Tanda-tanda nak MATI

TANDA 100 HARI SEBELUM HARI MATI

Assalam Mu'alaikum Wbrth BACALAH DENGAN TELITI. Ini adalah tanda pertama dari Allah SWT kepada hambanya dan hanya akan disedari oleh mereka yang dikehendakinya.

Walaubagaimanapun semua orang Islam akan mendapat tanda ini cuma samada mereka sedar atau tidak sahaja. Tanda ini akan berlaku lazimnya selepas waktu Asar. Seluruh tubuh iaitu dari hujung rambut sehingga ke hujung kaki akan mengalami getaran atau seakan-akan mengigil. Contohnya seperti daging lembu yang baru saja disembelih dimana jika diperhatikan dengan teliti kita akan mendapati daging tersebut seakan-akan bergetar.

Tanda ini rasanya lazat dan bagi mereka yang sedar dan berdetik di hati bahawa mungkin ini adalah tanda mati maka getaran ini akan berhenti dan hilang setelah kita sedar akan kehadiran tanda ini. Bagi mereka yang tidak diberi kesedaran atau mereka yang hanyut dengan kenikmatan tanpa memikirkan soal kematian, tanda ini akan lenyap begitu sahaja tanpa sebarang munafaat.

Bagi yang sedar dengan kehadiran tanda ini maka ini adalah peluang terbaik untuk memunafaatkan masa yang ada untuk mempersiapkan diri dengan amalan dan urusan yang akan dibawa atau ditinggalkan sesudah mati.

TANDA 40 HARI
Tanda ini juga akan berlaku sesudah waktu Asar. Bahagian pusat kita akan berdenyut-denyut. Pada ketika ini daun yang tertulis nama kita akan gugur dari pokok yang letaknya di atas Arash Allah SWT. Maka Malaikat Maut akan mengambil daun tersebut dan mula membuat persediaannya ke atas kita, antaranya ialah ia akan mula mengikuti kita sepanjang masa.

Akan terjadi Malaikat Maut ini akan memperlihatkan wajahnya sekilas lalu dan jika ini terjadi, mereka yang terpilih ini akan merasakan seakan-akan bingung seketika. Adapun Malaikat Maut ini wujudnya cuma seorang tetapi kuasanya untuk mencabut nyawa adalah bersamaan dengan jumlah nyawa yang akan dicabutnya.

TANDA 7 HARI
Adapun tanda ini akan diberikan hanya kepada mereka yang diuji dengan musibah kesakitan di mana orang sakit yang tidak makan secara tiba-tiba ianya berselera untuk makan.

TANDA 3 HARI
Pada ketika ini akan terasa denyutan di bahagian tengah dahi kita iaitu diantara dahi kanan dan kiri. Jika tanda ini dapat dikesan maka berpuasalah kita selepas itu supaya perut kita tidak mengandungi banyak najis dan ini akan memudahkan urusan orang yang akan memandikan kita nanti.

Ketika ini juga mata hitam kita tidak akan bersinar lagi dan bagi orang yang sakit hidungnya akan perlahan-lahan jatuh dan ini dapat dikesan jika kita melihatnya dari bahagian sisi. Telinganya akan layu dimana bahagian hujungnya akan beransur-ansur masuk ke dalam. Telapak kakinya yang terlunjur akan perlahan-lahan jatuh ke depan dan sukar ditegakkan.

TANDA 1 HARI
Akan berlaku sesudah waktu Asar di mana kita akan merasakan satu denyutan di sebelah belakang iaitu di kawasan ubun-ubun di mana ini menandakan kita tidak akan sempat untuk menemui waktu Asar keesokan harinya.

TANDA AKHIR
Akan berlaku keadaan di mana kita akan merasakan satu keadaan sejuk di bahagian pusat dan ianya akan turun ke pinggang dan seterusnya akan naik ke bahagian halkum. Ketika ini hendaklah kita terus mengucap kalimah syahadah dan berdiam diri dan menantikan kedatangan Malaikat Maut untuk menjemput kita kembali kepada Allah SWT yang telah menghidupkan kita dan sekarang akan mematikan pula.

Sesungguhnya orang yang mengingati mati itu adalah seorang yang bijak. Saling berpesan-pesanlah sesama kita ... insyaAllah kita akan memperolehi KeredhoaanNya.

Domain PENGARAH KPTM Kampus Cawangan Alor Star

The following is a document I prepared as guideline in executing my responsibility as Pengarah of KPTM Alor Star (Jan 2005 - Feb 2007)

PEMBUDAYAAN DAN PEMANTAUAN – domain Pengarah

Melakukan perubahan adalah mudah, tetapi untuk memastikan perubahan yang dilakukan itu dapat membuahkan hasil seperti yang diinginkan adalah tidak semudah yang difikirkan. Menyedari hakikat ini, maka sebarang perubahan yang dilakukan harus disusuli dengan langkah-langkah pengukuhan dan pemantauan.

Bagi memastikan perubahan ini berlaku secara menyeluruh, setiap entiti dalam KPTM harus diberi peluang untuk memahami kehendak dan falsafah perubahan yang digariskan oleh pihak pengurusan atasan. Pihak pengurusan di semua peringkat pula hendaklah menunjukkan contoh yang baik kepada staf bawahannya. Pada tahap ini kritikan dan teguran membina, sekiranya ada, harus disampaikan dengan cara yang paling berhemah.

Setiap perubahan hendaklah diimplementasikan secara konsisten dalam segala gerak kerja dan tindak-tanduk kita. Dengan itu, seluruh warga KPTM tidak akan ragu-ragu untuk mengikut, menghayati dan membudayakan perubahan tersebut dalam setiap amalan harian mereka.

Pembudayaan Staf

Nilai dan etika merupakan inti falsafah dan keutamaan kita dalam membentuk sikap dan tingkah laku harian kita. Ia memberikan satu haluan serta garis panduan yang jelas kepada semua staf. Nilai-nilai bersama yang dimaksudkan adalah seperti berikut :

Kesyukuran
Percaya kepada perlunya manifestasi kesyukuran ke atas nikmat yang dikurniakan kepada kita.
Berkhidmat untuk Tuhan, Negara dan Manusia dan melaksanakan tugas serta tanggungjawab yang diamanahkan sebagai amal jariah.
Mengamalkan perbelanjaan berhemah untuk mengelakkan pembaziran.

Kecemerlangan Dan Integriti
Percaya dan berusaha ke arah kecemerlangan dan integriti dalam semua pemikiran, usaha, kerja dan penghasilan kita.

Pendidikan Berterusan
Percaya bahawa pengurusan adalah satu pembelajaran berterusan baik di dalam bilik kuliah mahupun di tempat kerja.
Membudayakan teknologi maklumat dan komunikasi (ICT) di kalangan warga KPTM.
Mengamalkan budaya membaca dan menulis khususnya bahan yang berunsur akademik.

