This is a useful article on web marketing dos and don’ts. I do agree that registering for a website is a pain and puts me off. It is also useful to have an old fashioned telephone number on your website.
Filed under: Leadership | Leave a Comment
Tags: entreprenuer, marketing, web marketing
Most corporate training is conducted in the following manner.
1) Ad hoc
2) In a separate silo to work requirements
3) Conducted without follow up coaching
Companies then decide to push the management to make sure that the training achieves level 3 (behavioural changes) and that training achieves ROI (return on investment). At the end of the day, very few, if any, programs will be able to achieve behavioural changes within a 2 day period. Often, training programs are just conducted to fulfil a quota – e.g. 10 learning days per annum.
What training should be is:-
1) Issue driven
2) Planned in accordance with the department KPIs
3) Planned over the medium to long term
4) Interactive, tailored and engaging!
Issue driven training looks at specific issues the company faces and then tailors training to address those issues. Training could also be linked to a benchmark, e.g. sales or the customer service index. This would require the training to take place over a period of 6 months with coaching and process support.
Adult learners have a short concentration span. As such, training program should have short theory sessions with a focus on interactive role plays, i.e. implementation of the learning.
By ensuring training follows the four criteria above, training is far more likely to achieve the desired result.
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Tags: change management, managing training, Return on Investment, training
The Malaysian Insider recently reported that Najib wanted to bring in professionals to work in the civil service. Some of the criticism was that a lot of GLC executives relied on government sector contracts and were not performers in their own right. Another major issue is that the civil service has traditionally stood for lifetime employment. It was also one of the pillars of the Malay rights, with over 80% Malays in the civil service. The other 4 pillars were UMNO, the Royal Malaysian Police, the Armed Forces and the sultanate.
This brings us to the question of reforming the civil service. With a huge cost of RM41 billion, the only option to reform and increase efficiency would involve the following changes:-
1) Large scale retrenchment. Cutting salaries is not an option with the low salaries of the civil service. What is clear is that our civil service is clearly bloated with non-performers who believe that they have “a job for life”. Removing deadwood would be a very sensitive move, with potential political backlash. To deal with this, the government could implement retraining programs for the retrenched workers. Civil servants who don’t meet the standards set should be let go. Singapore has effectively done away with the job for life and non-performing civil servants get sacked. Implementation of retrenchment could be done via the group which would be more palatable given the communal nature of Malaysians. This was successfully implemented using Appreciative Inquiry with the Santa Ana Star Casino to downsize employees.
2) Pay for performance. The civil service clearly needs to implement a performance based remuneration system with objective measures. What they need is to have low basic pay but high performance bonuses for achieving clear benchmarks e.g. number of passports processed per day. This structure needs to be put in place at every level of the organization. Due to the Malaysian group mentality, what may be successful would be a group/team Key Performance Indicator.
3) Process changes. Most successful corporations today use a lean management structure. The civil service needs to rid itself of its hierarchical structure and adopt a lean management. This will aid process efficiency. Also, the civil servants should be empowered at each level to speed up decision making. All the processes currently in place will have to be studied to ensure that support the goal of the new and reformed civil service.
4) Leadership. This project would require a leader who is culturally aware, emotionally intelligent and with a tremendous amount of self resolve. He would need to divide his time into:-
a) developing the vision,
b) defining key strategies to achieve the vision
c) communicating the vision (rallying the troops)
His team would need to translate the vision of the new civil service down to every level – from the head to the tea lady. Every person in the organization should believe in the vision, find it meaningful and know what he/she has to do to help the organization achieve the vision. He may want to take a leaf out of Carlos Ghosn’s efforts in transforming Nissan.
5) Training. Each individual needs to know how to behave in the new way and this will require a combination of training and coaching.
While the intentions of bringing in private sector professionals may have been noble, it would also require the 5 steps laid out above. As with most businesses or transformation programs, the implementation is key. Private sector professionals alone will not guarantee a new civil service.
Filed under: Leadership | 1 Comment
Tags: change management, civil service, culture, Leadership, transformation
Around 90% of the people who apply for jobs in my company haven’t even had a look at the company website. The first thing you should do before you interview- before you even apply is to have a look at the website. Find out the following:-
1) What does the company do?
