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| "Why Should The Boss Listen To You?" I like to read business books and I read a very good one recently, "Why Should The Boss Listen To You?" by Jim Lukaszewski. But when I was discussing it with Wilson, I realised it is very difficult to remember what you discern from such business books unless you make a point to write it down, so I decided to share it here. Lukaszewski talks about seven disciplines or qualities that one would need to become a trusted and influential strategic advisor to higher management. Obviously, some of these is common sense but it is still great to be able approach the whole idea with a clear framework. Lukaszewski explains each quality in great detail illustrated with clear examples so I wouldn't rehash it here but I thought I'd give my own thoughts to each discipline. - Be Trustworthy: Do you complain about your boss to other colleagues? When you advise him/her, is it usually in your own best interest or did you ever try to consider would your advice be good for the company? as well as for your boss' career? No boss like advice that might be good for the company but have to commit personal corporate suicide. Balance your advice.
- Become a Verbal Visionary: Is your advice clear and concise or long and rambling? Worse still, do you even think through what the boss is likely to ask and prepare beforehand so that you can articulate clearly and on-the-spot? Or is everything "I will check and get back to you?"
- Develop a Management Perspective: If you a PR executive, can you advise intelligently about operations? If your staff fuction is HR, do you have clear thoughts on how to improve sales? Or is your advice pigeon-holed to your own staff function?
- Think Strategically: I think this means that even if we are rather low on the totem pole, we should try to brush up on our knowledge of the general business environment and the particular conditions of our industry so we can give strategic advice about how and where the company is headed in future. But you may say, I'm just a very junior staff so no one ever ask me about it. But think, if you do not even have the knowledge, why would you ever be promoted to a position where the knowledge matters? So start reading some business websites, magazines and newspapers, and some trade journals specific to your industry or staff function as well.
- Be a Window to Tomorrow: Something about recognizing patterns. The author was saying that very few business situations are truly new, which I suppose makes sense. So it helps to keep records of your work because when something similar comes up, you can see the patterns and advise accordingly. For instance, if your key customers are demanding rebates, and if you have the appropriate records to see if something similar has happen before and if rebates have worked well in the past with customers of similar revenues, your advice would be a lot more powerful because it is at least based on similar situations in the past and rooted in fact.
- Advise Constructively: Usually if it is very obvious, most bosses would have the brains to see it. So in most cases, there is no one single clear solution. Rather, the ideal advice would be to offer the possible alternatives, examine consequences and discuss probabilities. Don't criticise, but instead offer advice that is practical even if missteps by the boss has led to current situations.
- Show the Boss How to Use Advice: It helps if you can lay a constructive manner how your advice can be executed, timeline and resources need, and able to recommend appropriate personnel to execute it if required. Being asked to assess people is one of the roles an advisor often plays so be prepared to assess your colleagues on the spot if required.
A lot of what I wrote here is totally off the top of my head as I have returned the book and took the seven points off the Internet so it may not gel completely with the point that the writer is trying to bring across. Your best bet is still to read the book! | | |
| I scolded a moron earlier..... scolded him left right centre upside down..... and he still didn't get it... two words..... FUCKING MORON.... | | |
| I think there should be a law that says no one who is giving his/her boss a lift should be grilled about work when driving. First, it's unfair. I'm not hired as a chauffeur, so driving the boss around is not my job. And if I'm kind enough to drive you en route to separate meetings, I shouldn't have to pay for my kindness. Second, it's unproductive. Any fruitful meeting demands that all parties are well prepared and understand the agenda in advance. Obviously, I have no idea the car-ride will turn into a full-blown meeting. And I'm not a damn computer. We have notes for a reason. For reference. How the bloody hell can I remember sales figures for half a dozen markets and hundreds of stores. Do I look a damn Acer or IBM? And lastly, it's a safety hazard. When I'm trying a difficult maneuver of filtering thru couple of lanes in killer traffic, it's very dangerous to have to remember why sales with a certain customer drop 10% or why our sales rep is giving crazy rebates to customers. And AYE traffic can be very unforgiving at times. SO STAY OUT OF MY BLOODY WAY IN FUTURE OR I MIGHT PRESS THE EJECT BUTTON! | | |
| "Life is short, art long, opportunity fleeting, experience treacherous, judgment difficult." | | |
| Blast from the past about an hour ago at the late hour of 11pm, my mobile rang and I heard the voice of a young man on the other side. A little familiar but I couldn't quite place it. And when he said his name, I had to repeat it three times before it struck me. It was the student I used to tutored! I haven't heard from him for nearly two years but just from his voice alone, it seems he has matured quite a bit. Apparently, his school is having a band concert at Victoria Concert Hall and he wanted to invite me. I felt a strange mixture of awkardness and warmth and I found myself agreeing to go. the things we agree to do when we are tired, confused and bloody caught by surprise. Let's just say I was a tad touched. In a life full of twist and turns, in a previous life, I was tutor to a number of young kids. Strangely, for all my supposed disdain for these young gentlemen that I was tutoring, I get along rather famously with them. Perhaps, my memory of being tortured by my numerous tutors made me a better teacher than I imagined myself to be. Or at least more compassionate. I wouldn't go as far to say I was his mentor, but I do hope I had made a difference to this person's life at a time when he need a older friend and an occasional listening ear. The things that the past throw us at tmes. | | |
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