T: 03 7966 8388 F: 03 7955 3355
Do what you love
YOUR ULTIMATE CAREER& TALENT RESOURCE
DEAR MILLENNIALSFrom here to there: hopes for Gen-Yers
Pg 11
TELL ME WHYGetting it right with the right people
Pg 09
4 IDEAL STEPSApplying work skills to real life
Pg 05
Back to workSpringing to action after your break
Pg 04
NEW BEGINNINGSMAINTAINING THE ZEAL TO EXCEL
PAGE 3
SATurdAy 3 JANuAry 2015
none
mystarjob.com, saturday 3 January 20152
Want practical tips for success on your way home from work? We’re on
every Friday from 6pm to 7pm.
Capital FM88.9FM
in the Klang Valley
tUNE iN
The opinions expressed in this career guide are those of the writers or the people they quoted and not necessarily those of Leaderonomics.
karEN SayS
Do you have an opinion you’d like to share with us? Visit leaderonomics.com or write to us at [email protected]
Please provide your full name, occupation (designation and employer) and
telephone number.
try thiS!
Want more content sent directly to your
email? Subscribe to our Leader’s Digest
by emailing leadersdigest@
leaderonomics.com
If you have any suggestions or feedback on our content, get in touch with the Leaderonomics team at [email protected] For advertising and advertorials, please contact Pravin Kumar at [email protected] or +6011 2377 7850
EditorialAdviserRoshan ThiRanEditorKaREn nEoh
Contributing editorsPREma JaYaBaLanhYma PiLLaYLim LaY hsUan
Sub-editor LEE KaR YEan
Layout, Art & DesignTUng Eng hwaZULhaimi BahaRUddinahmad fadZUL YUsofadZnam saBRi hafis idZLa
shanKaRmohd KhaiRULmUhd hafEEZRaZZiah
Writers & ContributorsJohn waLTER BaYBaY adELinE TaYvinEsh naidU
sandY cLaRKELiLY chEah
JoiN US!
107.6FMin Penang
01
02030405
“Part of the process of beginning anew, or changing directions is to know where you want to go. I know this sounds simplistic and easy, but this is one of the most difficult of choices to make with clarity.” – Byron Pulsifer
“Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending.” – Carl Bard
“You can learn new things at any time in your life if you’re willing to be a beginner. If you actually learn to like being a beginner, the whole world opens up to you.” – Barbara Sher
“Every day is a new beginning. Treat it that way. Stay away from what might have been, and look at what can be.” – Marsha Petrie Sue
“Fear not that thy life shall come to an end, but rather fear that it shall never have a beginning.” – John Henry Newman
ZiNg it Up!thE NEw irrEprESSiblE yoU By LIM LAY HSUAN
LEMONS. There’s always something unique about this bright yellow citrus fruit. Although I’m not sure if lemons actually became more famous after the catchy tune of Lemon Tree by Fool’s Garden.
What has lemon got to do with this week’s career guide (our first for the year 2015), you wonder?
The sour fruiT
“But the fruit of the poor lemon is impossible to eat.” – excerpt from Lemon Tree song by Peter, Paul & Mary
It’s true, a lemon eaten on its own is very sour. It puckers your mouth and makes you wince. Lemons, however, are frequently used as an accompaniment to other ingre-dients to add flavour to many sweet des-serts and savoury dishes.
With these, we have lemon chicken, lemon cheesecake, lemon meringue pie and lemon juice as salad dressing.
If you are still “sour” of certain things that didn’t pan out well at work last year, don’t dwell on it any longer.
In this new year of new beginnings, make it a point to work out any differences that exist and collaborate with others to achieve the impossible as a team in your organisation.
ZesT vs piThLemon zest is the yellow portion of
the peel. It is valued for the strong citrus
flavour it imparts to food when cooking or baking, thanks to an abundance of aro-matic oils in the rind.
Beneath the zest is the pith, the white part of the peel, which is bitter and unpleasant to taste.
Whenever you see recipes using lemon zest, peel or rind, you would try to avoid the pith altogether.
To separate lemon zest and pith, you need zesting tools such as paring knife, vegetable peeler, grater or zester.
If lemons could talk, I assure you that they would be cussing, screaming and writhing in pain.
Similarly, focus on the “zest” of life and remove the “pith” of bitterness. The
process of grating and zesting would definitely be a painful one for most
of us, but as the famous adage reminds us, “no pain,
no gain”. At the end of our learning
process, what matters most is that we know that these pain points
produce perseverance; and persever-ance, character; and character, hope. And
with hope, we can better overcome the stumbling blocks in front of us.
Tree of goldLemon tree, in its fullness of ripen fruits,
is a sight to behold. From a distance, the fruits look like nuggets of gold growing from the tree.
It’s a reminder that all of us, like the individual fruit, is a part of something big-ger than our own.
Where do you think the fruits get their daily dosage of nutrients and minerals if not from the plant’s vascular system, with its roots absorbing minerals and water before being transported to the shoots to allow plant growth?
What is your purpose in life? What moti-vates you at work?
Are you driven by your own selfish goals or are you giving your all to leave an impact in others? I hope it is the latter.
in conclusionFor a start, be bright as yellow like the
cheery lemon. Believe that the days ahead will be better (although not necessarily easier), and don’t give up.
WHILE my intention was to begin our first pullout of 2015 on a high note, I must take a moment to remember and keep in prayer everyone who has been affected by recent events: the floods ravaging our country, and the tragic AirAsia flight.
The spirit of giving of Malaysians has been evident by the outpouring of support and more vividly, the mountains of rice and other essentials in the foyer of this office.
In the same vein, John Baybay reflects on 2014 and offers advice on how we can get the best out of the worst.
Whether from your own childhood, or through your young ones, many have met the characters of Pooh – Tigger and Eeyore. Wouldn’t it be grand if all of us had jobs that had us bounding to work with all the vigour to accomplish anything like Tigger the irrepressible tiger, as opposed to Eeyore the rath-er self-deprecating donkey?
In Be a Leader, we talk about what we might consider doing to ensure that every day at the office is like our first day – full of hope and nervous excitement!
For those still dragging their Eeyore feet, Prema Jayabalan zooms in on back to work blues – and how one might ease back into work after a long break. Adeline Tay delves a little deeper (into our brains) on how we might get our brains back in gear and performing even better in the new year.
In a reflective mood, Vinesh Naidu turns to what moti-vates and grounds us, and shares a short story of how Gandhi remained true to himself, and inspired even his cynics.
A new year may also bring with it lots of unexpected chang-es. Sandy Clarke starts by saying that fear need not always be bad, and goes on to share how we might rise above it.
New beginnings are perhaps more clearly delineated for
young people still studying – and with the recent announce-ment that the new school year will be delayed, we feature a safe and inspiring place for local teenagers to spend their free time while developing their leadership potential.
To that great smouldering mass of Gen-Y all over the world, our past (and certainly missed!) editor Lily Cheah penned a let-ter – an honest assessment of Gen-Y today, and her hopes for the future.
Finally, because Roshan rightly said that regular reflection is
important, we feature two more leaders as they look back, and look ahead to 2015. And finally (really) our editorial team takes some space to also share our innermost thoughts and wishes for a great year ahead.
Have a fantastic weekend!
KAREN NEOHEditorleaderonomics.com
mystarjob.com, saturday 3 January 2015 3
same, same but amazingcan every day at work be like your first?
