It’s been 5 months…
… and I’m back. A lot of things have changed since I last put something up here. I’ll try to be less ambitious this time around. Let’s start with snippets of thoughts and opinions, and we see how far we get from here eh?
Strawbaaaaaaary cheese cake, courtesy of Fazuin :D
What distinguishes great leadership from so-so lemmingship?
I’m sure the answer will involve a long list, but one of the criteria must certainly be courage. This is certainly true for leaders undertaking large-scale transformational efforts; conquering the fear of failure is the most important first step for success.
Some of my own personal reflections on courage:
- Courage calls for leaders to embrace the possibility of failure. “There is no breakthrough without breakdown”.
- Courage requires a leader to unlearn what they have learnt. New challenges often call for new ways and new solutions.
- Courage is about leaders being pragmatic in solving problems. Don’t be afraid to invent and try out new things. “Tiada rotan, akar berguna juga”.
- Courage often comes to those who have scaled the peaks and seen the view from the mountaintop. So don’t be afraid to try new things. Each new success gives you the confidence to tackle the next big(ger) mountain up ahead. “Kecik kecik lama lama jadi bukit.”
- Courage cannot be manufactured. You can’t fake courage; authenticity is essential in leadership. You must be willing to roll up your sleeves and get in the trenches.
Dialogue - The Basic Unit of Management
I learnt something very useful while reading Bossidy and Charan’s classic book on management, “Execution”.
Rephrased, the idea is that dialogue is the very essence of management; that through rigorous, fact-based questions and answers, managers can dig into issues to unearth reality and hence make decisions based on that reality.
It is only through honest and open dialogue, that we truly get to the heart of the matter and make the necessary decisions.
Arab Spring coming soon to Saudi Arabia?
I just read about how a Saudi woman was arrested after posting a video of herself driving a car on YouTube.
I must say that banning women from driving, in my mind, has no real basis whatsoever in Islam, and that the arrest of this woman puts us Muslims to shame.
A friend of mine is trying to organise a campaign for Malaysian women to drive by the Saudi embassy in KL and honk as they drive past. More power to you, ladies!
"Step 1. Be you. Step 2. Be OK with you. Step 3. Be the BEST of you. Step 4. Change the world."
— Rhett Laubach (via melwoe)
(via zidian)
Hug. Calvin and Hobbes.
