Reward yourself for every small success and achievement.
Stop Wasting your Time and Procrastinating important Goals.
Take control of your Life and your Goals.
Understand so that you could Understood.
Visualize your Goals and Dreams everyday.
Win over your own weaknesses and make them as your Strengths.
Xccelerate your efforts.
Yes Yes Yes, Yes you Can and You Will.
Zap your Stress and Enjoy your Life.
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