2) What are the values of the people in the company?
3) Where will the company be in 5 years?
While you do your research, figure out how you fit in with the three factors above.
1) Demonstrate your passion in what the company does – e.g. if you want to work in BMW demonstrating your love for driving/cars would help.
2) Show how your values are similar to the company values. Come up with one or two examples that substantiate this.
3) How will you help the company achieve its five year plan? What role do you see yourself taking in that company in 5 years?
Also try to speak to people who used to or still work at that company to get a better picture of what the company really values. In many cases the official values may not match what is really valued on the ground.
Filed under: Leadership | 2 Comments
Tags: interview, Leadership, research
Motivation training
One of the most common perceptions is that people can attend a motivation class and suddenly get motivated when they go back to the office. As a corporate training provider, we don’t provide courses on motivation. Motivation should be one of the outcomes of a well conducted corporate training course.
Some of my clients have commented that when they send their team for a motivation course, this effect will normally only last 1 month or so. After this period the same issues resurface. This is due to the fact that the processes and structures that caused the team to lose motivation still remain.
For a training session to be successful and motivate the team, you need to make sure that
1) any issues with the organization can be dealt with during the training and
2) the management is willing to listen with an open mind to any constructive criticism.
3) the leader takes responsibility for implementing any changes suggested by the team.
If this is done, then you can look at achieving better return on investment for your “motivation” training sessions.
Filed under: Leadership | 1 Comment
Tags: employee morale, morale, motivation, productivity, training
I recently received an email addressed to a group of muslims telling us not to drink Coke, eat Big Macs or use Johnson & Johnson products together with a list of many other “American” products. It called on the Muslims to boycott these products to help their fellow Muslims in Gaza.
As far as the conflict in Gaza goes, I agree that the Isreali action is clearly inhumane and should be stopped. This is not in doubt and even the western media and some Jews have condemned the military action in Gaza. What I do question is the efficacy of a boycott on Coke, Big Macs and J&J baby shampoo. For the first time in a long time I clicked on the “reply all” button and questioned whether a boycott would actually do anything at all.
I received a lot of pictures about the atrocities in Gaza and how as a Muslim I needed to strengthen myself. To clarify matters, I don’t question that what is going in Gaza is atrocious and despicable. What I do question is the effect of a boycott.
Let’s assume that our hypothetical entrepreneur, Ali, has saved up and finally paid for a Starbucks franchise in Malaysia. He then hires 20 people to work in this franchise. As a result of the franchise, the local bakery gets more business and Abu, the owner hires 2 more staff. If Starbucks faces a boycott, Ali may have to close down and retrench his staff of 20. Abu, the local bakery owner may have to retrench his 2 additional staff. Are these people responsible for what is going on in Gaza?
For those of you who send emails on they boycott, please think of the people who will be harmed. Think about the effect of your actions on the Ali’s and Abu’s and their staff. More importantly, think of the children of Ali and Abu’s staff.
Filed under: Leadership | 3 Comments
Tags: boycott, Gaza, Isreal, Palestine
One of the expectations of a recruiter is that the interviewee should have read the company website and conducted a google search on the company. Prior to your interview, you should find out the company vision, mission and values. When you look at the values, what core values do you share with company core values? When you read about the company vision and mission, how will YOU add value by helping the company achieve it? You may also want to conduct some analysis about the company, its competitors and where the industry is headed in the next 5 years.
E.g.1 Application to pharmaceutical company.
Pharmaceutical companies face the challenges of :-
1. Increased government regulation
2. Increased income from outside the United States
3. Increased competition from generic drugs
In view of these challenges, my background as a lawyer will be able to understand and communicate the increased government regulation. As an international business major, I will be able to work within the global marketplace. My experience managing a team of 50 people will allow me to effectively manage a sales force’s challenges while maintaining profitability.
This example demonstrates your ability to tie in your past experience with the company direction.
E.g. 2 Targeted interview
Interviewer : Are you a hard worker?
Interviewee : Yes, of course.
Interviewer : Are you an ethical person?
Interviewee : Yes, of course.
