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The Latest
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April 2002, USD$3.00 |
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CONTENTS
Editorial
Feature Article One: What do Future Employers Look for in the K-Economy?
Feature Article Two: New Economy – Creating a More Competitive ICT Industry
Feature Article Three: Passion
for Your Area of Specialization
Feature Article Four: What Does Our EI Mean to Us?
Book Review: Critical Content – Gaining Competitive Advantage Through High-Quality Web Content
Attitude Vitamins
Links of Interest
Organization News
Production Details
Editorial
In this issue, we’ve put together information in a blend of
subjects, which are critically relevant to HRD professionals and everyone who’s
actively involved in various roles and responsibilities that move the wheel of
economy. So, we hope you enjoy this issue as much as we do!
K-Economy is the buzzword today and perhaps many, myself included, are finding it difficult to define what it means to the employment criteria and professional development. In the first featured article, Aaron Yong takes us through in a vivid description of the qualities and competencies we need to look for when seeking employment or hiring employees.
Getting the New Economy to work is not all talk. It requires government support of entrepreneur development. Read the article by V. Sivapalan. His focus on Malaysia is an excellent case study.
If you are seriously considering becoming an independent training specialist, then G K Lim’s “Passion For Your Area of Specialization” definitely will be your read over a cup of afternoon tea! This article constitutes Part Three of the series “What It Takes to Be a Full Time Independent Training Specialist”. So, keep an eye on our next issue for more on this subject. We are never at a loss if we keep our career options wide open; if you’re not thinking about changing career, it’s a knowledge increment read too!
“EI” or emotional intelligence remains as an illusive topic to many, well, at least people whom I know find it difficult to explain to me what EI means, how we can make it work for us. Billy C. H. Teoh’s “What Does Our EI Mean to Us?” our third featured article, puts EI in a succinct manner that makes it a breeze to indulge in over afternoon snack or during a bus ride to office.
We see more and more great things coming from HRD Gateway, read our news section in Organization News.
I’m honored to be the Editor for April’s issue of HRD Gateway. It’s been an eye-opening learning process going through valuable pieces of information from our contributors, managing various processes and working with a fabulous team. I’d like to thank the HRD Gateway publication team for the support and encouragement.
Enjoy the read!
Cheers,
Angela Chai
Feature Article One: What Do Future Employers Look for in the K-Economy?
By Aaron Yong
If knowledge is an important asset for an organization in the new economy, then what do future employers look for when employing graduates?
The ability to manage and leverage on knowledge in the K-economy and an understanding of its key focus will be the main concern of these knowledge-practicing organizations. These employers will also look for K-professionals with key competencies needed for the fast changing K-economy. The following are the 8 key focus of knowledge management practice of the emerging K-organizations:
Identifying Knowledge
A structured knowledge needs
analysis (KNA) will help to identify the knowledge gap between existing
knowledge and knowledge needed to achieve the desired objectives. These are key
knowledge that contributes toward key critical areas of the business.
Acquiring Knowledge
Upon identifying the knowledge
needed, an intense activity to acquire them is the next process. This can be
done through internal acquisition via the processes and people in the
organization, often time’s unwritten rules of tacit knowledge. If such
knowledge is not available from within, the knowledge can be imported though
external channels.
Applying Knowledge
With important knowledge residing
in the organization, employees need to have a positive attitude to apply them
to bring value and success to the organization. There must be a consistent focused
application of knowledge in the organization to achieve targets and goals.
Sharing Knowledge
If you know of a better way of
getting something done, share it. Holding it up with only slow down your team’s
performance. Sharing knowledge at the speed of light is what future
organizations will be practicing in a competitive market environment. Knowledge
is power, only if it is shared and bring results.
Developing Knowledge
This compliments knowledge
acquisition. Organizations will look into building critical competencies for
efforts in generating new knowledge, i.e. increasing their value. This is an
exercise of creating knowledge capital. Research and development will be an
integral part of these new organizations.
