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It’s Time to Prioritize Mental Health in the Workplace

September 25, 2024

Mark your calendars—World Mental Health Day is on October 10th, 2024! As a business leader or HR professional, you’re likely feeling the squeeze of tight budgets and ever-growing KPIs. But here’s the good news: promoting mental well-being doesn’t have to break the bank, and it can actually boost those KPIs. Intrigued? Read on!

Here are 7 creative ways to boost your employees’ mental health—without needing a corporate spa retreat:

1. Find Your Mental Health Champions
Recruit volunteers to serve as mental health ambassadors. They’ll be your in-house advocates, creating a supportive environment—kind of like the office superheroes, minus the capes.

2. Spread Positive Vibes (Literally)
Post uplifting messages and mental health tips around the office—think pantries, restrooms, hallways…anywhere employees are likely to see them. Google has a treasure trove of these; feel free to borrow!

3. Make Mental Health Fun with a Quiz
Yes, you read that right—competitions can be good for mental health too. Host a mental health quiz with simple prizes. It’s a little counterintuitive, but hey, who doesn’t love a challenge?

4. Schedule ‘Protected Time’ for a Mental Break
Dedicate an hour each week where employees can do anything from closing their eyes to taking a walk or stretching. Think of it as “productive downtime”—because a well-rested brain works wonders.

5. Educate, Educate, Educate
Mental health awareness is key. Bring in trainers if you can, or encourage self-learning through AI tools and Google searches. Knowledge is power, after all.

6. Create a Peer Support Network
Set up a peer support group where employees facing similar challenges can share experiences and resources. Sometimes, knowing you’re not alone makes all the difference.

7. Foster Team Bonding
Organize activities that help employees connect. Go beyond coffee and snacks—try nature walks, art jamming, or even volunteering together. Teamwork makes the dream work, after all.

So, which of these ideas will you run with this October? We’d love to hear from you!

In order to support you and your organization for World Mental Health Day, we are happy to offer you a special one time 15% discount for the following mental wellness workshops:

Stop Worrying and Start Living: Take that Stress off Immediately
Peak Performance for the Busy Executive: Strategies for Thriving and Succeeding Under Pressure
Tidying up your home and office with the KonMari Method ®
Practicing Self-compassion for Performance through Art

Nurturing Employee Mental Wellness

September 8, 2023September 8, 2023

10 Oct is World Mental Wellness Day. (Yes, we know it is a little early to talk about this now.) If you’re working with limited resources or budget constraints, you can still make a significant impact by sharing these essential insights with your team.

World Mental Wellness Day serves as a reminder that mental health is an integral part of overall well-being. As leaders, you have the power to influence and support your team’s mental wellness journey. You can create a work environment that fosters resilience and mental well-being. Embrace this opportunity to make a difference that extends far beyond the workplace.

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3 Strategies to Improve Your Current Situation

They say … when life gives you lemons, make lemonade! Unfortunately, if you are going through a rough patch now, you might not be able to garner enough energy or resources to make a change immediately. You might not even be able to imagine having a lemonade because you are overwhelmed by the sourness of the lemon. Here are 3 strategies to help you improve your situation – wherever you are right now.

Problem-Solving: Unveiling Practical Solutions
Identify the root cause(s) of your challenge. By pinpointing this cause, you can explore potential solutions. For instance, you might be consistently stressed due to tight deadlines. How can you solve this? Can the workload be better distributed? Alternatively, you can break down tasks and set mid-term milestones. Is additional training required to enhance efficiency? If the cause cannot be entirely eliminated, is there anything you can do to minimize its impact? This might involve time management techniques, regular breaks, or seeking assistance from colleagues.

Managing Emotions: Techniques for Emotional Wellbeing
Emotions are a fundamental aspect of the human experience, and managing them can significantly contribute to your mental wellness. The first step is to acknowledge your emotions. Next, explore various ways to manage them. Activities like journaling provide an outlet for emotions and introspection. Openly communicate by confiding in trusted friends or family members. Additionally, engaging in hobbies and activities unrelated to the stressor can serve as healthy distractions. You might also find solace in practicing mindfulness, meditation or engaging in regular physical exercise. In cases where emotions become overwhelming, professional help should always be an option without stigma.

