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September 2023
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GO FROM A RUNNING START12/30/2019 Start 2020 with a bang! How, go from a running start and not from an idle position.
It's hard to steer something when the object is not in motion. Take the case of the horse in carriage, whether you want it to turn to the right or to the left, if the horse is not moving, it won't budge and you won't get a inch of a motion. Also, when you are driving, if the car is not in motion, you can't get to your destination in the surest fashion. Momentum is critical in three points: 1. Momentum builds confidence and inspires you to take more action; 2. Momentum helps when an activity takes more time, effort, and diligence to get it done in a proper way; you are already on the way, passed the 'thinking' mode which could be debilitating and paralyzing; 3. Momentum is like the oil that accelerates your progress in a nick of time; Let this new year be a year of speed, effectiveness, and discipline as you carve out new resolutions and plans that will take your business, career, and organizations to the next level of success. From my family to yours- Have a safe and happy new year!
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FACTS OVER FICTION12/19/2019 A couple of weeks ago, we ended up watching some snippets of the famous "Sound of Music" film. My 3-year old daughter couldn't be helped but started singing the songs. I grew up with this film too like many millions of children worldwide.
Being the highest-grossing film of all time, it transcended time, culture, and boundaries and spoke universally to all. Yet, there were definite strategic departures from the real lives of the Von Trapp family. -They didn't escape from the Nazis as depicted: they boarded a train instead -Maria was not in love with the Captain; -There were 10 children but only 7 when they left Austria; -The Austrians didn't recognize edelweiss as a national flower and so on and so forth. These ensure that the film is as marketable as possible with the broadest audience particularly, families and children. It was an astounding success in all counts, but the public wasn't really aware and able to distinguish between fact and fiction. To this day, we relished with the saccharine story oblivious to the facts, the former, unfortunately shaping public consciousness up to this day. Decision-making as we all know, calls for the careful examination of facts to arrive at an outcome that is amenable to all parties concerned. But when the facts that we know were half-truths, the thinking process will be flawed and at worst, the findings will be suspect. When assumptions are not tested and challenged, we go by popular vote or consensus because that is politically correct; we missed out on what provocation and challenge could produce-a deep appreciation of the issues and a more strategic approach to getting to solutions. The sad reality is the facts are fodders for fiction and fiction mimics reality. But make no mistake, triple-check your facts, weigh in on the evidence, and then move to create a compelling case that eliminates the tendency to do more research or other unnecessary steps.
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THE YEAR-ENDER NUDGE12/17/2019 This year, I have written in different ways how moving along the action continuum can propel you and the work that you do in your organizations to new levels of accomplishment.
While the rest of the world tells us how little we can actually control the circumstances that are looming and seemingly in perpetual crisis mode most of the time, we can take comfort in some of the ways we can take action in our own spheres of influence- family, neighborhood, company, network, community, province, global communities, and other groupings of great import. These headlines illustrate only the fact that things are not going well for our society. SNC-Lavalin chief finds guilty of corruption on all counts; Sheer resigns as Conservative leader; Greta Thurnberg is exhausted; Canadians are complaining of rising food costs; Yet there are many unreported, unnoticed, and under-published stories of greatness, courage, community, and spirit of solidarity and cooperation that can inspire us to become better persons and contributors to our society. We seem to forget them or they are buried in the 'human interest' section nobody can find to read. Media is wired to focus on the worsening, worst, and bad things happening all over us and that stirs paranoia, unfounded fears, and general anxiety. There is a tendency to generalize what happened based on a few specifics, or not take specific action from the generalities. We can't say we didn't win because of this or that but we can't also devalue the factors external that lend our efforts to be unsuccessful. Some things are completely out of our hands. But there are sure ways you can do to bring better results next time. From a standing position, taking action requires more effort than from a moving vantage. Next year, consider moving forward based on the momentum you have under your feet, not stalling and not stopping when you need to speed up to the next finish line.
