Do the Right Thing

10 Rules for Ethical Leadership

1) The rule of mindfulness. Pay attention! Mindfulness means being attuned to what is going on and then reflecting (without judgment) on the impact your decisions have on others. Organizational mindfulness requires connecting mindful people together to help others in the organization achieve greater congruence between their intentions and outcomes.

2) The rule of respecting others. Recognize and reward the positive intent of others in their actions. It helps create a culture of appreciation and encourages support. But don't leave out self-respect. It is true that you must respect yourself before others can respect you.

3) The rule of engagement. Take the high ground. Understand the limitations, strengths and circumstances under which you initiate and manage your interactions with others. Engage others by being prepared, polite and positive.

4) The rule of wisdom. Let your wisdom govern your actions and decisions. Wisdom is the ability to discern or judge what is true, right or lasting. Sometimes, it is merely common sense and good judgment, blended with a smart plan and clear course of action. Wisdom is usually considered to be a trait that can be developed through experience but not taught.

5)The rule of action. Respond in a timely way to any unethical behavior you observe or receive information about. Stop any inappropriate activity and rectify the situation immediately. Action requires clear intention. Knowing why you are taking action is a considered response rather than a reaction.

6)The rule of power. Know your power and use it well. Power is a person's ability to influence others. Through influence, you spread ideas, set direction, make choices and guide outcomes. All these require accountability and honesty.

7)The rule of dialogue. Talk about ethics and keep the conversation going. Encourage people to understand the full meaning of ethics by talking about it in staff meetings and other work-related areas. Create ongoing communication, rather than attempting to reach some conclusion or express personal viewpoints.

8)The rule of acting without self-interest. Place high value on the fact that other people are actual or potential co-workers, peers, bosses, customers and neighbors. When we act with the best interest of others in mind, we enjoy less conflict, easier problem solving and a greater sense of trust.

9)The rule of listening. Learn to listen. Most of us take listening for granted, so we don't work very hard at improving it. But effective listening doesn't just happen; it takes a great deal of purpose. It's hard work and requires your complete attention.

10)The rule of safety. Protect others. Safety is the condition of being protected against physical harm - socially, spiritually, financially, politically and emotionally. Strive to do no harm and make certain that people around you have a safe harbor to do what is right.

by CCL's Cresencio Torres (Adapted)

One Foundation

"If we learn the art of yielding what must be yielded to the changing present, we can save the best of the past." Dean Acheson



Spirit of Si Chuan
"If you want to lift yourself up, lift up someone else." Booker T. Washington (1856-1915)

Wake up your ideas

MOST Singaporeans are just too lazy to think in order to solve problems. This is what Mr Jonathan Chee, 53, thinks.

He said: 'They don't feel it's necessary to think. Thinking is hard work. Unless they have good reason to think, they can't be bothered.'

He feels the root issue lies with the education system, which does not encourage students to question their teachers. The young grow up to be adults who do not question the way things are and will simply accept the status quo.

'People are over-reliant on the Government.

'They think 'Government is so smart, they have scholars from Oxford, Cambridge to solve problems - why should we think? We're not paid to think,' said Mr Chee, who runs a business management and consultancy firm.

He likened the process of problem-solving with that of a group of blind men trying to identify an elephant by feeling its different parts.

The scholars may touch most of the elephant's body, meaning they get 90 per cent of the solution, but a layman may touch the elephant's trunk or tail, which may be the key to solving the problem.

'The point is to build on each other's ideas. But people here share only in anonymous blogs, and even then, they write mostly about personal issues. It's not ideas to solve their neighbourhood's or the country's problems,' said Mr Chee.

He is grateful for one place where he can park his ideas, the website, www.wakeupyourideas.com.sg, set up by a group of youths who want to provide locals with a platform to share ideas and solutions to issues and problems they face.

Two years ago, when Joo Chiat residents were pushing to clean up their neighbourhood from vice activities, he initiated a petition in his Toa Payoh neighbourhood to support it.

He went door-to-door, talking to more than 200residents about the seriousness of the situation. But he got only 30 signatures.