Changing Perception: Cultivating Positive Outlooks
A crucial aspect of mental wellness is the ability to perceive challenges in a constructive light. You may consider shifting your perspective on difficult situations. Even in the face of adversity, search for silver linings. Sometimes, challenges provide opportunities for growth and development that may not be immediately apparent. Ask yourselves whether the current challenge might yield positive outcomes in the future or teach valuable lessons. For example: A person facing a project setback might realize that the experience has improved adaptability and creativity, which are valuable assets for future endeavors.

Discover the True Colours of Your Team, Turning Differences into Strength!

May 5, 2023May 5, 2023

In the era of AI and robots, do you want to experience a different way of

1) getting to know yourself and others?
2) building a team and strengthening relationships?
3) enhancing communication and resolving differences?

Let me introduce the Jigsaw Discovery Tool (JDT).

Researched in the UK, JDT is now a popular tool around the world. Check us out at https://jigsawdiscovery.com/! Alternatively, if you need more information, simply let us know by replying to this mail and we will be happy to email you a write up of the tool, a partial client list and some pictures of our recent workshops.

Our clients have been benefiting from this tool since 2012. They include Phoenix Contact, Criteo, LEGO, Wing Tai, Bosch, Silicon Labs, and Raffles Institution, just to name a few.

We will be conducting a JDT showcase cum workshop, specially for you:

Venue: 101 Defu Lane 10
Date: Friday, 12 May 2023, from 10.00am to 12.30pm
We offer 1 complimentary seat to each organisation. The second can join us at a subsidized rate of S$45.
*Terms and conditions apply*

Newton’s Laws of Management

March 28, 2023March 28, 2023

Many of us studied Newton’s Laws of Motion in school. But do you know that these laws apply to management too? This is especially important if you are already a leader, manager, or supervisor.

(Okay, I am stereotyping but I do not intend to be offensive to anyone. This is just for laugh. Relax! We hope by explaining these management nuggets using Newton’s laws helps you remember them better too!)

Newton’s First Law

If a body is at rest or moving at a constant speed in a straight line, it will remain at rest or keep moving in a straight line at constant speed unless it is acted upon by an external force.

What does it mean for managers?

If you have a lazy or unmotivated employee, your employee will remain lazy or unmotivated until you (or someone) do something about it. Nothing happened until someone does something! People do not change by themselves. This is also called the Law of Inertia.

For this reason, you need to be proactive. Be the change agent. Never wait for things to happen.

Newton’s Second Law

Force(F) = mass(m) x acceleration(a)

m = the seniority (rank) of the person within the organization

a = rate of change

What does it mean for managers?

1) The more senior an employee is, the larger the magnitude of the force required for the same amount of change.

2) In change management, you need to get senior management’s buy-in and get senior management to initiate the change. In another word, if the change were to come from the top, the force will be bigger and hence higher chance of succeeding.

3) The same (magnitude of) force that applied to a senior, when applied to a much junior person, the junior will change much faster. (F being constant, reducing m implies increasing a.)

Newton’s Third Law

For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.

What does it mean for managers?

Whatever you do or say, there is always a reaction – although sometimes the reaction cannot be observed. Just because you can’t see the reaction, it does not mean it is not there. (When you push against the wall, there is also an equal opposite reaction from the wall that you can’t see.)

Your challenge as a manager is to see beneath the surface and hear what is not being said. At times, your staff may not react physically or verbally. But there could still be an emotional reaction. Hence, be attentive!

5 Easy but Meaningful Ways to Celebrate International Women’s Day at the Workplace

March 1, 2023March 2, 2023

8th Mar is International Women’s Day, a day dedicated to honoring the social, economic, cultural, and political progress of women. The campaign theme this year is #EmbraceEquity. It is a reminder for us to continue to challenge gender stereotypes and bias, call out discrimination, and promote inclusion.

As a business leader, what can you do to celebrate this important day? Here are 5 simple but meaningful ideas for you and your team on 8th Mar.

1) Send an email to your team to educate them. (You will be surprised, many still do not know much about International Women’s Day.) Tell them why you believe this day is important and what are your thoughts and feelings. This is also an opportunity to share how #EmbracingEquity aligns with the organization or your personal values.

