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Archive for the ‘Grin’ Category

“Who Moved My Cheese?”

Posted in Frown, Grin, tagged , on August 22, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Contractors, contract staff, temps, permanent staff, consultants.  They all have similar jobs.  They work in the same team, under the same boss, who is almost always on permanent headcount.  These are all inventive ways to commoditize human capital, and they are designed to wiggle through the tightening policies in the workplace.  Regardless of what the rationale is, leaders should know that there are distinctively different ways to incentivize human capital according to how they are hired or engaged.

From the way I set this up, you would sense that I am not really seeing this being mastered.  Some leaders know these terms by heart, but they are simply dumbfounded by the workforce who are knowledgeable about all the risks and rights of these engagements.  When a work friend of mine complained about disloyalty of a contract staff some time ago, my reaction was simply: “What do you expect?”

I know it may sound totally unrealistic from the job market we are in today, but as I have said over and over again in the past, we all got to “de-commoditize” ourselves.  Only when we do it can we set ourselves apart and regain some power back, as an employee.  In my friend’s case, his contract staff has one of the highest sought after attribute in the workplace – the ability to close projects.  There are many who are fantastic in the whole song and dance but lack the ability to pull people together to make things happen.  This person exhibits strong cohesion that allows him to lead projects successfully toward completion.  With that track record, he will be grabbed by other aspiring employers in no time, while my friend is still trying to bad-mouth his contractor’s seemingly disloyalty, in sheer disbelief.

A leader who fails to see through an employee’s strengths and weaknesses will always find himself or herself stuck with the worst people.  On the other hand, workers who fail to develop themselves out of a commodity will continue be taken advantage of in the corporate world.

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Facebook Gets Creepier By The Minute

Posted in Frown, Grin, tagged on July 19, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Some Facebook apps have certainly gone out of hand.  Lingering over someone else’s Facebook page is perhaps an unspoken reality for many, but installing an app to push people’s relationship status updates to you is borderline stalkerish.   Continuing on from my earlier post on No To Facebook Depression, digital morality seems to be hitting a new low with new app developers.

The tagline of the app Breakup Notifier reads:

“You like someone.  They’re in a relationship.  Be the first to know when they’re out of it.”

 

The tagline of the app Crush Notifier reads:

“You like someone.  They like you back.  Get crushed.”

Apparently when Breakup Notifier was launched in February this year, more than 3 million users flocked to the tool almost overnight.  While the demand kept rising by the day, it was confirmed shortly and officially that Facebook broke up with the Breakup Notifier.  According to the Washington Post, “…the affair was short-lived”.

And if this hasn’t creeped you out enough, shortly after Breakup Notifier folded, a new app Waiting Room came to the rescue by offering former Breakup Notifier users upgraded stalkerish efficiency.

The tagline of the app Waiting Room reads:

“Wish a friend was single?  Anonymously enter a friend’s WaitingRoom and give them a hint that they have options.  WaitingRoom will give you the confidence to become single again — if that’s what you really want.”

According to Mashable.com, “Not only will the Facebook app notify you when the person you’re pining after relieves himself or herself from a relationship, but it will also help you anonymously encourage that breakup.  Here’s how it works: When you indicate interest in an unavailable Facebook friend, that person gets an e-mail notification that there is someone in his or her “WaitingRoom” (this person need not have the app installed at this point). The identity of the admirer isn’t revealed until the recipient has changed his or her Facebook status to single.”

What has our world come to these days?  Should we get into caves to safeguard our already fragile relationships from being further sabotaged? 

On the other hand, supporters’ rebuttal is likely to be: “If recruiters can use business networking portals like LinkedIn to poach us from leaving our current employers onto hotter, fancier alternatives, why couldn’t we do it on Facebook for our lifetime happiness?”

Sick logic it is, I have to say.

 

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Unsuck It!

Posted in Grin, tagged , , on July 18, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Vault.com has a recent blog article titled “How Not To Sound Like A Liar At Work“, describing how people generally are put off with hollow business jargons.  Not only that, most of us actually think whoever using those phrases are lying to our faces.  The article includes a few commonly used business jargons and their respective underlying meanings.  Here are a few examples:

Business-speak: “Deep dive“

What people who aren’t liars say: “Instead of doing our usual half-assed job, we took the time to investigate properly.”

