Tips on How to Quit a Current Job

A few years ago, we heard that our Malaysian economic was not stable and the FDI is quite less compared to the prior recession. At the sametime and I think it was a common to the most of the companies especially the factory. They have started to save the operating cost and the labour cost is the top of the list.

Due to that, some companies did not provide a bonus and there is no increment for the year and even the following years. However, some workers were seriously considering leaving the current job. With the current economy even after recession, the companies are still gun-shy to start hiring a new workers. So, if you think to quit from the job, I have a few tips which I have read from the newspaper.

1) Silent
There is a rumour among your colleague that you are going to quit from the job, don't do it. Please keep in your mind. If not, your manager may hear and view it as a betrayal. As soon as you boss knows your are looking another job, you will be viewed as a short-timer and may lose out the valuable opportunities like promotion, bonus, increment, assignment and any ad hoc jobs.

2) Study and Homework
Before you start to take the new job, do your homework on the potential of new job. You might want to figure out the pay cut, the way to stay, work environment or culture and the career change to maintain our current pay. It probably the life style might be changed a bit.

3) Do not take any properties of the old companies.
It definitely you 'll be charged or fined by the old company but my concern is our old employer would call us as a job reference to go something which are wrong. For example, "Oh yeah...the wrong posting is because this guy". I don't want leave my job with a bad  reference unless I became a role model for those replace my old job.

4) Competitors Company.
I just thought that it was common for us to leave the company and shift to the new company which has a same product and business operation. It probably the experience and our expertise where the new company interest to recruit us. Bur, remember, what if the two companies merge and you are now eye-to-eye, nose-to-nose with the guys/superiors who are you did not like him/her or have a problem with him/her . Think about it. Therefore, do judge the true character of our boss before you leave a job and leave our work in a good shape for next person and bis everyone farewell in a pleasant and friendly manner.

5) Do the best work for the last assignment.
The best way to quit is doing the work even better than before. It will impress the interviewer or the old superior and colleagues. Probably, they may consider to counter offer the salary and give any allowances in order to remain you in the company. As item no. 3 above, if you leave with a solid talent, imagine they will say, "we really took a hit or problematic after this guy left".

RED OCEAN   : DO NOT LEAVE COMPANY DUE TO HIGHER PAY
BLUE OCEAN : DO LEAVE COMPANY IF IT WAS NOT GIVE SATISFACTION EVEN HIGHER PAY.

"Li Na - First Asian Player Won the Grand Slam"

Today, the world has recognised the Asian Player as a Grand Slam Single Title after beating defending champion Francesca Schiavone in French Open 2011. Even she was not a Malaysian, as a tennis is one of my favourite games to be watched in the Sport Channel, I was proud and happy with her achievement.

I can imagined on that day, there were about 1.3billion of China population did not miss to watch the game and she breaks the history for their country and Asia as well. There was no reason to doubt her skills and long efforts to get this great result.

I'm thinking whether we, as Malaysian can produce the same product as what China has done. From the communist to capitalist country,it has turn the middle class communities to the world class and known by everyone.

As I remembered last 5 years ago, the tennis game is only for Westerners and American (like Pete Sampras, Bjorg, Tim Hamman etc...), but then the Russian has revealed this domination of the champions.


RED OCEAN     : TRAIN THE YOUNG PLAYER THE PATRIOTISM TO THE COUNTRY
BLUE OCEAN   : COMMITMENT AND DISCIPLINE ARE THE KEY TO BE GREAT

Make a Mistake and How to Fix it with your Boss.

End of May 2011 is our company dateline to submit the KPI for the FYE 2010/2011. As usual, we have targeted and expected the rating but the final say is our BOSS. Sime Darby is one of the biggest companies in Malaysia and the Plantation Division where I am working now.

After the merger of the 3 big companies in plantation (SD, Guthrie & GHope), we had had retrenched the workes and there has no VSS for the employees. It was very lucky and everyone has been working as usual except we have a new boss.

Recently, I read the article and it very good tips for us as executive especially for those always put your foot in your mouth, mess up, fail to communicate in proper manner and send an email to your boss where you never intended to say "apologise".

I would share with you the 10 tips which I think it was very useful if you have upset the boss.

#10: Send your boss more than one email in a row (especially about a low priority issue). It makes the boss wonder if you know how to prioritize.

#9: Show up to a 30 minute meeting with a 10 minute presentation. You will get through 2 minutes of it before you are interrupted anyway. People like to have a dialogue, not be talked at (your brilliance will not be obvious.)