By KAREN [email protected]
HERE we are! For some, the new year revelry may still be going strong, but let’s face it. We are firmly and happily in 2015!
After the grim challenges that our nation and countless others have endured in 2014, many people have really been looking forward to a new year and a new beginning.
Each of us may have a different out-look for 2015 as day one, back to work, looms perilously close.
In my years of work, I have held three jobs where I was raring to return to work every Monday morning.
Interestingly, each of those jobs was for a social enterprise, or a non-governmental organisation running social enterprises.
So here are the findings of the social experiment that has run for almost two decades, with a subject of one (the writer) but with the benefit of thousands of interactions with friends, family and foe throughout.
My econometrics professor might frown on the statistical significance, but rest assured, the following points are also based on copious reading on the topic:
How every day at work can be like your first!
1 Knowing what matters
We often hear advice that our choice of job should be with an organi-sation with a mission that mirrors our own personal goals.
Equally, we hear naysayers quip that this is somewhat impossible.
I do believe that there is a good
match between individual and organi-sation somewhere out there, and that we should all strive to find it for a win-win outcome.
In reality, things may get in the way, and with the call for flexibility in organisations to adapt to chang-ing environments, even the dream job you celebrated with glee may change over time.
Having said all that, I believe we should all be aware of our strengths and abilities, and our non-negotia-bles with regard to the place we work. And to act when we realise that the balance is off.
2 that spring in your step!
Everything has fallen in place! You have found your dream job.
But even as you skip along to work Monday morning, negative thoughts creep in, chipping away at your effervescence (Yes! Bubbly like that vitamin C), “Who said what about my project? Why didn’t we get funds to expand that great initiative?”
In times like these, I admit I strug-gle to keep the negativity at bay.
I then remind myself that if the organisation is still on track with the mission I believe in, then decisions have been made possibly with infor-mation unknown to me.
In my past life of using health economics to help inform decisions at the national health system level, it was clear that making the right decision based on the right evidence was still difficult when many stake-holders with varying needs were involved.
Knowing that your company is still navigating its way to achieve what you believe in does wonders! (go to point 4 for more step-spring-ing hints!)
3 sKills, not heart alone
Passion, perseverance and the power to inspire others – the value of which even the best economists would struggle to quantify (and yet immediately we all think of Bhutan’s famed Gross National Happiness Index).
While critical, both you and your organisation need to look beyond the passion you have for work and invest in developing your technical skills.
Whenever I am faced with an eager sales assistant with no clue of what he/she is trying to sell, I silently rage against the manager who allowed that situation to be.
On a related note, if you find yourself falling asleep thinking about work and waking up still thinking about work (I have done this), you may have wandered off track with a job that is likely over-whelming your ability to lead a healthy life (go back to point 1 and assess your balance!).
4 FriendsFor the longest time, people
have told me that it is impossible to find friends at work. Even my dearly departed father.
He was not one to play politics, and so inevitably, suffered from oth-ers doing just that.
But when he announced his retirement, everyone came out of the woodworks – from all levels of the organisation – to wish him well.
Today I realise how significant those actions and words were – because by then, none of them stood to gain from it.
And Pa, I am afraid you did have many friends at work as many of them paid their last respects to you
more than 10 years after you retired. So! It is possible to make real
friends at work! And if we, like others, have found
work that is meaningful to us, how can we not find friends among those sharing similar goals and values?
I am inherently shy and find mak-ing new friends sometimes pretty nerve-wracking, but I do have great friends from each job I have held.
It certainly helps maintain that spring in your step, knowing you have people who are marching along the same path.
5 ‘without job?’Finally, a word from our spon-
sors. And with that, I mean the many people who play a role in molding who we are and supporting us in find-ing and keeping that dream job.
This is a career guide – so naturally we focus on the many topics related to being employed, finding fulfilling careers as well as finding the right people to work with.
I would like to recognise the people who are sometimes considered to be in the periphery, but who really are the centre of our lives.
The people who raised, educated, mentored, inspired, and cared for us – the same ones who will be there years after we hand in our park-ing tags, lose access to our email accounts (which we pore over hours and hours every day), and pack the goofy knick-knacks our desks have accumulated (if you take heed of point 4, the goofy knick-knack box could really be a BIG one!).
Do think about your entourage, and if it so moves you, run up and give them a hug of appreciation as we all put our best foot (feet?) forward, skipping into 2015!
n Karen cherishes being part of a vibrant organisation that really believes every-one has the potential to do great things, and which invests in people every day. She wishes our readers a wonderful year ahead. Do check out www.leaderonomics.com for more leadership content
recognise the people who are sometimes considered to be in the periphery, but who really are the centre of our lives. the people who raised, educated, mentored, inspired, and cared for us
mystarjob.com, saturday 3 January 20154
BACK-TO- WORK BLUESWAyS TO SpRingBOARd inTO ACTiOn
By PREMA [email protected]
ALICE is back home after a three-week vacation. As the communications manager for a leading automobile company,
one would think that she would be busy picking out her office wear for the next day, raring to head back to work.
In reality, however, Alice feels even more lethargic than ever and is dreading work. The mere thought of going through her inbox, prob-ably filled with hundreds of mes-sages, makes her want to jump into a plane and go on another vacation.
Alice may be going through the back-to-work blues.
How many of us experience this after a long holiday? Before taking a much-needed break, we say that we will come back to work fit, re-energised and ready to take on a whole new load of tasks.
But, as soon as the plane touches down, we cringe in dismay at the notion of going back to the office. All the enthusiasm of tackling work with vigour has flown out the win-dow.
Facing the bluesAccording to Barbara Griffin,
a senior lecturer at Macquarie University, these blues are linked to sadness that the entertaining activities are about to end as well as changes in food and sleeping patterns during vacations.
“How we cope with our return to work, and how quickly the ben-efits of holidays ‘fade out’, could be linked to what we did with our time off.
“In the short-term, the effect of holidays does tend to wear off after
three weeks to a month. The fade-out effects are quicker if we face a lot of work when we get back,” she says.
So how do we bounce back to work without feeling fatigue?
helpFul tipsHere are a few steps that you can
adopt to ease yourself back to your work routine.
l Communicate before going back to work
You may have taken a long holi-day and might have lost touch with the happenings in the office. Once you are back from your getaway, call up your colleagues to get a heads-up on the latest at work.
Update yourself with recent work-related matters to ensure that you are not lost and unaware of current projects and dealings at the office.
l Prepare yourself wellOnce back, don’t jump straight
into work. Make sure you have taken a day off to rejuvenate your-self from your holiday.
Use this day to rest well and update your top priority tasks and goals lists.
Once you are clear of what you need to accomplish, you can step right into business with a clear mind.
l Take on new assignmentsFor some, a long absence from
work can dampen their zeal to take on challenges and to be innovative and creative.
To get into that cycle again, take on a new project as soon as you are back. Having something new to do will get your brain working.
Your relaxed and rejuvenated mind will be able to churn out
ideas that will increase productiv-ity, whilst steering you towards getting immersed into your work-ing mode.
l Touch base with clientsSo, it’s your first day back at
work. Don’t tackle a stack of paper-work or attempt to clear about 600 emails.
That is going to drain you and make you wish you never came back. Use this day to meet up with clients for lunch or tea.
Get enlightened on the happen-ings on their end, ask of their well-being and share your holiday stories with them.
By leveraging on this human factor, you will enjoy being back at work.