Business-speak: “Circle back“

What people who aren’t liars say: “We’ll discuss this again – ideally when we actually know something about it.”

Business-speak: “Deliverables“

What people who aren’t liars say: “Mundane tasks I am responsible for completing.”

Business-speak: “Let’s take this offline“

What people who aren’t liars say: “Let’s talk about this after the meeting, so we don’t embarrass ourselves in front of the boss/waste everyone else’s time.”

I bet none of the above business talks are new to you, regardless of what you do.  You see it at work, and you hear about it all the time in politics and virtually any news outbreak on TV.

What I find hilarious and fascinating is the website “Unsuck It“, dedicated to “unsuck” the terrible business jargons you come across with.  Basically, you type in the jargon and you are presented with the unsucked version.  Brilliant.  Here are a few of my best finds.

Innovative

Unsucked: New, Slightly improved, Shiny

All-hands

Unsucked: Staff meeting

As soon as possible

Unsucked: In an unreasonable amount of time.  Quickly

Challenge

Unsucked: Problem

Elevator pitch

Unsucked: Brief, persuasive summary. Particularly one tailored to an influential audience trapped with the speaker in a small, windowless box suspended from a cable with no obvious escape route  (p.s. check out my post on Elevator Speech)

Empower

Unsucked:   Assign a menial or unpleasant responsibility to someone, particularly to a low-status individual or group  (Ouch…)

Paradigm shift

Unsucked:  A new, crappy reality to which employees or customers must accommodate themselves. Change in basic assumptions or a profound shift in perception. Possibly the most overused, diluted, otherwise useful and descriptive phrase

I hear what you’re saying

Unsucked:  LA LA LA LA LA I can’t hear you

Interject

Unsucked: Interrupt whatever you’re saying to show you I was raised by wolves

Knowledge transfer

Unsucked:  Sharing relevant experience throughout an organization. Bitching about office politics over drinks. Getting old-timers to divulge useful information before you lay them off for being too expensive

Outside the box

Unsucked:  Unconventional.  But in a way that won’t challenge anyone or get me fired.  Also, I’m too lazy to think of useful descriptors

Pencil in

Unsucked:  Schedule, with the understanding that you are going to flake at the last minute in favor of someone more important

Rightsizing

Unsucked:  Chicken shit for firing

Wow factor

Uncuked:  I don’t know what I want, but it’s not what I’m looking at.  Tart it up!

If you can think of more, send them to me as I can use a laugh every now and then, especially at work! 

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Idiot’s Guide For New Kids On The Block

Posted in Grin, Hope, tagged on June 30, 2011| 1 Comment »

Unless you are an habitual job-hobber, if you have had changed jobs more than 2 or 3 times within a decade, you might have been at the receiving end of some repetitive, or sometimes bother-line annoying,  questionings from either prospective employers or headhunters.  ” Are you not a loyal employee? ”  “Does it reflect concerns on stamina?”  Sometimes the question is sugar-coated as “I am seeing that you have a promising career path in your previous (or present) company, what makes you want to move so soon?“

As implied in my first sentence, the key to tackling these questions is to really ask yourselves whether you have indeed put in the necessary amount of time in a post to deserve the accomplishments and experience you brag about on your resume.  You are not likely to be able to make a convincing argument for a 6-month posting, but if you can provide evidence that you have indeed added value during the limited time period, be prepared to articulate it with concrete examples.  Yes, when I mean concrete, I mean specific projects and accomplishments rather than “providing support to the team“.

What I really want to bring up here is that if you are indeed not a job-hobber and if there are legitimate reasons of every one of your job moves, don’t get carried away by the questioner’s argument or logic.  Yes you understand where the interviewer is coming from, and you appreciate that they are being frank and honest with you by expressing their concerns out loud.  Though is it that easy to find the right opportunity, pass all the stringent interview process, background and reference checks and get hired in the first place?  How incredibly difficult is it to constantly adapt to new working environments with new bosses, colleagues, internal stakeholders and working culture?  It is surely not cut out for the faint of heart.

You can even go further to imagine that it takes a lot more adaptiveness, stamina, and energy to keep diving in new and unfamiliar waters every few years.  If you can pull that off plus churning out a few recognizable accomplishments during your tenure, it should be no way underestimated.

So when you find yourself demotivated being a new kid on the block, give yourself a break when you are trying to compare with colleagues who have been in their posts for 4 or 5 years.

