Business and Money Tips

If you are like most managers, you'll probably find that you are lacking in certain skills.  This lack is causing you delay in your career growth. Worst of all, your boss expects you to know all and your subordinates are watching you.  The truth is that most managers and supervisors are promoted based on their technical skills, and yet it is the managerial and leadership skills that will make them more successful. This management development program is for managers, bosses, directors, managers, supervisors and executives who want to implement tomorrow what they learn today. This is hands-on learning, conducted over 4 weeks, to give you the impetus and momentum needed. Best of all, you will get coaching from a seasoned Coach.  Now you might be saying - Yeah, I have heard it all before - and maybe you have. But if you are serious about actually doing and implementing something that will improve your career, then invest some time and get the help you need.  Our 71th batch is star

The 9 Dos' and Don'ts of Hiring from 'How Google Works' book by Eric Schmidt, Chairman of Google Inc: Hire people who are smarter and more knowledgeable than you are.  Don't hire people that you cannot learn from or be challenged by Hire people who will add value to your organization's business and your culture.  Don't hire people that cannot contribute anything to these 2 important elements Hire people who will get things done, not those who will just think about problems Hire people who are enthusiastic, self-motivated and passionate.  Never hire people who just want a job Hire people who inspire and work well with others.  Don't hire people who prefer to work alone. The worst is to hire people who will de-motivate and de-moralize people Hire people who will grow with your team and with your organization.  Don't hire people with narrow skill sets or interests and are only concerned with surviving, not growth Hire people who are w

A wise manager learns from his mistakes.  He know that management has more leverage than others, and a wise manager will produce much more results than 100 hardworking staff.   As covered in our courses How to Be a Better Manager (details at here ) and other courses , the following are the 5 most common mistakes made by managers: 1. Too Close and Cannot See Things from a Distance.   As a manager, you need to be close on the ground, but you have to see things from a distance to get the right perspective.  This skill is called equanimity , which is an equalness of mind not affected by experience and feelings. Like if you need to discipline your staff, you need to be tough and not soft-hearted.  Also, getting too close to the staff may encourage some of them to climb over your head 2.  No Clear Targets for Your People.   People do not work towards grand visions, goals and mission but clear targets that they can relate to everyday.  The best way to do this is to have a KPI (Key

Management training in Singapore and the region: bosses and HR Managers have asked me what topics must a good management program cover?   Based on full-time training since 2001, there are at least 7 things that all management training must cover: How to Look for Solutions to Manpower issues without extra hiring Getting staff to take ownership for their work, not excuses Increasing the productivity of office and operational workers without $ Converting all dis-engaged staff into highly committed team members How to Present your message to the people so that you're not seen as a messenger but a leader that adds value Managing from the heart and how to go the extra mile to serve the team Asking questions so as to coach and mentor staff and not just give instructions and expect compliance On top of that, management training must also cover 4 soft skills: How to set your own goals and help your team members motivate and work towards the organization's goals Persuasi

The front 10 seats are reserved for the hungry ghosts What a strange title! What has this Singapore superstitious Hungry Ghost Festival got to do with modern professional management? The Toaists Chinese in Singapore believed that when people die, they become ghosts and live in hell. Once a year, such ghosts have a one-month holiday when they can come up and roam the streets and enjoy themselves to relive the experiences of human life. Such a month falls on the lunar 7th month every year.  They are called Hungry Ghosts because they are hungry for food, entertainment, money and most importantly, attention. Imagine if your neighbourhood suddenly sees an influx of people, surely there will be disorder, disturbances and even chaos?  Would you call the police for help?  What the Chinese do in 7th month is not to call the police, but instead get together to do praying and offerings (food and paper-made things like money, house and cars) to them throughout the entire 7th month.  To ke

For decades, businesses have been trying to discover the formula for the 'perfect' manager.  There are tons of books, blog posts and editorial articles out there, and even training courses on  how to be a better manager .  While I cannot claim to have unlocked the secret theory of management, discussions with bosses and managers since 1987 revealed the following 5 traits of a 'perfect' manager: 1. Know How to Be Tough Many managers are tough on themselves, tough on their customers and sub-contractors and even tough on their families - but soft on their team members. The reasons could range from difficulty in hiring suitable people due to the tight labour market and the caps on employing foreigners in many industries to poor people management skills.   As a result, managers are afraid of telling their staff what they expect from them, giving negative feedback when required or being tough on poor behaviour or performance. It is no surprise that their subordi

In any organization, there are 2 kinds of middle managers: The first type are those who get the work done but never think beyond what need to be completed in the medium term. Though they may work hard and have good intentions, they fail to see the big picture, and thus add little value to the functions they manage. In short, they are 'good managers'.  E.g the Finance Manager at JPMorgan Chase Bank who got the monthly accounts out on time but never warn the management about the risk in investing in so called 'secure' mortgage securities. The second type are those  High Value Middle Managers who see the big picture.  They know how to manage operational practices and execute tactical goals to support strategic initiatives. They add value to their organization and thus elevate their position from that of a middle man to a key player.  You know it when you come across one (or when you yourself are one). High Value Middle Managers operate at peak efficienc