Change Management

At any one time or the other, especially in the current climate of mergers and acquisitions, businesses will have to undergo change. And when this happened, we are constantly told to accept and embrace the change.

Some justifications given may include reasons for business survival, to improve efficiency, for competitive advantage, or simply responding to external factors like opportunities and threats. Many will say that you have to be leaner and faster to create more growth and profit. Does this sound familiar? How would you react to this change if it happens to you ?

If you have just been given the task of leading change in your organization, your first task should be to create a vision for the first 100 days. This needs to be something that you can articulate in one sentence, explaining what your organization will become and by when.

One question you must ask yourself is whether your new vision statement inspires YOU. If it does not, how can you expect it to inspire others?

Change is emotional, and people will respond to it differently at different stages. Start by getting connected within your organization. Mobilize your staff, remove barriers, see through the politics and bring the vision to life.

These may sound easy, but they are actually something that can be done only in a climate of trust, collaboration and creativity. Communication is crucial. Communicate with your staff the hard facts too, even if it’s hard to swallow. Be transparent, or else the issue can be blown out of proportion.

Expect some people to push or even fight back. They can deny or reject your ideas or requests by blatantly refusing to cooperate or, perhaps, some can also choose to agree to something at first (even though he was not interested right from the beginning), but later never quite finding the time to follow it through.

It could also be useful to identify people who really support the change and give them positions of influence – to champion your cause.

Likewise, you must identify the most influential resistors to find out why they are against the change, and work out how to win them over. It can be a big mistake to simply ignore, cut off or fight these “troublemakers”.

Never underrate them as they could be crucial individuals that if you can win them over, they can become your most powerful allies. What you may want to do is to respond to them professionally and effectively – for the benefit of the organization.

Create your vision with your management team, communicate it to everyone and then set up small teams throughout the organization to work on specific problem areas.

Small teams working on change projects will be noticed quickly, which will then help to build the momentum that you need to get "the ball rolling".

No doubt that some change is inevitable. But if you manage to handle it well with proper planning, execution and follow ups, it’ll be a smooth sailing one. InsyaAllah.

Fadilat Bulan REJAB, SYAABAN & RAMADAN

Alhamdulillah kita panjatkan kesyukuran kehadrat Illahi kerana telah menganugerahkan rahmatNya kepada kita serta melanjutkan usia kita sehingga dapat bertemu semula dengan bulan-bulan yang dikurniakan ratusan dan ribuan ganda pahala ibadat yang tiada terdapat pada bulan-bulan yang lain.

Sabda junjungan kita Nabi Muhammad s.a.w. : ‘Bulan Rejab bulan Allah, Bulan Syaaban bulan ku, dan Bulan Ramadan bulan umatku.’ - (Al-Hadis)

Rejab bulan menabur benih
Syaaban bulan menyiram tanaman
Ramadan bulan menuai

Rejab menyucikan badannya
Syaaban menyucikan hatinya
Ramadan menyucikan rohnya

Rejab bulan maghfirah (keampunan)
Syaaban bulan syafaat
Ramadan bulan menggandakan kebajikan

Rejab bulan taubat
Syaaban bulan muhibbah
Ramadan bulan dilimpahi pahala bagai hujan mencurah

Rejab diganda 70 pahala
Syaaban diganda 700 pahala
Ramadan diganda 1000 pahala

Sesunggohnya beruntunglah sesiapa yang mengetahui serta mengambil kesempatan yang masih ada ini, untuk terus beramal dengan penuh iman dan taqwa.

Sebagai peringatan atau referen agar kita tidak terlepas dengan peluang untuk mendapat kelebihan serta kemuliaan bulan-bulan istimewa ini, silalah rujuk kepada kalendar berikut :

REJAB 04 JUL 08 - 02 OGO 08

SYAABAN 03 OGO 08 - 31 OGO 08

RAMADAN 01 SEP 08 - 30 SEP 08

Di samping amalan yang wajib, antara amalan sunat yang digalakkan pada bulan-bulan ini termasuklah :

Tilawah Quran - Solat Sunnat terutamanya diwaktu malam - Bersedeqah - Puasa Sunnat - Istighfar - Zikir - Tasbih - Hadiri majlis ilmu - Mengerjakan umrah.