Creating New Knowledge
A living organization is a
knowledge creating company. Continuous creation of knowledge will help them
stay ahead of others. A culture of innovation and creativity will be the
foundation to encourage knowledge creation. Allow mistakes to be made as part
of learning.
Preserving Knowledge
Critical knowledge in an
organization must be stored for quick retrieval and use to generate more
knowledge. ICT play a major role as an enabler here to create a corporate
memory for the organizations. The corporate memory will play a role in support,
orientation, learning, innovation and creative activities of the organization.
Measuring Knowledge
What are we measuring? Where a
significant improvement in critical knowledge is identified, some indicators
need to be agreed on to measure the results of achieving such goals. Learning
history will be a valuable tool not only to eradicate repeated mistakes, but
will help in measuring knowledge.
Next...
Having identified the above 8 key
focus of Knowledge Management, what are some of the core competencies and
skills needed to effectively practice knowledge management in K-organizations?
Employers will be looking for graduates with current and specialized knowledge
as well as competent skills of a k-professional. Many of these skills can be
developed early in life, in school or college, which is a good habit and an
eventual asset. The following are distinctive skills and competencies of a
K-professional:
Strategic Thinking Ability
Employers will be seeking for
graduates who are strategic thinkers and not those waiting to be told what to
do. They are self-driven and proactive individuals knowing how to leverage on
knowledge to achieve goals.
Knowledge Responsibility
The K-professional is one who is
hired for his knowledge. He should know who needs his knowledge and to whom he
is responsible for the knowledge. This requires the k-professional to
constantly do self-evaluation and communicate effectively in knowledge sharing.
Continuous Learning Ability
A continuous learning attitude is
essential to ensure you stay ahead. Knowledge needed must be current and
specific. The changes in today’s economy require the k-professional to keep
abreast with what is happening around him and he is one who will continuously
seek for better ways of doing things.
Contribute in Innovative Teams
Teamwork will be a ubiquitous
feature in the K-organization. The ability to contribute effectively requires
strong interpersonal skills to grow. Sharing of best practices and learning to
be creative and innovate will be among the main focuses of these teams.
Professional Discipline
Because current and specialized
knowledge is essential in the K-economy, a high degree of professional
discipline is required of the k-professional. He must possess a passion for his
field of interest and be a specialist in that field.
Innovation and Creativity
The fundamental to improve is to
be innovative and creative. Competitors will soon catch up with you. Innovation
is about leveraging on what currently exists or what is available and add on to
make that idea or product work better. Business creativity is not an inborn
talent; a person can be trained and taught to build his strength in this area.
Solution-Focused Mindset
K-professionals are expected to
come up with solutions and to do this, having a positive attitude to make
things happen is crucial. His resourcefulness will be his assets. Problem
solving skills are essential part of a positive thinker.
Personal Development
The K-professional must have a
passion for personal development. The faster you learn, the better it will be.
One must have a continuous learning attitude. The future belongs to those who
have the ability to unlearn, relearn and continue to learn.
Are you ready for the K-economy? Plan now.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Aaron Yong is a
Corporate Knowledge Strategist at JT Frank Management Centre, which offers
training and consulting services in the areas of Knowledge Management. He can
be contacted at jtfpg@tm.net.my or 604-659
3859.
Feature Article Two: New Economy – Creating a More Competitive ICT Industry
Published by the New Straits Times Malaysia on 20th March 2002
By V. Sivapalan
A study on entrepreneurship in 21 nations by the London Business School and Babson College, Boston, United States (the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, available at www.entreworld.org) concluded that all countries with high levels of entrepreneurial activity have above- average economic growth. This is evident not only from such studies but would be common knowledge if we use successful nations as case studies or role models.
A key policy principle from that study was: Any government committed to sustained economic progress must ensure that all aspects of its economic system are conducive to and supportive of increased levels of entrepreneurial activity. This includes reducing the regulatory burden and making it easier to do business with the Government.
