Every now and then, you will read news about this or that company filing a lawsuit against another party because of piracy (the latest target being China). I do agree to a certain extent that pirates should be destroyed because they take the works of other people and sell these works close to nothing. Minimal effort to generate tonnes of profit. But the problem here is, whether we like it or not, pirates are here to stay in this modern world. Yes, you can try your best to destroy them but each time you destroy an old one, a new one will appear. It is a reality that everyone needs to face, including the big companies.

In a way, it’s quite similar to how people deal with life’s problems and obstacles. Problems and obstacles will always occur in our life whether we like it or not. We can spend hours after hours on something, and then something else comes along and destroys everything within minutes. That’s life. But the decision we make after that is solely up to us, whether we whine and complain like a crybaby, and end up with no solution. Or we can learn from this bad experience, make sure we’re well-prepared for something like this in the future, and move on with life.

The difference? The former places you in a static and unchanged position. The latter helps you adapt to things that you can’t change or things that you can’t avoid completely. So which one do you prefer?

Coming back to the piracy issue, perhaps these companies which are busy burning their money away filing lawsuits should start looking at how they can adapt to this situation. Try to learn from companies like Apple (MP3s are available at such low prices that pirated copies are no longer that attractive) and Sony (Playstation 3 has been pirate-free so far because of the difficulty in cloning the blu-ray and also due to the attractions of online capabilities provided by the Playstation Network – free downloads, DLCs, community, online multiplayer, etc).

So at the end of the day, the decision is really up to you whether you prefer to be a crybaby and solve nothing, or learn how to adapt to something that is outside your control.

While most people love the 3 good ideas, there are a lot more people who are fearful of the 7 bad ideas. In the end, they feel hesitant to come out with any ideas. They are afraid of being looked down by others. They are afraid of being called “stupid”. They are afraid of bad ideas.

But if you don’t come out with any ideas at all, then the hope of getting a good idea is zero.

That’s why in my personal opinion, having bad ideas is way better than having no ideas at all. Generate more ideas, be it good or bad. Learn from the bad, and keep the good. That way, you will eventually come out with few good ideas.

Well, easier said than done. If you want to do this, I think you have to let go of your ego for a while…. and feel that it’s okay to look stupid with all the bad ideas you come out with. Hopefully in the long run, you will learn to understand that there’s no idea which is bad….and someone who is willing to contribute ideas is always smarter than someone who does not contribute ideas at all.

Let me give you an example. I think I’ve read this story from gapnap’s blog. I’ll modify it slightly since I can’t really recall the exact storyline.

Once upon a time, there were 2 good friends living together in a small village – let’s call them E and F. E was a very smart and cunning person but he was a bit lazy. So for most part of his life, he needed F’s help to do everything ranging from work to studies. F on the other hand, was a true friend. He was honest and most importantly, he loved to help his friends in need especially E who also happened to be his childhood friend.

After graduating from their university, F went on to become a well-respected doctor. E, being his ambitious self, started a pharmacy on his own. But he did not have enough money and clients, so he requested F to help him. F helped, without much hesitation. Few months later, E decided to grow his business and opened another pharmacy….and he went to F for help again. This process repeated itself, all the while E has been draining F’s energy.

Then something happened, F was involved in a legal case filed by a former patient. He was innocent, but the legal case did ruin his reputation and caused him a lot of money. He was depressed. And at that time, E did not offer help but instead, he asked for help from F again for his 3rd pharmacy. F was beginning to feel tired and told E that he did not have enough money and energy to help anymore. E was furious and yelled back at F “but you are my best friend!! We’ve known each other for so long, and we’re real brothers! How could you abandon me like this?” And E stormed off. Since then, E has never contacted F. F was disappointed by E but could not do anything as he himself was too tired to do anything.

Sorry for the lengthy story. I believe that most of you have heard something like this before, where one friend tried to squeeze everything from the other friend without even contributing anything. And not just in terms of friendship, there are plenty of good examples where customers tried to squeeze everything from the suppliers or bosses trying to demand 200% commitment from their employees while only delivering 50% of their promises. Things like this do happen and most often than not, they don’t end up well.

So to stop things from ending badly, it’s best if people can start to contribute more to any relationship they’re in. Fulfill more promises, catch up with more friends, have lunch appointments with subordinates, etc. Try to bridge any gap which has been formed in the past. Make the relationship a 2-sided one.

