My next Chapter...

It's been a long while guys!

I have resumed writing, but have taken on a new cause - to turn unhappy employees into Work-Life Superstars!

For those of you who are keen, you can follow my new page - "Work-Life Superstar!" on Facebook.
https://www.facebook.com/WorkLifeSuperstar

Have a great day ahead, Friends!
Shingo T

Tough things first

When you start with the tougher (and still important) tasks at hand, things become easier. And you are more likely to accomplish them rather than delaying them till forever.

That will be my new guideline for year 2012. Pretty fast how one year flies after another, isn't it?

Having korean BBQ at Seoul Garden with Wifey tonight. Believe it or not, I actually forgot it's my birthday today.

Have a great day ahead, friends! ^_^

Piracy is good

I'm back from a 3-day seminar in KL, entitled "Creating Multiple Sources of Income". Paid less than RM$199 for the whole course, so it was a great deal. The speaker was a well-known author by the name of Robert G. Allen, who wrote books such as "Multiple Streams of Income", "Creating Wealth", "Nothing Down" and "The One Minute Millionaire".

Also there was Penang's very own millionaire infoprenuer - Patric Chan. Very humble and smart guy.

I have learnt alot from the course. Will not go too much into details, but I was told this very interesting story - about what Bill Gates answered to the media when he was asked about his thoughts on piracy.

His reply? "If they want to pirate the softwares, they better be pirating my software than my competitors."

It then dawned on me that piracy (to a certain degree) is free publicity to people who will not pay more for your products. And that is brand awareness.

Will you have notice Crocs shoes if there wasn't so many people wearing the fake version of it?

The "No Exit" Clause

I have been doing alot of networking these days, and hence the lack of activity on the Blogosphere. And I met Mrs Singapore 2011, Vanessa Tan during one of the interactions, and had the honour to listen to her talk about loving our bodies.

And yes, I took the chance to take a photo with this gorgeous lady, which is the start of my new hobby - collecting photos of myself with famous people.

And we are friends on Facebook now, though I know "friends" means little on Facebook these days. She really showed how one can juggle a career and a family so well at the same time - I guess partly because she's an entrepenuer, so she have better flexibility in her timing.

I was reading her Facebook profile minutes ago, and she wrote this interesting insight, which I will conveniently copy and paste.

Vanessa: If you happen to chance upon this and want me to take it out, let me know.

--------------
Blair Singer, the world's most powerful trainer in Sales and Leadership has a "No Exit Clause" with his wife. That clause in their marriage's Code of Honour means that whenever they encounter challenges in their relationship, they lock the door and work things out. There is no "OUT" in their relationship.

To many people, this "No Exit Clause" may seem pretty scary. And to some, pretty scary may be an understatement. It simply means that they sealed all their alternative options, i.e. no break-up, no divorce. And to some, this is really a horror movie.

However, this "No Exit Clause" excites me to the max. To me and the Man of my dreams, this clause means that we have sealed the escape hatch of our Aircraft of Love. To us, it means that we have locked the door behind us and thrown the key away. It also means that WE DO WHATEVER IT TAKES TO MAKE US WORK.

You see, I am sick and tired of the fickle-mindedness of the men whom I had dated. And to be honest, it was a great learning experience. Every men I had once dated helps me understand what kind of qualities I want the man of my dreams to have. And one of the biggest requirements I want from my Man is the BIG C - commitment. And I declare it to The Universe.

I manifested and attracted this man into my life. In fact, he had been hanging around me for more than a year before it dawned on me that he is the Man of my dreams. To all those who had read The Secret and understood The Law of Attraction will know what I am saying.

Yes, we have this "No Exit Clause" in our relationship and we are not afraid to share it. This clause, among other rules in our Code of Honour made our relationship healthy, intense, exciting, emotionally-fulfilling, supportive and creates abundant room of growth.

-------------------

I always believe that everything in this world, love included, is simple. But being the highly intelligent human beings that we are, we inject too much emotions and complexity to sabotage our own happiness.

In many cases, we are the creator of our own problems.
So let's solve it, and not avoid it.

Have the time of your life, my friends!

Valuing the Customers, Shareholders and Employees

There are 3 main groups of people associated with any business, namely the customers, shareholders and employees.

However, the order of importance in most companies are
Shareholders > Customers > Employees
And rightfully so.

Shareholders are the owners of the business, and why do they start a business? To make INSANE amount of money, of course. So they naturally want (and need) to take their own interest in the first place.

