Sunday, May 24, 2009
Friday, May 1, 2009
Back after a long time!
Finally back here after nearly a year of absence. Just completed my dissertation and preparing to hard-bound it for submission. Also finished my final exam paper on Monday and now just awaiting for convocation in July.
Really has been a tough 2 years... now looking to other individual courses to enhance myself, but probably will take a couple months break first.
Really has been a tough 2 years... now looking to other individual courses to enhance myself, but probably will take a couple months break first.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Questions of Character
In this book, Joseph Badaracco explores serious fiction in search of leadership examples for us to explore and learn from.
Intriguing considering that most business books does not deal with such topics in literature but rather historical figures and other leaders in various forms or other.
He always starts each chapter with a question, starting from the dreams to reflection. A very structured approach in my opinion, as everyone starts with a dream and only upon reflection can we then learn from successes or failures.
He asks
1) "Do I have a good dream?"
Arthur Miller's Death of Salesman is then used as the serious fiction for this topic. In it, the salesman had big, great dreams... which were far away from his realities. In escaping from reality, he fails miserably not only in his job, but ultimately also in his relationship with family and his son. Resultant ending culminated in his suicide to earn insurance for his son whom was probably already a failure, but he had still high hopes for.
2) "How flexible is my moral code?"
Tells the story of Chinua Achebe's Things fall apart. A leader who stood by his principles so strongly that he refuses to accept other ideas and other people's opinions. In short, the leader failed eventually to repel the British Colonialists and committed suicide.
3) "Do I have unsettling role models?"
Perhaps the most poignant tale amongst the stories. Allan Gurganus's Blesses Assurance: A Moral Tale, tells of a young man who was so affected by an unlikely role model during his time working as a insurance agent, that he somehow still remembers after nearly forty years later when he suffered an heart attack. He had tried to help to poor old folks in paying their insurance until he himself who is not well-to-do could not afford to. But he translated this in his later years, by doing community service, building an ethical business but at the same time still feel guilty about his eventual inability to help them.
4) "Do I really Care?"
F.Scott Fitzgerald's The Love of a Tycoon. A story of a committed and determined business leader in Hollywood's film studios who used his patience, courage and tenacity to continue his the film production business but at the cost of personal family and eventually his life.
5) "Am I ready to take Responsibility?"
Joseph Conrad's The Secret Sharer. The story of a new captain of a ship who took the huge risk of taking secretly a sailor whom had potentially commited a crime in another ship. Along the way, he learns about the nature of leadership and steering a thin line between effective command of his ship and maintaining his desire to assist the sailor for his escape.
6) "Can I resist the flow of success?"
Louis Auchincloss I come as a Thief. A pretty sad story of how a very successful lawyer with promising career ahead of him, took into the path of destruction by choosing to pursue a criminal activity even though he had a choice not to. But he took the courage to expose himself and eventually took responsibility of his ill-intentioned choice and paid the price of losing everything.
7) "How well do I combine principles and pragmatism?"
Robert Bolt's A Man for all Seasons. The story of Thomas More who uses wit, humour while maintaining his strong principles in the face of King Henry.
8) "What is sound reflection?"
Sophocles Antigone. Tells story of Antigone and Creon. Both individuals whom I think had perhaps been too quick to make decisions without thinking through their actions. If a fair measure reflection was done, perhaps the end tragedy would not have occurred.
Good read.... we should ask ourselves these questions all the time....
Intriguing considering that most business books does not deal with such topics in literature but rather historical figures and other leaders in various forms or other.
He always starts each chapter with a question, starting from the dreams to reflection. A very structured approach in my opinion, as everyone starts with a dream and only upon reflection can we then learn from successes or failures.
He asks
1) "Do I have a good dream?"
Arthur Miller's Death of Salesman is then used as the serious fiction for this topic. In it, the salesman had big, great dreams... which were far away from his realities. In escaping from reality, he fails miserably not only in his job, but ultimately also in his relationship with family and his son. Resultant ending culminated in his suicide to earn insurance for his son whom was probably already a failure, but he had still high hopes for.
2) "How flexible is my moral code?"
Tells the story of Chinua Achebe's Things fall apart. A leader who stood by his principles so strongly that he refuses to accept other ideas and other people's opinions. In short, the leader failed eventually to repel the British Colonialists and committed suicide.
3) "Do I have unsettling role models?"