You may not be able to change other people’s perceptions or opinions, but at least don’t give up without trying to fight for your case.

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Life And Other Impossible Pursuits

Posted in Grin, Hope on June 6, 2011| 1 Comment »

It was a perfect finish to a 5-month long hiatus.  The best part of it is that nothing is planned which is so against my decades of personal belief, and I’m loving every minute of it.  Aside from blogging, juicing, reading, gyming, shopping and partying, I was in Taipei, Bangkok (x 2), Paris and Barcelona.  I could have been in Taipei (yes, again) and Tokyo as well if not for the last-minute changes and the horrendous earthquake, but there is absolutely nothing worth complaining about.

So when I got the call where I could offer my service once again, I jumped on the chance feeling recharged and totally fired up.  Despite what happens next, it’s always our EQ, passion and attitude that matters.  My latest trip reminds me once again how beautiful the world is, and how often we might have overlooked the fortune and pleasures around us.  I have every intention to internalize all that I have experienced during my last week and a half, and if that succeeds in any small way, I have the two most beautiful cities to be thankful for.

Come to think of it, was there really some truth to what the supposedly scam-artist told me last month?

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Are You Linked In?

Posted in Grin, tagged on May 23, 2011| Leave a Comment »

The most recent IPO of LinkedIn raised a lot of eyebrows.  Starting off at $45 a share last Thursday, today’s stock price is a whopping $93.  With this apparent huge demand and popularity analysts are expecting to see similar IPO success with other social media firms like Groupon and Facebook.  Yes, there is enormous profit to be made being socially and commercially connected.

I believe I was on LinkedIn much earlier than the birth of my Facebook life.  Keeping business cards is a real chore and even if you have all of them nicely stacked in name card cases, they become obsolete in no time due to mergers & acquisitions, changes in company names, addresses and phone numbers, your contacts changing jobs, and eventually you find yourself totally disconnected from the business world, again.

Having my business contacts’ profiles on LinkedIn makes my life so much easier.  I can access them anywhere, be updated of their whereabouts, and no more obsolete corporate e-mail addresses due to personal movements.  More importantly, I can choose to upload my business credentials onto my profile for selected access of my contacts, making self introductions less necessary in business meetings.  Face it, knowing that you have been in the field for 11 years and being no stranger to competitors’ business, a subtle message of “I’ll not be fooled” is sent.

Though for bulk of the last decade LinkedIn is filled with so-called headhunters and personnel agencies trying to extend their talent database.  It’s not that bad actually if you are keen in knowing what’s out there, though at times it can get to be a bit annoying.  It certainly saves time applying for a job through conventional means.  Instead of approaching a headhunter or placement firm, now they come to you, and they come from all over the world with the convenience of a global platform.

That happens of course, if you have put together an impressive and colorful enough resume on your profile that attracts attention.   Although it’s impossible to gauge what recruiters and employers are looking for in each and every job opportunity, a detailed and comprehensive write-up won’t hurt.  Unlike Facebook, you are responsible to manage your professional image in front of the world, and it’s worth spending the time to craft your message.  With the functionalities of the two social networks getting more and more similar,  it’s gratifying to know that none of your business contacts will see a tagged photo of yourself dancing drunk on the bar counter, appearing right under your career achievements.

Well, maybe not yet.

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Am I Really Immune To Outsourcing?

Posted in Grin, tagged , , on May 22, 2011| 1 Comment »

What is outsourcing?  Many are familiar with the term, but few can cite specific examples in their space.  In fact, it is much closer at home than you think.  There is outsourcing in your office, your own business, and more often than not, your home.

Technically speaking, whenever you are paying for an external party to help you with a task, service or process that you would normally do by yourself, you are outsourcing.  Hiring someone on your payroll is not, since you are still owning the responsibility.  So when corporations are trying to concentrate more on their core business of making money, every one of them are outsourcing their support functions, or, non-core businesses, to external parties.

Some may claim that it’s the capitalist way of cutting jobs and pay.  Though I don’t support allowances of inefficiencies.  If we really have no clue how to design, build, manage and maintain the car park in our office building, what’s the point of painstakingly identifying and hiring experienced personnel, only to fire them after the facility is completed?  Instead of spending unnecessary amount of time researching for the right technology and systems, applying for the right permits, and running into hick-ups and delays of unknown waters, outsourcing the car park design, construction and management services to a professional firm in the industry proves to deliver much more precise results.  We are now outsourcing our non-core requirements or services, to a partner whose services are of their core business proposition.