'Most of my neighbours said they'd just leave Singapore if crime becomes a problem,' he said.

He faxed the petition to the relevant government agencies, but did not get a reply.

Although that experience was dismal, he continued to speak out and writes at least one letter to the press each day. Out of 1,000 written in the past few years, 20 of them have been published.

Mr Chee, who has a son, 15, and daughter, 7, was not always so pro-active with his ideas.

'Awakening'

His 'awakening' happened about 10years ago, when a friend told him that he shares the same Chinese surname as the founder of the Ming dynasty, Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang, who started life as a poor orphan.

When Mr Chee was young, he was ridiculed because his Chinese surname, Zhu, sounds like the word pig in Chinese.

'I was quite frustrated. It was only when I was 40-something that I found out about Zhu Yuanzhang, who was idolised by Mao Zedong,' said Mr Chee, who wrote a book Entrepreneurship Made Simple?

He also credits the readers of his book and friends for his prolific ideas, adding: 'Ideas can come from anywhere and at anytime. When it comes to creativity, there is only one rule, which is 'No rule'.

'The most important thing about ideas is to reflect on them and relate it to an existing problem. Knowledge is only power when it is applied.'

By Teh Jen Lee, TNP.

8 Strategies for Winning

How to succeed without being an SOB—or a pushover

Many people suffer from Nice Guy Syndrome, held back from higher levels of success by being too selfless at work. It’s a tricky problem, because if you start to think that being nice is bad, it’s easy to overcompensate with selfishness, intimidation, and intense aggression.

The founders of Nice Guy Strategies teach that nice is not about being weak or soft—that you can hang on to your morals, compassion, and sincerity and still get ahead. The key is to draw on eight practical strategies— The Nice Guy Bill of Rights—that will help you find the right balance.

Each chapter shares insights and stories from both ordinary nice guys and celebrity executives.

'Nice Guy Bill of Rights'
1) Self Awareness-Know your strengths & weaknesses.
2) Speak Up-Let your opinions be heard.
3) Set Boundaries-Set and respect them.
4) Confront-Address issues directly and without fear.
5) Choose-Make choices without guilt.
6) Expect Results-Be accountable to others and yourself.
7) Be Bold-Push the envelope.
8) Win-Finish first.

Don't sabotage ourselves by being acquiescent and compliant rather than be assertive and confident.

"Finally, a book that teaches nice guys how to be strong, decisive, and get things done much more efficiently and successfully than tyrannical managers."
—George Nadaff, founder & former CEO, Boston Chicken.

9 Ways of Happiness Lead to Success

How we think about happiness and success has profound implications for how we run our lives. If we think that success mainly leads to happiness then we are more motivated to focus on success to the exclusion of happiness right now, assuming that happiness will naturally flow from success when we obtain it.


People in a positive mood are more likely to:

1. Talk to others. In one experiment men in a positive mood were more likely to talk to a woman and to make self-disclosures, which are important in social relations.

2. Be interested in leisure activities. People in a good mood want to throw a party, go on vacation or go out for a meal.

3. Enjoy those social interactions and leisure activities more.

4. Resolve conflicts effectively. Studies have found people in a good mood are more likely to try and collaborate rather than avoid conflict and compete when they are put in a positive mood.

5. Help others. When in a good mood, people are more likely to display what psychologists call 'prosocial behaviour' - helping others and being generous with both time and money.

6. Feel healthier. Experimental evidence shows that people in a good mood experience less pain and perceive themselves to be more healthy.

7. Be more creative. People in a positive mood are more likely to think with originality and flexibility - perhaps through encouraging playfulness.

8. Perform complex tasks better. Somewhat controversial this one but some evidence supports it although it probably depends on the nature of the task.

9. Attribute success to their own skills. Good moods improve people's self-efficacy (our confidence in our own abilities).

Feeling better in the moment is not only more pleasant but is also likely to open our minds to opportunities at work, play and in our personal relationships. It's recognising and taking these opportunities that will lead us to success.


Experiential versus material purchases
(Adapted)
Leaf Van Boven from the University of Colorado and Thomas Gilovich from Cornell University carried out an intriguing experiment that gets at this question of whether materialism results in less happiness (Van Boven & Gilovich, 2003).

