The art of saying it

There is a conference in Paris on 23-24 September this year. I do not want to go for several reasons.

How do you say "no" to your boss and it means "yes" to him

A New Beginning

I watched Julie & Julia last night. It was quite entertaining considering the film is an adaption from two books.

It makes me realized that I did not have short term goals for the last three years. I need to do some listing. Then I will come out from this doldrum

A New Chapter

Welcome to Islamic International Trade Finance

'Rethinking the War for Talent'

by Deepak Somaya

Four scenario presented:

1. EE with generic knowledge or low startegic importance leaves to join competitors - defensive maneuvers such as improving the benefits to retain them. Reason: hamper over all productivity
2. EE with low strategic importance knowledge departs to join cooperators - relational action such as formation of alumni program. Reason: administrative & human-capital costs vs. social-capital benefits. New biz opportunity may be generated
3. EE with high strategic importance knowledge leaves to take jobs with competitors - retaliatory action such as non-solicitation clause + defensive maneuvers (for the crucial contributors). Reason: The most damaging of turnover
4. EE with high strategic importance knowledge leaves to join cooperators - hybrid appes such as maintaining positive relationship with the departing ee, strong incentive to reduce turnover, expand the social capital & networking.

Knowledge Management Function

One of the trends in current best practices is to incorporate the knowledge management philosophy within the human capital purview - as a part of people management framework.


What is knowledge management?

You may not be in full agreement with this, or partially concur with this. I am starting to understand this, this & this.

But, some of my colleagues may not totally disagree with this:

(via Google, without consent or acknowledgement)

Double face

Some suckers who only made themselve relevant to you when their niece needs a job.

I hate it

Dealing with Difficult Employees

Whenever you are promoted, there shall always be several discontented voices - especially from staff members who think that they deserved (entitled to) such promotion rather than yourself. (kind of conflict-of-interest?). If you are unlucky, just like me, I have bypassed several other candidates. Candidates who have stayed there for umpteenth years. As a result, they are resentful, incensed with me – figuratively speaking.

I will be playing Mr.-Nice-Guy for the next quarter or so. Let them get over of the self-denial phase.

After that, you will see the truth-o-meter…

Someone may get burned.

Promotion

Got a promotion effective from 8 February 2008

Exactly 1.5 years from my date of joining (8 August 2006)

Thank you, my friends...

Managing Young Professionals

As in most MNCs, the easiest way of ensuring constant supply of talents is via young professional program (YPP) or management trainee program (MTP).

These young turks who has MBA with CGPA of 3.8 and above (magna cumlaude) will undergo rigorous assessments and evaluation processes. In my organization, it shall involve a two-day residential arrangement with the final technical and selection interview at the end. I will share our assessment center arrangement under a different posting in the future.

They essentially good and brainy people. However, there are occasions when I hate myself for managing these YPs. Why?

1. They are the best among the best - the cream of the cream. So, rather than showing and demonstrating the desired behaviors of those elites, they use the privilege to whine on every aspects of the organization. They think the world evolves around them.


2. They have the "I-know-it-all" attitude. Most of them are smart - no doubt about it. But you can't Google for 30 minutes and suddenly become an subject matter expert on 360 performance evaluation or sukuk requirements in GCC. Please, give me a break!


3. They think that organization is responsible 100 percent on their development. HR must develop me. And me, and me. And most of the development program equal to going on a mission overseas (in the meridian longitudes)
   At times, I would give them dosages of bitter tonic on productivity and developing own career path.

In a short term basis, a 60km/hr Ferrari is less valuable than a 120km/hr Camry.

Remember that!

What an Assignment

Three humongous assignments in the coming months:

1. Heading the people & competence area in a REFORM/Transformation project
2. A member of a task force to determine the future of 50 staff members (read: people will hate me)
3. SAP live date has been confirmed
   

What a Monday

Global Talent Index

Malaysia is on the top 15. Acceptable level, considering our total population as well as GDP.

Read more information here

I have ordered a copy from Heidrick and Struggles. Watch the space.

Profiles XT

A rather newly created instrument dedicated for job fit matching.

Please read here.