Jikalau tidak dapat mengamalkan kesemuanya pun tak apa, asalkan janganlah pula kita meninggalkan kesemuanya pula. Buatlah sekadar kemampuan, menurut sejauh mana lemah atau kuatnya iman kita kepada Allah. Yang terpenting ia mestilah dari usaha yang ikhlas dan taqwa terhadap Allah s.w.t.

Semoga amalan-amalam baik ini dapat kita lanjutkan terus sehingga ke bulan-bulan lain, sebagai amalan harian kita. InsyaAllah, sama-sama kita doakan agar kita semua tergolong dalam hamba-hambaNya yang solihin.

Developing SELF CONFIDENCE

It is a well known fact that the happiest and most successful people always see themselves as winners or champions and maintain an optimistic and positive outlook as they move toward their goals.

On the other hand, unhappy and unsuccessful people often have a pessimistic outlook on life. They lack confidence and have a deep rooted belief that they cannot do much or do it well. They do not realize they are advertising themselves as losers.

Developing self-confidence and a winning mindset will put you on the path to success in whatever you do. Of course, confidence in you doesn’t come easy – you’ve got to built it up gradually, one success at a time.

Of course, some people can fake confidence, in fact they may need to at first. That's okay. But real self-confidence comes from a history of small victories and accomplishments that add up to a sense that you can handle yourself well in almost every situations.

Self-confidence is knowing that you have the "capability" to function reasonably well in the world. In other words, you can’t be confident if you’re fearful or easily intimidated.

Here’s an exercise: Take an inventory of the major accomplishments you have achieved over the past few years. Then remind yourself of the minor ones too. Counting your blessings and victories will build your confidence - no matter how small or trivial they are.

What about the computer course you completed? Have you built anything by yourself that’s still standing? What about those kids you’re raising? That’s an accomplishment too. It is from these "minor" successes that motivates you to do more and better everytime. You have to start somewhere.

Don’t be modest. Tell the truth about how hard you worked, what sacrifices you’ve made. If you can’t think of any, then begin by congratulating yourself for living as long as you have. Sheer survival is an accomplishment these days.

Find ways to reward yourself, even small ones, for reaching your goals and for taking better care of yourself. Treat or reward yourself to something you like most, may be a new pair of jeans or an ice-cream sundae?

Ask what is unique about youself ? What skills do you bring to your family/home, organization or project that you can count on? What is it that you can do better than others ?

So the next time you want to develop your SELF-CONFIDENCE, start by first APPRECIATING YOUR STRENGTHS - no matter how small or trivial they are. Seriously, it pays to take the time to know your strengths and appreciate them. That is the only path to developing self-confidence.

WHY employees leave organizations ?

Every company faces the problem of people leaving the company for better pay or profile ... the so-called "greener pastures". Or is it so ?

Let's look at this scenario : Early this year, Atoi, a senior software designer, got an offer from a prestigious international firm to work in its India operations developing specialized software. He was thrilled by the offer.

He had heard great things about the CEO. The salary was great. The company had all the right systems in place - employee-friendly human resources (HR) policies, a spanking new office, and the very best technology, even a cafeteria that served superb food.

Twice Atoi was sent abroad for training. "My learning curve is the sharpest it's ever been," he said soon after he joined.

Last week, less than eight months after he joined, Atoi tendered his resignation. Why did this talented employee leave? He quits for the same reason that drives many good people away.

The answer lies in one of the largest studies undertaken by the Gallup Organization. The study surveyed over a million employees and 80,000 managers and was published in a book called "First Break All The Rules". It came up with this surprising finding:

"If you're losing good people, look to their immediate boss." Immediate boss is the reason people stay and thrive in an organization. And he/she is also the reason why people leave. When people leave, they take knowledge, experience and contacts with them, straight to the competition !

