Networking on the Internet or rather, Inter-net-working

Facebook and LinkedIn. These are two of my big finds in 2008.

Karen introduced me to FB in January 2008 - the start of this year. I found LinkedIn not too long after that. A lot of people are hopping on the bandwagon now.

The internet is a big world but the networking parallel between its cyber world and the real world is true.

oh crystal ball, oh crystal ball

"Rooney anticipated the pass," the commentator said excitedly this morning, "got to the ball first and shoots."


"The decision was strategic and right at that time," Yanaka defended. "Who could have foretold that the market conditions would change so drastically."


Who wouldn't love to be able to see the future? That would be money in the bank. We'd all know what stocks to buy and where to purchase real estate. Everything we anticipated would come true.


There was an article in the Straits Times yesterday about a fortune teller reading the palms and predicting the fortunes of some TV celebrities.


There's a difference between anticipation and fortune telling.


Being able to anticipate what is likely to occur in the next few months and the next few years is enough to give you an edge over the 99% others who simply go along with whatever happens.


My sifu once taught me that to hone anticipatory skills, accept nothing. Question everything.


The "what ifs" should be endless. What if my current products doesn't sell? What if my top performer is recruited by the competition? What is the sales leads dry up? I constantly ask "what if" questions.

Don't just think outside the box...there is NO box

"I went for an interview at dell just before Christmas," Fabian told me.

While he was still in university, Michael Dell told his father: "I want to compete with IBM." His father didn't think that was very funny.

I have often found that if I wanted to break from the pack and stand out from the crowd, sometimes I have to risk being perceived to be as eccentric as Michael Dell, Richard Branson, and all these people.

I make a good living building and motivating high performing sales and marketing teams, but I myself have to get busy deciding what lens to look through each day. Talent and training alone may tee-up high performance but they are not sufficient.

What my Christmas prezzies taught me about brand building

I got a bottle of Absolut Vodka from my Secret Santa. My wife got a body shop item. These were amongst some of the prezzies we got.

Absolut and Body shop were great at marketing and brand building. Other great success stories I admire are Nike and Cirque de Soleil. In my line of work, I continually ask myself, "how do I make a stay or meeting at my two hotels I am managing as fun and unpredictable as a contemporary circus.

I learned many years back when I was appointed Brand Champion for Pan Pacific that asking this kind of question allows me to see what business I am really in, or could really be in.

Season Greetings

Here's wishing everyone a smashing Christmas and a great 2009!

Out of balance

My good friend David was diagnosed with a heart condition.

It was a wake-up call for him as it was for me. Lack of balance can kill.

Some of these factors can cause someone to be out of balance and place additional stress.

At work it could mean a new job, lack of support, politics and turf wars, a problem staff, bad boss, not getting results.

On the personal front, it could be marital problems, loss of a loved one, financial difficulties, health problems, parent problems.

These factors can truly cause feelings of being overwhelmed. I realised this: it's time to change and regain the balance necessary for real success both at work and home.

Difference between David and Goliath

"Polaroid has filed for bankruptcy," Albert told me last night.

One of the case studies which I undertook whilst studying was about how Polaroid enjoyed 28 years of monopoly control of the instant photography market until Kodak came along in 1976.

After years with giants like AMEX, Aetna, Hilton, Pan Pacific, Starwood, Meritus, I now work for a relatively small, but fast growing company. After over 1 1/2 years, I realise a major advantage of working in a so-called small company.

A small company can mobilise quickly, change directions in turbulent waters on short notice. That's why the big Titanic sank - because it can't change course quick enough.

Leadership lessons from the school of hard knocks

"Strong leadership qualities", "A leader who knows how to unite a team." These were a couple of written comments from peers and subordinates in my recent performance management process.
A major part of my working life has been spent trying to understand what it really means to be a leader. Academic theories during my MBA days seemed far removed from the challenges I had faced as a leader. A series of life experiences, plus the challenge of lecturing and consulting, led me to blaze a new path.

My experiences in the past 19 months taught me that the very act of doing something concrete creates a sense of momentum. A series of small victories will lay the foundation for eventual success.

We are not superhuman

"This Blackberry should be called a badberry," Chloe murmured.

Pacing is a critical part of sports training. Business leaders, however, get in a cycle of setting impossible expectations of themselves. In addition, often there is an avalanche of e-mails that keeps coming, meetings to attend and more meetings, competitors shifting tactics and we must respond.

