Don't just hope...decide

"My best friend, Patrick, called me a couple of days ago. ""Are you free to meet up tonight," he enquired. It's been such a long time since we last connected."

Brother Pat as I addressed him has been a colleague and friend since 1987.

Great relationships don't come to those who hope for them. Hope is worthless unless coupled with real effort. Great relationships belong to those who decide to put in the effort and make them a priority.

Five-O

I turn 50 tomorrow, which is young for a tree, mid-life for an elephant and ancient for a footballer. Last week I was in New York and there are 50 states in the United States of America. The TV show Hawaii Five-O is so called because Hawaii is the last (50th) of the states to officially become a state.

The percentage (50%) equivalent to one half, so that the phrase "fifty-fifty" commonly expresses something divided equally in two; in business this is often denoted as being the ultimate in equal partnership. Nowadays there are also 50 shades of grey.

Fifty is supposed to be my dad's age, it is not the number that I was prepared to have hung on me, but now I am stuck with these elevated digits and everything they mean.

A youth-and-beauty-worshipping culture dominates Singapore, where what is "new" is generally presumed to be better than what is "old". Hence it is more important to maintain physical and mental fitness. Our sunset may lack some of the brightness of our sunrise, but it has its own special beauty if we learn to see and appreciate its possibilities.

President Reagan was re-elected to a second four-year term in 1984, when he was 73 years-old.

The essential ingredients for a fulfilling life in the vintage years are the same for young and old. Love, friendship, a feeling of connectedness with others, a sense of humour remain critical to our sense of well-being. As time goes by, we should not forget the redemptive power of smiling, laughing and hugging. The secret to happiness - I read somewhere - is having something to do, something to look forward to and someone to love...

 

Honest communication build trust

"We definitely got played out and taken for a ride by Donald," Minte said matter of factly in her bbm.

Honest communication build trust. It is not so bad to be lied to. The bigger problem is my loss of ability to believe in you.

Who do you trust more, firemen or real estate agents? Librarians or lawyers? Nurses or sales people? The perception is that firemen and nurses care for others by nature or their jobs. But we wonder if the salesperson really has our best interests in mind. Those who are trusted are candid, transparent and authentic.

Leadership is like exercise

Several old acquaintances commented lately that I have lost weight.

Good leadership is like exercise. We do not see any improvement to our bodies with day-to-day comparisons. It's only when we compare pictures of ourselves over a period of weeks or months that we can see a stark difference. 

The impact of leadership is best judged over time.

Become the leaders we wish we had

"I can't talk to my ex-boss the way I can talk to you," SW admitted, feeling comfortable enough to share after a year of tenureship.

Every single employee is someone's son/daughter. Parents work to offer their children a good life, a good education. Those parents then hand their children over to a company with the hope the leaders of that company will exercise the same love and care as they have.

This is what it means to be a leader....it's like being a parent...to treat people like family and not mere employees. As leaders, it is our sole responsibility to pristine the care of our people, and in turn, our people will care for each other nd advance the organization together. And in doing so, we become the leaders we wish we had.

Raising ACE

I wished ACE "Happy Birthday" 5 minutes before midnight on 6 May. I was 5 minutes away from missing out the chance to wish him on his birthday. That devastated me!!!

When I was a proud new papa holding my little bundle of joy in my arms 15 years ago, it was difficult to imagine that someday that little package of helplessness could be 1.75m, 55kg who would speak chemistry, philosophy and correct my grammatical errors.

Raising a kid is not an easy trip by any stretch of the imagination, but it sure is fun, exciting and tremendously rewarding.

 

How to measure human character

"Steve behaved very badly. He constantly talks down on the wait staff,"CT reported upon arriving back from Shanghai

I had to admit it, but there was a time in my early life that I, too, persistently leave others feeling demeaned and de-energised.

Now, as I know, the difference between how a person treats the powerless versus the powerful is as good a measure of human character. To me, when a person is persistently warm and civilised toward people who are of unknown or lower status, it means he/she is a decent human being.