Materialism is a dirty word. It also gets a bad rap in psychology. Studies consistently show that people who agree with statements like "You will buy things just because you want them," tend to be:

Less satisfied with life,
Less happy,
More likely to be depressed,
More likely to be paranoid,
More likely to be narcissistic.

Why do experiences fare better than possessions?
1. Experiences improve with time (possessions don't).
The reason why experiences improve with time may be because it is possible to think about experiences in a more abstract manner than possessions. Material possessions are harder to think about in an abstract sense. It's more likely the experience of that summer has taken on a symbolic meaning that can live longer in your memory than a possession.

2. Experiences are resistant to unfavourable comparisons.
How we might view positive events. It's well established that social comparisons can have a huge effect on how we view what might seem like positive events. That is, in other words, it's not about how much we earn, it's about how much we earn in comparison to other people. It's the social comparison, then, not the actual amount of money, that affects how we feel about our earnings. Comparing possessions, however, is generally easy. It's more difficult to make an unfavourable comparison when there is nothing directly comparable.

3. Experiences have more social value
There are two reasons experiences have more social value than possessions. First, experiences tend to encourage social relationships and increased social relationships are good for our happiness. Second, it is more socially acceptable to discuss our experiences with others. People who bang on about their possessions are considered much less likeable than those who talk about their holiday adventures.

Limitations
- The experiments examined here looked at short-term emotions - will these short-term emotions add up to long-term happiness?
- Highly materialistic people might actually get more pleasure out of material purchases than experiences

REFERENCES
Lyubomirsky, S., King, L. & Diener, E. (2005) The benefits of frequent positive affect: Does happiness lead to success?

Van Boven, L. (2005) Experientialism, Materialism, and the Pursuit of Happiness.

Limiting Your Success?

“Try to discover what it is you most dislike in others, what you most often criticize and condemn them for. A little elementary self-analysis may reveal that those qualities are hidden in the depths of your own mind and that in criticizing others in this way you are, in fact, unconsciously criticizing yourself.” Bikshu Sangharakshita, author of Essence of Zen.

"Men will spend their health getting wealth. Then, gladly pay all they have earned to get health back." Mike Murdock

The Management Unwritten Rules

Source: William Swanson

1. Learn to say, "I don't know." If used when appropriate, it will be often.
2. It is easier to get into something than it is to get out of it.
3. If you are not criticized, you may not be doing much.
4. Look for what is missing. Many know how to improve what's there, but few can see what isn't there.
5. Viewgraph rule: When something appears on a viewgraph (an overhead transparency), assume the world knows about it, and deal with it accordingly.
6. Work for a boss with whom you are comfortable telling it like it is. Remember that you can't pick your relatives, but you can pick your boss.
7. Constantly review developments to make sure that the actual benefits are what they are supposed to be. Avoid Newton's Law.
8. However menial and trivial your early assignments may appear, give them your best efforts.
9. Persistence or tenacity is the disposition to persevere in spite of difficulties, discouragement, or indifference. Don't be known as a good starter but a poor finisher.
10. In completing a project, don't wait for others; go after them, and make sure it gets done.
11. Confirm your instructions and the commitments of others in writing. Don't assume it will get done!
12. Don't be timid; speak up. Express yourself, and promote your ideas.
13. Practice shows that those who speak the most knowingly and confidently often end up with the assignment to get it done.
14. Strive for brevity and clarity in oral and written reports.
15. Be extremely careful of the accuracy of your statements.
16. Don't overlook the fact that you are working for a boss.* Keep him or her informed. Avoid surprises!* Whatever the boss wants takes top priority.
17. Promises, schedules, and estimates are important instruments in a well-ordered business.* You must make promises. Don't lean on the often-used phrase, "I can't estimate it because it depends upon many uncertain factors."
18. Never direct a complaint to the top. A serious offense is to "cc" a person's boss.
19. When dealing with outsiders, remember that you represent the company. Be careful of your commitments.
20. Cultivate the habit of "boiling matters down" to the simplest terms. An elevator speech is the best way.
21. Don't get excited in engineering emergencies. Keep your feet on the ground.
22. Cultivate the habit of making quick, clean-cut decisions.
23. When making decisions, the pros are much easier to deal with than the cons. Your boss wants to see the cons also.
24. Don't ever lose your sense of humor.
25. Have fun at what you do. It will reflect in your work. No one likes a grump except another grump.