The ProfileXT intrument is measuring an overall job match index (in percentage). It is mesured by combining of three dimensions:

1. Thinking Style i.e. aptitude tests on both verbal and numerical (in skill and reasoning). In fact, the composite of these four aptitude tests became the Learning Index - a measure on one capacity in adapting/learning. Please note that there is a job match percentage based on the thinking style as well.
2. Behavioral Traits i.e. the pschometric assessment itself. It consists of nine traits i.e. Energy, Assertiveness, Sociability, Manageability, Attitude, Decisiveness, Accomodating, Independence, and Objective Thinking. Please note that there is a job match percentage based on these traits as well.
3. Occupational Interests i.e. ranking interest of six areas: Enterprising, Financial/Admninistrative, People Service, Technical, Mechanical, Creative

Budget 2008

105. The Government had announced in the 2007 Budget that all PLCs are required to disclose CSR activities in their annual financial reports. Beginning financial year 2008, PLCs will be required to disclose their employment composition by race and gender, as well as programmes undertaken to develop domestic and Bumiputera vendors. The private sector should leverage upon the strength of Malaysia’s diversity by employing Malaysians from all ethnic groups.

Full Budget 2008 text here

There are several serious implications on the recruitment & talent management philosophy in any PLCs that I can think of. Cuma tak sure either it is for better or worse.

Resourcefulness

RESILIENCE - the last of three important attributes to a successful corporate career.

What is resilience?

Too many people like to run with the herd. Like the buffaloes. Winners look ahead. Goal-oriented and determined to reach their objectives.

Like salmon - swim hundreds of miles upstream against rugged rapids, preyed upon by hungry eagles and bears. They don’t stop until they die. They are all merely ordinary adversaries.

Never give up. Never accept "NO" as an answer. Always

If There’s a Will, There’s a Way

BUT, there is a catch - to know the limit. Too much of resilience is aka stubbornness

You would not want that, right?

The Future of Human Resource Management

64 Thought Leaders Explore the Critical HR Issues of Today and Tomorrow:

1. Understanding & Managing People



2. Invest in the Next HR Professionals



3. Master the New Role



4. Adapt Culture to Business Conditions



5. Organization as Capabilities not Structure



6. HR Decision - Craft, Science, Art



7. Social Expectation, Public Policy and Ethics



8. Global Life, Local Act

Huge Distractions

What a day...




Where is my sexual harrasment guidelines?

Occupational Personality Questionnaires (OPQ32)

• A suite of questionnaire designed to assess the typical or preferred behavior of individuals in a way that is relevant to the world of work
• Variety of applications mainly for selection, development, team-building and counseling
  OPQ32i forces people to make a choice between most and least preferred aspects of their personalities
• Controlling distortion due to response bias
  

The 32 dimensions measure the followings:

Relationship with People
1. Influence - Persuasive, Controlling, Outspoken, & Independent Mind

2. Sociability - Outgoing, Affiliative, & Socially Confident

3. Empathy - Modest, Democratic, & Caring

Thinking Style
4. Analysis - Data Rational, Evaluative, & Behavioral

5. Creativity & Change - Conventional, Conceptual, Innovative, Variety Seeking, & Adaptable

6. Structure - Forward Thinking, Detail Conscious, Conscientious, & Rule Following

Feelings and Emotions
7. Emotion - Relax, Worrying, Tough Minded, Optimistic, Trusting, & Emotionally Controlled

8. Dynamism - Vigorous, Competitive, Achieving, & Decisive

Organization Transformation

Consider the following facts:

1. Your organization's top management has created a 15-year-blueprint. The new direction setting has redefined your organization's existing vision, mission, and strategies
2. Next action item is to operationalize those long-term strategies. Realignment to the line of sight. Convert the abstracts into measurable milestones. In the meantime, your organization may need to transform the current structure, process, system, policy, and people (cannot use the old presumptions, anymore)
3. Unfortunately, your organization does not possess internal capability to spearhead such transformation from within. Credibility (of the HR Department) is also an issue. Thus, the top management has created a Request for Proposal (RfP) and invited seven world-class transformation consulting firm to participate in the project. In the end, only four firms submitted the final proposal
4. A technical evaluation committee (TEC) is entrusted to review and evaluate the proposals. Besides teh normal criteria, it is also an option for the TEC to reject all proposals, if none deems fit the requirements
5. You are appointed as one of the members of TEC. You are also supposed to provide your 'subject-matter-expert' on the "people and competence" aspect of the proposal
   

Upon the review and evaluation of the consulting firms, you find out that only two organizations worth to be considered. Shortlisted process began. Final recommendation on one firm was made and submitted to the approving body.

The approving body requested TEC to reconsider the other two proposals that have not been shortlisted in the first place.

Do you agree with the approving body?

Why?

Global Competitiveness Index

No. 26... Malaysia should set a target to be top 20 within three years.

Start your Balance Scorecard thingy!