2) Do you know women are more likely to be asked to organize a staff gathering than men? Women are more likely to clear up a messy office table after a meeting. Look out for these silent contributors in your organization. Do something to recognize and thank them.

3) Organise a social media challenge – get everyone to post something on social media about the achievements of women. Who are the role models who are women – Mother Teresa, Marie Curie, Florence Nightingale? Alternatively, name a woman who has influenced you – a teacher, mentor, friend, or your mom. In what way has this person impacted or even inspired you? Create a hashtag contest and give awards to the post with the most likes!

4) Give back to society. Donate and serve women’s philanthropies in your country. A Google search for “women’s charities near me” produces more than 20 results in Singapore.

5) Organise a workshop on DEIB (diversity equity inclusion and belonging) for your colleagues. While DEIB are great values, we have different understandings of these words. Having a facilitated platform for discussion provides an opportunity for everyone to share his or her perception.

Feel free to contact us if you need more ideas. What do you plan to do on Wednesday 8 March 2023?

Private Online Event on 20 October 10am to 11am: Understanding the Language of Business

October 7, 2021

Decisions made at every level of a business everyday impact its financial position and well-being. Understanding the principles that underpin every business – whether your own business, your employer or your competitor – empowers you to maximize your value as a professional.

Yet many non-finance professionals hesitate when presented with financial reports and accounting jargon, contribute to the workplace financial conversation in a limited way; and stay quiet in meetings where you might otherwise contribute.

This one-hour session introduces fundamental understanding of finance and business using the workshop is based on the Color Accounting Learning System™, the globally-acclaimed approach for effectively building accounting and financial literacy. You will leave with tools and a grasp of business finance that will pay dividends throughout your career, as a non-finance professional.

In this session we will explore:
– Foundations of business acumen
– Interpreting the balance sheet
– Deriving the income statement
– Telling a business story

What People Say
The Color Accounting Learning System “approach has the advantage of showing how it works visually. We all tend to see problems and relationships more easily visually, so the approach takes advantage of how we learn most effectively.”

– Paul Healy, James R. Williston Professor of Business Administration Harvard Business School

Join Paul Ch’ng for a insightful session on the relationship between number and business!

Reply to this email to reserve your seat(s) now!

Speaker: Paul Ch’ng
Thursday, 20 October 2021
10.00 am to 11.00 am
(By invitation only, pre-registration is required by Contact Us. Only 12 seats available. )

Private Online Event on 18 March 2021 4.30pm to 5.30pm: How Tough are You Mentally?

March 11, 2021March 11, 2021

You have a business presentation tomorrow morning. You are not preparing for it as you have another 2 reports due today. You are also replying your email to a bad customer review. Your child was just warded in the hospital with a high fever 2 days ago. You just had a big fight with your spouse today. Your world is falling apart …

Can you still present (well) tomorrow morning? That depends, on your mental toughness. Interestingly, it is possible to measure how tough you are mentally through a Mental Toughness Profile (MTP) assessment. The good news is Mental Toughness can be developed, just like muscles. You can train yourself to be mentally tough to prepare for the challenges ahead of you.

This month, we are bringing you more insights into this subject. Join us for a 60 minutes dialogue with Edgar Tham, the founder for Mental Toughness Research Institute, USA.

You might be on time to pick up a couple of tips to prepare yourself for the challenging times in 2021!

Reply to this email to reserve your seat(s) now!

Speaker: Edgar Tham
Thursday, 18 March 2021
4.30 pm to 5.30 pm
(By invitation only, pre-registration is required by Contact Us promo code TOUGH.
Only 12 9 seats available. Additional information on the panelists will be emailed to registered participants only.)

Private Online Event on 9 Dec 2020 4.00pm: Preparing your team for Post-Covid

November 30, 2020November 30, 2020

With many vaccines approaching the final stages of testing, we might indeed be moving towards a day when Covid is no longer a threat to us. But…

How will the new business landscape look like? The likely scenario is we will never go back to Pre-Covid days. What are some changes that are here to stay?

More importantly…

How will these new business norms impact the workplace?
What new skills or mindsets must we equipped the team with?