And what better way to make the shareholders happier by being customer oriented? Companies come up with tailored solutions and products for the customers, regardless of how much effort it takes.

And that's where the problem lies. Employees are treated as the bottom of the company hierachy (never mind how much companies keep emphasizing that employees matter). And they are forced in most cases, to do the stuffs to satisfy the customers' needs, even if they don't sound logical.

Flexibility is offered is keep the customers, but often not offered to employees, despite all the work-life balance that the Human Resource Department will preach.

In contrast, Richard Branson (my idol), owner of the Virgin Group reverses the cycle.
Employees > Customers > Shareholders

Employees's needs are addressed first. After all, these are the guys who are giving up a huge portion of their lives (no doubt in exchange for the company's salary) to help the company grow. Happier employees are more likely to be better workers, stay around longer, and be able to treat the organisation like a family, than just purely a workplace.

As employees are empowered to make decisions, they become smarter and more adaptable with addressing the customer's needs. They don't have to consult their superior for every single thing - they may make mistakes, but they become better with each mistake made.

With happy, empowered and smart employees, the customers are better served. Satisfied customers lead to better sales and thus reaping more value to the company, and thus shareholders, the "least important" people in the company, are laughing all the way to the bank!

About the Author: Shingo T never fails to get amazed at how the Virgin Group pays lesser salary than its competitors, and yet so many people want to work for it.

Bangkok is dangerous?

Thailand's famous Khao San Road. Picture stolen from here.

Hi Friends, I'm back from a mini vacation from Bangkok, with Wifey and some relatives and friends.

A week ago, I was told that the elections were coming, and to avoid red and yellow colour shirts. One of my relative called and wanted to forgo her plane ticket, because she was afraid that things might go wrong in Bangkok. We had to convince her that should there be a riot, we will just watch TV in the hostel, and I will volunteer to go out "in the danger" buy them meals.

And then there was the airplane. Airasia and Tiger Airways were not offering cheap enough deals, so I booked tickets for Myammar Airways International (MAI). I guess the word "Myammar" doesn't ring a bell here in the aviation industry, so Wifey had to check the Internet, and convince them that MAI is using the same planes as Airasia/Tiger Airways, and have a 100% safety record.

And then there was the insurance. S$30 isn't expensive, but I found absolutely no need to buy them, we are better off taking the "risk" so that I could channel more into Wifey's shopping spree.

And so we flew last Friday night.

(1) There was no signs of riot. It was business as usual. And yes, I saw tourists wearing red and yellow, and they are still alive.

(2) MAI was a CHEAP and SAFE flight, with one of the BEST FOOD I ever ate on an airplane. Cheaper prices than budget airlines with free meals onboard, and plenty of leg space - Where to get such a good deal?

(3) Insurance was unneccessary, Bangkok is one of the safest tourist destination I go to, be it day or night. Just the basic precautions and everything is fine.

I came back a few hours ago, and all my relatives/friends were happy as we ate and shop aplenty. One of the best holidays I had in a while.

As long as you do your homework, don't hesitate to live "dangerously".
Cheers everyone!

P:S. For those of you planning a trip to Bangkok, consider staying in Khao San area instead of the Siam city area. Laidback area with cheap food, beer and massage all day and night!

Bickering is good

My cleaners are a couple in their 50s.
They are very diligent, and spread their roles well. The lady does all the "lighter" jobs (ironing and wiping), while the man does the "heavier" jobs (wash toilets, vacuuming, dissecting and cleaning aircon).

They may not talk much, but I could feel the bond between the two of them. The guy also rides his wife on a bicycle to my home. Damn sweet, right? I will love to ride Wifey around in a bicycle around the neighbourhood when we hit our 50s too.

I engage the 2 of them in small chit chats now and then. I was telling them minutes ago how much I envy them, to be able to work together daily as a team (and with no conflict of interest that might invite gossips), and spend time together.

Well, she replied me in jest "Where got good? We always end up bickering." And she laughed. I laughed too.

I wanted to say "Wait till he's gone. Then you will miss the bickering", but that doesn't sound appropriate, but you guys get what I mean, right?

Reflecting back, I spend so much less time with Wifey because of my new commitment. Maybe someday, I should just open a sugar cane drink shop, so that I get to be the boss (ok, its actually just self-employed), and Wifey can be the cashier.

We won't earn much, but we definitely have much more time together... and bicker about the small things in life while we still can.