Komunikasi Dan Saling Menghormati
Percaya dan berusaha ke arah komunikasi yang jelas, berkesan dan terbuka bagi memperolehi ide, maklum balas dan hasil yang dihajati dalam interaksi sesama kita dan dengan pelanggan-pelanggan kita.
Percaya kepada nilai saling menghormati untuk mewujudkan suasana hubungan kerja serta komunikasi yang harmonis dan berterusan di kalangan staf, tenaga pengajar, pelajar dan masyarakat pada keseluruhannya.

Muhasabah Diri
Percaya mengenai perlunya diwujudkan kaedah muhasabah atau penilaian diri yang berterusan bagi membolehkan kita mengambil langkah-langkah untuk membetulkan kesilapan serta memperbaiki kelemahan kita.

Pembudayaan Pelajar

Kolej Poly-Tech MARA mendukung konsep dan keperibadian yang terserlah. Atas dasar itu KPTM Cawangan Alor Star memperkenalkan proses pembudayaan pelajar untuk diamalkan oleh semua pelajar KPTM.

Pembudayaan pelajar merupakan unsur pelengkap ke arah pembentukan budaya dan identiti pelajar Kolej ini melalui kombinasi yang padu dengan budaya staf dan budaya persekitarannya. Konsepnya adalah seperti berikut :

Pembentukan Intelek dan Pembersihan Jiwa
Berdaya fikiran tinggi.
Berhemah tinggi dan berbudi bahasa.
Berjiwa halus dan berakhlaq mulia.

Bahasa Pelajar
Fasih, jelas dan persis.
Ketepatan berbahasa bertunjangkan budi.
Ide bernas dan bernilai.

Rupa Diri
Sentiasa anggun dan kemas.
Bersih dan terbelai.

Rupa Pakaian
Bersih, kemas, wajar dan sesuai dengan suasana seperti yang termaktub dalam Etika Pakaian Kolej.

Gerak Diri
Sentiasa tangkas, meyakinkan dan berkeintelektualan.

Sikap
Sentiasa ke hadapan, positif, pintar dan kritis.
Mempunyai tanggungjawab, kesediaan untuk berubah dan gigih mendalami ilmu.

PROAKTIF, PROGRESIF, PROFESIONAL

My HAJ 1993 Itinerary

I was doing some "spring cleaning" at home recently when I found this 2 piece A4-paper in between a stack of photo albums. It was an itinerary of my Haj when I went there in 1993 with my Mama (HJH KAMARIAH HJ ABD HAMID). The following is the content of the itinerary which highlighted all the things I did and went thru then :

HAJI TAMATTUK (1993) = buat umrah dahulu daripada haji (dalam bulan haji) dalam tahun yang sama.

No KT : KT 81 Pakej Amin Rawa
Kumpulan : RBK 040/03
No Paspot Haji : 532785
No Bas : 402

Penginapan :
Makkah (Room 306 Marzuki Hotel)
Madinah (Room 712 Shobra Hotel)
Mina (H01 Khemah)

LOKASI : Di rumah (Kota Bharu) 21/05/93 Jumaat 29 Zulkaedah
- kerat kuku, trim rambut, bulu dsb
- solat sunat musafir 2 rakaat
- doa#1 sesudah solat sunat musafir
- azan semasa keluar rumah
- doa#2 ketika keluar rumah
- doa#3 menaiki kenderaan

LOKASI : Di Kelana Jaya 22/05/93 Sabtu 30 Zulkaedah
- mandi sunat ihram, pakai pakaian ihram & bau-bauan
- solat sunat ihram 2 rakaat
- flight MH 4190 0730 hrs

LOKASI : Dalam pesawat
- doa#4 ketika pesawat berangkat
- niat ihram umrah di Miqat – Qarnul Manzil atau sebelumnya
- “Sahaja aku mengerjakan umrah dan aku berihram dengannya kerana Allah Taala”
- meninggalkan larangan dalam ihram sehingga selesai Tahallul
- lakukan perkara sunat dalam ihram, banyakkan Talbiah

LOKASI : Di Jeddah
- dari airport, setelah berehat, bertolak ke Mekah dengan bas

LOKASI : Di Mekah
- doa masuk kota Mekah
- doa#5 masuk Masjidil Haram
- doa#6 pertama kali melihat Kaabah
- doa#10 memulai tawaf
- Tawaf Umrah mula dipenjuru H/Aswad, arah menentang jam (Baitullah disebelah kiri bahu), 7x keliling, berakhir dipenjuru H/Aswad
- “Sahaja aku tawaf Baitullah Al Haram 7 keliling Tawaf Umrah kerana Allah Taala, maka permudahkanlah kepada ku dan terimalah dari ku”
- Doa#11 dihadapan pintu Kaabah
- Doa#12 sampai di Rukun Iraqi
- Doa#13 sampai di Pancuran Mas
- Doa#14 sampai di Rukun Syami
- Doa#15 sampai di Rukun Yamani
- Doa#16 diantara R/Yamani dengan H/Aswad
- Doa#17 dikawasan H/Aswad
-
- Selepas tawaf : buat perkara sunat selepas tawaf seperti solat sunat tawaf 2 rakaat, afdhalnya dibelakang Maqam Ibrahim, doa#18 di Multazam, minum air zam-zam, doa#21
-
- Saei umrah
- “Sahaja aku saei umrah antara Safa dan Marwah 7x kerana Allah Taala”
- Doa#23 permulaan saei
- Disepanjang saei, sunat baca doa saei, terutamanya doa#24 antara dua tiang hijau
-
- Selepas tawaf umrah dan saei umrah, jemaah boleh bertahallul umrah dengan bercukur
- Dengan ini maka selesailah ibadah umrah, boleh tanggalkan pakaian ihram serta bebas pantang larang
-
- Sementara menunggu 8 Zulhijjah, buatlah tawaf sunat dan solat sunat tawaf 2 rakaat, sebanyak mungkin

30/05/93 Ahad 8 Zulhijjah (Hari Tarwiyah)
- bertolak ke Arafah (sebelum bertolak hendaklah berihram, afdhal untuk niat Ihram Haji dalam kawasan kota Mekah – di pintu rumah kediaman, selepas solat sunat ihram)
- “Sahaja aku mengerjakan haji dan aku berihram dengan nya kerana Allah Taala”
- Doa#25 dalam perjalanan ke Arafah
- Baca Talbiah banyak2

LOKASI : Di Arafah 31/05/93 Isnin 9 Zulhijjah
- wukuf di Padang Arafah
- antara lepas gelincir matahari 9 Zulhijjah hingga terbit fajar 10 Zulhijjah
- Doa#26 bacaan wukuf
- Doa#27 ketika mula-mula melihat Jabal Rahmah
- Doa#28 Nabi SAW ketika wukuf
- Dengar khutbah wukuf – berjemaah zohor, talbiah, istighfar, zikir, doa, baca Quran banyak2
- Doa#29 wirid & amalan sewaktu wukuf
- Doa#30 Arafah
- Lepas maghrib bertolak ke Muzdalifah, sunat untuk Jamak Ta’akhir solat Maghrib dalam waktu Isyak di Muzdalifah
- Doa#31 dalam perjalanan menuju Muzdalifah
- Doa#32 sewaktu melintasi wadi AlMuhassir/Annar
- Doa#33 ketika memasuki Muzdalifah