These conversations might even produce significant business ven-ture ideas and thoughts that will increase productivity in your ongo-ing job role.
in summaryTaking a good holiday to bring
that spark back into your life is good.
However, it is also important to have that same zest when you come back to work after a much-needed break.
Coming back with positivity and enthusiasm is a boost towards dynamic developments in one’s career.
n Prema enjoys going on vacations, at least once a year because she believes that the cool, relaxed setting and the experience gained will help her in reassessing herself and setting new goals. If you have a story to share, write to her at [email protected]. For more insights, visit www.leaderonomics.com
DO you remember the last time you went on a holiday?
If you answered no, then it’s high time you took one.
A month, a week or even a weekend spent away from your daily routine can work wonders for you and here is how it works:
Decreases stress anD increases proDuctivity
On a vacation, you are far away from your daily routine and your mind can roam freely, enabling you to think about things that have been at the back of your mind for a long time.
It’s time to spring clean the mind by removing excessive, unnecessary things and giving room for bright, new thoughts. This can reduce stress and increase pro-ductivity.
You are free to let your thoughts flow and these moments are the ones that have been known to generate creative and pro-ductive ideas.
gives you a Fresh outlookBeing in a new surrounding can help
create a new perspective for your train of thoughts.
A rejuvenated mind comes up with new ideas and at times, that may help settle an important issue you have been tackling, from a different angle.
This new perspective may be something valuable that can be practised in your daily routine for a better life as well.
keeps you healthy anD happy
A study conducted by the Department of Psychology in the State University of New York, Oswego, United States on 13,000 middle-aged men at risk for heart disease, showed that those who skipped vacations for five consecutive years were found to be 30% more likely to suffer heart attacks than those who took at least one week off each year.
Meanwhile, the Framingham Heart Study found that women who took a vacation once every six years or less were almost eight times more likely to develop coronary heart disease than those who took at least two vacations a year.
So, my friends, you should get on the move to book your next vacation!
1
2
3
TAKE A BREAK
HOW WE COpE WiTH OUR
RETURn TO WORK, And HOW
qUiCKLy THE BEnEfiTS Of
HOLidAyS ‘fAdE OUT’, COULd BE
LinKEd TO WHAT WE did WiTH
OUR TimE Off
mystarjob.com, saturday 3 January 2015 5
GettinG the best out of the worst!
By JOHN WALTER [email protected]
The year 2014 has been marked with some of the worst disasters we have seen in the region.
Indeed we do not even have to look very far to witness the tragedies befalling Malaysia Airlines flights MH17 and MH370 (and the recent AirAsia Indonesia flight QZ8501).
These were disasters likened to lightning striking twice in the same place within the same year. These unfortunate occurrences do prove that the worst things can happen not only once, but twice!
Lives were lost, families were affected and eventually businesses and everyone are affected.
In the newsOn a lighter note, the year also
brought about the shocking news that Hello Kitty is not actually a cat, despite being a “Kitty”. The news had two generations of people who always thought Hello Kitty to be everyone’s lovable pet aghast.
In more recent news, Instagram’s Bot Purge resulted in Justin Bieber losing 3.5 million followers!
It seems like he had a population of followers who were not actually real people. I could not help but crack a smirk at this bit of news only to find that Kim Kardashian is faring a bit better than Bieber.
Some celebrities seem to be taking things worse than others; perhaps coming to a stark realisa-tion that they were not the big people they thought themselves to be. This was a bubble well popped!
The Philippines had taken another hit from mother nature via typhoon Ruby and came out better this time around with much less damage also owed to the lessons of the previous year.
An eventful yeArThe year 2014 was an interest-
ing one which was highlighted both by major and minor tragedies.
All of which should be a lesson for all of us.
We need to take the good along with the bad as many would say, but how does this affect your life for the better?
Personally, this writer has seen better years. Out of some of the debacles, came some of the best learning moments in my life.
What could be a loss in the more obvious front such as career and money could be one of the greatest wins in the game of life.
the 3fsIn a previous failure, I forced
myself to recount what mattered most and came up with three things: faith, family, and friends.
With constant undulations that life brings, it is good to look at these three things as a constant with maturity begging for more discernment as time goes by.
Last year has been an excep-tional teacher in this regard.
In the backdrop of your per-sonal life lies the usual business of the day, but this does not mean that you have to leave everything you learnt at work once you leave the office.
Whether we like it or not, work is a part of us and occupies most of our waking day.
The same strategies and met-rics that apply in the workplace can be carried over to your per-sonal life.
lIfe mAnAgementLife needs to be managed just
as anything that occupies your time. With some of the woes in life, come some of the greatest gains in learning.
Here are four ways on my list.
1 Focus on what mattersWhile saying “money isn’t
everything” could be considered a cliche, much of it rings true espe-cially when the chips are down.
As said earlier, faith, family, and friends tend to bring back dispro-portionate rates of returns when considering what you get back in exchange for the time invested.
Keeping an eye on the three also helps us manage the paradoxes of earning and the quality of life.
Back in 2012, I racked in the most billable hours in my consult-ing career only to fail the stress test on my annual physical exam.
Top that with not being mental-ly and emotionally present during the most important moments in my family’s life.
A year lost in connecting with your loved ones cannot be replaced with money, especially with those who have passed on.
We spend so much money on material things rather than spend-ing time with people.
In the end, you may have a fat account (and fat around your waist), and still be emotionally and spiritually bankrupt.
When a downturn occurred the following year, I found faith, family, and friends with me throughout my trials.
They helped me get back on my feet, encouraged me, and even helped me venture towards things that I love to do. I am doing them right now as I write this article.
2 Let go of heavy baggageYou will find that things
and people are not necessary to take on your journey. I have found that some of the people who pat-ted me on the back during my career highs were the same ones who were stabbing it when I was weak.
In the end, you will realise that we spend too much time with peo-ple who are only with you due to strategic interest.
Some were with you because of your material generosity and your image.
You will find that once they get what they want in one way or another (which sometimes does not include you), they are fast to step on you to advance themselves.
They disguise their advice under a veneer of honesty and some-times with twisted principles.
In the end, they are full of nega-tivity, and unmet needs you cannot fill.
Know the signs early, accept the brutal facts, forgive them, and move on.
3 Find what ignites your passionAnother life paradox is find-
ing what you truly love during the worst moments of your life. When things take a downturn, you will suddenly reconnect with your for-gotten talents.
They were hidden all along! Some of them could be a bit detached from what you do for money.
What you realise then is that having a job could be different from making a living.
Try to use this time to realign your career and priorities. Try to identify things that you would be doing anyway, with or without the money.
Get in touch with your God-given talents and strengths, and combine them with your zealous passion. You will find that the amount of effort will yield expo-nential returns.
Turn your talents into a com-petitive advantage by applying the time to develop them. Know your talents and passion, and invest time to develop them!
4 Multiply yourself: Connect and collaborate with others
Share your passion and invest in fruitful relationships that develop your interests and open new per-spectives to create new possibili-ties.
Commit to a positive change beyond yourself and beyond your shores. Be accountable to the peo-ple around you. Take the lead if you must, but lead responsibly.
In conclusIonMany great things could come
out from the worst. It is a matter of perspective, but in everything you do, always remember to be authentic.
Always keep your faith, fam-ily, and friends. Keep your eyes on the horizon and your feet on the ground. Live simply but love extravagantly.