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THE BATTLE OF THE CHICKENS12/12/2019 Deep fried chicken battle continues.
In the summer of 2019, Jollibee, which is the number 1 fast food chain the Philippines opened its first store in Edmonton. There was a hype amongst the Filipino community because it was their very own unlike the Canadians who simply couldn’t understand the whole point. In its opening, there was a 3-hour line-up with two big tents outside to shield the patrons from the rain and the cold. Last night, there was one or two odd Canadians that stood amongst the Filipinos. Either they are friends or family members and have come to love or appreciate the dishes and tastes that are uniquely from the country. We gave in to the craving and made some critical comments that can make it better. But yes, it reminded me of home. The Korean fried chicken had been a global hit ever since the craze became an obsession in that island country. They have the Korean Fried Chicken University and exporting the know-how and technology all over the world. This is worldwide domination. Who would have thought that KFC will be the number fast food in China of all countries in the world with its rich culinary heritage? Guess what, KFC however badly denigrated in North America is having its massive success in the Asian region. Popeyes are going Canadian with several outlets popping left and right in Alberta and other provinces. The Southern flavor attracts patrons who are not afraid to take some heat from time to time. What is the secret to this? The secret is understanding what makes a product appreciated by the locals, adjusting the flavor and making cultural appropriations in the right way. Massive advertising and also using local endorsers that can speak for the product. It is a tried and tested formula nobody could argue its success. The consumer is a global consumer. It is not a North American consumer, who is painted in one big brush stroke. We live in a global consumer society with heterogeneity and diversity as its highest state. There is always a consumer waiting to be converted. The battle continues...........
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ARE WE THERE YET?12/4/2019 Are we there yet? The little boy asked his parents from the back of the van. Eager to get into the destination, he forgets that the trip itself is one big adventure.
Like that little boy, some of us are still persistently asking the authorities, our leaders, our neighbors, the statisticians, or any one who wants to care, "are we there yet?" in terms of economic recovery. Are we at the tail-end? in the mid-wing? or completely out of it without us realizing or feeling different? Statistics do not say much. Perception is reality. Instead of asking 'are we there yet' what can we do right now to steel up and get going despite and in spite the economic woes we are experiencing as a province, with policies left and right that try to suppressed our natural resources and gifts, and the kinds of leaders bent on reversing all the decades of economic development we had built. All these taken together should give us the fodder to -strategize not only to survive but to grow, beat the competition, and dominate our markets; -define our value proposition and solicit more feedback from our loyal customers; -now is also the time to invest not hoard 'precious dollars' to help us bounce back better when the boom is back; -seriously create a mindset that takes setbacks as good feedback; This 'are we there yet? persistence could be driving all of us mad. Let's stop this whining and moaning to realize we are creating our doom and gloom prophesies. We have the agency, volition, and control within our leadership roles to get back on the right track. Did I say stop whining
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WHAT YOU MAGNIFY EXPANDS12/2/2019 Beware what you magnify, it expands and expands. That is the Parkinson's Law.
I was talking to this executive a few weeks ago and he said he is very busy dealing with some of the issues they are having with his organization. Fair enough, I left him alone with his busyness. The fact that busyness is a sort of a prized, default position is alarming. If busyness is the blueprint for great work, there are thousands of organizations that would qualify for the prized award or recognition. The work of dealing with issues in the organizations should not underestimated. It is tough and therefore could be frustrating in many times. But the fact that if the problem continues to persist, and that interventions seem to be wholly inadequate to respond to the problem, you might need an expert opinion or an independent sounding board to get your head out of the weeds so you can see the forest. That perspective would not only be effective, it would be a breakthrough for most of the time. Going round and round like a hamster in a wheel, redoubling your efforts while you do not see results is insanity. The problem will just get bigger and bigger while the solution becomes unreachable. Think about what you are focusing in your problem-solving. Are you really solving the problem or creating more problems by letting it pester and get worse with ineffectual remedies? Are you focused on band-aid solutions or lasting changes? |
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