LOKASI : Di Muzdalifah
- malam 10 Zulhijjah mabit di Muzdalifah – berada / bermalam seketika selepas separuh malam
- mengutip anak batu (70 biji sebesar kacang kuda) untuk melontar di Mina
- Doa#34 semasa bermalam di Muzdalifah
- Doa#35 ketika memasuki Mina

LOKASI : Di Mina (1-2-3-4/06/93 Sel-Rab-Kha-Jum 10-11-12-13 Zulhijjah)
- pagi 10 Zulhijjah – melontar di Jamratul Aqabah (7 biji afdhal waktu Dhuha)
- Doa#37 ketika melontar Jamrah
- Selepas melontar, keluar dari kumpulan orang ramai dan baca doa #37 sesudah melontar Jamrah
- Qurban – Tahallul Awal – bercukur rambut – boleh pakai pakaian biasa dsb kecuali mengadakan seks dan kahwin … sehingga Tahallul Thani
- Doa#38 ketika bercukur
- (NOTA: Jika ada kemudahan, boleh ke Mekah untuk tawaf & saei, jika tidak, duduk sajalah dikhemah & buat kerja2 wajib haji di ketiga2 hari Tasyriq ini)
o 11-12-13 Zulhijjah
o Bermalam untuk 2-3 hari bagi melontar berturut2 di J/Ula-J/Wustha-J/Aqabah
§ 7 biji x 3 Jamrah x 3 hari = 63 biji
§ Waktu melontar selepas zohor
- Bertolak ke Mekah

LOKASI : Di Mekah
- Tawaf Haji / Ifadhah
- “Sahaja aku Tawaf Baitullah AlHaram 7x keliling, tawaf haji kerana Allah Taala, maka permudahkanlah kepada ku & terimalah dari ku”
- Tunaikan Saei
- “Sahaja aku saei haji antara Safar dan Marwah 7 x kerana allah Taala”
- NOTA: Dengan ini maka sempurnalah Tahallul Thani (terlepas dari semua larangan dalam ihram)
- SEMPURNA lah HAJI TAMATTUK
-
- Untuk Umrah, keluarlah ke Tanah Halal seperti Jaaranah (22 km dari Masjidil Haram – afdhal) atau Tanaim (5 km dari Masjidil Haram), jatuhkan niat ihram untuk umrah.
- “Sahaja aku niat ihram untuk umrah kerana Allah taala”
- Kemudian masuk semula ke Kota Mekah untuk Tawaf Umrah, Saei Umrah, bercukur

- seterusnya banyakkan tawaf sunat, umrah, lihat wajah Kaabah, iktikaf dalam masjid, baca Quran, solat berjemaah, bersedeqah

- bila2 masa sebelum meninggalkan Kota Mekah untuk kali terakhir, buatlah Tawaf Wida’

o Doa#39 Tawaf Wida’
o Solat sunat 2 rakaat
o Doa#40 terakhir sesudah T/Wida’ di Multazam
o Kemudian terus ke kenderaan untuk ke Madinah/Jeddah

LOKASI : Di Madinah
- Doa#41 masuk kota Madinah
- Menjelang pulang ke tanah air, habiskan waktu dengan banyak beribadat, beristighfar dan berziarah
- Doa#42 masuk Masjid Nabi
- Doa#43 salam kepada Rasulullah
- Doa#44 salam kepada Abu Bakar
- Doa#45 salam kepada Umar
- Doa#46 di Raudhah masjid An-Nabawi
- Doa#47 wada’ dengan Rasulullah

LOKASI : Di Jeddah (01/07/93 Khamis 11 Muharram)
- Kaaia Airport @ 0630 hours

LOKASI : Di Subang (02/07/93 Jumaat 12 Muharram)
- Flight MH 4481 Terminal 1 @ 0815 hours

- Tiba di Kota Bharu (Kubang Kerian)

NOTE : The Doa mentioned above are referring to the Doa in the BUKU DOA provided by Tabung Haji to all pilgrims registered with them.

What To Do When You're Over 50

Today I'm "JUST" 49, and insyaAllah will hit 50 come next March 2009. But I'm already anticipating on what to do when I finally "hit 50" ...

The following are some of the advices I got from books and friends - just thought of sharing with others especially those in the same age category with me ... hehehh :)

ACT AND BEHAVE YOUR AGE
Face and accept the reality of getting old, its consequences, and the limitations which growing old brings. Stop fooling yourself by trying to look like you were in your youth.

MOVE ON
Focus on enjoying people and not on indulging in or accumulating material things. Enjoy life, go to new places and meet new people. Do the things you have always wanted to do but was unable to do so. Follow your dream and your hearts’ desire.

PLAN TO SPEND WHATEVER YOU HAVE SAVED
You deserve to enjoy it and the few healthy years you have left. Travel if you can afford it. Don’t leave anything for your children or loved ones to quarrel about. By leaving anything, you may cause even more trouble when you are gone.

LIVE IN THE PRESENT
Live in the here and now, not in the yesterdays and tomorrows. It is only today that you can handle. Yesterday is gone, tomorrow may not even happen.

ACCEPT YOUR HEALTH
Enjoy whatever your health can allow. Accept your physical weakness, limitations, sickness and other physical pains. It is a part of the ageing process.

LOVE YOURSELF
Accept yourself for what and who you are. People, who truly love you, love you for yourself and not for what you have or for what you can give them. Anyone who loves you for what you have will just give you misery.

RETIRE
Enjoy what you are and what you have right now. Stop working hard for what you do not have. If you do not have them, it’s probably too late or not meant for you.

SPOIL YOUR GRANDCHILDREN
Enjoy and spoil your grandchildren (if you are blessed with any), but don’t be their full time babysitter. You have no moral obligation to take care of them. Don’t have any guilt feelings about refusing to baby sit anyone’s kids, including your own grandkids.

Your parental obligation is to your children. After you have raised them into responsible adults, your duties of child-rearing and babysitting are finished. Let your children raise their own offspring.

FORGIVE AND FORGET
Forgive and forget all those who have wronged you. Forgive yourself and others. Forget the slights, hurts, and misfortunes of yesterday. Look towards the future. Enjoy peace of mind and soul.

BEFRIEND DEATH
Don’t be afraid of death. It’s a natural part of our life cycle. Death is the beginning of a new and better life. So, prepare yourself not for death, but for a new life… Life in the Hereafter !