Most people confuse working long, hard hours with achieving results.

At the end of the day, we MUST guard our most precious resource: our time.

from left: Selena, Let, LL, Jades, Chloe, Zai

Back to basics

"After my 7th friend supported me and bought my product," Charles recalled, "the going got very tough after that."

In a recent survey amongst outstanding salespeople, there wasn't even 1% who was able to identify the real reason for his/her success. Usually, in trying to pin down the essential ingredients, they talked about luck, connection or hard work.

As a sales leader with over 20 years of battlefield experience, I'd say that relying on luck, connection or hard work isn't a reliable tool in a world that's riddled with change and as competitive as what it is today.

I'd say that success in sales depends on a clearly defined, professional sales methodology - knowing what you are doing and why.
With Salleh on a lunch cruise down Sydney harbour in the course of duty

From prospect to customer to advocate

"You are my guru...publish the PERCs" posted Melissa.

"Paul, great blog - keep it up!" Augie wrote.

"Truly enjoying your articles on PEr Chronicles," Elly wrote on my wall in Facebook.

Unsolicited testimonials are probably the strongest form of advertising whether it's my blog or my business or anything else.

My former SVP at Aetna taught me the golden rule of marketing: cross-sell, up-sell, re-sell. Have more customers, have your customers buy more often, have your customers buy more (in quantity, or higher rated products)

In our everyday lives, we are at one time or another either a prospect, a customer or an advocate. The businesses that succeed in pleasing us the most will receive the most transactions from us.

This is the vital area I always work towards: create a loyal customer base - convert occassional buyers into our biggest fans

ACE and I simply love the luge at Sentosa and we go around telling people about it

Don't be fooled. No one has all the answers

"I know one person can't do everything and solve every problem," Abhisit, the new Thai PM acknowledged.

It's hard not to be impressed with business leaders who continually dazzle us with the speed with which they can home in on what's really important.

But over the years, I found out that in a world where business conditions are constantly changing, no one can "have all the answers" for long. Worse, I have worked for some of these leaders who, because they need to feel that they already have all the answers, they have no way to learn new answers.

I don't pretend to know everything. That's why I surround myself with quality people.

Jolene and Nadeem following the leader with a little support from (left) Stephie, Let, Jades, Grace, Elly

With a little kindness

"All you need is love," chorused the Dim Sum Dollies at their Another Crazy Christmas gig last evening. "Love is all you need."

The real world can be cold, unforgiving landscapes - at times quite inhospitable.

There are people is high positions who have conveniently forgotten that there was a time when they were someplace else, isolated and alone. Some people forget where they came from. Boy, have I got news for you: only grave diggers start from the top. Show a little compassion, you little people.

No, I'm not going soft. It's still big-dog-eat-little-dog in pursuit of a piece of business. But there's no reason why the office or home environment could not encourage more civility and humility.

Make it piecemeal

"Be bright. Be brief. And then be gone," Erhard admonished the excom members.

Just do it. Nike's purpose were boiled down by their ad agency into these 3 words. The agency created an award-winning and sales-increasing campaign based on 3 simple words.

I have 3 Americans in my office. The essence of everything USA stands for is down to 1 word: freedom.

As a leader, I constantly work on the skill of identifying, articulating and summarising concepts that motivate others. Most important, I try to drill and break down concepts down to an understandable idea.

The worst thing to do in a negotiation

Shops such as Guess, Polo Jeans and Timberland at Raffles City had the "sale" sign on them last Saturday when I was there.

People like bargains.

Much of the retail trade plays on this desire for bargains. "Save 20%" shouts the ad. And it works. Sometimes it makes people buy on impulse. In effect they are not saving 20% at all - they are dissaving 80%.

But they are happy because they believe they have paid less than they would have done if they'd bought it outside the sale period.

I am a negotiator. We negotiators expect to negotiate. A first offer accepted without a haggle undermines our confidence in both the deal and ourselves.

That's the golden rule in negotiation and sales: never accept the first offer.

Fun at work

"If you have fun at work," EH said to me, "it's not work anymore."

Too many people I know wake up every morning wishing they were doing some other type of job. They aren't happy.

That's why I try to make going to work as much fun as I can for my team. I want them to enjoy their jobs. Happy employees are productive employees.

Work should be fun. If it's not, it's just work.