How can we prepare them for the challenges ahead? Join our team of subject matter experts for a candid discussion as we brace ourselves for another roller coaster ride in 2021!

Moderator: Tan Teck Beng
Wednesday, 9 Dec 2020
4.00 pm to 5.00 pm
(By invitation only, pre-registration is required by Contact Us promo code PCOVID.
Only 12 seats available. Additional information on the panelists will be emailed to registered participants only.)

Virtual Lunch Talk: How Organisations can Leverage on Social Learning to Reskill and Upskill Their Team with Minimum Cost

July 22, 2020

As part of our effort to bring you more and better virtual training, so that your colleagues can continue to learn, anytime, anywhere, we are planning another interesting topic – How Organizations can Leverage on Social Learning to Reskill and Upskill Their Team with Minimum Cost.

Outline:
1) What is Social Learning
2) Is Social Learning the next BIG thing? Why?
3) The Number One Mistake that organisations make when embarking on Social Learning
4) A working model to develop Social Learning
5) 3 key questions to ask before starting this journey
6) Simple ideas that you can implement on your own (for free!) to get started

Online Event: Preparing Your Team For Post Covid Recession

May 12, 2020May 12, 2020

We are into the 2nd month of the Circuit Breaker. Tomorrow some of us will go back to work and many are already looking forward to going back to the “good old days” in June 2020.

Unfortunately, we won’t.

Social distancing and WFH will stay, at least for a while. Restaurants will open for takeaways only. Just look at New Zealand and Korea. Some things will never be the same again.

That’s why we are maintaining the momentum to bring you more and better virtual training, so that your colleagues can continue to learn, anytime, anywhere. We have added new topics and content in the areas of negotiation and business acumen. Reply to this email to receive the updated list of workshops from us.

We are putting together again another short overview this month.

Topic: Preparing Your Team for Post Covid Recession
– what every employee can do in a prolonged downturn.
Trainer: Joy Hou
Thursday, 28 May 2020
11.00 am to 11.40 am
(pre-registration is required by replying to this email, only 10 seats available)

About the Trainer: Joy Hou

A registered psychologist who has conducted close to 100 corporate workshops for mental wellness under various schemes from Health Promotion Board (HPB) over the past 3 years. Her work experience includes providing counselling for individuals who seek emotional and psychological support. She has worked in both clinical as well as non-clinical settings, including schools, voluntary welfare organizations and the Institute of Mental Health.

We look forward to seeing you soon.

Online event: Making Decisions in the Face of Uncertainty

April 23, 2020April 24, 2020

It has been about 2 weeks since the start of the Circuit Breaker. How are you coping – physically, emotionally, and professionally? Hope you have settled down well into your new routine.

We are now in an unprecedented crisis. Every organization is making drastic changes to cut cost, reallocate manpower, and reinvent their revenue model. Likewise, for us. However, at Performance Leadership, one thing remains unchanged – our commitment to support you in training and development with quality programs. We have designed a series of virtual live Lunch & Learn topics to address the new challenges organization and employees are facing due to the impact of Covid-19.

We would like to invite you to a complimentary 40-min overview to experience one of them.

Topic: Making Decisions in the Face of Uncertainty
Wednesday, 29 April 2020
11.00 am to 11.40 am
Pre-registration is required by contacting us.
Limited to 10 participants, 5 seats left.

About the Trainer: Paul Ch’ng

Paul has close to two decades of leading and managing in multi-national companies. He possesses a strong track record in turning businesses around. His achievements as head of business include doubling revenue and profit in a regional training firm, spearheading an organization-wide transformation that quadrupled revenues of a multinational electronics firm, and turning around an international packaging firm, resulting in awards and recognition from its global clientele for quality, service and innovation. He is also a teaching fellow with the Strathclyde Business School, UK’s top business school (2016) and a global top 5 in corporate strategy.

We look forward to seeing you soon.

How to Stay Mentally Tough – learning from a world class athlete

June 28, 2019

What are some of the mental toughness techniques used? Here’s a summary list:

Singaporean Swimming Paralympic Bronze Medalist Theresa GOH uses

– Visualisation
– Confidence-building exercises
– Mindfulness exercises
– Thinking positively
– Consulting with a sport psychologist to assess and work on one’s mental readiness

Visualisation: Theresa imagines the ideal race plan executed perfectly. Likewise, anyone can do the same! Imagine the processes involved when performing.