How To Stay YOUNG

1. Throw out non-essential numbers. This includes age, weight and height. Let the doctors worry about them. That is what you pay "them" for !
2. Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down.
3. Keep learning. Learn more about the Quran, computer, crafts, gardening, whatever. Learn a new skill or a new language. Never let the brain idle. "An idle mind is the devil's workshop." And the devil's name is Alzheimer's.
4. Enjoy nature and the simple things in life. Go trekking and camping once in a while.
5. Laugh often, especially at your own faults & mistakes. Laugh until you gasp for breath ... so to speak.
6. The tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person, who is with us our entire life, is ourselves. Be ALIVE while you are alive.
7. Surround yourself with what you love, whether it's family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever. Your home is your refuge.
8. Cherish your health: If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable, improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.
9 Don't take guilt trips. Take a trip to the mall, or even to the next kampong, state or county; to a foreign country but NOT to where the guilt is.
10. Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity.
11. If you're not given the opportunity, create them.
12. Don't just add years to your life, but add LIFE to those years.

= AND ALWAYS REMEMBER =

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

And if you don't send this to at least 8 people - who cares? But do share this with someone. We all need to live life to its fullest each day!!

The CHANGE Success Factors

Successful change-management efforts hinge on four key factors:

a) committed leadership (that means you),

b) a compelling business case for change (which you probably have, but haven't communicated clearly enough or often enough),

c) embedding change into everyone's work, and

d) involving respected employees who can influence others.

As you read this article, take a quick temperature check to see whether your current change initiative is well-baked. It will help you gauge progress toward making your initiative a win and show you where you're falling short. Master these success factors and you'll be well on your way to becoming a master of change.

Factor #1: Active, Committed Leadership

Because employees naturally look to their leaders for direction and listen to what they say, they're sensitive to their superiors' unspoken and understated messages.

For example, if you show up for a meeting and don't seem engaged, your team will sense your apathy. If you don't show enthusiasm for a strategy or project, the team members won't either. They'll look at their own long to-do lists and put the project in the low priority bucket. Can you blame them? If you don't commit, why should they?

There are lots of reasons why you might half-heartedly commit to a plan. More than half of IT executives polled by CIO in 2007 reported being "challenged by an overwhelming backlog of requests and projects" and bemoan the "shortage of time for strategic thinking and planning." So when the heat is on, leaders often choose priorities based on which customer yells the loudest or which project catches the CEO's attention.

The first imperative, then, is to prioritize your change effort. Take the time to look at upcoming initiatives and evaluate their importance against the mission and strategies of the organization. If the initiative under consideration is truly important to the success of the organization, to the leadership team and to you, then make the commitment.

Just like any obligation, tying your knot to a change effort can bring moments of frustration and regret. That's why strategizing and planning up front is critical. That way, when you face one of those inevitable moments of dismay, you'll be firm enough in your resolve to find a way through the challenges and continue to lead the change.

Factor #2: A Clear, Compelling Business Case for Change

Here's a hypothetical question: Which of the following would better motivate you to rearrange your entire schedule for the day?

(A) Your boss says, "Our most important client is coming in from France and we need you at the meeting," or

(B) your boss says, "We need you to look into software as a service; it may help improve our bottom line."

You're probably drawn to A. It's clear, precise, significant and immediate.

Too often, leaders introduce the rationale for their change efforts in murky terms like, "It will help improve our bottom line" and then expect employees to jump to action. Why should they? They don't understand exactly what the project is, how it will help or how it will affect their work.

Workers are more likely to change when the business case is obvious, specific and urgent. You and your implementation team must be able to consistently and compellingly communicate the rationale behind the initiative and the consequences of not changing. Here's an example of a compelling business case:

If the company doesn't upgrade to the new system, it won't be able to process more than 5,000 new customers. And if the company can't keep growing its customer base, we won't be able to keep our doors open.

That's pretty clear: Corporate growth is at stake, and the consequences of not changing will hit the wallets of employees. Business cases like this one get attention.

Not all changes provide such an easily apparent business case. To identify your business case, start by rooting through superficial reasons to get to the real substance of the change. For example, a superficial reason for upgrading to a new system might be because the company has a relationship with the vendor or because "the competition is doing it."

Delving deeper leads you to more meaningful motivations, such as the upgrade leading to customer service improvements that run circles around the competitors' customer service efforts.

Once you've identified the business case, the next step is to anticipate how the change will affect individuals in the organization. Perhaps the change will mean more paperwork, better project execution or fewer irate customers. Helping employees understand these impacts aids them in preparing for change. It also helps you understand how hard you'll need to work and how visible you'll need to be during the process.

For example, if a project will cause significant workflow disruptions or will be perceived as busywork, you'll need to spend more time talking about the business case with employees and setting expectations.

Factor #3: Focus on Embedded Change, Not Programmatic Change

Everyone has a story about a flavor-of-the-month management fad that was abandoned before completion. Going through fire drills for projects that only seem predicated on some business trend the CEO read in an airline magazine is frustrating and draining for employees. Unfortunately, employees have enough negative experiences with aborted initiatives to be cautious when leaders hype a new change.

To avoid the flavor-of-the-month syndrome, your crystal-clear message has to underlie all communications, and you have to work to embed the change into the fabric of the organization.

One way to embed change is by creating goals that are linked to the success of your initiative. Start by making sure that the change supports one of the company's strategic imperatives. (If it doesn't, go back and confirm priorities and commitment with the executive team before your launch.)

Next, identify high-level goals for each business unit supporting the change. From there, continue setting goals until every affected division and department has at least one strategic goal associated with the initiative.

The final step is to embed the initiative in individual employees' work by setting performance goals tied to the initiative. Establish clear objectives on performance reviews that explain what employees need to do to help their departments achieve success.

For example, as part of a continuous improvement strategy, employees may work to "integrate the new CMM processes and procedures into all project work by the end of the year" or participate in the billing redesign working group as a department subject matter expert."

Once you've established individual, departmental and divisional goals, don't forget about them. Too often, goals become part of a musty document that only gets dusted off at the end of Q4. Best-practice companies report regularly (monthly or quarterly) on progress. Critical milestones can be celebrated in order to sustain momentum and enthusiasm during long-term initiatives.

Factor #4: Employee Participation

Remember when you first learned to ride a two-wheeled bike? It took some work to find your balance. You wiped out a few times and scraped some knees. But you did it: You figured out how to steer, brake and fly like the wind down a hill. When you did, you felt exhilarated, proud of yourself and pleased with your accomplishment.

Now compare that experience with how change often works in organizations. Boss A says to Employee B, "Here's the new process. Now go do it." Employee B is then expected to implement.

It's a one-sided conversation that takes ownership away from the people who have to make the change happen. There's little opportunity for Employee B to experience the satisfaction of learning as you did when riding your bike: They don't get to experiment (What if I give it a running start? Maybe I'll fall down less frequently.), refine a process (This works better if I don't brake suddenly.) or experience the thrill of accomplishment (Wow! I figured out how to turn!).

The keyword is : GET THEM INVOLVED !

R U a leader of CHANGE ?

Most of us like to give advice and make decisions, especially if it's going to involve a change in an organization - be it the strategic direction, the management structure or etc. But whether the change you are about to make is effective or not is another story.