#8: Keeping your boss waiting. Early is on time, on time is late, and late is career suicide. Be punctual.

#7: Fail to ascertain what “as soon as possible” means to your boss. In my experience, it rarely means “when you get around to it.” Do not use that word if we did not have the things. But, sometimes I'm writing in my email to my boss.

#6: Walk in for a one-on-one update meeting with your boss without a written agenda. You will inevitably go into detail about the wrong things. A written agenda is best, and best shared. It shows you’re organized and respect other people’s time. My boss always asking me to job down what she has said .

#5: Be less than lightning fast on the hand-off when your boss lobs it over to you. You’re expected to communicate with others and get back without being prompted. I have learned it during the budget as I need to talk to the estate and mill workers/assistant/managers.

#4: Having nothing to say in one-on-one situations with your boss. Learn the art of small talk and be prepared with some news about how much you’re enjoying a project, or what progress you’re making on an important issue. Don’t miss these opportunities to connect and impress. I have take this challenge in the budget system (SAP BPC) and it works very well.

#3: Long, wandering communications of any kind. The purpose of writing must be clear and the message can be understood by them. If not, we have a trouble.

#2: Wasting time up front in a business meeting on small talk. I did not agree with this tip. It because my boss prefer to have an official discussion rather than a small talk outside the office.

#1: Failure to communicate well and show respect to direct reports, your own team, prospects,  and other people from different department. These will be duly noted. Be consistent. Treat them the same way. Get back to everyone promptly, show respect, be clear, concise and thoughtful in your communications.


RED OCEAN  : DO NOT PLAY POLITIC IN YOUR CAREER
BLUE OCEAN : SHOW YOUR RESPECT AND GRAB YOUR BOSS KNOWLEDGES

Why a company should have an IT strategy

As I had been working the big company, we need a such of technology would be able to cover the wide range of the users. It might help the decision maker to speed uo the give a quick decision based on the correct data.

Even my background was finance and accounting, but most of the working activities are using the system  to analyse and extract the figures for reporting. Due to the current technology,  IT systems are mission critical and the company should have a strategy as to (a) how to maximise the benefits arising from its deployment of IT and (b) how to cope in the event of a systems failure (i.e. have a back-up or recovery plan).

Earl’s nine reasons
Professor Earl of the LSE provides a useful list of nine reasons as to why a company should have an IT strategy. Briefly, they are as follows:

1. IT involves high costs.
2. IT is critical to the success of many organisations.
3. IT is now used as part of the commercial strategy in the battle for competitive advantage.
4. IT is required by the economic context (from a macro-economic point of view).
5. IT affects all levels of management.
6. IT has meant a revolution in the way information is created and presented to management.
7. IT involves many stakeholders, not just management, and not just within the organisation.
8. The detailed technical issues in IT are important.
9. IT requires effective management, as this can make a real difference to successful IT use.

RED OCEAN   : WASTED IF THE WORKERS ARE NOT  IT  LITERACY
BLUE OCEAN :PRODUCE A GOOD RESULT AND CAN MAKE DECISION  VERY FAST AND REASONABLE

"Commuting"

This word  related to the current life style for those living in metropolitan city like Klang Valley. Do you know what is about and why I say it related to them. To me it very worst and not healthy especially those have been married and working for long distance and taken more than hours to reach at home.

If you have longer time in travelling or commuting (I like to use "commuting"), it causes a time pressure in our daily life especially for those driving compare to "commuter" or public transport. It may impact the family relatioship between husband, wife and children.

I agreed to say that commuting by car is unhealthy and the worst. It because the physical activities like walking and running to chase the commuter and bus are not happened. Sometimes, the steps to the car very slow and it was only the short distance walking. The worst is using esclastor and lifts.

In term of statistic and demographic  (Eg. Kuala Lumpur), I found that women has higher number using the commuter or public transport. It probably they have only one car which have been using by their husband, more convinient, working place with husband is quite far each other and I would like to say that the husband has a higher income and high position in their company. Recently, the Malaysia Government has introduced the "Women Coach" and the "men" are not allowed to enter on this coach. It was a great ideas and it should be introduced since a few years a ago.

I have an experience in last 2 years using the commuter as to travel from home to office. It was wonderful and sometime I felt better and more activities can be done in the commuter like playing sudoku, reading books or newspaper. However, I'm getting pressure or fed up if the commuter had been delayed and has no power electricity.