4 ways to do that this new year
always keep your faith, family, and
friends. keep your eyes on
the horizon and your feet
on the Ground. live simply
but love extravaGantly.
n John Walter Baybay is a regional management consultant who has worked for more than 17 years in corporate strategic planning and economic planning. He is a competitive athlete who balances his time between business coaching, family and working with communities.
mystarjob.com, saturday 3 January 2015 7mystarjob.com, saturday 3 January 20156
Our twO cents
A sAfe And inspiring spAce fOr yOuth
triAls, tribulAtiOns And thOusAnds Of wOrds lAter
chAnge Of thOughtI can conclude 2014 in three words: a
roller-coaster ride. A year that brought upon changes that forced me to break out of routines that I had been following for years.
Being a first time mom to a toddler was something very new to me. Exciting yet intimidating.
It was an entirely new experience; handling a child who has a mind of her own and always up to mischief with her newfound skills.
Not to forget the sicknesses that pop up from nowhere when you least expect it. Juggling work and a child is a different ball game altogether.
It’s indeed true that a child totally changes your life!
If that was not enough, I found myself in a situation at work whereby I needed to take a different route from my usual path.
TURNING POINTAt first, I did not want to give it a
shot as I saw no point in it and felt that it would weigh me down.
However, the tiny voice in my head, influenced by some of the articles I read
on embracing change, said otherwise. Having read on how change is good, I decided to put it to test. I am glad I did.
This year has truly pushed me out of
my comfort zone and made me realise that if you want things to change for the better, you have to change first.
I discovered skills which I did not realise I had and my eyes opened to the vast opportunities available around me.
To my beautiful family and wonderful friends, thank you for being my pillars of strength.
To 2015… I am ready to take you on. Happy New Year All!
Prema Jayabalan
THE editorial team, as curator of leadership content, takes great pains to identify contributors who are experts in their fields and articles that bring value to our readers.
In the process, we have learnt a great deal about ourselves and important lessons that have transformed our lives – as much as we wish it has transformed yours.
In 300 words or less (we’re pretty compliant with word count requirements!), we share our innermost thoughts, revelations and lessons learnt, in the hope that you can also benefit from them as we all embark on a bright shiny new year.
Of triAls And hOpe2014 seemed to be a year of world-
wide tragedies. We were being hit by one disaster after another. It was very devastating to read the news. Barely moving on from one tragedy, another one struck.
As I reflect on the past year, I thought about how horrible the year has been. Even though I wasn’t personally affected, all these deaths and tragedies wore me down. It wasn’t a very pleasant feeling.
We’ve had articles talking about change, failures and crisis, and how we can turn it around and make good lessons out of it.
LOVE . KINDNESS . HUMANITYSo I decided that I will not let this
year end on a negative note. Even in the darkest of times, we can find hope.
If you look back at all the tragedies that happened last year, you will find beautiful and amazing stories of love, kindness and humanity.
Focusing on Malaysia, with the airline tragedies, we witnessed the whole nation coming together to support the families of those affected.
Social media was filled with positive,
encouraging messages to those who lost their loved ones.
News agencies, both online and print, took the time to research the people on the planes, and shared their life stories for the world to know.
From the recent flooding situations, we see selfless volunteers from all over the country, working as one to help the flood victims in whatever way possible.
So, if you ask me, I would say that 2014 was a year of hope. There is no promise of how 2015 will be, but we can choose to bring out good (or even better) stories to be a part of the story. Wishing you a beautiful, wonderful year ahead!
“Sometimes, in darkness, we find clarity.” – Hyma Pillay
“dis” is nOt the endDispute, disease, disruption,
distress, dissent, discomfort, disarray, disappointment, disengagement, disillusionment, discouragement, disheartenment.
These words pretty much summed up 2014. From water dispute to Ebola and dengue disease, it was a challenging year for most of us as individuals, and as a nation.
THE DESERT ROADOn a personal note, there was a dry
season when redundancy came knocking unexpectedly at my door (an entirely different story if one consciously makes the decision to quit).
Thus, to be relieved from an employment, with friends you’ve grown attached to, without Plan B in sight was a daunting experience. It threw me into disarray as I grappled to make sense of “what now?”
REPOSITIONING AND RESTORATION
I believe that there is a reason for a season of valley experiences. When a door slams shut on you, a window of opportunity will eventually open up at the appointed time.
Likewise, the loss of a job brought me to a place of deep soul-searching and a journey of discovery.
The experience taught me that things don’t always pan out the way we wanted them to be. Instead, there is something bigger than ourselves that holds the times and seasons.
The lesson here is that if we are willing to humble ourselves to acknowledge that statement, we will eventually see things repositioned and restored for a new chapter in our lives.
With this, I am grateful for more great adventures to come!
Special thanks to family members, friends and confidante who stood by me through thick and thin.
Lim Lay Hsuan
frOm the AshesAt the risk of revealing my age (yep,
old) I quote the only lyrics I remember from the British band which rose to fame in the 1990s with their hit Tubthumping, “I get knocked down, But I get up again, You’re never gonna keep me down!”
For my two cents, I had intended to wax lyrical about the great lessons I learnt from leadership gurus, but just as the year drew to a close, a dear friend reminded me the importance of ...
RESILIENcE In times of tragedy, I have observed the
reactions of the many people in my life – from misery and defeat, all the way to great optimism for a new beginning.
Our past articles have addressed the topics of conflict management, bouncing back from failure, managing stress, and even what mistakes one should make.
Reading and internalising these lessons help us prepare and hopefully not have to rely purely on trial and error to learn.
I firmly believe that resilience, like perseverance, is a critical element for achieving our life goals. Too often, I have seen brilliant minds equipped with limitless resources crumble in the face of
adversity. And while we all work on building on
our strengths and our ability to cope with setbacks, here are some points you might want to ponder:
1. Recognising when you are on a downward spiral
2. Recovery – reaching out for support and making changes where necessary
3. Resume your growth trajectory!
Well one other thing I learnt about myself in 2014 – I tend to get a little goofy about grouping words with the same starting alphabet!
Rock on, readers! Rawr! May you be guided by love for your fellow human beings and all God’s creation!
Karen Neoh
investing in leAders Of tOmOrrOwBy KAREN [email protected]
BEING part of a team of leadership camp facilita-tors that recently spent 10 days with youth from all over our country, my first
thought as campers started dispers-ing to return home was if they could journey safely through the floods that have hit more and more states in Malaysia.
An important element of the camp was a focus on community, whereby each camper had the opportunity to take the lead in analysing the needs of an existing community project, and to develop as well as execute a sustainable solution.
Observing the teenagers in action was pretty awe-inspiring – so as much as we tried to impart to them, I came away from camp really pumped up to do more!
Even as I fidgeted nervously waiting to hear that everyone had reached home safely, my thoughts shifted to how the campers would transfer their newfound zeal for help-ing others to friends and family in their respective communities.
One avenue for this is the commu-nity drop-in hangout spot in Petaling Jaya, DropZone, which aims to pro-vide an alternative, safe and inspiring place for local teenagers to spend their free time while developing their leadership potential.
As we bid farewell to a year of seemingly more downs than ups, let’s kick-start the year by seeking out new options – for ourselves and the children, cousins, nieces and neph-ews in our lives.
Specially designed for youth, DropZone is a project of the Youth
Leadership Club, a non-profit entity that aims to inspire youths in lead-ership, learning and exploration of interests and talents.