Confidence-building exercises: There are many ways to build confidence. One way is to repeat the above-mentioned visualisation exercises regularly many times. It gives your mind the assurance you need. In addition, being mindful of your body helps you focus on the process of performance, while thinking positively can help you boost your own self-belief.

Mindfulness: To help runners get into “the zone,” Nike Running Club app partnered with meditation app Headspace(tm) to co-create audio-guided runs to give guidance on staying focused and in control of their runs. Learning to focus on and “listening” to your body or rhythm while moving is one way.

Thinking Positively: SportPsych Consulting’s Founder and Chief Sport & Performance Psychologist Edgar Tham says that:

“Self-talk is fundamental to cognitive control, as it is basically our own internal dialogue. Studies have shown that negative self-talk can lead to detrimental effects like performance decrements and even depression.” He suggests framing your thoughts to focus on what you want, instead of what you don’t.”

“For example, say ‘stay calm’ instead of ‘don’t be nervous’ when you’re trying to reduce anxiety. Instead of saying ‘don’t mess up or drop the ball’, say ‘keep it tight.’ Positive thinking is a very simple and powerful way to help one perform up to one’s potential by harnessing the power of the mind. It’s one of the most-used but often under-optimised mental skills!”

Working with a Sports Psychologist or Mental Toughness Coach: There are mental coaching services available to everyone. We are happy to inform you, the reader, that SportPsych Consulting is Southeast Asia’s first and largest sport & performance psychology consultancy, and also MTRI’s Asia Pacific HQ to deliver mental toughness coaching to everyone who needs it.

Adapted and published with permission from SportPsych Consulting.

Creating Intrapreneurs – how to build a culture of entrepreneurship within

June 28, 2019June 28, 2019

For any organisation to stay relevant, it has to continuously reinvent itself. This is even more critical in challenging times. Probably with the exception of Steve Jobs and a couple of other icons, it will be unrealistic to expect all the ideas to be generated from a single person. Great companies depend on the collective talent of the team. Intrapreneurs are entrepreneurs in their own organisations. They are passionate, committed and most importantly, drives change with their own effort.

As a leader, how can you create a culture where intrapreneurs flourish? To do that, here are 4 tips:

1) Self-confidence – employees who are confident believe in their own ability. They tend to speak up more, offer their ideas, and willing to take charge. Good leaders build the confidence of their members through a system of training and development, recognition and rewards.

2) Build a safe environment for employees to encourage risk-taking. Entrepreneurs take the risk. Make it easier for your team members by not punishing those who failed (at least not excessively). When other colleagues sees that, they will be more inclined to take the same steps.

3) Bonding and feel supported. Employees who are attempting anything new needs to feel supported by the team. Thus, it helps if they are having a good relationship with their fellow colleagues. Creating opportunities to deepen friendship in the workplace.

4) Lastly, the most important point, lead by example. Be willing to attempt new things, whether it is about enhancing existing processes or adapting to technologies. Talk to your team about your success and always be ready to admit your mistakes. The team is quietly observing.

Managing your team’s training on a shoestring

June 28, 2019June 28, 2019

Some leaders do not see training and development as a necessity, but a “nice-to-have”. Therefore, when times get tough, training and professional development is often one of the first to be taken off the list. With an expected budget cut during a downturn, how do we ensure we get the best bet for your money?

Here are 5 tips to stretch your training dollar:

1) Remember, the process of learning also include unlearn and relearn. Learners will not be able to learn without unlearning. Unlearning is more of an attitude, rather than a skill. Hence, focus your budget only on those who are willing with a positive attitude, instead of “wasting” your funds on everyone.

2) Focus on value-add (instead of chasing papers and certificates) to your organisation – Return On Investment (ROI). This is a common expectation. Buyer of learning asks for ROI. Calculating ROI is often cumbersome. Next best? Focus on behavioural change. As you know, financial and business results are directly affected by behaviours. Select vendors that have a track record and methodology for improving workplace behaviour.

3) Use bite-size learning to save time and money. Make schedule that do not take employees’ time away from work, or at least minimise time away from work. A good example will be Lunch and Learn, making use of lunch hour to learn.