But also remember that if you’ve done your best to bridge the gap, and still there’s no similar response from the other party, then it’s time to cut it loose. This particular relationship is going to be too expensive for you to maintain in the long run, just like any 1-sided relationship. So just cut it off and focus on others.

Thursday (the day I’m writing this) has not been very kind to me so far, thanks to my work (which is doing a year 2000 technology) and some inconsiderate drivers. So I was having this negative aura around me when I approached the Kelana Jaya Shell station to pump petrol.

Once I stopped the car, there was this bank employee who walked towards me with a big smile on his face. So I smiled back (pretty reluctantly). I proceeded with all those Bonuslink and credit card stuff while anticipating this guy to ask me if I would like to apply for a credit card from the bank he’s working for.

And I waited….and waited. Then I heard someone talking behind the pillar, right next to my car. And he was alone, the credit card salesman. Yes, he was using his mobile phone, right next to my car and I was pumping petrol.

I could feel the atomic bomb exploded within me. I called out to him:

“EXCUSE ME? hey you, can’t you read that simple sign that says NO MOBILE PHONE USAGE? Next time want to make a call, go further away la, there are so many empty spaces here”.

He smiled and walked off. His plan to get a new credit card customer, ruined, because of his own stupidity.

And we see this ALL THE TIME. People who want to get some deals or businesses from the potential customers, only to show the ugly side of them. For me, if you can’t even follow simple things like not using a mobile phone in a petrol station, how do you expect me to believe whatever you are going to say? I already have a negative impression of you without you even saying anything.

Sorry man, I’ll pass. No point buying from someone I dislike.

p/s….. and sometimes i really really wonder, why is it so hard for people to follow simple instructions like not using phone in the petrol station? i’ve seen so many people making phone calls while pumping petrol. If you want to risk your life, so be it. Why do you want to risk other people’s life…. and also their cars?

Of course it would be ideal if we don’t need to work hard to achieve our dreams – minimal effort but tonnes of reward. Sounds cool huh? But sadly, the reality is that there’s no shortcut in this world. There’s no quick way of getting rich, no sure way to get 1st class honor, no easy way to win the girl’s heart, and no effortless way of starting a successful business.

Yes, you can argue there ARE shortcuts out there and some people have become successful due to these shortcuts. But how sure are you that’s really the case? Are you sure these people did nothing but using the shortcuts? No additional efforts at all? Most often than not, these success stories have been made up in order to make you believe in them. The truth is that these individuals did make a lot of additional efforts in order to be where they are now – and perhaps, making you believe them is one of the efforts.

And if there really are shortcuts, those shortcuts can be rather risky. For example, you can try to cheat in exam if you want to get first class honor. But you should also know that once you’ve been found out, you’re practically screwed and chances are, you will be left with nothing – not even your degree. So if you still think it’s worth taking the risk, then good luck.

Same thing goes for all the shortcuts that you wish to take. The risks are there and they can be quite big risks. Think about it and decide whether it is worth it to take such high risks, or just try your best and work for your dreams without taking any shortcuts. For me, working hard for my dreams sound like a more interesting and safer thing to do. Furthermore, I am not someone who believes in shortcuts. They just don’t seem to exist in my life (so far).

We hear such lines all the time in our working environment. Processes, processes, processes. They are there to assist us to be more productive. They are there…well….to calm down the bosses because if we follow processes, things won’t easily go out of control. Well, not THAT much anyway.

To be honest with you, processes are fine but sticking too much to the processes can be counter-productive. But most importantly, it dulls the creativity of your people because they are being given a pretty tight constraint to work within. After all, most processes exist in order to control the people so that they don’t stray too far away from what they are supposed to do.

The funny thing is, after introducing such limiting processes, the bosses will start questioning their employees why aren’t they using their creativity at work? Then they will try to come out with MORE processes to promote creativity among the employees.

I guess the bosses or whoever that wants to come out with processes, should remember that creativity is not something that can be calculated – unlike the results of following a process. And it is not something which should be restrained by the processes. If you want to promote creativity, then remove the processes. Those 2 can hardly work together – there are occasions where the 2 can work together, but companies have the thread carefully…because not everyone can do that successfully without screwing up or making the bosses angry.

So yes, processes do dull creativity. Tell me if you think otherwise. I cannot think of how someone can be creative when he/she has to follow step (1) to step (10) as per the process.