Perhaps the most poignant tale amongst the stories. Allan Gurganus's Blesses Assurance: A Moral Tale, tells of a young man who was so affected by an unlikely role model during his time working as a insurance agent, that he somehow still remembers after nearly forty years later when he suffered an heart attack. He had tried to help to poor old folks in paying their insurance until he himself who is not well-to-do could not afford to. But he translated this in his later years, by doing community service, building an ethical business but at the same time still feel guilty about his eventual inability to help them.
4) "Do I really Care?"
F.Scott Fitzgerald's The Love of a Tycoon. A story of a committed and determined business leader in Hollywood's film studios who used his patience, courage and tenacity to continue his the film production business but at the cost of personal family and eventually his life.
5) "Am I ready to take Responsibility?"
Joseph Conrad's The Secret Sharer. The story of a new captain of a ship who took the huge risk of taking secretly a sailor whom had potentially commited a crime in another ship. Along the way, he learns about the nature of leadership and steering a thin line between effective command of his ship and maintaining his desire to assist the sailor for his escape.
6) "Can I resist the flow of success?"
Louis Auchincloss I come as a Thief. A pretty sad story of how a very successful lawyer with promising career ahead of him, took into the path of destruction by choosing to pursue a criminal activity even though he had a choice not to. But he took the courage to expose himself and eventually took responsibility of his ill-intentioned choice and paid the price of losing everything.
7) "How well do I combine principles and pragmatism?"
Robert Bolt's A Man for all Seasons. The story of Thomas More who uses wit, humour while maintaining his strong principles in the face of King Henry.
8) "What is sound reflection?"
Sophocles Antigone. Tells story of Antigone and Creon. Both individuals whom I think had perhaps been too quick to make decisions without thinking through their actions. If a fair measure reflection was done, perhaps the end tragedy would not have occurred.
Good read.... we should ask ourselves these questions all the time....
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Moving On....
It has been awhile since my last post... but it has been quite eventful period.
I shall be moving on from my current position, one which I have held for the past nearly 8 years. Moving on is tough... but sometimes it is a necessary and perhaps mayb could a good thing. Being in a single place for too long, one could become really stale... and become the small frog in the well who wonders what is like out there.
Again, the decision was not easy but it was not difficult either, just a matter doing it. Perhaps, I already knew that I had to move on... staying would have not made any sense, because it would mean another couple of years doing the same things, with the same people and same challenges leading nowhere and learning nothing.
Life is a continuing journey of learning, experiencing and also enjoyment... we should perhaps be conscious that this could be really the state of being human...
I shall be moving on from my current position, one which I have held for the past nearly 8 years. Moving on is tough... but sometimes it is a necessary and perhaps mayb could a good thing. Being in a single place for too long, one could become really stale... and become the small frog in the well who wonders what is like out there.
Again, the decision was not easy but it was not difficult either, just a matter doing it. Perhaps, I already knew that I had to move on... staying would have not made any sense, because it would mean another couple of years doing the same things, with the same people and same challenges leading nowhere and learning nothing.
Life is a continuing journey of learning, experiencing and also enjoyment... we should perhaps be conscious that this could be really the state of being human...
Monday, April 7, 2008
Warren's Way
Been reading quite abit on Warren Buffett's letter to Berkshire's Shareholders. This is a man that does not fear admit that he is also fallible like any other human. He admits the mistakes that he had made and also made provisions for his eventual departure from this world.
I think in real terms, the kind of tacit knowledge that Warren has in his brain will be difficult to replicate, although Charles Munger may be a ideal replacement for him, and that the transfer of knowledge had taken place for many years. Charles himself is also of advanced age, so I wonder how his three nominated successors are going to be able to carry on the traditions of the his style of value investing.
Great read for anyone... can learn by just reading what he writes in his letters the philosophy and investment style. BTW, managed to purchase "The Intelligent Investor" by Benjamin Graham at a value price $10 only yesterday... Thanks to Roddy's tip.
I think in real terms, the kind of tacit knowledge that Warren has in his brain will be difficult to replicate, although Charles Munger may be a ideal replacement for him, and that the transfer of knowledge had taken place for many years. Charles himself is also of advanced age, so I wonder how his three nominated successors are going to be able to carry on the traditions of the his style of value investing.
Great read for anyone... can learn by just reading what he writes in his letters the philosophy and investment style. BTW, managed to purchase "The Intelligent Investor" by Benjamin Graham at a value price $10 only yesterday... Thanks to Roddy's tip.