"Never was anything great achieved without danger." Niccolo Machiavelli

Leadership From the Ultimate Leader

He was born in a stable and lived only 33 years, yet he divided the calendar and changed the world.

“For many, Jesus of Nazareth became a leader among leaders because he never lost sight of his mission. He sparked a flame of hope and renewal, and provided leadership lessons we can all learn from,” Laurie Beth Jones wrote in Jesus CEO.

After more than 2,000 years, he's still viewed by much of the world as a leader for the ages. Here's why:

* He gave people a vision larger than themselves. We all hunger to be something larger or better than we are. Leaders tap into that need and give people the vision to achieve greatness.

“Jesus clearly and consistently conveyed to his staff (his disciples) the significance of what they were doing. He spoke long and often about the calling, and they could feel and see the long-lasting benefits of their work with him. They were changing people's lives for the good,” Jones said. They were working for something beyond themselves.

* He was bold. He didn't spend hours choosing the safest approach. He never led by committee. He didn't get permission to make a statement. Every action he took made a statement about his mission.

* “He walked into the temple as a 12-year-old and started teaching. He stormed into the temple as an adult and turned things upside down,” Jones said. “He called a spade a spade and apologized to no one - not out of arrogance, but out of boldness and clarity.”

* He did the difficult things. Doing the difficult thing means not letting public opinion sway you from what your heart, gut, spirit, or instinct is telling you. It means staying connected with your inner self.

“Peter warned Jesus against going to Jerusalem. Jesus was aware of the danger, and went anyway. He knew it was part of a larger plan,” Jones said. “He went to Jerusalem knowing the consequences.”

* He was visible. He proclaimed his message everywhere he could. He spoke in synagogues, streets and gardens, on mountaintops and in the countryside. He identified himself with his message.

* He refused to consider failure. “He was able to take the hit and keep on going,” Jones said. “People and circumstances can't keep you down unless you let them.”

* He was a turnaround specialist. He tried to change for the better every situation he encountered. When he saw a need, he wasted no time in filling it. Often, he anticipated a need before others even knew it existed, and set himself on a path to meet that need.

* He came to give us a new mind-set – one that has a turnaround mentality. “We are each called to be turnaround specialists, for ourselves and those around us,” Jones said.

* He looked for the best in others. Jesus saw greatness in the most flawed of men and women. “Yes, Peter. You denied me. But you will be my rock,” Jesus said.

“Yes, Mary (Magdalene), you've had men who weren't your husband. But you are capable of devoted love.”

* He forgave. He saw mistakes as lessons. He gave hope and a spirit of peace to people overwhelmed by life. “Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden,” Jesus said, and I will give you rest.

– Cord Cooper

(Quoted from Investor's Business Daily, December 24, 2001.)

Where does creativity hide?

Novelist Amy Tan digs deep into the creative process, journeying through her childhood and family history and into the worlds of physics and chance, looking for hints of where her own creativity comes from. It's a wild ride with a surprise ending.

Half Glass Full

"Losers see thunderstorms, winners see rainbows; losers see icy streets, winners put on their ice skates!" -- Denis Waitley

"There are two ways of exerting one's strength; one is pushing down, the other is pulling up." -- Booker T. Washington

"When it is dark enough, you can see the stars." -- Charles A. Beard

"Learn from the negative as well as the positive, from the failures as well as the successes." -- Jim Rohn

"Keep your face in the sunshine and you can never see the shadow." -- Helen Keller

"The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees the opportunity in very difficulty." -- Winston Churchill

"Life, in all its uniqueness, would not be life without the negatives and the positives. That is why it is important to be a serious student of both." -- Jim Rohn