Based on these principles, where does Malaysia stand and what progress has it made in the last decade? While we have done relatively well and grown as a progressive nation, our per capita income is still very low if compared to other advanced developing nations. It is only 13.6 per cent that of Singapore and 13 per cent that of Hong Kong according to the World Bank. On a comparative basis therefore, we still have a long way to go before we even get close to developed nation status.
In his book, As the Future Catches You, Harvard Professor Juan Enriquez surmises that in the past the gap between the rich and poor nations was 5:1 but today it is 350:1 and soon it will be 1,000:1. The New Economy has generated such high levels of income in the rich nations that the developing nations will be left so far behind that it may never catch up. It is a scary thought. I call this the National Digital Divide which is far more serious than the social digital divide between societies. Entire nations are falling behind in the global digital economy.
Today we don't need land or labor to create wealth. In the New Economy, knowledge and information creates more wealth than a million hectares of oil palm or a billion barrels of crude oil. If plantations or oil fields created the greatest wealth, then Malaysia and Saudi Arabia will be the richest nations in the world, but they are not — testimony to this theory. In recent years, India has created greater wealth through its major Information Technology (IT) companies like Wipro, Satyam and Infosys than it has through any of its other industries. Azim Premji of Wipro is currently the richest man in India, far wealthier than the steel, automotive or trading barons of India's past. Likewise the two richest men in the world are Bill Gates of Microsoft and Larry Ellison of Oracle, both software giants. I believe this is enough proof that Malaysia's future lies in the New Economy of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and Biotechnology.
In this sense we are fortunate that our leaders have realized the value of technology and have set us upon a path towards achieving success in the New Economy. Malaysia has a far more proactive policy in seeking out opportunities in the New Economy, compared to many other developing nations.
Yet, despite this policy, we have found success hard to achieve especially in ICT and biotechnology and we have not been able to create a single globally successful company! This leads me to the need for the right policies to be implemented to achieve the vision that has been set forth for Malaysia — to achieve developed nation status by the year 2020. It is my belief that with the current policies we will not be able to achieve that vision. So what must we do to ensure success? The study mentioned above has two premises, firstly that successful nations must have high levels of entrepreneurial activity and secondly that there must be a conducive and supportive economic system for such activity.
While I do not doubt that there are many potential entrepreneurs in Malaysia, few have ever been able to rise above mediocrity and this is because of an economic system that provides neither adequate support nor a conducive environment for entrepreneurship to flourish. Doing business in Malaysia has many constraints and barriers. For example, doing business with the government is a virtual impossibility unless you are a giant corporation with the right contacts.
The last government budget allocated almost RM1 billion towards IT, yet to bid for many of the projects on offer, one has to be part of a consortium. These consortiums do not necessarily comprise companies that have the relevant capabilities nor expertise, but they have the required licenses and connections. Proof of this is the fact that once they win the tenders, they will sub-contract most aspects of the work to companies that have the necessary expertise. These companies usually get a small portion of the fees or billings, while a big chunk is kept by the consortiums which act as merely the main contractor. Thus IT companies are not able to make much money from government tenders and most can barely survive. This is especially so when the economy is in a slowdown and government jobs are a necessity for survival.
This consortium mentality must change. The Government must separate the packages and open the tender to any company with the right expertise. That way more IT companies can benefit from government pump priming. This provides IT companies with work and adequate margins which can be used to expand their business, conduct research and development and provide relevant experience to their employees. By growing within their home market and having stronger cash flows and financial muscle, these companies can export their services and scale the business into larger regional enterprises.
Furthermore, jobs must be tendered on an open, transparent basis with the best and most qualified companies granted the tenders. Then there is the need to develop entrepreneurs who are more competitive. By giving special treatment to selected companies we are creating a group of entrepreneurs that get jobs without the need to compete and this creates a class of entrepreneurs who are competitively ineffective. When the markets open up to competition due to Afta and the WTO, these companies will be the first to fold up, as they do not have the capabilities, experience or the competitive edge.