For change to be effective, you need to leverage the basics of human behavior. Use your employees' innate desires to shape change, give advice and make decisions by engaging them (your staff) in planning and implementation. People enjoy being part of changes that they create.

There are many ways to engage staff in change, and every situation will require a different combination of methods. Make sure to use multiple mechanisms since each will provide different opportunities for involvement and different kinds of feedback. Here are six suggestions you can implement:

· Carefully consider the composition of your change implementation team. This group will become your primary implementers. They'll be out front in the organization talking with their peers about the change. Because of this, you should load your team with people who are respected by their peers. Look for the informal leaders in the organization—the ones whom employees naturally seek out for advice, information or support.

· Create an advisory group consisting of influencers in the organization. These employees aren't right for the implementation team because they don't have the right skills or because they're already over-allocated. But they're also ones whom their peers follow and respect. Get the advisory group together to give advice on specific decisions about implementation and approach. You'll benefit from receiving input on key decisions and you'll gain the support of the company's informal leaders.

The caveat with creating an advisory group, of course, is that you have to listen and respond to it. Ignoring advice will do more damage than if you hadn't asked for it in the first place. One way to set yourself up for success with the advisory group is to set expectations early on.

For example, you may commit to the advisory group that you'll give immediate feedback to its ideas in one of three ways:

(1) I agree, we'll do it;

(2) I need more information in order to make a decision on this. Let me get back to you once we have that information; or

(3) That suggestion is helpful, but we can't implement it and here's why.

· Institutionalize periodic, anonymous change surveys. You can use surveys to help gauge how well employees are adopting new behaviors, applying new procedures, integrating change into their daily work or progressing over time. You'll also get hard numbers that show where your initiative is succeeding and where it's falling short.

Crafting survey questions that tease out the information you really need takes time and thought. The best way to proceed is to engage a subject matter expert. You can usually find survey expertise in your company's HR department.

· Conduct periodic pulse groups. Pull employees together in small, cross-functional groups to discuss successes and challenges associated with the corporate initiative. This gives you access to the buzz surrounding your project as well as information you can use to help prioritize next steps. An added benefit is that pulse groups help break down organizational silos by bringing together staff that normally wouldn't interact.

Before you start your groups, however, think about whether you'll need a facilitator. You'll want one if you suspect that people will be reluctant to speak openly, if you'll have difficulty drawing them out, or if you simply want to listen rather than manage a discussion.

· Ask managers to hold periodic feedback sessions. In these sessions, managers bring their direct reports together for frank discussions about what's working and what isn't relative to the change. After giving employees a chance to vent, managers refocus them on problem solving by asking for suggestions on ways to make the change more effective.

Follow up the feedback sessions with a manager meeting in which they identify the themes they heard from employees and give their own feedback. Use these ideas to revise your change plan and tweak your implementation activities.

· Create a process improvement structure if your change initiative is particularly complex. Good structures prevent ideas from falling through the cracks or being adopted haphazardly. An improvement process might look like this:

(1) Employee sends the idea to the review group.

(2) The review group conducts an impact analysis of the idea and decides whether to implement it.

(3) The review group communicates its decision to the employee. For change management "extra credit," publicize adopted ideas to show how you are listening to employees and adapting the initiative to their feedback.

After all, engaging employees now is much easier (and more pleasant) than forcing them to change later on.

Now you should have a sense of what areas need work. With a little focus and effort in these areas, you too can become a change leader ...

REFERENCE : http://www.partneringresources.com/

IDENTIFYING LIARS

HOW TO TELL WHEN SOMEONE IS LYING ? ANY CLUES ?

Experts say we all lie more that we realize. Furthermore, the more often we tell the same lie, the more we forget that it is a lie. If we repeat it enough, we may even believe that the lie is actually the truth !

Also, the more we tell a particular lie, the better we get at it. A lie is easiest to detect the first time it is told. When we lie, our behavior changes, and normally it is at odds or conflicting with our words. This is true for both spontaneous and prepared lies.

According to the experts who study lying, there are several clues to watch for to determine if someone is lying to you.

FIRST

When someone is telling a prepared lie, they often give unusually brief answers or answer too quickly. Their responses may sound rehearsed. After responding they may nod their head, scratch their body, or rub their hands together.

SECOND

Spontaneous liars also give very brief answers, pause much more than usual, and avoid any discussion of details. They make lots of false starts and reverse direction in their responses. They also make more grammatical errors and use broad terms like “all” and “always.”

It would be very useful to know if and when someone is lying, especially when our work is dealing with people – be it as an administrator or as a lecturer.

ASTHMA - stats & facts

Just how big is the asthma problem? If you think that you are the only one who has asthma, think again …
· Approximately 20 million Americans have asthma.
· Nine million U.S. children under 18 have been diagnosed with asthma.
· More than four million children have had an asthma attack in the previous year.
· More than 70% of people with asthma also suffer from allergies.
· 10 million Americans suffer specifically from allergic asthma.
· The prevalence of asthma increased 75% from 1980-1994.
· Asthma rates in children under the age of five have increased more than 160% from 1980-1994.
· In 2003, there were 12.7 million physician office visits and 1.2 million outpatient department visits due to asthma.
· There were 1.9 million asthma-related visits to emergency departments in 2002.
· There are approximately 5,000 deaths from asthma annually.
· Direct health care costs for asthma in the United States total more than $11.5 billion annually; indirect costs (lost productivity) add another $4.6 billion for a total of $16.1 billion.

Prescription drugs represented the largest single direct medical expenditure, over $5 billion.
· 12.8 million school days are missed annually due to asthma.
· The value of reduced productivity due to death represented the largest single indirect cost related to asthma, approaching $1.7 billion.
· Asthma accounts for approximately 24.5 million missed work days for adults annually.
· Asthma prevalence is 39% higher in African Americans than in whites.
· The prevalence of asthma in adult females was 35% greater than the rate in males, in 2003.
· Approximately 40% of children who have asthmatic parents will develop asthma.

SOURCE : www.asthmainformationguide.com

Famous people with ASTHMA

Some asthmatics blamed their failures and lack of success due to asthma and their asthmatic conditions. Yes, asthma is dangerous, and I guess many people already know about that. But, being an asthmatic is no excuse for "not" making it in life or being un-successful.

Here is a listing of a few celebrities and famous people with asthma but still made a successful life out of it, and we hope they would inspire you to make yours too :-

Charles Dickens, the famous author was an asthmatic.
John F. Kennedy, the 35th US President was suffering from asthma
Beethoven, the greatest musician of all times was an asthmatic
Antonio Vivaldi, another popular musician was an asthmatic
Christopher Reeve, the man who played Superman was an asthmatic
Swimmer Nancy Hogshead won three gold medals at Olympics 1984 in spite of being an asthmatic

From the current generation of celebrities and famous people, Lindsay Lohan, Elizabeth Taylor, Dennis Rodman, Ricki Lake, Coolio and even Bill Clinton reportedly suffers from asthma.