"The darkest nights bring the brightest days." -- Rick Beneteau

"If you train your mind to search for the positive things about other people, you will be surprised at how many good things you can observe in them and comment upon." -- Alan Loy Mcginnis

"Like taking a morning shower, make the planting of positive thoughts a daily practice." -- Neil Eskelin

"Do what you feel in your heart to be right. You'll be criticized anyway." -- Eleanor Roosevelt

"It is possible to be a sage in some things and a child in others, to be at once ferocious and retarded, shrewd and foolish, serene and irritable." -- Walter Lippmann

"A man's life is interesting primarily when he had failed – for it's a sign that he tried to surpass himself." -- Georges Clemenceau

"To different minds, the same world is a hell and a heaven." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson

"If you approach life with a sense of possibility and the expectation of positive results, you´re more likely to have a life in which possibilities are realized and results are positive." -- Lisa Funderburg

"No pessimist ever discovered the secret of the stars, or sailed to an uncharted land, or opened a new doorway to the human spirit." -- Helen Keller

A Conditional Life

"What's stopping me from doing exactly what I want to do right now?' It's the classic case of the chicken and the egg, only logic: Do you wait for the right conditions to manifest before moving forward, or do you create those conditions by moving forward, with trust and without fear?"

Art of Power

"POWER is the ability to alter the behaviour of others to get what you want, and there are three ways to do that: coercion (sticks), payments (carrots) and attraction (soft power). If you are able to attract others, you can economise on the sticks and carrots."


What makes a country a world leader?
- Is it population?
- Is it military strength?
- Is it economic development?

In today's information era, he wrote, three types of countries are likely to gain soft power and so succeed:

- Those whose dominant cultures and ideals are closer to prevailing global norms (which now emphasise liberalism, pluralism, autonomy);
- Those with the most access to multiple channels of communication and thus more influence over how issues are framed; and
- Those whose credibility is enhanced by their domestic and international performance.
"As we speak of leveraging our soft power, we must also look within. We must ensure that we do enough to keep our people healthy, well-fed and secure, not just from jihadi terrorism but from the daily terror of poverty, hunger and ill health."

Preview: The Paradox Of American Power by Harvard's Professor Joseph Nye

"To govern... one must have one's hands on three levers of power - the treasury, the army and the voice." Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew

"Power does not corrupt men; fools, however, if they get into a position of power, corrupt power." George Bernard Shaw

Ten Rules of Success

by Donald J. Trump

1. Never give up! Do not settle for remaining in your comfort zone. Remaining complacent is a good way to get nowhere.

2. Be passionate! If you love what you're doing, it will never seem like work.

3. Be focused! Ask yourself: What should I be thinking about right now? Shut out interference. In this age of multitasking, this is a valuable technique to acquire.

4. Keep your momentum! Listen, apply and move forward. Do not procrastinate.

5. See yourself as victorious! That will focus you in the right direction.

6. Be tenacious! Being stubborn can work wonders.

7. Be lucky! The old saying, "The harder I work, the luckier I get" is absolutely right on.

8. Believe in yourself! If you don't, no one else will either. Think of yourself as a one-man or one-woman army.

9. Ask yourself: What am I pretending not to see? There may be some great opportunities right around you, even if things aren't looking so great. Great adversity can turn into great victory.

10. Look at the solution, not the problem. And never give up! Never never never give up. This thought deserves to be said (and remembered and applied) many times. It's that important.


"It is easy to get to the top after you get through the crowd at the bottom." Zig Ziglar

The Corporate Survivor

Tips from ann Airline Consultant working with an up and-coming airline like Jet Airways... Extracted from TODAY.

“It can be hard for parents to give advice to their children. They’ll say: ‘I know all this, Dad’.” Coming fresh from the university or polytechnic, the newbies tend to think a lot about their privileges and rights, such as wanting more benefits and not working long hours. So, they may not have the patience or perseverance to wait things out a bit.

Some mistakes may appear inconsequential at the start, but come back to haunt you — playing politics, for example. Politics in itself is not a bad thing, but it has consequences. Some people like to stab others in the back on their way up, something I think one should never indulge in.

Take your job seriously, but not to take yourself too seriously.

