Team building

Team building

Every time a new member joins a team, or a member leaves a team, or when a team is formed for a specific task/ goal, the need for team building arises. 

Even if the members stay intact, there is a need for team building on a periodic and regular basis to keep members engaged and fired up, or to realign members to the team goal. 

This being said, a team building event is an opportunity to align members to the common and shared team goal. 

Go Team Go!

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Rejections are actually opportunities in disguise

Rejections are actually opportunities in disguise

When I am younger and less inexperienced, I used to view rejections badly. I used to feel that whenever I am handed a rejection, it was because I just wasn't good enough, or there must be something that I didn't do, or did wrongly...

Now, on hindsight, I can safely tell you that these bouts of rejections are actually opportunities in disguise. These rejections are a signal, to myself, to hold out for something even better. 

And most of the times, it is true. Whenever I am handed a rejection, it is almost always for the better opportunity to come rolling by into my lap subsequently. Imagine if I were not handed the rejection and got the offer in the first place, I wouldn't be able to accept the better opportunity when it came by subsequently. 

Then again, by offering the better opportunity subsequently, does it then mean that I am giving out on the next better and bigger opportunity? Perhaps, then again, how long do you want to hold out for? 

A philosophical question and food for thought for another deeper discussion, for another day perhaps. 

#iWish

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Lunch with wifey

Lunch with wifey

Well, today we had an unplanned lunch date at this korean restaurant.

This korean restaurant was my favourite, for it is reasonably priced, and yet delicious and authentic (it is owned by a korean family, and korean workers around the area frequent this place). 

However, the buffet it used to have have reverted back to set lunch sets. Although the prices for the buffet and the set lunch is the same, obviously the buffet will be more worth it. 

Anyway, we had the usual, and chatted through the meal. 

What is different this time around is that I had to take a bus to the restaurant (2 bus stops away) as i've recently moved office, and is located slightly further than where i used to be. 

Good lunch, satisfied!

#iWish

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The end of an era

The end of an era

A new beginning, a new start. 

Let's carry the torch and bring it to further heights. 

The toughest role for any leader is to plan for succession. 

For the greatest measure and legacy of a leader is not the achievements made by the leader, but in the system surviving and thriving long after the leader has gone. 

#iWish

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Business Lunch - Food Wastage?

Business Lunch

Had a sumptuous business lunch at King's Centre. 

Was eating at this china-themed old shanghai restaurant. 

The food was really good, had some really nice and famous items. 

There was some food wastage though, what to expect when this is a business lunch. Weird and true, in the Chinese tradition, it is customary to order slightly more than what the guests can eat in a business/ formal setting, so that it will appear as if the host is generous enough to order more than sufficient food for all. 

In the event that all the food is finished, it may signal that the host is stingy and ordered insufficient food. 

Thus, the tendency to over order, especially for business meals. 

What then do such hosts behave when they are at home or on personal meals? 

Well, they too behave like the general public, they order just enough and do their best not to waste food!

So, in today's World, I would wish for zero food wastage. 

#iWish

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Motivating a worker

Motivating a worker

How do you, as a leader/ manager/ supervisor, engage and motivate a worker? 

The simple answer is you can't.

You can only motivate the worker externally, through giving rewards or punishments. But extrinsic motivation doesn't last, and is not sustainable over the long run. How much more rewards can you afford to offer before you feel the heat? How much more punishment can you mete out?

What needs to happen is the worker needs to be intrinsically motivated, that it, motivated internally. And this is often easier said than done. As a superior, all you can do is to provide a nurturing and supportive environment, and equip the worker with the necessary tools, and then get out of the way so he/ she can do the job. Hopefully, in the nurturing and supportive environment you have set up, the worker will find his/ her inherent strength from within, and be intrinsically motivated. 

Long story short, the best and sustainable form of motivation is intrinsic. 

How do you achieve that? Well, unfortunately there is no simple answers to that, a lot of academic articles, research and surveys have been done to see if we can uncover what exactly is the recipe to create/ foster intrinsic motivation. 

Well, my advice, through my personal experiences...

1. Hire the right person

2. Make sure you can detect the genuine passion from the person

3. Create a nurturing and supportive environment

4. Equip the worker with the necessary tools

5. Empower the worker to do the job

6. Get the hell out of his/ her way!

#iWish

iWish - Gifting Made Easy!

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Gardens by the Bay

Gardens by the Bay

Went to Gardens by the Bay last friday for a company event. 

It was partly cornered off as it was a private event, but due to the open layout found in the Gardens by the Bay, there were multiple porous entrance points. 

Free food stalls were set up, and staff dined heartily. 

However, some passer-bys eventually made their way into the venue location and took the food meant for staff as well. 

They were subsequently caught (due to the nature that they looked like tourists, behaved like tourists, and came in buses meant for tourists, they even dressed like tourists with their bermudas, cameras, and all), and told off. But, the food has been taken and eaten, so nothing can be done to prevent it. 

This made me question one thing, that of moral authority. If there were placards indicating that this was a private event - there is no way you could have missed that! Would you still take advantage of the porous entrances and sneak in to get some free buffet food?

Would you? 

I know I wouldn't. 

But I can't say the same for others. 

But then again, everyone is fighting a battle you don't know about. 

So, do give them the benefit of the doubt. 

Maybe they are truly hungry?

Maybe they don't have enough to get some food? 

Maybe they couldn't read the signs, which are in English. 

Maybe, just maybe...

Or perhaps, why can't we just share the happiness and joy with one another?

Since there's plenty of food to go around... (last I checked, food ran out pretty fast, some staff couldn't get the food in time, so there wasn't enough food to go around, maybe we should have catered more...)

So, live and let live. 

Share the food. 

Share the happiness. 

#iWish

iWish - Gifting Made Easy!
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