While the Government's affirmative action plan is admirable, it must realize that there are also many sectors of the majority itself that are losing out to the larger well connected giants. Thus even the small Bumiputera (or native) entrepreneur and MSC status companies will lose out on government jobs.
It is obvious from the historical trends of the last five years since the Multimedia Super Corridor was established that the current policies have its limitations. It is also obvious therefore that changes are necessary. The challenge here is to be able to admit that previous policies have not achieved the desired effect and a major change is warranted.
Will the Government now realize that we must implement new policies to create a better environment for entrepreneurship in Malaysia and take firm action, or will we continue to waddle along hoping that things can change for the better — because they won't.
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V. Sivapalan is the CEO of 3Capital.com
Sdn Bhd, a Venture Capital, Mergers & Acquisitions and IPO Consultant. He
can be reached at vsiva@3Capital.com
and his corporate website is at www.
3Capital.com
Feature Article Three: Passion for the Training Profession
Part Two of "What It Takes to Be a Full-Time Independent Training Specialist"
By G K Lim
Ever heard of a training specialist who asks a client, “What training do you want to give to your staff?”
The client would answer, “”Well, I’m looking for training in business writing skills.”
“Oh, I can offer that training. I’m good at business writing. Give me three weeks; I’ll put together a program for you. What other areas are you looking at?”
“What about occupational safety? You know, OSHA?”
“Occupational safety? OSHA? Oh, no problem, I can do that too. Give me one month to get the material together.”
Well, I may have exaggerated a bit on the example above -- but does that sound familiar to you -- a training specialist who tells a client he or she can offer training in any subject?
Of course, this doesn’t happen much these days, because training managers who hear the statement “I can train your staff in anything -- just name the topic” will turn round, and run as fast as they can.
Granted, a training specialist is one who delivers training services. As along as you know the needs of the adult learner, you can call yourself a training specialist. It doesn’t say that you have to specialize in one topic or subject area.
Nevertheless, we live in the current millennium where information moves at a furious speed, change is the only constant and fierce competition drives the economy. So, for a training specialist to survive in the current business environment, he or she also needs to be a subject specialist. Otherwise, he or she gets no assignment.
And that area has to be one you have great passion for -- nay, a magnificent obsession for. Your interested in that area has to be at that level. You cannot say, “Let me see, which area shall I specialize in? Supervisory management? Or public speaking? No, how about marketing …..”
My journey towards specialization started out in the direct selling business. Way back in the 1960’s and 1970’s, my wife and I would go to Kelantan, a northeastern province of Malaysia, buy batik cloth in bulk from the small manufacturers, bring them to another part of Malaysia, repackage the product, and get others to sell them for us. We’d also order multipurpose pots from Taiwan and get our agents to sell them.
Later, corporate clients gave me assignments to train their sales people on direct and retail selling.
One thing led to another -- I sold Earl Nightingale’s “Lead The Field” training program to corporate clients, and I discovered that corporate selling was a bit different from direct or retail selling. Soon I learnt about consultative selling, relationship selling, strategic selling and tactical selling -- each a wee bit different from the others.
In 1992, I went fulltime as a sales training specialist.
Of course, you can argue that “consultative selling” or “direct selling” are more specialized that “sales.” For the purposes of this article, I’d use the word “specialize” in a broader sense of the word.
I use “sales” to encompass all aspects of selling, such as consultative, relationship, direct, retail, strategic and tactical selling.
Some people may want to specialize in “marketing,” of which selling is a component.
People would ask me, “Can you change management training, or business intelligence training, etc.?” I’d respond, “No, that’s not my area of specialization. But I know someone who can.”
Just like I found my area of specialization and stuck steadfastly to it, you will need to do the same.
What is your area of specialization? If you already have one, great. If not, make it your mission to find out what it is.
