Many of us are so used to the organisation being top-centric where authority lives and directives are flowed down. The upside-down organisation chart is something that we need to consciously adopt and adapt to.
If you visualise the upside-down org chart, you will see that the leader literally is supporting and holding up the entire structure. What drives this leader?
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[8 June 2021] Day 8 of the fmco* in Malaysia.
I wrote about Stewardship in an upside-down org chart yesterday.
There is more to leadership than our decision-making skills. One of the services a leader must provide is the capacity of vision and foresight. Without this, the whole organisation will either go in different directions or in the wrong direction.
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[7 June 2021] Day 7 of the fmco* in Malaysia.
We’ve seen this kind of organisation chart being drawn all the time. The leader is always at the top. Yeah, I’ve used it too. But in practise, it should be upside-down. What sort of leadership will put themselves at the bottom?
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[6 June 2021] Day 6 of the fmco* in Malaysia.
Everyone is selling happiness. Everyday, we are overloaded on social media with well-intentioned messages. If we follow their advise, you’ll be a better at what you do or you’ll live better, and hence there’s a promise of achieving happiness at the end of the journey.
“Buy my product. Follow my plan. Invest.”
You can do it! See, I’ve done it! If I can do it, you can do it! Aim high.
What if I cannot? What if I cannot make it to my goal? Should I give up? This is not for me.
Recently, I read a comment on social media. The commenter says she feels so much better on a channel with dysfunctional folks than on the channel with lots of polished experts. She was more depressed after spending time on the latter. For her, the former was more authentic. (More on this in another musing.) Everyone could laugh at themselves.
I believe some of us are too harsh on ourselves A few years ago, I came about this realisation. I now aim for progress in my journey, not perfection in my goal. Often, we confuse perfectionism with striving for excellence.
Here are some examples of what perfectionism sounds like:
This sounds really stressful. Be kind to yourself.
Compare this to how progress sounds like:
I visualise progress as taking a drive along country roads – taking simple joys in the pace, in the scenery, and if we are lucky, friends we make along the way. And with each stop, we are a better version of ourselves than in the previous stop.
To me, happiness is not a destination. It’s the journey itself. Take joy in your successes, and also in your setbacks. Progress is what fills the gap between your abilities and your aspirations.
About the Author: Gina Phan is a consultant and trainer with Zinfinity Consulting. She currently conducts courses in workplace performance skills. Click here to contact her, follow her on Facebook or connect with her on Linkedin.
#progress #kaizen #bekindtoyourself #acceptance #openmindset #happiness #growthmindset
#trainergina #ginaphan #gp
(Feature Image by Jill Wellington from Pixabay)
*fmco stands for Full Movement Control Order.
I got my first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine yesterday evening! I am so happy! I have done a small part to help achieve herd immunity and to protect my family and myself.
The process was very smooth. Everyone we met was friendly, patient, polite, accommodating, and mindful. We got done in 25 minutes plus 15-minutes in the observation area and another 10 minutes queuing at the photo booths. I started timing from the elevator at the car park.
At every stop, the people in charge were professional, carefully checking our IDs, the MySejahtera tracing app, our forms, and our health condition. The whole process worked like a well-oiled machine. I applaud the logistics and operations managers for this massive national vaccination programme. They have done a really good job.
At each point, I asked the staff if they were volunteers. Many are. Malaysia, we owe these volunteers big time. They don’t have to do this. They could have spent their days either tending to their business, studies or jobs, or spending time at home with their family during this lockdown. And yet, they stepped up to the plate to do this for us.
We still need more volunteers – both healthcare and non-healthcare. Learn more about MyVAC (Malaysia Vaccine Support Volunteers) . The FAQ page is pretty comprehensive. The more volunteers we have, the more vaccination centres we can operate. Sign up as one if you wish to contribute.
What about me? My most recent experience as a volunteer was for #WLIC2018 international conference that Malaysia hosted. It was a very rewarding experience. I am considering to sign up as a MyVac volunteer after my second dose. Wanna join me?
About the Author: Gina Phan is a consultant and trainer with Zinfinity Consulting. She currently conducts courses in workplace performance skills. Click here to contact her, follow her on Facebook or connect with her on Linkedin.
#gratitude #covid-19 #vaccine #volunteering
#trainergina #ginaphan #gp
*fmco stands for Full Movement Control Order.
A young child with missing front teeth is cute. It’s so adorable when kids flash their wide toothless grin.
Today, I am sharing something more personal. A few days ago, a friend posted this question on Linkedin. What if it’s an adult? Will missing front teeth hurt his/her image?
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Zoom fatigue. Screen fatigue.
Many people have gone online for more than a year now since the pandemic start early last year. For many of us, we are doing almost everything staring at the screen — emails, texting, as well as reading for work and for pleasure.
I used to watch TV (remember that box?) or videos on the computer as a break. But recently, I found that I have very little patience to watch even a 2-minute video. I keep forwarding the video to see if there’s really anything that will interest me. Does this happen to you?
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Last night, I was making a comment in a friend’s Facebook post when the question hit me. Since the pandemic started, we are so used to the wfh (work-from-home) acronym. Why do we say ‘work from home‘, but never ‘work from office‘?
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I wrote this soundbite yesterday on my social media channel and thought I’ll post it here as well.
When we are locked in with the rest of the family, there will be stress because we may feel we are pulled in different directions all at the same time. We are bound to find ourselves in #disagreements (aka #conflict) more often than ‘normal’. (What is normal now, btw?)
Here are some #communication tips for you:
Wishing all our friends from Borneo a Happy Gawai celebration. May this harvest festival bring you and your family blessings from the Almighty.