The point of talking about these celebrities is that all said and done, having or suffering from asthma is not something you can change, but let that not be a deterrent, we hope that these celebrities and famous people can inspire you to find your own success - asthma or no asthma.

ASTHMA : natural herbal remedies

Natural herbal remedies and techniques for asthma can keep your asthma in check and offer relief when you get an asthma attack. Here are a few natural approaches to try next time you get an asthma attack or need relief using herbal remedy for asthma instead of regular medicines. Unlike the medicines, natural herbal remedies for asthma are safe and have no side-effects, which make them ideal.

Garlic Juice: Extract juice from garlic. Mix 10 – 15 drops in warm water and take internally for quick asthma relief.

Mix, ¼ cup onion juice, honey 1 tablespoon and black pepper 1/8 tablespoon.
Mix licorice and ginger together. Take ½ tablespoon in 1 cup of water for relief from asthma.

Drink a glass of 2/3 carrot juice, 1/3 spinach juice, 3 times a day.

Add 30-40 leaves of Basil in a liter of water, strain the leaves and drink the water throughout the day effective for asthma.

Ginger, turmeric, black pepper cumin can be grounded together and mixed with honey to create a paste. A teaspoon a day of this mixture is very useful in keeping the chest clear.

Applying balm of Gilead, eucalyptus oil, cinnamon oil or clove oil to the chest and back also helps in better breathing. It is important that the essential oils are mixed with a base oil - sesame would be the best for those with dry or infection type asthma or mustard for those with congestion type asthma.

In addition to the above techniques, treatments and herbal recipes, different countries have adopted different herbal and natural remedies and treatments for treating and controlling asthma. The following is a compilation of such natural remedies and treatments that are available for controlling asthma and it's effects.

PERU

As per the Indians in Peru, the sap of the Peruvian balsam tree is very effective for asthma. The sap syrup is made which is reddish brown in color and is known to be valuable for the treatment of the respiratory ailments.

U.K. & Britain

As per the British, the syrup made from thin onion slices soaked in honey if taken 3-4 times daily improves the asthmatic condition. The other remedy used by them is the bark and leaves of ginkgo tree which is known to be effective for allergic sneezing and asthma.

Australia & Malaysia

Here Eucalyptus oil is used to relieve patients suffering from respiratory ailments and asthma. The leaves contain rutin, a bioflavonoid that can reduce inflammation in bronchial tubes. You can make a simple eucalyptus infusion by steeping a handful of fresh or dried leaves for 20 minutes in a quart of boiling water. You need to breathe the vapors of the steaming tea or drink it in small doses. It is advisable to dilute the eucalyptus oil in water before using it.

Egypt

Egyptian natural therapists regularly recommend figs, grapes, or juniper fruits as effective asthma remedies

China

Chinese use tea leaves, which contain theophylline, which is an effective herbal asthma reliever. They stir fry ephedra roots in honey and mix them with apricot kernels as effective reliever for asthma.

Greece & Rome

Ancient Greeks and Romans used garlic, pepper, cinnamon, and vinegar as effective remedies for asthma. As per them these pungent foods can promote watery secretions in the nose and respiratory tract, which help to clean out clogged passages.

Other traditional remedies like freshwater fish, parsley, mint, watercress, fenugreek, radishes, quinces, raisins, or barley porridge are also used extensively. Many of these foods control inflammation of the airways by thinning mucus, dilating passageways and improving the ability of the respiratory system to function by providing vitamins and minerals.
The Greeks also recommend tea made of fennel seeds, which provides relief not only from the symptoms of asthma but also from many other respiratory ailments. Fennel contains rutin, and vitamins and minerals including calcium and potassium.

Europe and Canada

Here drinking two 8 oz cups of strong brewed coffee is recommended as a common remedy for asthma. It is said to provide relief within an hour or two and lasts for about 6 hours. But, in order to work, the coffee should be used only in controlled manner as a medicine, to prevent or alleviate an attack. Too much of coffee, will develop an insensitivity to its effects. Methylated xanthines are found in coffee, tea, and chocolate, and are diuretics as well as bronchodilators.

SOURCE : www.asthmainformationguide.com

COMMON TRIGGERS & CAUSES OF ASTHMA

"How does it all started ?" "When was my first asthma attack?" To be frank, I'm not quite sure myself. It's quite difficult to pin-point when exacly the first attack was. But I remember vaguely that it was winter time back in the late 1985. I was in the final year of my studies at Indiana State University (ISU), Terre Haute.

From my South 7th St. Apartment, I saw a couple of Mek Salleh and Pak Hitam jogging in the snow. I thought if they can do it why not me ? Having so bored stuck in the apartment alone in a cold winter morning, I put on my jogging attire complete with hood, snow cap & mufflers. Everything was ok then.

I only discovered I had asthma only in 1992 (during one of those bad haze experienced by Malaysia). This was after a very bad attack that left me extremely breathless and I had to be hospitalized. I never realized before that I had asthma. Since then, everytime I get a cold or flu, I will feel breathless and develop slight wheezing.

When come to think about it, I guess the cold air from the Indiana snow could have triggered my first asthma attack. I guess the "breathing apparatus" for Americans and Asians were made differently. Even our noses were constructed differently !

Anyway, there are various substances or situations that are known to cause or provoke asthma, these causes are called the triggers of asthma. The common ones are:

Airborne Allergens - Allergens like pollen grains, animal fur, feathers, animal dander, animal saliva, urine (particularly that of dogs, cats and horses), dust mites, cockroaches, moulds

Airborne Particles - Flour, chalk dust, wood dust, coal dust, talcum powder, grains, coffee

Air Pollutants - Cigarette smoke, wood smoke, chemicals in air, sulphur dioxide, diesel particles, ozone, haze

Alcohol, Artificial Fibres, Cold, flu, sinusitis, viral infection, Cosmetics - cintronella oil
Drinks like tea, Dyes

Food like cow’s milk, eggs, wheat, cheese, yeast, nuts, fish, pork, corn, apple, asparagus, avocado, bamboo shoots, barley, buckwheat, carrot, celery, chickpea, currants, lentil, melon, onion, pea, peanuts, potatoes, soya, strawberries. Food Additives like food colors, preservatives, antioxidants. Herbs/Spices like aniseeds, coriander, cumin, garlic, mint, oregano, rosemary, tarragon.

Insect Stings, Latex, Medication like the following given medicines: Aspirin, Non steroidal anti inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen, Beta-blocker that are used to treat heart diseases, high blood pressure, migraine headaches. Contraceptive pills containing estrogen, Hormone Replacement Therapies.

Occupational Exposure to substances like adhesives, animal and insects, azodicarbonamide, drug Manufacture, Dyes such as carmine, flour, grain coffee beans, ipecacuanha, ispaghula, metals like aluminium, cobalt, chrome, nickel, platinum salts and stainless steel.

Proteolytic Enzymes - in baking, meat tenderizing and detergent manufacturing, Soldering Flux, wood dust, Plants, Salicylates.