WHY DROPZONE?The vision of DropZone is to be a
centre that inspires youth to become leaders of integrity and distinction by instilling the values of civic-minded-ness and equipping youth to serve the community.
HOW IS DROPZONE AWESOME?
DropZone focuses on three key ele-ments in order to achieve its vision in leadership development. The three pillars are:
1 Nurture civic-mindednessThe supervisors at DropZone
work to create awareness among youth about the needs of the com-munity.
This is achieved through organised projects and efforts that aim to involve the youth directly or indirectly with the community around them.
DropZone serves the community at large through providing a channel for volunteerism, by connecting youth, the community, and non-profit organisa-tions in Malaysia.
2 InspirationThe supervisors positively
influence youth through teaching and sharing, as well as by providing resources and outlets for youth to be inspired.
The centre organises regular activi-ties and programmes that help young visitors explore and expand their potential in areas such as education, soft skills, music, art and the develop-ment of sound behavioural traits.
3 Cultivating relationshipsThe supervisors at DropZone
work to inspire and inculcate a value system in visiting teenagers.
This is done primarily through the establishment of healthy relationships formed and fostered between supervi-sors and youth to positively influence, guide, and mentor young individuals to strive towards their personal aspira-tions.
The supervisors also work to encour-age the development of relationships between visitors in both formal and informal settings.
The aim of this activity is to promote acceptance of one another regardless of age, ethnicity, religious and social backgrounds.
DropZone takes after the concept of a second-home, running youth-related activities in the hope that it becomes a healthy leisure alternative which focuses on the personal and creative development of youth.
WHO cAN HANG OUT AT DROPZONE?
DropZone welcomes local youth between the ages of 13 and 19. Older youth who are not part of the Youth Leadership Club are not permitted unless to volunteer, teach or intern.
WHEN IS DROPZONE OPEN?
DropZone is open Mondays to Fridays, from 1pm to 6pm, and closed on weekends and public holidays, except on special occasions.
FINALLY, WHERE cAN I FIND DROPZONE?
DropZone is at 92A, Jalan Othman 1/14, (Old Town), 46000 Petaling Jaya, Selangor (above King’s Confectionery)
“We believe in creating lead-ers for tomorrow by investing in the youth of today. We hope to build a better future for Malaysia through love and providing a platform for youths to make a difference,” says Divya Chandy, youth programme executive at Leaderonomics and one of the supervisors at DropZone.
“Join us today and build a bet-ter tomorrow for yourself, your family and your community.”
“It takes a village to raise a child, it takes a community to build a leader.” – Roshan Thiran
Our thoughts and prayers go out to everyone who has been affected by the floods in Malaysia, and everyone who has helped in any way to assist them.
n Partner with Leaderonomics to open a DropZone in your neighbourhood today! Ask us how at [email protected]
DropZone will be active again from
Jan 5, 2015, 1pm to 6pm weekdays.
Our first activity of the year will
be on Friday Jan 9, 2015; our traditional
New Year Pizza Party. In the first few weeks of 2015, the DropZone youth will be planning activities for 2015, so we welcome more youth to get involved to build relationships, to be inspired and to be involved in the community around them!
mystarjob.com, saturday 3 January 20158
Brain- Training games
PerFOrmanCe enHanCemenT TiPs FOr THe Brain1 EliminatE
multitaskingBased on research, our brain can only do one thing at a time.
When we constantly shift atten-tion from one activity to another (including entertaining every Facebook or WhatsApp alert from our smartphones), we are actually making it harder for our brains to focus.
While multitasking may make us feel more efficient, it actually overloads the brain, making it less efficient; not to mention causing an increase in stress levels.
2 unplug! In today’s society where tech-
nology has been integrated into every aspect of our daily lives, stud-ies have shown that temporarily unplugging oneself from technology – even for just 30 minutes daily – can improve brain health.
A number of studies have concluded that overuse of smart-phones, tablets and other electron-ics can jeopardise our ability to process information deeply.
So instead of moving from screen to screen, app to app and respond-ing to every WhatsApp alert, learn to turn off your phone and find a quiet place to complete a task.
3 ExErcisE!Time and time again, research-
ers have reported that physical exer-cise helps your brain to stay sharp. Physical exercise increases oxygen to your brain, reduces the risk for disorders that lead to memory loss, and has shown to have positive benefits for the hippocampus (i.e. a brain structure that is important for learning and memory).
According to a study conducted by the Department of Exercise Science at the University of Georgia, even briefly exercising for 20 min-utes facilitates information process-ing and memory functions.
By ADELINE [email protected]
ONCE upon a time, people believed that brain devel-opment stops at a certain stage before it starts deteriorating. People also
believed that one cannot “teach an old dog new tricks”.
Fortunately, with the discovery of the plasticity of the human brain in neuro-science, we now know that a person’s brain is constantly changing through the exposure to new experiences and stimuli.
This is great news indeed, especially for senior citizens. Since our cognitive functions can be developed, many researchers have conducted studies to investigate how certain activities or games can be used as tools to give our brains a boost.
Following this, there has been a noticeable increase in the hype for brain-training games, and this is what we will be looking at today.
Brain-training industry: thE hypE
The brain-training industry is massive. According to a study by SharpBrains as reported by Forbes, the market for brain health software alone grew from US$600mil (RM2.1bil) in annual revenues in 2009 to more than
US$1bil in 2012. Furthermore, it was forecast that this market
will continue to grow to reach US$4bil–US$10bil by 2020.
In view of the hype (and profit) that the brain-training industry has gener-ated, many companies jumped on the bandwagon and use the term “brain training” to try and sell programmes that have not been proven to work and that have no benefits for the brain.
With yearly subscriptions of up to US$120, organisations from the brain-training industry claim to develop brain games that promise to improve mem-ory, processing speed, problem-solving, and even, in some cases, the ability to avert or delay Alzheimer’s disease.
With the attention that the brain-training industry is getting from mak-ing such claims, the Stanford Center on Longevity and the Berlin Max Planck Institute for Human Development gathered a group of nearly 70 research-ers, comprising many of the world’s leading cognitive psychologists and neuroscientists, to address some of the claims made.
Brain-training industry: thE Fall
Many brain-training companies typi-cally describe their games as “based on neuroscience”, “backed by solid scien-tific research”, or “proven to work” to attract consumers.
More likely than not, if you scratch the surface and dig deeper, there is no real scientific evidence to back these claims.
It has been found that such cited research are often loosely interpreted and whose results are over general-
ised to fit the “scientific claims” of the com-
pany, and to the games they sell.
Scientific studies should be independ-ent, repeatable, and presented
officially in scien-tific peer-reviewed
journals. What hap-
pens is that in most brain-training studies, researchers usually measure improvement in cognitive skills such as
memory based on a single independent task, rather
than a range of tasks that rep-
resent a broad ability. A clear line needs to be drawn
between improvements on a particular task and improvements in general cogni-tive ability – both of which suggest two very different things. This is the part where most people are being misled.
Many brain-training companies blur the lines between these two distinc-tions, and generalise the findings of such research towards their favour.
Regardless of whether such results were misinterpreted or exaggerated as part of the marketing strategy, many consumers are led to believe that improving on a specific game will posi-tively impact their cognitive abilities and capability in life.
Therefore, please take note that the consensus among neuroscientific and cognitive researchers is that this is not so.
conclusion While brain-training games are fun
and engaging, there is insufficient sci-entific evidence at this point in time to indicate that they significantly improve one’s memory, intelligence, problem solving, or other higher-order cognitive abilities.