The only so-called alarming trend nowadays is that more and more of our supposedly core corporate functions are being identified as non-core.  Corporations want to save costs, and they also want to protect their brand image.  Though it doesn’t really work these days as public opinion still goes after the cost bearing parties, corporations still find it better hiding behind the outsourced partner.  Certain obligations can be passed along, financially or legally.  For the last two decades or so, we are seeing payroll, real estate management, mailroom services, logistics, finance & accounting, IT, HR, legal, and of course, procurement, being outsourced.

The way I see this makes sense is that with external parties, we are harsh toward them.  We want accountability, crystal-clear processes and deliverables, and lower costs every year.  If they would have done it in-house, it may take considerably more time and efforts to pitch, convince, and motivate internal staff to “up their game”.  Plus, there is on average 30% additional HR benefits being invested on each employee on top of their salaries.  As long as a reliable partner can be identified, most senior corporate management think it’s just a no-brainer.

For employees, this is definitely a worrying trend.  None of our jobs are truly secure these days.  Thousands of professional firms are popping up every month around the world looking for services to take up for our employers.  Just knowing what our employers do as a business actually limits our career.  We now need to make sure we are truly functional specialists that are non-industry specific.  What about opportunities?  Yes, consider the option of moving into specialist firms or BPO (business processing outsourcing) firms.  Just google the area you are in and you will find tons of HR services firms, finance & accounting solutions, procurement services BPO centers, and so on.  The field really has changed, and so are the game rules.  Though the experience can be a lot more satisfying depending on the type of person you are.

Still wanting a comfy life with the security of a large corporation?  Make sure you are one of the best within your team, and target for the remaining few positions that are still needed to lead and manage your corresponding outsourced firms.  These positions are still critically needed within the headcount of corporations, because all of them will acknowledge that failing to sufficiently manage an external outsourced partner is always a ticket to disaster.

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It’s All About Timing

Posted in Grin, Hope on May 18, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Life operates in its mysterious ways.  You will almost never get anything that you are fixated at, and when you least expect it, things come knocking on your door.   There is no way around it, and you just have to make sure you are always physically and mentally prepared for the unexpected journeys in life.

We can plan all we want, and believe me I’m probably more logical and organized than I should have in life.  Yet when the circumstances in life ask you to take a break from your work schedules, relationships,  or longer term plans, you just have to take a big breath, get your gears on (and sometimes off)  and embrace what’s next.  The most important thing is to learn how to be content with what you already have.  Don’t be a whiner.

Bessie Anderson Stanley wrote a poem in 1904 titled Success.  I find it very fitting today.

He has achieved success who has lived well, laughed often, and loved much;
Who has enjoyed the trust of pure women, the respect of intelligent men and the love of little children;
Who has filled his niche and accomplished his task;
Who has never lacked appreciation of Earth’s beauty or failed to express it;
Who has left the world better than he found it,
Whether an improved poppy, a perfect poem, or a rescued soul;
Who has always looked for the best in others and given them the best he had;
Whose life was an inspiration;
Whose memory a benediction.

 

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Political Brain-Washing? Really?

Posted in Grin, tagged on May 17, 2011| 3 Comments »

I’m a liberal, and I am definitely not a fan of political propaganda drawn up by the sometimes out-of-touch administration and its mothership.  Yet when some critics claimed that the latest talks of civic education planned to be rolled out in our primary and secondary schools are  “brain-washing tools” , I can’t help to think that the teachers perhaps need to develop better and more sophisticated rebuttals than that.

No I’m not that naive to think that the administration isn’t planning to spoon-feed our young generation of the glorious prosperity of our state, ever.  Every policy and every cent spent has an agenda, so the motive is definitely there.  Though I believe whoever finding the way to “brain-wash” our generations Y & Z through a few hours of public school curriculum deserves a Nobel price.

 

Today’s youth is rebellious in nature, and it is not necessarily a bad thing.  We have to embrace it no matter we like it or not.  They are independent thinkers, though some may argue the logic of their thinking.  One thing for sure, they will not take in any knowledge or thoughts as granted.  So what are the chances of having them brain-washed by the most transparent form of patriotic education?  Just look at the student riots everywhere from London to France to Seoul.  These countries have a much longer standing as sovereign states, and they are still struggling of social unity across the classes.  So what is Hong Kong afraid of being a territory known for our indifference in our nationality?