How do you discover where your passion lies? I know of two ways…
One way concerns where or how you spend your time, money and efforts.
When you enter a bookshop, which area do you move toward? Are you attracted to the computer books section, the biography section, the photography books section, the office administration section, etc.? Chances are, this is your area of specialization.
In many bookshops you’ll find a section that features training manuals -- folder type publications with duplicable pages. When you go to such a section, which subjects attract you most?
When you log onto the net, what sites do you visit? What sites do you bookmark? Go through your bookmarked sites. You will see a pattern that will indicate to you your potential area of specialization.
Look at our own collection of books. Again, which topics do your books belong?
The second way is to reflect on your career milestones and what your inclinations and bents are. What area or job within the organization you undertake now and that you find yourself attracted to? Chances are, you are now in this area as an executive or a manager.
If you have a fascination for order, procedure and systems, you might be attracted towards your company’s quality control division. You might be excited, and volunteer your services, when your managing director says she is forming a committee to spearhead the company’s application for ISO 9001. Then, you’ll find yourself working towards being a systems certification trainer.
Or you are now working in the hospitality industry. You started off at the F&B department, but in no time you moved into sales and marketing, and have been at that division for many years, and enjoying every minute of it. Well, your area of specialization would be hospitality industry sales and marketing.
Perhaps you have been in administration for many years, took pains to learn how to better run an office, have been, and still is, an active member of the local chapter of an international association for professional business administrators, and have even been invited by your company’s training department to teach the subject to new recruits. Chances are, your first program as an independent training specialist is “How to Help Your company Improve Profits Through Better Business Administration.”
At the beginning of your career as a training specialist, you’d most probably concentrate on one or one subject area with one or two training programs.
After working in this area for some years, you may experience a time when you start expanding your training expertise. You’ll find your programs expanding to include other related subjects within your general area of specialization.
I started off as a sales training specialist. Some time later, I discovered that motivation, inner strength, personal development, and self-esteem enhancement, are necessary to succeed as a sales person. So I offered programs for that general area, too.
As a sales person, I need to negotiate. I included elements of negotiation skills in my original sales training program. As time went by, the negotiation skills segment grew and today it’s a full-fledged program by itself.
Apart from the negotiation skills segment, my original sales training program included elements of the following:
What started off as one program, basic selling skills, has today evolved into the core competency area of persuasion psychology today, around which are a number of related subjects such as the ones mentioned above.
For over 30 years, I have not moved away from my basic area of specialization, persuasion psychology.
Similarly, your career as a training specialist will see you move from one program to a series of programs while staying within one core competency area.
In conclusion, ask yourself which core subject area does your interest, your passion, and your magnificent obsession lie. That is the area you are specialized in to deliver training services.
Coming in the next issue of HRD Gateway: Passion For Self Promotion
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G K Lim, ISO CMS, FInstSMM, is a training consultant, specializing
in the core area of persuasion psychology, which includes strategic and
tactical selling skills, negotiation skills, customer service excellence,
effective presentation skills, emotional intelligence enhancement, motivation,
and mind development. He can be reached
at gklim@cscms.com,
www.cscms.com,
and www.gklim.com.
Feature Article Four: What Does Our EI Mean to Us?
By Billy C. H. Teoh
Emotional Intelligence (EI)?
How can we measure one’s intelligence? For this, Intelligence Quotient (IQ) has been used as measurement tool. What does it mean if I score 120 in IQ test? The score is merely an indication of my cognitive and functional capabilities. These include the ability to understand & abstract, learn & recall, think logically, reason & solve challenges, and apply what one has learned.
Researches in the 1980s on intelligence has taken us a step further, the discovery of a component of our intelligence, which is perceived as crucial, if not more essential for daily functioning and success in life – Emotional Intelligence (EI).
What’s EI? It’s about how one understands, relates, adapts and copes with the immediate surroundings in order to respond effectively.