4) If you have a large team, ask your trainer to customise and contextualise to your needs. In this way, you eliminate unnecessary training hours in the classroom for your team and focus on critical competencies to the trainees.

5) Leverage technology to save time and money. Mobile learning allows your team to learn anytime, anywhere! You can get quality mobile learning for free! A good example will be https://www.coursera.org/. It hosts lots of material from very established and well-recognised universities around the world, including the National University of Singapore!

Are you a good Decision Maker? A simple “self-assessment”

June 28, 2019July 2, 2019

When times are tough, be prepared to make tough decisions. Great leaders are great decision makers. In fact, poor leaders are often described as “indecisive”. Indecisive people are low in self-confidence. Organisations with indecisive leaders are stagnant. Decisions drive actions. Wrong decisions bring organisations down the wrong paths.

So how good are you a decision maker? Go through the simple 5-question checklist. Ask yourself these 5 questions.

1) Are you willing to seek diverged opinions from others or do you assume you are right and do not seek to learn from the insights of others?

2) Do you explore multiple options to get the best answer?

3) Are you willing to be uncomfortable to embrace creative solutions?

4) Are you realistic in your expectations and you are willing to go through the decision making process again if you can’t get it right the first time?

5) Do you communicate in an open and transparent way to your stakeholders?

If you or your managers do not have one or some of these qualities, not to worry. Decision making is a skill – a learnt behaviour – which can be developed over time through training and coaching.

Look out for good decision makers around you. Do they carry these qualities? What other qualities do they possess? How can you learn from them? What is one thing you can do differently from now on that make you a better decision maker?

Here is our take on workplace wellness as featured in the papers later week!

April 5, 2019

How to Select the Best Training Program for Your Organisation

March 29, 2019March 29, 2019

Some companies are spending the money on training, but on haphazard and poorly planned training activities with little results to show in terms of enhancing the quality of the workforce and their performance. However, management cannot be totally blamed for this.

I tend to attribute this gap to the people who understand training, people such as training managers, trainers and training consultants, for failing to sufficiently and professionally communicate, advice, guide, sell or inform the management. Management generally wants to get clear and straightforward answers to one question before they agree to invest in training – “How do we get business results from training?”

The emphasis is on business results, and not on just having done “20 programs this year,” as one training manager responded to a question on his achievements for the year. Results – not activities. It is easy to understand the reluctance to invest in training if management can’t see results.

Business results occur when skills taught during a training activity are applied on the job, thereby improving job performance. To ensure that the organization gets business results from its training investment, the following should be considered:

1. Training activities must be linked to business needs and not just to the latest and hottest seminar in town

Training must originate from business needs – for instance, a bank’s need to increase revenue by getting the tellers to cross-sell more and not from just responding to intermittent training requests without sufficient analysis to determine the reason for that request.

For example, a request like “Can you send the telephone operator for a telephone techniques course?” is not a need but suggested solution. The real business need could be to reduce customer complaints about having to wait a long time for calls to be picked up. If that operator has to answer 2,500 calls a day, the problem is not necessary a lack of telephone techniques – it could be a situation of work overload and training alone might not help.

2. Training must be performance based

Once business needs are identified, the next step is to identify what specific performance needs to be improved in order to either overcome a business problem – for instance, too many rejects from customers; fulfil a business opportunity or staffs to be able to sell a new line of products.

Proper training needs identification (TNI) must be carried out in order to provide valuable inputs to ensure that the training program is designed to improve performance.

3. Work environment and the learning experience must support each other

Too often, training carried out results in the trainee going back to a working environment that does not support the learning experiences she has just gone through. A typical example is an employee who went for a seminar on motivation, got “excited” and return back to the working environment that regularly demotivates him. In six months, she’s back to her original self.

One reason could be that the existing system, corporate culture or the superiors do not support the trained employee in using her newly acquired skills. In many instances, a lack of follow-through by the superior contributed to this failure. The other could be that the training program was designed without sufficient pre-analysis that would enable the program to be customized to relate to actual work situations.