Come on, except the occasional declarations on immigration forms abroad, how often do Hong Kong people acknowledge our nationalities?  We distance ourselves from mainland China because we cannot condone the many backwards policies and practices in the country, but we want their cash and the related business and job opportunities.  We make an effort to explain to our foreign friends that we are from Hong Kong and it’s used to be a British colony, but we know it’s political incorrect to express any reminiscing sentiments over the colonization period.  We know we are led by the supposedly independent Hong Kong government, though it is so lame-ducked and out-of-touch with the general public that it’s just unfashionable to even be sympathetic with the unimaginable duty it shoulders.  So what’s left of us?  A bunch of incredibly materialistic citizens who will flock to wherever that brings us instant gratification.  In more cases than not, to Hong Kong, that means CASH.

That’s why if you think our youngest generation has not caught on with the trend, you are just kidding yourselves.  Instead of brain-washing through civic education curriculum, just dangle a big fat deck of $500 notes in front of them.  That will do the trick.

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Employees’ Choice Awards: Best 50 Places To Work 2011

Posted in Grin, tagged on May 13, 2011| 1 Comment »

If yesterday’s list of top companies for work-life balance seems to be a bit too narrowly focused for you, glassdoor.com has published their annual poll on best places to work for the year 2011, based solely upon the opinions and ratings of actual employees, instead of company financials or human resource indexes. 

So let the drum roll begin…

  1. Facebook
  2. Southwest Airlines
  3. Bain & Company
  4. General Mills
  5. Edelman
  6. Boston Consulting
  7. SAS Institute
  8. Slalom Consulting
  9. Overstock.com
  10. Susquehanna International Group
  11. CareerBuilder
  12. MITRE
  13. QuikTrip
  14. Shutterfly
  15. NetApp
  16. Trader Joe’s
  17. Goldman Sachs
  18. McKinsey & Company
  19. National Instruments
  20. Apple
  21. Analog Devices
  22. Northwestern Mutual
  23. Procter & Gamble
  24. BB&T
  25. Synopsys
  26. Chevron
  27. Scottrade
  28. Bristol-Myers Squibb
  29. MassMutual
  30. Google
  31. Travelers Companies
  32. Fluor
  33. Monsanto Company
  34. Publix
  35. John Deere
  36. QUALCOMM
  37. Morgan Stanley
  38. State Farm
  39. Adobe
  40. REI
  41. Salesforce.com
  42. Ford Motor
  43. Turner Broadcasting
  44. Genentech
  45. Intel Corporation
  46. American Express
  47. Nike
  48. Deutsche Bank
  49. Cummins
  50. Capital One

According to glassdoor.com, “the ranking is determined based on the results of a 20-question survey that captures employees’ attitudes about: Career Opportunities, Communication, Compensation & Benefits, Employee Morale, Recognition & Feedback, Senior Leadership, Work/Life Balance, and Fairness & Respect.”

Here’s what some employees said about the top companies:

“The energy and direction of the company! There’s plenty of opportunity to take on new responsibilities and build the future of Facebook.”  – Facebook employee (Palo Alto, CA)

“The company was founded on the principle that in order to succeed you need to treat your co-workers as well as your customers. This had led to industry leading salaries, benefits and a fabulous place to work.” – Southwest Airlines Flight Attendant (location n/a)

“Always interesting and challenging, hardly ever boring, never menial. Everyone here is super intelligent and motivated. They really take care of their employees.” – Bain & Company employee (location n/a)

Same as yesterday, I also have the privilege of working for one of the top 50 list above.  All I can say is that everyone go about answering these survey questions differently and they are highly subjective.   What’s important for you may not be what I consider a priority at this stage, and vice versa.  Nevertheless, it never goes wrong to select bigger and more established global companies to work for as they have a bigger brand name to lose should their value proposition, policies and governance are not up to par.  Bottom line is, I have never been shy about my personal belief:  I don’t look for a caregiver at work.  I look for a place where I can add value in return for a fair pay check, and I know that place will be challenging.  If there exists a workplace that is filled with love, harmony, unconditional support, tolerance and complete equal opportunities, I guess none of us would be needed and hired in the first place.

* Oh well, non-profit or religious organizations an exception, of course.

 

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