The Bald Truth

"The true measure of a career is to be able to be content, even proud, that you succeeded through your own endeavors without leaving a trail of casualties in your wake." Alan Greenspan

Ten Ways to be a Leader

Everyone can tell us to be a leader, but they have never tell us how. Here are Dale Carnegie's ten treats...

1. Begin with praise and honest appreciation.

2. Call attention to people's mistakes indirectly.

3. Talk about your own mistakes before criticizing the other person.

4. Give the other person a fine reputation to live up to.

5. Let the other person save face.

6. Praise the slightest improvement and praise every improvement.

7. Ask questions instead of giving direct orders.

8. Use encouragement.

9. Make the fault easy to correct.

10. Make the other person happy about doing the thing that you suggest.

His Quotes
"Any fool can criticize, condemn, and complain - and most fools do."

"It is the way we react to circumstances that determines our feelings."

"Take a chance! All life is a chance. The man who goes furthest is generally the one who is willing to do and dare."

"You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you."

"Act enthusiastic and you become enthusiastic."

"Are you bored with life? Then throw yourself into some work you believe in with all you heart, live for it, die for it, and you will find happiness that you had thought could never be yours."

"Did you ever see an unhappy horse? Did you ever see a bird that had the blues? One reason why birds and horses are not unhappy is because they are not trying to impress other birds and horses."

Dale Carnegie (1888-1955)

Built from scratch

Musashino Plateau - Nobuo Takahashi


"It is time for us all to stand and cheer for the doer, the achiever - the one who recognizes the challenges and does something about it." Vince Lombardi 1913-1970, American Football Coach

A Yenn for Success

I am reminded of a message by my school teacher, "If you want to get your picture published, at least do so with your permission and for your reason."



TODAY: Not even 30, Yenn Wong has built herself a mini hospitality empire comprising two boutique hotels — the award-winning JIA Hong Kong and JIA Shanghai — as well as four restaurants, Issimo in Shanghai, Opia in Hong Kong, Graze and Muse in Singapore. Her fifth, KHA, opens in Singapore next month — not bad for someone who has been in the industry for only four years...

"If you want to do something big, you have to have a passion and work very hard. Be humble, listen to those with experience and have a positive attitude. Don’t stress over failures and get too emotional. When you fail, examine why you went wrong and just push on. You won’t get things right the first time, but with every mistake you’ll get better at it. In ten years, I’ll still be dreaming big and doing things that I enjoy. I aim also to have a family, not just a career." Yenn Wong


Henry Ford once said: "If money is your hope for independence you will never have it. The only real security that a man will have in this world is a reserve of knowledge, experience, and ability."

The SECRET to Happiness

So, what is the true secret to happiness?

王若琳 Joanna Wang - Let's Start from Here


In a word: Attitude. If you think
that being rich or popular or wealthy
will make you happy, think again.
Happiness is a matter of the heart
and has little to do with external
events. It’s about how you see
things, not what happens, that
makes the difference.

The most well-adjusted people
are those who choose to look at the
bright side of life.

Instead of dwelling on negative
thoughts, they count their blessings.
They understand that gratitude is
integral to happiness. They develop
positive speech habits and learn to
speak out blessings, not curses.

How you say things makes a big difference
in how you perceive them.

Happy people don’t look for worth
in material things. They understand
that stuff will never fill that empty
void that life sometimes brings.

And finally, research shows that
truly happy people are those who
find peace and purpose in a strong
faith. BY DR BILL MAIER

"We become what we think about all day long. The question is, what do you think about?" Dr. Wayne Dyer

Fresh, Fast and Casual

Just 3 items on the menu

Chipotle is succeeding thanks to an elegantly simple business model, one its 42-year-old founder and chief executive, Steve Ells, can sum up in a single sentence: "Focus on just a few things, and do them better than anybody else." Thus, the menu contains only three items: burritos, tacos and salads. (The last was added only in 2005.)

Of course, Chipotle's taquería-style format, in which 16 basic ingredients are displayed in front of customers on a glass-covered assembly line, affords a panoply of variations on its Mexican theme...