Sunday, March 9, 2008
One Paper Clip at A Time
Tonight, I watched a film titled One Paper Clip at a Time. An award-winning documentary, it shows touching scenes of how a group of students led by their teachers and principle of Whitewell Middle School, Tennessee, taking on a journey of which they would never expected to become an incredible success. The journey was called The Paper Clips Project.
They had intended to do a group project focusing on the Holocaust. The purpose was to educate the 8th grade kids on the importance of diversity and tolerance. Hence, they began searching doing posters and class group discussions on it. One day, one of the students found that the Norwegians during World War 2 had used the paperclip as a symbol of defiance against the Nazis.
And thus began their journey of collecting 6 million paper clips to represent the loss of the people during one of twentieth century's greatest tragedies. It was amazing how they took upon themselves to bring forth to educate themselves considering they were from the south of the United States, typically white kids with very little interaction with other kids other races and cultures.
They had intended to do a group project focusing on the Holocaust. The purpose was to educate the 8th grade kids on the importance of diversity and tolerance. Hence, they began searching doing posters and class group discussions on it. One day, one of the students found that the Norwegians during World War 2 had used the paperclip as a symbol of defiance against the Nazis.
And thus began their journey of collecting 6 million paper clips to represent the loss of the people during one of twentieth century's greatest tragedies. It was amazing how they took upon themselves to bring forth to educate themselves considering they were from the south of the United States, typically white kids with very little interaction with other kids other races and cultures.
All in all, at the filming, they collected a total of 29 million paper clips from all over the world. Finally, they managed to get hold of a old German railway car (supposedly have carried prisoners during the war), refurbished it with the help of the town community and filled it with 11 million paper clips. Subsequently, a memorial was held and the students themselves starts to educate other students from the state who come over to Whitwell on field trips.
It was a 2-DVD set, and I took the opportunity to have open the 2nd one. This time, it showed them in New York at ground zero of the World Trade Center. There, one of the kids could not help but feel so sad that he wanted to be alone.
This documentary had opened my eyes that our adult prejudices and intolerance can indeed be overcomed through education of young. Only then, that could this world in the future avoid the constant wars, acts of terrorism and move society towards a more compassionate treatment of people who are different.
I could still remember the speech made by one of the Holocaust survivors. It was so heart-wrenching how he and his family was separated into the Left and Right lines. Only he and his brother survived by being on the Right, while his mother and other relatives move on to the gas chamber. Similar to what Viktor Frankl had described in his book, The Search For Meaning which I had posted here.
Definitely, a film worth watching.
Rating: *****/5 stars
It was a 2-DVD set, and I took the opportunity to have open the 2nd one. This time, it showed them in New York at ground zero of the World Trade Center. There, one of the kids could not help but feel so sad that he wanted to be alone.
This documentary had opened my eyes that our adult prejudices and intolerance can indeed be overcomed through education of young. Only then, that could this world in the future avoid the constant wars, acts of terrorism and move society towards a more compassionate treatment of people who are different.
I could still remember the speech made by one of the Holocaust survivors. It was so heart-wrenching how he and his family was separated into the Left and Right lines. Only he and his brother survived by being on the Right, while his mother and other relatives move on to the gas chamber. Similar to what Viktor Frankl had described in his book, The Search For Meaning which I had posted here.
Definitely, a film worth watching.
Rating: *****/5 stars
Three Signs of a Miserable Job
This book by Patrick Lencioni tells of a fable of a retired CEO, Brian Bailey who sets out to transform a small dilapidated pizza outlet with umotivated employees to people who take pride in their work.
Simple but a powerful story nonetheless, but have lots of meaning. In a nutshell:
Anonymity
People cannot be fulfilled in their work if they are not known. All human
beings need to be understood and appreciated for their unique qualities by
someone in a position of authority.
Notes: Give due recognition to people no matter what kind of job/work they do. Everyone is an essential part of the unit. Get to know them personally.Irrelevance
Everyone needs to know their job matters to someone. Anyone. Without seeing a connection between the work and the satisfaction of another person or group of people, an employee simply will not find lasting fulfillment.Notes: Link relevance to the job. Think in term of service and linkage to others in the entire team
Immeasurement
Employees must be able to gauge their progress and level of contribution for
themselves. They cannot be fulfilled in their work if their success depends
on the opinions or whims of another person.Notes: Provide opportunity for the person to set his/her measurements that can tangibly seen through his/her own standards.
Rating: **** stars
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