What the researchers did find is that people who play brain-training games do get better at those games, i.e. the more you play the game, the better you’ll get at it.
However, this is pretty much not a surprise as this only proves the old say-ing of “practice makes perfect”.
Having said that, if you love playing these brain games, I’m not suggest-ing you to stop. I’m merely informing you not to expect too much from it, aside from being able to “travel into an alternate dimension” where you are the protagonist of that world, or “speed up time” as you realised that a few hours have passed before you know it.
To end on a happier note, check out some tips (see column to the right), supported and validated by numerous scientific research studies, on how you can increase your cognitive perfor-mance!
YaY Or naY?
n Adeline Tay is part of the learning and development team with Leaderonomics. To engage with her, email [email protected]
mystarjob.com, saturday 3 January 2015 9
RIGHT
By VINESH [email protected]
AN eventful year has drawn to a close; another year of learning and growth. As it should be of course, the only thing is, it’s never that optimistic when you
are in the eye of the storm! We had our national carrier losing two
aircraft in unforeseeable circumstances, oil prices plummeting, and the rise of new terror in the Middle East. We even had mini tornadoes hitting the outskirts of Kedah.
What on earth has any of these to do with a leadership problem I hear you say? Everything, really.
These are what we would call “extenu-ating factors”.
It is consultant speak for “stuff we never anticipated but have thrown a span-ner in the works therefore I hope you are stunned at my command of the language and won’t quite notice the additional bill-ing I just sent in”.
The domino effecTWhatever spin we put on these near
and faraway issues, it affects the economy. In one way or another.
When it affects the economy, it affects business. And when business is affected, your people are affected.
And so the most powerful lesson this year, both as far as internal growth as well as my reflections about our client organi-sations are concerned, is that the biggest difference in times of turmoil (good times are not as eventful so as to earn air time here!) is having the right people providing the right contribution in the right environ-ment to steer you through it all.
But that’s a pretty tough place to be at in any given situation. The workforce is in constant flux, so how do you plan for a non-static workforce?
How do you ensure that the three inter-
view sessions you have had with a poten-tial “talent” has actually uncovered the right mixture of attitude and competence for the work that you have identified?
You can’t. That’s the short, direct answer. But what you CAN do, is to con-stantly check in on the progress of your talents and continuously fine-tune the environment to ensure people are able to function at their productive best.
That’s an external factor, which some-one else can be in charge of. What about the factors that are within the individual’s control?
moTivaTional TuneWell, first off, the individual has to
ensure the right motivations are in place. And this also needs to constantly be fine-tuned.
People grow, mature and change, and personal motivations change and grow along with it. Ensuring the harmony of all these factors is what contributes to personal excellence and thereby having a productive employee in your team.
Personal excellence therefore starts from the individual.
What usually helps in the discovery process is to ask questions that cut to the chase and force us to be honest about our motivations like:
l Why are you here today? l What do you expect to contribute,
and in turn, gain from the endeavours? l How will this work make a differ-
ence to you and those who are impacted by your work?
Why you do WhaT you do
Simon Sinek, the author best known for popularising the concept of “The Golden Circle”, believes leadership, and thereby, personal excellence, emerges from under-standing the “why” behind your work.
“People don’t buy what you do; people buy why you do it,” he is fond of saying.
And as he explains in his TED talk – you can watch it online, it’s free – the very way we think about our motivation isn’t quite right: “Every single person, every single organisation on the planet knows what they do, 100%.”
“Some know how they do it, whether you call it your differentiated value proposition or your proprietary process or your USP (unique selling proposition). But very, very few people or organisa-tions know why they do what they do.
“And by ‘why’ I don’t mean ‘to make a profit’. That’s a result. It’s always a result. By ‘why’, I mean: What’s your purpose? What’s your cause? What’s your belief? Why does your organisation exist? Why do you get out of bed in the morning? And why should anyone care?”
Get those right, or at least aligned and you are on your way to ensuring excel-lence, both personal and work – which would lead to organisational excellence.
If you could do anything at all without having to worry about what others think – no need to worry about money, no need to worry about getting good grades – what would you do?
Play computer games all day? Okay but let’s analyse that a little bit. What exactly are you getting from that activity? You are good at it therefore you are beating every-one else, and that’s the exciting part.
Seen from another angle, you are improving your thought process and coordination. Does that excite you? That is helping your growth.
Or you want to solve the water irriga-tion problems in Africa. Or the traffic jam in Kuala Lumpur. Why would you want to do that?
In the end, most of us want to do something that makes a difference. And that feeling of making a difference is ulti-mately what’s most important for your own happiness and fulfillment. And that is what will enable us to continue to seek personal excellence.
In 1931, Gandhi was invited to speak to the British Parliament.
As Gandhi was one of the most vocal supporters of Indian inde-pendence, his visit was greeted with suspicion and caution by a parliament who strongly opposed Gandhi’s passion. The great leader stood with no notes and spoke for two hours.
He spoke eloquently and with passion, and when he finished, his audience stood and applauded as one. It was an extraordinary moment for a truly remarkable man.
Later, an English journalist asked one of Gandhi’s assistants how he was able to stand with no notes and speak so brilliantly for such a long time.
The assistant smiled and was quoted as saying, “You don’t under-stand Gandhi. You see, what he thinks is what he feels. What he feels is what he says. What he says is what he does.
“What Gandhi feels, what he thinks, what he says, and what he does are all the same. He does not need notes.”
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is where magic happens. Finding the reason behind the actions for personal excellence is only one leg of it.
Ensuring it is infused with passion and purpose is the second part which com-pletes the circle.
my ThoughTsSo for your leadership challenge of
the day, go forth and ensure you have your motivation, purpose, and passion aligned to your current realities, that in turn will help you in seeking personal excellence! All the best for this year.
n Vinesh Naidu is talent programme manager at Leaderonomics, helping to develop and accelerate talent in corporate organisations. For more insightful writings by Vinesh, visit www.leaderonomics.com
PEOPLEROLE
cONTRIBUTION?YOUR ‘wHYs’ fOR THE NEw YEaR
By SANDY [email protected]
“When a resolute young fellow steps up to the great bully, the world, and takes him boldly by the beard, he is often surprised to find it comes off in his hand, and that it was only tied on to scare away the timid adventurers.”
– Ralph Waldo Emerson
THROUGH the years, I have been told many times that the only way to grow in strength is to confront whatever fears that may be present.
WHat is FEaR?Fear: an emotion that seems almost
as powerful as love. I’m sure we can all think of many
examples of times when we, or even people we know, have missed out on some wonderful opportunity simply because we allowed ourselves to be held back by one or two limiting beliefs.
Our instincts (we believe) usually seek to serve us with our best interests at heart. We often talk about trusting our “gut reaction”, and while there may be some benefit in adopting this approach, it depends on the circumstance.
It’s more often the case, however, that we give way to fear far too easily, afraid of whatever bad thing that might hap-pen should we proceed with a particular course of risky action.
WHY FEaR? Fear has its uses. It’s quite handy to
have if one is ever faced with, say, a hungry tiger or a venomous snake. The heightened sense of alertness is of great benefit in these situations.
But, thankfully, we don’t often expe-rience those kinds of encounters that people in far-off places may face with fair regularity.
Nowadays, fear is an often irrational condition that leads us to naturally incline towards the negative, as we weigh up our choices.