The argument is that Emotional Intelligence predicts success or failure because it reflects how a person applies knowledge. It is an array of personal, emotional, and social competencies & skills that determine one’s ability to succeed in the modern ‘rat race’.
In short, the term Emotional Intelligence (EI) refers to a person’s “emotional competencies”, whilst its measurement is referred to as emotional quotient (EQ).
Ingredients of Success?
Is EI a mystery waiting to be uncovered? No! EI has been part of the human race since “the beginning”. Researchers have merely demonstrated that success correlates with EI. This means that comparatively, top scorers of the EQ test possess high level of ‘emotional competencies’, enabling them to succeed as top performers.
This concept of emotional intelligence has been populated by many psychologists, notably Wechsler, Doll, Leeper, Maslow, Jahoda, Grinker, Offer, Coan, Gardner, Mayer, Salovey, Mamberg, Volanth, Birnbaum, DiPalo, Rosenham, Gomberg-Kaufman, Blainey, Goleman, and the list goes on.
But what are the key ingredients of intelligence that enable us to succeed? Dr. Reuven BarOn has identified ‘emotional dimensions’ for measurement of EI.
The dimensions identified by Dr. Reuven BarOn are as follows:
(Figure
1: Illustration by Angela Chai)
The Intrapersonal scale reveals our inner self. If you score high marks in this domain, you are one who is in touch with your feelings, feel good and positive. Also, you are capable of expressing your feelings; you’re independent, strong and confident in conveying your ideas and beliefs. Studies show a strong correlation of top performers in sales, PR and marketing are strong in this dimension.
Communication skills and functions are areas measured in the Interpersonal scale. If you attain a high score in this domain, it generally indicates you have strong social skills with the natural knack to understand, interact and relate well. Customer service, management, and leadership should be the job scope to pursue.
In the Adaptability dimension, how successful you handle demands and deal with diverse situations are examined. Flexible, realistic, and effective in understanding problematic situations, and competent at pragmatic solutions are your strengths. You’ve got the right “ingredients” if you’re in research & development and technical disciplines.
This should be familiar to many of us - Stress management. You’re definitely the “cool dude” under pressure! Having a high competency in this dimension enables you to perform under stress, manage effectively and control impulse. Police officers, firefighters, emergency medical staff, doctors, and occupations with tight deadline require people who score well in this scale.
The ability to enjoy life and feeling of contentment are characteristics taken into consideration in the General mood competency dimension. Met anyone in the office or some other places who’s positive, hopeful, cheerful and optimistic about life? Chances are he or she will achieve high score in this dimension of the EQ test. Research indicates that high performance companies generally have a large population of employees who are strong in this EI competency.
Let’s take a step back…. Eliciting information from these competency scales or dimensions alone is inadequate to understand your EI abilities. These are composite scales, which means they give a macro or general view of your EI and not in-depth yet to be substantially accurate.
An in-depth study of your EI would mean drilling in to each of the composite scale or dimension as shown in this figure:
(Figure
2: Illustration by Angela Chai)
Embedded in the Intrapersonal dimension are these qualities: emotional self-awareness assertiveness, self-regard, self-actualization and independence.
The scale of Interpersonal consists of empathy; interpersonal relationship; and social responsibility. Further scrutiny in the areas of problem solving reality testing and flexibility reveals the nitty-gritty to pinpoint more accurately one’s competency in the Adaptability scale. The two areas in Stress management are stress tolerance and impulse control. You want to know how you score in the general mood scale? In an in-depth study of happiness and optimism should be considered.
EI paradoxes?
Many advocate that ‘enlightenments’ is what we receive in utilizing EI in all facets of life. In addition, many hold the view that EI should be taught from day one!
By ‘importing’ techniques and tools from psychology such as Neuro Linguistic Programming, spiritual teachings such as Yoga, drama techniques and martial arts; EI can be taught.
How far do these techniques improve our EI and make us top performers in whatever our jobs are? The answer is still yet to be found. Meanwhile, it’s comforting to know that there are some evidences that these techniques do work!