Strong Smells like perfumes, household cleansers, cooking fumes (frying), paints, varnish, strong smelling flowers.

Exercise mainly in winters, Sudden temperature and humidity changes (extreme weather)

NOTE: The ones highlighted in bold red are the common TRIGGERS of my past asthma attacks.

For more info pls visit http://www.asthmainformationguide.com/

ASTHMA and Physical Activities

You might remember a time when kids who had asthma were discouraged from playing sports and told to sit under the tree and take it easy, while others were having fun running and chasing around on the fields.

That's no longer the case. Being active, working out, and playing sports actually does more than help a child with asthma to stay fit, maintain a healthy weight, and have fun - it can actually strengthen a child's breathing muscles and help the lungs work better.

For these reasons, doctors may recommend exercise as part of the asthma treatment plan. If you have doubts about whether sports and asthma can mix, consider all the professional and Olympic athletes who have asthma. Do you know that in 1996, nearly 17% of U.S. Olympic athletes had asthma ? and 30% of them won medals !! On a personal note, I think asthmatics are natural born fighters ...

There are two important points to know about sports participation if you are an asthmatic :
First, your asthma must be under control in order for you to perform or play sports properly. When your asthma is well controlled, then you can and should be active and play sports just like anyone else.

Of course, some sports are less likely to pose problems than others for people with asthma. Swimming, leisurely biking, and walking are less likely to trigger asthma, as compared to sports that require short bursts of activity like baseball, football, basketball, gymnastics, and shorter track and field events.

Endurance sports like long-distance running and cycling, mountain trekking and climbing which require extended energy output, may be more challenging. This is especially true for cold-weather sports like cross-country skiing or ice hockey. But that doesn't mean one cannot participate in these sports if one truly enjoys them.

In fact, many athletes with asthma have found that, with proper training and medication, they can participate in any sports they choose. To keep asthma under control, it's important that you take your medicine as prescribed. Skipping controller medication can make symptoms worse, and forgetting to take a prescribed medication before exercise can lead to severe flare-ups and even emergency department visits. Asthmatics should carry “rescue medication” (left pic) at all times, even during workouts, in case of a flare-up.

Secondly, it's also a good idea to keep triggers in mind. Please check out my other blog postings on types of TRIGGERS. Depending on your triggers, you may want to:

• Skip outdoor workouts when pollen or mold counts are high.
• Wear a scarf or ski mask when training outside during the winter or cold weather.
• Make sure you always have time for a careful warm up before and cool down after each heavy physical activity.

THE BOTTOMLINE IS : IF YOU HAVE ASTHMA, THEN FACE IT. LEARN TO CONTROL YOUR ASTHMA AND NOT LET ASTHMA CONTROLS YOU. KNOW THE TRIGGERS AND TAKE THE NECCESSARY PRECAUTIONS ! ... and don't whine, I hate whiners !

The hikmah of SUJUD

As the azan from the masjids echoes in the sky, the faithful make their way to answer to the call to prayer. Wuduk is taken and they congregates in obedience to perform the obligatory daily prayers or solat.

Every movement of the solat from the takbir, ruku’ and sujud are carefully recorded by the malaikat or angels surrounding each mukminin and mukminat. The ones who benefit most from these prayers are the ones who dutifully and sincerely perform them.

The sujud or prostration is the action most focused upon by many of the ulamak for it signifies 2 things – the physical aspect of sujud which is done in prayer as well as the spiritual act of recognizing the Oneness of Allah.

It is said that the time of sujud is the best time of supplication for it is at this point when the person is closest to his Creator. It is also at this juncture where the slave feels humble in front of the Almighty and all forms of arrogance and pride are diminished. This is the reason why Rasulullah himself made lengthy prostrations which his sahabah observed and followed suit.

At the time of the sujud, while reciting "SUHANA RABBIYAL A'ALA WA BIHAMDIH" (How Perfect My Lord Is, The Most High, And I Praise You) one experiences calmness of the self as the oxygen and the blood supply to the brain increases.

Medical records have also proven that prostration is the only physical act where every part of our brain receives a maximal supply of blood. Thus, it refreshes one’s mind and helps to activate the brain cells.

Now you know why the ulamak have the sharpest minds and strongest memory to store all the knowledge that has been passed down to them. Other hikmah of sujud include :

• Helping to improve the respiratory system and clear the lungs from excessive fluids
• Strengthening the pelvic bones as well as the uterus
• Being a natural analgesic (painkiller) for it eases pain especially for those who are slowly recovering from appendicitis
• The rhythmic movements of going down to sujud and sitting upright again relaxes the muscles around the shoulders, chest, neck as well as the stomach, helping to strengthen them and improve their elasticity
• Studies have shown that the act itself helps breakdown fat in the body especially in the stomach
• Inducing sleep

Mathematically speaking : Each Muslims performs the 5 obligatory solat/day (not counting the solat sunnat which is encouraged but not obligatory). And each solat has various number of rakaat with Subuh 2 rakaat, Dzohor 4 rakaat, Asar 4 rakaat, Maghrib 3 rakaat and Isyak 4 rakaat, which totals up to 17 rakaat/day. If there’re 2 sujud for each rakaat, then multiplying 17 by 2 = 34 sujuds/day.

Of course, the most important issue of all when it comes to sujud is concentration, and complete submission to Allah, not just how many times you sujud per day. The intention should always be to perform it solely for the sake of Allah and not for any other purpose.

As with other ibadah, everything that has been ordained in the Quran and Sunnah has tremendous benefit if we do it sincerely. The next time your forehead touches the prayer mat, remember the immense goodness sujud brings us in this world as well as in the Hereafter.

It is said that the place of sujud will be raised up with us on the Day of Judgement as proof of our humbleness to the One who is Almighty, Most High and Most Powerful.

MENTOR-MENTEE : how to ?

In most educational institutions today, each new student will be assigned an advisor or mentor who is normally an academic faculty that will help in advising and guiding them on matters pertaining to academic programs through out their stay at college or university.

Similarly in big organizations, a more experienced worker (the mentor) may help the new and less experienced colleague (the mentee) to

• Become more skilled at his/her work
• And/or become more knowledgeable about the organization
• And/or become more effective in setting appropriate career goals.

Sometimes, especially in big corporations, such assistance is formally planned, organized, and supported by the employing company. But more often it takes place on an informal basis.

Regardless of the degree of formality, mentoring almost always involves a more experienced employee (mentor) helping a less experienced employee (mentee) to develop. The relationship between the two workers is a helping relationship and involves the playing of various roles between them.

If you are going to be a mentor, you may prefer to play any one or all of the following mentoring roles. You may assume these as guidelines :

AS AN ADVISOR
Help mentee set and achieve career goals. How ?
Help mentee clarify career interests, competencies and values.
Assist the mentee in setting specific career goals.
Jointly develop strategies for achieving career objectives.