Abstracted with permission from https://www.qscasia.com/ authored by KC See

Supporting your Supervisors and Team Leaders

March 29, 2019March 29, 2019

Supervisors and Team Leaders are the backbones of an organisation. They provide immediate support to the ground, to ensure good execution. They “get things done”.

However, they are the group that is often overlooked by management.

So what can we do to support our team leaders and supervisors?

1) recognise them. Everyone wants to be appreciated for their hard work and effort although people have a different preference for the ways to be appreciated. Some prefer Intrinsic (praise and encouragement) rewards while others need something more tangible and extrinsic like bonuses and raises. Some employees enjoy being recognised in the presence of fellow colleagues (public) and there may be others who are shy and prefer recognition done privately.

2) support them with leadership training. They are often promoted from the rank and file due to their hard work and positive attitude. However, leadership is a learnt behaviour, like riding a bicycle or playing the piano. Few of us are born leaders. Supervisors and team leaders might have learnt some management skills while on the job or through observing their leaders earlier in their career. Training and development programs give them the opportunity to be fully equipped with tools and techniques to handle people’s matter.

3) Empower them to do more. They are working on the ground and at the frontline. They understand the customers’ problems and operational issues best. Give them the authority to resolve workplace challenges directly. In this way, they take ownership. This will also increase their work satisfaction.

Demystifying Employee Engagement

March 29, 2019March 29, 2019

HR professionals have long understood the value of employee engagement. Engagement programs are increasing in the workplace.

In order to design a holistic plan to engage employees, we start by understanding the subject.

Just like happiness, to feel engaged is a state of mind within the individual. It is characterized by

1) active participation in workplace activities,

2) commitment to workplace success and team, and

3) able to maintain focus on work.

Simple techniques and tools to engage your team:

1) create a safe environment for every member of the organisation. Staff feel safe suggesting new ideas, asking questions and know that the organisation’s culture allows (or even encourage) risk-taking. Staffs feel involved in the success of the team.

2) we tend to be more committed to people whom we know well and have a good relationship with. For instance, we respond to a friend’s request for favour (vs a stranger’s request). Hence, create opportunities for team building and team bonding to enhance working relationships.

3) ensure workplace issues are resolved fairly and quickly. Nothing demoralises employees more than injustice. Bad news spread. Workplace challenges are opportunities for leaders to step up and take action for the team. It is the leaders’ chance to win the support of the team

4) communicate vision, mission and values all the time. Your team wants to be part of this exciting journey. Share with them how the future looks like for the organisation.

How to think Strategically as a Leader?

March 29, 2019March 29, 2019

In our Oct workshop, Futurist Thomas Frey developed a strategic planning process call “back future” – by defining a future state and working backwards, to set priorities and milestones in the near future. But what exactly is a strategy to a leader? Strategy provides companies with techniques to stay focus, which is essential to remain competitive and relevant.

However, if leaders are to win, they also need to rely on the minds of employees throughout the organization to understand the strategic intent and then both implement the current strategy and adapt it in real time.

How do leaders and employees develop the ability to think strategically? In the Crestcom model, as highlighted by Prof. Dr. Leif Erik Wollenweber, there are 5 qualities that foster strategic thinking. They are

1) Curiosity,

2) Flexibility,

3) Openness,

4) Diverse Thinking and

5) Goal Orientation.

It also involves asking yourself a series of questions, including What is your (organisation’s) purpose and values? What are your (employees’) strength and how open and transparent is your organisation’s culture?

After that, use the Strength Weakness Opportunity Threat (SWOT) analysis to get an overview of the business landscape. Finally, set the right priority: what is the most important problem you face or the biggest opportunity?

Wishing you a Happy 2019!

January 2, 2019January 2, 2019

Bonus! Revitalise your team through Coaching

December 12, 2018

Many forward-looking and progressive organisations are already implementing various ways to engage, empower and enable employees. One of the most effective strategies is to develop a strong coaching culture, making coaching a way of life.

Here are 4 fundamental skills of Coaching: CLAP!

Develop a Coaching Mindset

You act according to what you think. To be able to coach would require you to first develop a coaching mindset. This would allow you to consciously or subconsciously seek and seize coaching opportunities during the course of your work.