Take a moment – I’m sure you can think of a few examples. One that immediately popped into my head is of a friend who had his heart set for years on travelling around the world.
Every time I asked if he had any con-crete plans, he would reply with some-thing like, “I’m not sure if it’s the right time: I have my job to think of, and once I’m out there, so many things could go wrong.”
Very true – but so many things could also go right. Wonderful experi-ences, chance encounters and magical moments could be awaiting anyone who decides to follow up on their dreams with action.
If we consider that the future is unknown, that things have a 50/50 chance of turning out well, why is it that we almost always think that our dreams are better off left as dreams, lest we encounter the worst case scenario?
I tried the old trick of asking my friend, “Okay – if you could go anywhere and do anything, and you had no fears limiting you whatsoever, where would you go, and what would you do?”
For the next 10 minutes or so, I received a verbal itinerary that would impress even the most seasoned travel-lers. All that was holding him back from realising his dream were a few unfound-ed fears.
Moreover, as soon as he shifted his perspective to the positive, he magically realised that he could save up enough without much difficulty, and that his employer would probably allow him to take a career break – no problem!
So, it turns out that not only do we carry our fears around with us, we also supply them with back up doubt just to make sure we can fully convince our-selves that to do nothing is a far safer option.
EXPEL LiMitiNG BELiEFsIt has been said that our fears are the
greatest liars we will ever know. Fear is as powerful as we allow it to be.
For as long as we allow ourselves to listen to those limiting beliefs, fear will always have the upper hand; never
relenting in achieving its goal of holding us back from experiencing and enjoying life to the fullest extent possible.
But although some say that con-fronting fear gives us great strength, it doesn’t quite work with such immediacy.
LEaNiNG iNVery few people have a natural inclina-
tion to lean in towards the fear and meet it head on.
We do not allow ourselves the chance to know fear for the fraud it is. In slowly developing the skill to lean in towards our fears, we find that we are not immediately endowed with Herculean strength.
On the contrary, we voluntarily open ourselves up to experiencing the great-est sense of vulnerability that we have known.
We are, for a brief time, completely open and exposed, essentially putting ourselves in a position of danger.
And although that danger may be an irrational perception, nevertheless, it is very real to us in that moment, and that’s what counts.
By making a conscious effort to go against the grain and lean in to our fears, to chip away at our inclination to think towards the negative, almost imme-diately, our fears and limiting beliefs depreciate in their power.
A reinforced fear will always remain as solid as an oak tree, but once confronted, it begins to lose its magnificent presence and fades away to nothing.
tHE tiME is NOWWe have, all of us, a great potential to
experience and accomplish many things; it’s just a pity that many of us are left without a sense of urgency to realise that what holds us back can be very eas-
ily overcome if only we apply the courage and a little effort to do so.
We also have limited time, and whether or not one believes in reincarna-tion or in an eternal heaven or that there exists nothing after this life, one thing is certain: we each only have this lifetime once – you will never know life quite in the same way that you are now living it.
tHE BRass RiNGWith a little thought, it should hope-
fully make sense to afford yourself a little courage to lean into your own fears and to open yourself to vulnerability so that you may grow in strength and receive the tools necessary to fulfil your own wishes, whatever they may be.
Whether it is finding the courage to book that round-the-world trip, seeking out that new career change, or working towards realising an entrepreneurial vision – whatever you’re looking to achieve in life, give some time to lean-ing in to your fears and accept whatever comes in that moment.
Stay with it, push yourself to persevere – don’t run from the fear.
And when you find yourself leaning in on that first moment, you’ll soon come to discover that strength is not born from confronting your fears, but rather your fears have simply been hiding the great source of strength that has been inherent within you all along.
So, what would you do if you were free of your limiting fears? There’s only one way to find out.
n Sandy Clarke is a journalist in the UK with years of experience in journalism, public relations and communications, and was press officer to the Scottish Government at one time. For more arti-cles, visit www.leaderonomics.com
mystarjob.com, saturday 3 January 201510
OVERCOMING FEARREVEAlING yOuR INNER stRENGth
By MAkING A CONsCIOus EFFORt tO GO AGAINst thE GRAIN ANd lEAN IN tO OuR FEARs, tO ChIp AwAy At OuR INClINAtION tO thINk tOwARds thE NEGAtIVE, AlMOst IMMEdIAtEly, OuR FEARs ANd lIMItING BElIEFs dEpRECIAtE IN thEIR pOwER.
Confident
Fear
Negativity
Critics
Doubt
mystarjob.com, saturday 3 January 2015 11
My hopes for Gen-yBy LILY [email protected]
D EAR friends, I don’t know your names, backgrounds, nor much else about you. But you and I, we have at least one thing in common. We are people
belonging to what they call Generation Y (“Gen-Y”), those born between 1980 and the mid-1990s.
Like all generations before us, we have been shaped by the world we grew up in. Technology was a normal part of growing up, and as a result, connectivity and content availability, quantity and variety have never been an issue. Growing up with Friendster, Xanga, blogspot, MySpace and more, we are used to platforms where we “have a voice”.
Especially for middle-class Gen-Y in Malaysia like myself, many have also had the privilege of living off the fruit of our parents’ labour. Though we still have battles of our own with affordability of transporta-tion and housing, the struggle for survival has eased for those with parents who have worked hard to provide.
Naturally, this upbringing has uncon-sciously informed our expectations and behaviours in the working world. It’s no surprise then that many will comment that Gen-Y in urban Malaysia are driven more by “purpose” and “passion” rather than “survival”.
We are drawn to environments where a variety of views is encouraged, and where we have room to express ourselves. In the Deloitte Millennial (Generation Y) Survey 2014, more than 25% of the Millennial respondents from 28 countries asked “for a chance” to show their leadership skills.
And being used to a faster pace, we crave progression. Seventy-five per cent believe companies could do more to develop future leaders.
Our perceived strengths seem to revolve around the areas of optimism and technol-ogy. In an EY survey conducted in 2013 with Baby Boomer, Generation X (“Gen-X”) and Gen-Y respondents, we scored highly for being “enthusiastic”, “tech savvy” and social media opportunists.
We were ranked higher than Baby Boomers in the areas of “collaboration”, “adaptability”, being “entrepreneurial”, and were perceived to be slightly better than both Gen-X and Boomers in building diverse teams and not discriminating on attributes like race, gender and age.
But along with our strengths, are attrib-utes that we have been criticised for. I am sure, that like me, you too have heard groans about Gen-Y being “entitled”, “demanding” and having no “staying power”.
Results of the 2013 EY survey, though conducted with respondents in the United States, don’t stray far from comments on the local grapevine.
Our generation scored the lowest com-pared to Gen-X and Baby Boomers in the perception of being a “team player” (45%), “hardworking” (39%) and “a productive part of my organisation” (58%).
We also scored the highest in negative traits like being “difficult to work with” (36%), “entitled” (68%) and “lacking relevant experience” (59%).
I stress again that these conclu-sions are based on perceptions of an entire generation. Like any other generalisation, they cer-tainly don’t apply to each and every Gen-Yer.
But perceptions don’t come from thin air, and my hope for our generation is for us to seriously acknowledge the criticisms levelled against us and ask ourselves how we, as a whole, could do better.
To help guide my thoughts, I consulted the opinion of Paul Chan, who serves as director of several boards, including that of Prudential Assurance Malaysia Berhad. An executive council mem-ber of the Malaysian Institute of Accountants (MIA), Chan is also a found-ing member of the Malaysian Alliance of Corporate Directors, and an executive com-mittee member of the Global Network of Director Institutes.