There are many EI development programs around us and research is continued to be carried out in search of a ‘drug’ that could enhance our EI!
So you can bet that an array EI enhancement techniques and magic portions will be made available. Perhaps with a little help from these alternatives, we’ll be able to predict our performance for various types of jobs. Hence, we function better as employees, parents, friends, and family unit to make the world a much more pleasant place to live.
Where is EI measurement currently being applied?
The current applications of EI measurement or EQ test are focused in a number of settings, notably clinical, where people’s emotional and psychological well-being are determined to address their prolonged “psychological” problems. In schools, colleges and universities, counselors identify problematic students with EQ test.
The leader of the pack has to be the corporate world! This is where EQ test is frequently utilized as a screening tool to select emotionally intelligent and healthy candidates! Identification of ‘critical’ EI traits for specific jobs can predict performance and success. EQ test also bears results to develop plans to improve employees’ EI competencies. Sometimes, EQ test is utilized to gauge the impact and effectiveness of organizational change and restructuring exercisesBenefits & Implications.
Numerous case studies of the deployment EI measurement and EQ test have shown tremendous impact and effects. Among these fantastic testimonies and manifestos are as follows:
- A psychiatric patient who underwent appropriate EI interventions and has since shown a dramatic improvement in his psychiatric conditions.
- A graduate who did not do well in his aptitude tests but excelled at his EQ test, was given the opportunity by being recruited based on his EI abilities--this graduate is the best performer that the company has ever recruited.
- A university student who after knowing her EI abilities, switch her university course to the course that best matched her EI abilities--she is now one of the best practitioner in her field.
- A prisoner who had a history of child molesting undertook an EQ test that had shown improvement, he was released on parole - this prisoner has until today remained a law-abiding citizen!
It is not until recently that the benefits of EQ test and EI interventions become quite eminent. Reports of successes of EI programs further boosted & accelerated research and the applications EI & EQ tests. As the corporate world is at the forefront of this, there are implications for training, human resource and in fact everyone in the organization.
Following the increase of demands and challenges from globalization of businesses, organizations and institution, our roles and responsibilities continues to evolve and expand. Knowing our EI competencies and taking steps to improve them can certainly make us better employees, managers, directors and CEOs to achieve successes.
Let me leave you with the million-dollar question: Is it imperative to measure our emotional intelligence and take appropriate steps to bridge our emotional intelligences’ gaps? You decide. I rest the case with you.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Billy C H Teoh is Managing Consultant at Austin Charles Consulting, which provides consultancy services such as human capital management, organization development, and assessment technologies. To contact the author, please write to this email address acteoh@tm.net.my or call 604-262 4760.
Book Review: Content Critical -- Gaining Competitive Advantage Through High-Quality Web Content
Reviewed by Colin Ong TS
How do you attract people to read what you put on your Web site? Well, the answer is content! Web publishing requires employing appropriate strategies.
In this book, Gerry McGovern, a content management consultant and author, and Rob Norton, formerly the Executive Editor at Fortune magazine take you through a journey of learning how to succeed with creating competitiveness through compelling content that keeps your readers coming back for more.
This book’s unique strength is that the authors genuinely provide advice that is both authoritative and comprehensive. You’ll be pleasantly surprised at the layman terms widely used by the authors. It not only takes you through a good read, this can also be used as a reference book. Contained in this book are segments that appeal at varying degrees depending on their focus job areas:
1. Navigation Design Checklist (pg 158) - This tool saves you time from having to re-design your site.
2. The Publishing Team (Chapter 11) - This chapter is very useful to Web publishers as a dynamic web presence is more than a static electric brochure.
3. The 5-stage Publishing Strategy Approach (Chapter 12) - This approach potentially prevents decision-makers from making financial mistakes and provides relevant guideposts in integrating web-publishing solutions into the rest of the business operations.