AS A COACH
Help mentee meet job performance norms. How ?
Model exemplary work outputs.
Share effective and efficient performance practices.
Provide feedback regarding the mentee’s job performance

AS AN EXPLAINER
Provide mentee information on policies and procedures. How ?
Inform mentee on the nature of the organization’s culture.
Tutor mentee on how to get things done in the organization.
Assist mentee with routine paper work and procedures.

AS A PROTECTOR
Help mentee avoid costly career mistakes. How ?
Point out things that might reflect negatively on mentee.
Maintain good relationship with mentee and his/her immediate superior.
Agree to a no-fault and win-win conclusion of mentoring relationship.

AS A SPONSOR
Help mentee secure positions and assignments. How ?
Make introductions to influential people in the organization
Make recommendations for assignments and advancement.
Publicly praise the mentee’s accomplishments and abilities.

AS A VALIDATOR
Provide mentee psychological support during transition. How ?
Make mentee feel welcome and a part of the organization.
Serve as a confidant, offering reassurances and encouragement.
Assist the mentee in resolving crisis situations.

Conclusion : COMMON UNDERSTANDING IS IMPORTANT
Important to determine the congruence or similarity between the mentoring roles a mentor most prefer to perform, and the mentoring roles a mentee most prefers their mentor to perform. A common understanding on the expectations from both sides will ensure success and effectiveness of the program.

MENTORING - not for everyone

A BRIEF HISTORY OF MENTORING
It all started in the 19th century when a Greek warrior named Odysseus went to war and left his son Telemachus with a man named Mentor to get guidance and education from him. Mentor was a person of trust, responsible and intelligent who acted as an advisor and guru. Among the popular mentor-mentee are Socrates-Plato, Plato-Aristotle, Aristotle-AlexanderTheGreat, … and in our local scenario MNasir-Mawi !

WHY HAVE A MENTORING PROGRAM ?
A mentoring program develops and protects your most valuable asset, your people. Compared to physical and financial assets, exceptional people are harder to replace. Mentoring promotes cohesion between the senior and junior personnel, thus ensuring company solidarity at all levels.

Perhaps one of the biggest values in mentoring is the transfer of tacit knowledge which cannot be written or stored. Mentoring is the only vehicle in which the experience and knowledge in the heart and mind of a senior manager can be passed to the junior manager effectively. It is a way of keeping alive the invaluable spirit and style of work, even after the flag bearers retire.

Mentors impart not only knowledge but a sense of care and guardianship toward their mentees. The one-on-one time and guidance given to mentees ensure that talented employees get the attention they deserve and are groomed, promoting a feeling of security in the ranks. High performing mentees will see that they are progressing in the right direction and sense real personal growth in the company, resulting in low turn over of high performers.

WHO SHOULD YOU MENTOR ?
A good mentoring program must have an organized process of selecting individuals who should be mentored. Some examples of people who should be mentored (or you risk losing them) are :

• employees with the potential to support strategic company goals
• employees with specialized technical know-how
• career oriented individuals
• personnel with a sense of ownership towards tasks
• high energy talented individuals who are on a fast track and can take more responsibilities.

A good mentor can channel the mentees’ energies, talent and time towards learning new skills and experiences, and see that their needs are fulfilled.

Individuals who lack ambition and energy should not be mentored. However, pay close attention to people who have potential but do not seem to fit, individuals who “are not like the rest of us.” This is usually true of minorities whether ethnic, social or psychological. Individuals who do not easily fit in can feel out of the loop.

Talented valuable individuals can be identified and groomed to bloom through a mentoring program, irregardless of whether he or she seems like everyone else. Implementing a planned mentoring program while taking these factors into account can pave the way to success.

Getting The Best Out Of An Employee

“My subordinate is not performing as expected”, “I don’t know how to motivate my people”, “Why can’t I get my people to feel happy about work ? “

All the above remarks are nothing new in the workplace for supervisors who have to motivate the people who work with them. There are many reasons for having difficulties in motivating employees. Among them are:-
• Lack of knowledge about motivational factors
• Lack of interest, ability and creativity in gathering feedback from employees
• Lack of skills in motivating employees
• Lack of interest in identifying employees personality

How To Be A Good Motivator?

STEP1 : Ascertain How You View Employees
The supervisor must first reflect on how he views employees. Does he view employees following Douglas McGregor’s Theory X which views employees as people who needs close supervision as they are lazy and do not think. On top of that the employees are only interested in money and must be coerced to produce work?

Does the supervisor view employees following Theory Y which views employees as people who like to work and has self control, are creative, mature and their self fulfillment is as important as money.

There also a Theory Z that is expounded by William Ouchi. This theory views employees as people who wants long term employment, collective decision making, has individual responsibility, moderately specialized career path and want holistic concern for their family.

STEP 2 : Find Out What Motivates Your Employee
Knowing and being truthful about how you view employees as a whole will influence the sort of approach that would be used to motivate the employees.

The supervisor must also find out WHAT sort of NEEDS that the employee is looking to fulfill.

A basic source of information for this Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs which outlines that people have 5 levels of needs namely; Basic needs, Security and Safety needs, Belonging Needs, Ego Status Needs and Self Actualization Needs.
Knowing the level of need will help the supervisor to identity the suitable approach to employ. It may be the “Carrot and Stick” approach or the “Growth and Change” approach.

STEP 3 : Employ Some Rules of Motivation At The Workplace
In this step, the supervisor must employ several key rules of motivation in his workplace namely;
• Look for the best in the employee
• Challenge the employee to excel in his job
• Help employees to deal with failures and rejection
• Recognize and applaud the employees achievement
• Give positive and constructive reinforcement
• Build group morale
• Use models to encourage success

Each of these rules, if employed or is practiced at the workplace by the supervisor, they will definitely be able to motivate their employees to achieve the organizational goals. On top of this employees will have a sense of belonging to the organization and this in turn will propel them to higher level of achievement.
In summary, motivating employees is not a one-off exercise nor is it a simple task. It is something that supervisors needs to believe in and worked at continuously. The good news is of course, all these can be learnt. Nothing is impossible. Only you make it impossible!

STRATEGIES ... when riding a "dead horse"

The tribal wisdom of the Dakota Indians, passed on from generation to generation, says that, "When you discover that you are riding a dead horse, the best strategy is to dismount."

However, in government, education, and in the corporate world, more advanced strategies are often employed in such situations, such as:

1. Buying a stronger whip.
2. Changing riders.
3. Appointing a committee to study the horse.
4. Visiting other countries to see how other cultures ride dead horses.
5. Lowering the standards so that dead horses can be included.

6. Re-classifying the dead horse as living-impaired.
7. Hiring outside contractors to ride the dead horse.
8. Harnessing several dead horses together to increase speed.

9. Providing additional funding and / or training to increase dead horse's performance.
10. Doing a productivity study to see if lighter riders would improve the dead horse's performance.
11. Declaring that as the dead horse does not have to be fed, it is less costly, carries lower overhead, and therefore contributes substantially more to the bottom line of the economy than do some other horses.
12. Rewriting the expected performance requirements for all horses.

And of course my favorite …

13. Promoting the dead horse to a supervisory position.