I learned the targeted interview method when I was interviewed by Johnson & Johnson. Almost every interviewee will tell you they are hard working and ethical. The targeted method is where you ask the following questions:-
Interviewer : That’s great. Please give me an example of a time when you worked harder than expected. Can you describe the :-
1. Situation that you were in
2. Task that you were given
3. Action that you took
4. Results of 3. above.
1-4 is the Situation, Task, Action and Result (STAR) approach.
Very few interviewees actually prepare in this thorough and detailed manner. This will enable you to stand out from your peers.
Filed under: Negotiation | Leave a Comment
Tags: company values, interview skills, targeted interview
Job Interviewing – Ideal resume
What should you put in a resume? What do I see in a lot of resumes?
I just helped conduct training for a group of unemployed graduates sponsored by Permodalan Nasional Berhad. During the tea-breaks, some of the participants asked me to have a look at their resumes. Here is a list of things that I don’t want to see in your resume:-
1) Your photo. I am not hiring you based on your looks. I want to know if you can add value to my organization. Note: some people included a photo which was over 1MB. It jams up my email on my blackberry and doesn’t impress.
2) 2-3 pages of resume. Most of the key information should be summarized into one page. If you have less than 10 years of working experience the key achievements can be summarized into one page. I don’t need to know that you were a girl guide or cadet in Form 1. Keep it Short and Straight to the point!
3) Repetition. Why do we want to know that you are female 3 times. Some people put their full name with a binti. They also put in Gender : Female and Sex : Female. A resume is a short and sweet summary of your achievements and how you will add value to the organization. Don’t waste space by repetition!
What I would like to see more of:
1) Value proposition. Your resume should highlight key achievements and what it means to the employer. E.g. Member of St Johns Ambulance. vs My membership in St Johns Ambulance taught me teamwork and co-operation which I intend to continue at [name of organization].
2) So what? I would like to see more resumes where the applicant showed that they thought out what they wanted to put in the resume. Look at everything in the resume and ask yourself “so what?”. What does this mean to the interviewer? How will this help my value proposition?
All the best with your resume writing. You may also want to refer to this website for more tips.
Filed under: Leadership | 3 Comments
Everywhere we go people are talking about recession/downturn and a gloomy economic outlook. In fact some studies show that more millionaires are made during a downturn than during a boom.
If you have a relatively small market share in a fragmented market, this is your opportunity to grow market share. Why?
1) Some of your competition may go out of business. This will mean that you have a new potential market which needs your service/product (albeit in reduced quantities)
2) Your consumer may now have a reduced budget. Overall your market will shrink – perhaps from RM100million to RM70million. Is that a large contraction? Yes. However, in your fragmented market, your business may have 1% or less market share. That still gives your organization large room for growth while some competitors shut down.
3) Your product pricing may have to be amended. We are currently offering a product where we tie in our fee with the customers performance. If their organization increases its profits, our fees increase with it.
Do post your thoughts on this.
Filed under: Leadership | Leave a Comment
Tags: business, coping, downturn, management, recession, strategy
Interview with BFM 89.9
I was recently interviewed by Norina Yahya of BFM 89.9. It was a pleasant surprise to meet someone who was so well prepared. Her questions were well thought out and she had done some reading prior to the interview. For those of you who haven’t heard it yet BFM is a business radio station (it’s also got some really cool music when the interviews aren’t playing). The website is http://www.bfm.my/123.html.
Filed under: Leadership | Leave a Comment
Tags: bfm, communication, corporate training, interview, malaysia, Presentation, presentation skills
JuarezLowe- Interesting article on web marketing
- How to manage training in an organization
- Recruiting the private sector for civil service jobs
- Job Interviewing – Company research
- Motivation training
- Boycotting Coke, McDonalds and Johnson & Johnson products
- Company values and the targeted interview
- Job Interviewing – Ideal resume
- Dealing with a recession/downturn
- Interview with BFM 89.9
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- Interesting article on web marketing
- How to manage training in an organization
- Recruiting the private sector for civil service jobs
- Job Interviewing – Company research
- Motivation training
- Boycotting Coke, McDonalds and Johnson & Johnson products
- Company values and the targeted interview
- Job Interviewing – Ideal resume
- Dealing with a recession/downturn
- Interview with BFM 89.9
- Fatwa on terrorism not yoga
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