I'd like to know those who have been commuting for several years and what strategies they are using to make it work in the long run. I would also like to interview people who have stopped commuting to learn more about the factors they found too costly, and do some research on whether there are any effects on children growing up with one or both parents long-distance commuting. I think that it's important to raise the social aspects of long-distance commuting and not only focus on the economic aspects. But there is no focus on what the people who commute feel, what they experience and what are the social consequences.

RED OCEAN    : STAY NEAR TO YOUR WORK PLACE OR SAME PLACE WITH SPOUSE

BLUE OCEAN  : MORE ACTIVITIES CAN BE DONE IF LONG DISTANCE COMMUTING USING PUBLIC TRANSPORT. 

"Never Accept No for an Answer"

That thought process need to be balanced to the external factors and conditions. I have used that subtext and being applied in my current working environment. I never nevr never ever said NO to my colleagues and bosses. We must try how to solve the issues and problems in my own ways. The solutions are there for us to puzzle up the blocks and bricks.

Since I have applied this practice, sometimes I have encountered resistance to this culture and challenged to myself to getr the best results and it can give me satisfaction.

Today, I had BPC Meeting to discuss the reports which have been generated earlier and did not have in the BPC. The reports are very useful for the users and my boss was thinking that it needs to be published for the users instead of at the Head Office Level. Actually, my background in finance was not really the right person to build and publish top the users. It must came from the IT personnel which have the technical knowledge. But, I "never Accept NO for Answer" if  I wants to build my own skills. It has done successful.

Beyond that, I need a product innovation which can add the value to my career. I have been looking something was different from others. In fact, my qualification was the road to show me the directions and the ideas and words are trusted by others.

Todays, people are looking the multiple products, choices and knowledge.

RED OCEAN   : NO FOR NOTHING
BLUE OCEAN : YES FOR MORE WORKS TO DO AND NEW KNOWLEDGE WILL BE LEARNED

Retailers: Nike Made Right Move By Changing Nadal's Clothes

Two and half years ago, Nike [NKE  79.77    -0.59  (-0.73%)   ] made a drastic move by changing Rafael Nadal out of his trademark cut-off muscle T's and capri shorts and putting him into more conservative tennis attire. They gave him sleeves and raised his shorts up about four inches. At the time, his fans were up in arms. How could big bad Nike do this?

Well, it actually made a whole lot of sense.

Nike  the No. 1 tennis player in the world who is an incredible player, but he wears these cutoff shirts and extra long pants that almost no tennis player is going to wear. Not many people would wear that for fashion purposes, either. So Nike officials don't have any choice if they are going to make the money they pay Nadal work for them.

So now that Nadal has won yet another French Open, it's time to look back and see if Nike made the right decision. It was a great move. We had some kids buying the capris, but most older guys aren't going to show up sleeveless to the country club. Nike understood that it was a limited market and they could only sell so much of it.

Back then, Nike thought that Nadal could be a trendsetter and change fashion on the court.

It didn't turn out that way, it wasn't like Agassi, who wore denim shorts and got everyone to wear them too."

With the new outfits, Nike managed to do a much more robust business and tennis specialty retailers obviously appreciated that.

The kids didn't like the capris. They thought that they were too restrictive. Now, Nadal's outfits appeal to the younger crowd because of the bright blue and lime green. The kids might match those outfits with the shoes of the same color. Older guys, in the 40s and 50s, won't buy the shoes and the shirt, but they'll at least buy the shirt.


RED OCEAN   : SHOW YOUR MUSCLE AS PERSONALITY
BLUE OCEAN : NEW PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT TO ENHANCE THE AWARENESS OF PRODUCT

Five management lessons from Fergie

THE most successful football club in England is now Manchester United after winning the league 19 times, one more than Liverpool. It is no mean feat since the English Premier League is widely acknowledged as being the toughest to win.

Its popularity has attracted investors from America, Russia, Hong Kong, and the United Arab Emirates. Cardiff City, playing in the league below the Premier League, counts Tan Sri Vincent Tan as an owner.

Managing a football club is a high pressure job: Aston Villa's Gerard Houllier has had two heart attacks. But United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has done it again this year, bringing his trophy haul to 36 in 25 years. He has built winning teams over and over again. Corporate Malaysia may be able to learn a thing or two from the wily Scotsman and here is what I think are the top five.