Listen 100%

The focus of your coaching is your coachee, not you. Listening 100% enables you to know where your coachee is coming from and what they are looking. You meet the coachee where he or she is, not where you are. This means you coach from their standpoint. When you listen 100%, you are able to empathise and you do not project your own experience.

Ask Coaching Questions

Questions have the power to unlock minds and shift thinking. Your questions allow your coachee to see the problem from new perspectives and create new possibilities. Your questions enable your coachee to tap into the resources that reside within them. They become more motivated since they are ones who develop the ideas.

Pause to give space

Give your coachee space to process and explore their thinking and feeling, and to express them.

Abstracted with permission from “Coaching in the Moment” authored by Tan Swee Heng. Available in Amazon and all major bookstores. Contact us if you are interested in getting a copy.

Reorganise: Getting your team ready for 2019 – a year of CHANGE!

December 12, 2018

The outlook for 2019 is not the best. With global protectionism and a possible downturn, how are you getting your team ready to weather the tough time? What is your game plan? To defend your turf or to venture into unchartered water? Either case, you need to Change and Manage Change – which is one of the most dreaded moments in management. Some experts say the change management failure rate is as high as 70%. An alarming thought if your organization is embarking on this journey. How can we ensure we are able to move forward? Today we deal with the 6 common types of blockers in organisations.

The Lazy: It is too much effort or work!

Solution: Implement change management strategies in stages. Break it down into smaller milestones. Avoid “change fatigue” which causes burnout due to an excessive amount of changes all at once.

The Worrier: I will lose my job or be replaced.

Solution: Worriers are risk-averse. Communicate that the change is designed to improve their role by addressing current pain points and challenges, not to remove their role. Address the employees fear of job loss by showing how they are still of value to the current and future state of the organization.

The Inferior: This is too challenging for me! I can’t do it!

Solution: Inferior lacks confidence! Create a formal training program before implementing any change for them. The training program must ensure that it will provide them with the skill set required to do their role successfully after the changes have been executed.

The Skeptics: I do not trust or support the individual (management) leading the change!

Solution: They don’t trust anyone. Is this a scheme to cut cost? Choose multiple individuals at all levels to be champions of change to connect to the entire organisation. Failure to have champions at all levels can result in employee resistance to change and disengagement as they may not personally like the individual advocating change and will ultimately resist. Having a champion at all levels helps employees see that the company has done their due diligence to see how the change impacts the organization at all levels.

The Status Quo: If it’s not broke, don’t fix it!

Solution: These people want to live and die with their routine in their comfort zone. Create a very clear vision of the strategic changes and communicate it often with employees. Show the positive impact that it will have at all levels of the organization. Get individuals excited to embark on a new journey that will make the organization more effective and efficient than before!

The Impatient: It will take too long to see the results!

Solution: Create short-term wins. To ensure employees follow through on strategic goals requiring change, celebrate simple gains instead of only focusing on the end result. This will help engage employees by showing them progress toward the long-term goal.

A reflection on your 2018 training initiative: 3 ways your organisation could have gotten a better Return On Investment (ROI) for your training dollars.

December 12, 2018December 12, 2018

Yes, every training program is a huge investment from the organisation – not just monetary but also in terms of time and energy from all the stakeholders and participants.

How do you ensure you get the best bet for your training dollars? Let’s bear in mind that the objective of training is to impact the participants. Many HR and L&D professionals invest hours to review the trainer’s and training company’s profile, as well as the course content before the workshops…. But what else?

Here are 3 additional ways to ensure training impact on your participants:

A) Before the training: this is the best opportunity to make sure we get it right. All 3 parties (trainer, HR /L&D and immediate supervisor of the participants) must work together to give the participants a good start with the right attitude and expectations for what is coming. Participants must create their learning goals with the support of the team. What is the objective of the programme? What do we want to achieve at the end of it? How do we measure the success of the programme?

B) After the training – debrief and follow up: this is equally important to

* check in on the (action) plans that were crystallised during the training or workshops, what is the next step and has it been completed?

** close the gap and resolve any issues or questions during the application of the learnings.

C) Support from immediate supervisor

In the process of applying anything new, most participants experience the learning dip – initial applications’ results are often worse than before training. That’s when we need the supervisors to encourage and support the participants so that they persist and continue to practice their new learning.