"People leave managers not companies," write the authors Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman. Mostly manager drives people away.

HR experts say that of all the abuses, employees find humiliation the most intolerable. The first time, an employee may not leave, but a thought has been planted. The second time, that thought gets strengthened. The third time, he looks for another job.

When people cannot retort openly in anger, they do so by passive aggression. By digging their heels in and slowing down. By doing only what they are told to do and nothing more - to give the boss crucial information.

If you work for a jerk, you basically want to get him/her into trouble. You don't have your heart and soul in the job. Different managers and supervisors can stress out employees in different ways - by being too controlling, too suspicious, too pushy, too critical, or by not giving clear directions & instructions.

But they forget that workers are not fixed assets, they are free agents. When this goes on too long, an employee will quit - often over a trivial issue.

LOW CARBOHYDRATE DIET - how to stick to it

Low carbohydrates diets or low carb diets can be simply defined as dietary programs that restrict carbohydrates consumption usually for weight control. Foods high in digestible carbohydrates (especially white flour and sugar - also pasta, bread, rice and alcohol) are limited or replaced with foods containing a higher percentage of proteins and fats.

Apart from obesity, low carb diets are often discussed as treatments for some other conditions like high cholesterol, high blood pressure, hypoglycaemia, type-2 diabetes and epilepsy, although these treatments still remain controversial and lack widespread support. [Wikipedia]

Are you one of those many yo-yo low carb dieters who at times find it tough to stick with your ldiet regimes ? Actually it’s quite normal to get off track once in a while, especially when cravings set in, and you begin to feel deprived, you’ll be tempted to forget about the whole thing and begin indulging in carb-laden foods again.

Here are some tips to help you stick to your plan:

DRINK LOTS OF WATER
You have probably heard it before, but it is especially important when you are on a low carb eating plan. Here’s why – when you eat more protein your body needs the extra water to process it.

Your body needs to be fully hydrated to be healthy. There is also the added benefit of feeling full when you drink water continuously, which will help you avoid overeating.

ALLOW YOURSELF TO CHEAT
That’s right. Once each week (or at least once a month, whichever suits you best) you should indulge in one "forbidden" item. For example, if you enjoy going out for dinner on Saturday evening, then go ahead and have the baked potato or the fries.

Perhaps you would rather have a sumptuous dessert ? Go ahead. Have that one item, and then get back to the program, pronto ! This way when the cravings hit during the week, you’ll have a better chance of beating them, because you will have a treat to look forward to ... ;)

IF YOU FALL OFF THE WAGON, GET BACK ON
If – or when – you overindulge, immediately do a little extra exercise to burn off some of those carbs and then get back on track. Do not fall into the trap of beating yourself up. It can make you feel depressed, which will eventually triggers more overeating for many people. No one is perfect, so give yourself a break. Just vow to do better once the relapse has passed.

MAKE IT EASY ON YOURSELF
Make sure you have enough ready-to-eat snacks around, so you are not tempted to eat things you shouldn’t. No one likes preparing a meal every time he wants a bite. It is very tempting to just grab a sandwich or a candy bar rather than fix a meal.

Instead, keep fruits, string cheese, packages of nuts, and other low carb snacks readily available. It is a good idea to keep a high protein snack in your car, handbag, backpack or briefcase as well to avoid eating fast food when you are on the run.

FORGET THE SCALE AND GRAB THE MEASURING TAPE
Weight can fluctuate while on a low carb plan. Often the first few pounds you lose are mostly water. Do not get discouraged if the scale doesn’t move the way you want it to.

If you are following your plan and exercising, you are actually building muscle, which weighs more than fat. That’s okay, because muscle mass burns more fat. Do not be ruled by numbers, especially those on the scale. Be more concerned with the way your clothes look and feel. If you looked or felt like "sotong-sumbat" when you put on your clothes, it's time to get serious !

Follow these tips and do keep a positive outlook to make your low carb plan successful. Good luck.

[Adapted from NST May 22, 2008]