* Leadership is paramount

It was just last month that United were trailing West Ham by two goals. Ferguson did the unthinkable. He took out a defender, brought on a striker and made 37-year old left winger Ryan Giggs a left back. They won 4-2. Against Germany's Schalke in the Champions League semifinal, he used virtually the reserves team to rest the first team for a crunch game with Chelsea. United beat Schalke 4-1 and Chelsea 2-1.

Translation: Leaders must be strong enough to make decisions and follow them through. Someone has to make the tough calls for the benefit of the organisation. On the other hand, a weak leader is a big liability.

* Leaders need a good number two

On the pitch, captain Roy Keane was Ferguson personified. He leads by example, defending, attacking and scowling at team mates in equal measure. His greatest moment was 1999, semifinals of the Champions League against Italy's Juventus. With his team trailing by two goals, he was booked with a yellow card, ruling him out of playing in the final. What followed was a display of a man possessed. He scored one and pushed the team to a 3-2 win.

Translation: A good CEO/manager must have a dependable deputy. It is not just about having someone to cover during the holidays but more importantly, about having someone to bounce off ideas, to help communicate with the staff and to keep the boss on an even keel.

* No one is bigger than the team

Cristiano Ronaldo may be the best player in the world and David Beckham may have the best right foot in the world but they do not make United. Football is a team game and Ferguson knows that he can rebuild a team without star players like Ronaldo.

Translation: Managers should focus on everyone in his department, not just on a few rainmakers. Everyone has different levels of performance but it's the team performance that counts.

* Youth is always a good policy

United has the class of 1992 that produced Beckham, Paul Scholes, Nicky Butt and the Neville brothers. They went on to form the core of a championship winning team in the nineties and up until today, the manager is still signing youngsters. The prolific Mexican striker Javier Hernandez is 22 while the da Silva twins from Brazil joined when they were 17.

Translation: Sometimes companies pay too much attention to hiring experienced people when young graduates could prove to be better. They are creative, eager to learn and their energy means that they can always be counted on to work hard.

* Be humble

No matter how big United are, there will be days when they would lose. Some are painful (0-1 to Leeds in first round of the FA cup) and some very hard to take (1-4 to Liverpool at Old Trafford). The important thing is to lose graciously, admit that the better side won and learn from mistakes.

Translation: Failures are setbacks and also opportunities to learn. The important thing is not to dwell on them for too long and bounce back.

Subsidy revamp to lift living standard

The government’s subsidy rationalisation is not a measure to eliminate subsidies but to provide reasonable amounts of subsidy to the eligible and needy target groups and sectors.

The prime minister said Malaysia provided among the largest amounts of subsidy in the world for daily essential goods such as sugar and rice, and this did not even include the indirect subsidies given to the education and health sectors.

The welfare of the people is the highest goal in the administration of the country.

The decision which seemed popular might not necessarily be the best measure for the longer term and, as such, in managing the national economy it was important to avoid excessive expenditure.

In the interest of the people and country, a responsible government will find solutions and make choices for the well-being of the people, not only in the short and medium terms but also in the long term.

For example, to slash and raise taxable income and provide an average subsidy without regard for target groups might elicit rave response at times, but they might invite problems later.

In fact, when only less than two million of the 12 million workers pay taxes, the two million tax-payers will subsidise the majority who do not pay taxes. This will pose more challenges, particularly when health and education services are relatively free.

Malaysia is not a major power which can print fiat money. Fiat money is money which has no intrinsic value and cannot be redeemed for any commodity, but is made legal tender through government decree.

Dependence on natural resources such as petroleum and natural gas would not be for perpetuity, adding that the people should be grateful that the country had a well-managed national petroleum company and the government was able to maximise the profits.

However, these resources are on the decline. Evidently, much more capital has to be expended to seek new resources.

In Greece, a developed nation which faced a budget deficit of 10 per cent of GDP and debt to GDP ratio of 137 per cent as well as a 14 per cent unemployment rate.

Without prudent management, some 110 billion Euros or RM477 billion, equivalent to 2 1/2 times Malaysia’s cumulative budget, was needed for its (Greece’s) bailout.

He also cited Ireland which faced a budget deficit of 32 per cent of GDP last year and a debt to GDP ratio of 113 per cent as well as a 15 per cent unemployment rate, and said that country needed 85 billion Euros or RM369 billion, equivalent to 1 1/2 times Malaysia’s cumulative budget, for its bailout. 

The Malaysian government would always be responsible and not act rashly or even seek popularity which would be to its detriment.

Every decision is studied, considered and scrutinised with prudence for the welfare and prosperity of the people.