It was appropriately after a panel dis-cussion on diversity at this year’s MIA Conference that I had the privilege of meet-ing Chan. Being a Baby Boomer, and having the bird’s eye view in multiple companies, I sought his thoughts on Gen-Y in the work-place, and his advice on what we could do to improve.
So as 2014 draws to an end, and a tough 2014 it has been for our country and the world, and we set aspirations for ourselves, our families and our organisations, here are my three generational aspirations for Gen-Y. I hope that you join me in fulfilling them:
1 That we will be humble and have a healthy sense of dependence on the
right people“Humility” was what Chan mentioned
when I asked for his thoughts on what Gen-Y could work on. Though not a great pill to swallow, I see where he is coming from.
Perhaps because technology has allowed us to see the world from the comfort of our desktop and mobile devices, we can tend to carry a sense of having experienced many things even in our shorter life spans.
As we continue to mature and grow in our experiences and skills, I hope that we balance our achievements and knowledge with the understanding that we still have a lot to learn, especially from those older than us.
“Gen-Y is very capable, but do remember that Baby Boomers and Gen-X have taken years to understand businesses. A little humility will get you a long way,” Chan advises.
So in 2015, may we approach work and learning with humility, and find willing teachers along the way.
2 That we will build resilience for the mountains worth climbing
I concurred with Chan on his observation that older generations in Malaysia, in gen-eral, are more resilient because of economic circumstances during upbringing.
It’s not a rarity for example to meet Baby Boomers who have spent the majority of their careers deep diving and weathering multiple seasons in one company. It’s simi-larly not uncommon to meet a Gen-Y who is feeling dissatisfied about their current place of work and is planning to leave as a result.
I do often ask myself why this is the case. Is it that we run from challenges? Perhaps we have a wrong view of pain and struggle? Or are we just more honest about what we want?
Whatever the case may be for you and me, my hope is that Gen-Y will have resil-ience to face challenges that come our way (because they will), and be able to discern the battles that are worth fighting.
3 That we build authentic
relationships and make our presence “positively felt”
In the EY survey, Gen-Y was ranked highest in the trait of being “difficult to work with”.
“In general, Gen-Y aren’t perceived to be as good at relating to others. The more Gen-Y learns about others, the better,” advises Chan. “Then with this knowledge and your skills, make your presence positively felt.”
As our workplaces become increasingly diverse, and with Generation Z soon com-ing into the picture, my hope is for Gen-Y to continue to develop our ability to build bonds with others and consistently seek ways to add value to our workplaces.
So in 2015, may we invest time and effort into understanding, empathising and build-ing relationships with members of different generations, and make a positive contribu-tion both in skill and attitude.
To a successful 2015 and greater days ahead, fellow Gen-Yers. Let’s journey on.
n Lily Cheah leads the Engagement team at Leaderonomics. As a Gen-Y herself, she aspires to always find a balance between having the confidence to contribute and a humility to learn, since extremes, as she has learned the hard way, are unhelpful. She expresses gratitude again to Paul Chan for sharing his wisdom. To share your thoughts with her, email [email protected]
mystarjob.com, saturday 3 January 201512
If you have any suggestions or feedback on our content, get in touch with the Leaderonomics team at [email protected] For advertising and advertorials, contact Pravin Kumar at [email protected] or +6011 2377 7850
It’s never too late to change
Also next week
Same New Year Resolutions?
How to diffuse a toxic colleague
The Ultimate resolution
AS we burst out into 2015, we hark back on the past 12 months reflecting on the highs and lows, the people we have met, lives
we have impacted and how we can up our game in all our future endeav-ours.
JERMAINE BEE oN tAlENt dEvElopMENt
The year 2014 was great for learn-ing as I led a team of 14 learning and development specialists responsible for business sales and growth.
Having a dynamic team of people constantly striving for greatness, I would say it had been a fulfilling experience journeying with the team on the various challenges we faced; building high quality processes, standards and competencies while we assisted organisations in achieving their people development goals.
AdvIcE foR oRgANIsAtIoNs
On the external front, having met and understood the various issues faced by organisations from various industries, I would say one key issue that should be the focus for 2015 would be of “greater talent retention and development”. Not only will there be a scarcity of talent, there will also be the ongoing challenge to retain
good talent; followed by the need for talent development.
With the trend of the genera-tion to come, there will be a crucial need to ensure your organisation is equipped with the necessary preven-tive measures such as having a great and meaningful work culture as well as having the right standards and processes to stay relevant among the upcoming talents, whom I believe will bring sustainable growth to your organisation.
ANdREW lAU oN yoUth lEAdERshIp dEvElopMENt
The one big thing we learnt as a team was that bringing the best for young leaders would often challenge us to unlearn and relearn.
We had to tear down things, which we thought were great, and we had to build something new again.
While it would have been easier to remain at status quo, we want to hold on to the values of constantly pushing ourselves – the same values we ask young leaders in campus to aspire to.
For undergraduate talent, key human resources trends will revolve around companies creating external talent pools to be able to have a sus-tainable pipeline especially for top tier talent.
Part of the talent pool will involve
investing in the leadership develop-ment of these students.
We see more and more compa-nies doing this and achieving great results. The practice of picking and choosing ready-made talent is a thing of the past.
AdvIcE foR cAMpUs stUdENts ANd EMployERs
I think we need to realise that both the students and employers need each other.
Both need to play proactive roles in bridging the expectation and competency gaps.
Companies shouldn’t just tell stu-dents about the gaps – but invest in the development of the students.
In return, students should see high value in joining companies who care about their personal development.
n Jermaine heads the learning and development team in Leaderonomics, and Andrew heads the Leaderonomics Campus team. They can be reached at [email protected] and [email protected] respectively. For more leadership content, visit www.leaderonomics.com
“When you’re first thinking through an idea, it’s important not to get bogged down in complexity. Thinking simply and clearly is hard to do.”
SIR RIchaRd BRanSon
Steve JoBS
henRyStanley haSkInS
napolean hIll
theodoRe RooSevelt
FRancIS oF aSSISI
chaRleS R. SwIndoll
dR. SeuSS
Stephen covey
Scott hamIlton
Joe SaBah
JameS cook
GeoRGe elIot
“Quality is more important than quantity. One home run is much better than two doubles.”
“What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.”
“If you cannot do great things, do small things in a great way.”
“Believe you can and you’re halfway there.”
“Start by doing what’s necessary, then what’s possible, and suddenly you are doing the impossible.”
“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself, any direction you choose.”
“If you are going to achieve excellence in big things, you develop the habit in little matters. Excellence is not an exception, it is a prevailing attitude.”
“Be patient with yourself. Self-growth is tender; it’s holy ground. There’s no greater investment.”
wIllIam FaulkneR
“Always dream and shoot higher than you know you can do. Don’t bother just to be better than your contemporaries or predecessors. Try to be better than yourself.”
dale caRneGIe
“If you believe in what you are doing, then let nothing hold you up in your work. Much of the best work of the world has been done against seeming impossibilities.”
“The only disability in life is a bad attitude.”
“You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.”
“Do just once what others say you can’t do, and you will never pay attention to their limitations again.”
“It is never too late to be what you might have been.”
new yeaR QuoteS!
ReFlectIonS2015 heRe we come!