This book is a must-read for people who have a web presence. Aspiring writers will also find this book very relevant to prepare them to have their presence “felt” online. You can order it from your local bookstore or online from Amazon.com.Attitude Vitamins
Compiled by G K Lim
Dignity does not consist of possessing honors but in deserving them. -- Aristotle
A truth that's told with bad intent beats all the lies you can invent. -- William Blake
Realize that if you have time to whine and complain about something then you have the time to do something about it. -- Anthony J. D'Angelo
If growing up is the process of creating ideas and dreams about what life should be, then maturity is letting go again. -- Mary Beth Danielson
Vision without action is merely a dream. Action without vision just passes the time. Vision with action can change the world. -- oel Barker
We are not friends for the laughs we spend, but the tears we save. -- Nikki Giovanni
Cherish your visions and your dreams as they are the children of your soul; the blue prints of your ultimate accomplishments. -- Napoleon Hill
You can have anything you want – if you want it badly enough. You can be anything you want to be, do anything you set out to accomplish if you hold to that desire with singleness of purpose. -- Abraham Lincoln
Doubt is a pain too lonely to know that faith is his twin brother. -- Kahlil Gibran
The best thing to give to your enemy is forgiveness; to an opponent, tolerance; to a friend, your heart; to your child, a good example; to a father, deference; to your mother, conduct that will make her proud of you; to yourself, respect; to all men, charity. -- Arthur James Balfour
No one is in control of your happiness but you; therefore, you have the power to change anything about yourself or your life that you want to change. -- Barbara De Angelis
Links of Interest
1. Talent Management Conference, 27-28 June 2002, Singapore
Jointly endorsed by HRD Gateway, HR Singapore, malaysiaHRonline, PMSM Indonesia, HR Indonesia and HR Philippines, this conference by Asia Business Forum addresses the importance and strategies of talent management to achieve bottom line results.
More information about the conference is linked here (pdf brochure). HRD Gateway members are eligible for 10% discount. Please send your registration request via events@hrdgateway.org to receive this discount. If you are not already a member, you can sign up online at www.hrdgateway.org/hub2 to take advantage of this offer. Your membership with HRD Gateway is free.
2. Training ezine
For the past few months, I’ve been faithfully looking up the online version of “Training” magazine and found that it’s worth the time to browse, read and even print some of the articles and materials. What’s better? Its online version if FREE! I’d recommend this site to HRD professionals who are involved in the area of training. Go to www.trainingmag.com and see for yourself right now!
Organization News
1. 1st ATN-Manila Meeting Takes Off
HRD Gateway has delivered many important milestones for the e-ASEAN endorsed ATN project. A recent achievement was the First ATN-Manila Meeting on the 23 March 2002. This meeting brings together nine members of HRD Gateway and HR Philippines. It sets the course for group dialogue and team work.
The ATN-Manila group will continue to discuss its mission, operation strategies, programs development, and how to play a role in executing the ATN Project for the Philippines.
The meeting venue, schedule and communication point are also set up. The group will meet on every 3rd Saturday of each month. For more information, please email to atn-manila@hrdgateway.org.
Let’s look forward to seeing great things coming out of our team in the Philippines! Meanwhile, bravo to them for their efforts in putting together everything necessary to what ATN-Manila is today!
2. 1st ATN Conference: Creating Wealth in the New AFTA Economy, 10-12 May 2002, Malaysia
Much has been said about the ASEAN Free Trade Agreement (AFTA), which comes into effect in January 2002 for six of the ASEAN countries: Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. The 1st ATN Conference offers the opportunity to examine implications resulting from the implementation of AFTA. Come join us to establish new contacts with international HRD professionals and be presented with inspiring ideas and practical techniques by speakers from throughout Asia, Europe, and the United States.
You
still have time to register for this conference. Visit www.hrdgateway.org/conferences
for more information.
Production Details
Angela Chai, G K Lim, and Thomas Wong are the production team members for this issue.
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