Shirley and Titin having fun at work

The wave from left: Chloe, Jolene, Grace, Stephie, Nadeem

Laughter the best medicine

"You made me laugh till I cried," Irene said. "You are so humorous."

I am a public speaker. Whether it's on stage, in a pub with friends, or over a dinner table, people are impressed by one's ability to tell jokes.

Think of the last time someone told you a joke that made you burst out laughing. Where you couldn't control your laughing. How did you feel after?

Research shows that those who have trouble with laughing at life often turns to drugs and alchohol to acheive the same feeling.

The bottom line? - laughter is said to to be the best medicine. Humour heals.

Carry some pixie dust around

Tigger with wings and a star and Mickey in a glass ball are perched high on top of my Christmas tree.

Since my toddler days, watching Mickey Mouse on TV; to my young adult days, emerging from The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror; to my parenthood days, seeing my kid's excitement on Buzz Lightyear's Astro blaster - each is a magical moment.

Walt Disney's fundamentals for success still ring true. Build the best product. Give people effective training to support the service delivery. Learn from experiences. Celebrate success. Never stop growing. Never stop believing.

Chances are good that you, like me, are not working in a theme park like Disneyland. But if you are working in sales and marketing like me, here's a fact: superlative interpersonal service is crucial.

It means paying close attention to every aspect of your customer contact. It means analyzing from the other person's perspective, understanding their needs.

Using the Balanced Scorecard

"If you can't measure, you can't manage," Douglas pointed out. Wilson echoed the message.

I have had experience working with the Balanced Scorecard in my days with Pan Pacific and Meritus Mandarin. Today, I draw on my own experience and from the willing cooperation of many friends at a variety of companies to introduce it at my present organisation.

Our role as leaders is to lay tracks so that our staff may follow. With the right tracks laid we can stay focused and not get lost. Solid tracks mean that we can build up speed.

I find the Balanced Scorecard very useful to help me communicate to everyone a clear picture of the purpose of his/her work.

Appraising myself

I spent a good part of today walking around Mid Valley Megamall in KL. It was jammed packed with shoppers.

If you are a canny shopper, chances are you evaluate the merchandise before you buy. I constantly try to appraise myself too.

How do I go about doing this?

A house appraiser would check the foundation, overall square footage, wiring, etc. Everything has a value - number of rooms, even the neighbourhood the house is in.

There were times in the past when I envied the impressive facade of the businessman, but I could not relate myself to their success. I wasn't in their "neighbourhood"

Aftermuch self-searching I have now found my unused wings and I now stand poised with confidence and enthusiasm, ready to use those wings.

Loving her and getting loved back

"He just flops over to his side and sleeps," Stephie laments. "He is the only one who gets the satisfaction out of it."

There are many things a man can do to express his love. As far as I can remember, as I did that, I found it mutually therapeutic.

Try and try again

"Be like a stamp," Charlie said. "Stick to it until you get there."

Determination is what keeps us hammering away.

I have always possessed the stamina and courage to pursue my ambitions despite criticism, ridicule or unfavourable circumstances. In fact discouragement only serves to spur me on to greater things.

One day at a time

"Hang on in there," Lawrence said empathetically. "Time heals all wounds."

It sounds good, but it is not true. Time heals nothing.

I remember vividly a time in my youth when I was hurting...time only magnified the pain. Days and weeks went by, and the agony hung on. The hurting won't go away, no matter what the calendar said.

Fast forward to me in my forties. I understand now that happiness is not living without pain or hurt - not at all. True happiness is learning how to live one day at a time, in spite of all the sorrow and pain.

Don't waste time with self-pity

"Life is not fair, so get used to it," Steve boomed. "If life is fair, we'll all be earning the same salary."

There may be times when we do most of the work and yet someone else gets the credit. We work twice as hard as the person next to us, and we know we're twice as smart, and yet we earn only half the money that he/she does.

But anytime I am tempted to whine and pity myself because I was certain that my troubles and problems are far more terrible than anyone else's misfortunes, I only have to turn on the TV or read the papers about the senseless attacks in Mumbai....and imagine how the families and loved ones of the deceased would feel.

Love is blind? Think again

"Love is blind," Vincent proclaimed.

Really? Consider again.

The lover has a finer sense and more acute vision and sees, in the person of his affection, a hundred virtues and charms invisible to all other eyes.

So I conclude: love is not blind. It is the people who are not in love who are blind


Only the maidens who are in love can see the beauty in the beast