Last but not least, people should remember that nowadays, companies need to rely on creativity and innovation more than they need to rely on boring processes. Processes are there to help, but creativity and innovation are there to make them win in the competition. So which should you be focusing on? It’s your choice.

p/s….. having said that, I don’t deny that certain processes should always be to keep things under control. Imagine what is it like if your HR person or account person try to be too creative by ignoring the processes.

An angry customer threatening to sue the company he used to love because the salesman did not tell him the important terms and conditions, or a motivated employee who decided to resign from his so-called ‘dream’ job once he realized a lot of the promises made during the interview could not be materialized.

Yes, we’ve seen and heard about all such examples. And all of them are due to (in one way or another) this reason – the failure to set the right expectations.

You can argue that it is the customer’s fault (or the interviewee’s) for not asking the proper questions. Yeap, you can definitely do that, just like what most people did. The thing is, this same group of people always end up finding themselves with a pissed off customer or an extremely demotivated employee. And the end result is not going to be the win-win situation everyone wants to achieve – for the customer, he will spread the negative comments (well, you don’t really need to care if your product is so good that everyone will still flock to your shop) and stop buying from you…..and the employee will also spread the negative comments and go look for another job. Either way, it’s definitely not good outcome for both parties in the long run.

Why do they (the customers and the employees) behave this way? Speaking from experience, it’s because we feel betrayed by the people/companies we trusted. Let’s say we buy an expensive product from you. We thought about it for a very long time and finally decided to buy it. We asked A-Y but missed out on Z. And you assumed you don’t have to tell us about Z just because we didn’t ask about it. Big mistake. If Z is important, then you should tell us about it. If you don’t, and once we found out about it, we’ll be very angry.

That’s why I always believe in setting the right expectations. It’s part of being a good salesman, consultant, interviewer, customer service officer, etc. Heck, I can even say it’s part of being successful in life!

So always always remember to set the right expectations and stop assuming people know about it just because they never ask. If you feel it’s important, then say it out. Set the right expectations before they make their decision. Remember that you should be helping them in making the right decision, and not trying to cheat them into making one.

p/s…. I understand that sometimes it’s not possible to clear all their doubts and set all the expectations right… so if you are unsure what kind of expectations to set, try to look at what are the important things that they should know. Things that they will be very pissed off if you don’t tell them about it. Things like conditions, clauses, possible contracts or bonds, etc.

p/s…. I’m writing this post because I became a victim twice in a month just because the salesman did not set the right expectations. I asked many many questions and they assumed I would know the few important points (clauses, missing software, etc) which I did not ask. Yes, I was pissed and they received a lot of lectures from me.

You don’t need to be unique in order to be successful. You can choose something or someone and copy from it/him. Just copy the characteristics and features, and try to be better. Simple isn’t it? In fact, this is what many big companies like Apple and Microsoft are doing.

But there’s a very important condition here – you should be 100% sure that you can be better than the original.If you can’t, you will be just another clone and the best you can ever do is to be 100% like the original. So what makes you think other people will be interested in you and not the original?

Let me give you an example then. When I was in Shanghai, there was this competition where people compete their talent(s) against one another.One contestant caught my attention….but i forgot his name. He looks like Andy Lau and his talent is that he can sing and perform like the real person. Of course, he didn’t win the competition (if not wrong). Why? First, there’s no originality. Second, he’s not a wise clone since he chose to copy someone who is already up there at the top. It’s just to difficult to be better than someone like Andy Lau especially by doing what Andy Lau does best.

That’s why if you want to copy from someone or something, choose your target wisely and make sure you can be better than the original.

Oh, and to all those company directors out there….stop telling your people that you want to be the next Accenture, Google, Apple, etc. Because at the end of the day, you will just be another clone and most often than not, clones die faster than the original.

Yes, being impressive can be very expensive if one is not careful. Many businesses have failed after spending millions on advertising fees. Their mission was to impress but the message failed to deliver and they failed to achieve their objectives. Yet, most never know when to give up. They ended up going through the entire process AGAIN, spending millions AGAIN…and failing AGAIN.

Same goes to people. Individuals who are willing to spend thousands (sometimes more than they can possibly afford) in order to look nice and look impressive. Posh cars, luxury condos, cool gadgets, branded handbags. Those are the things that individuals would buy in order to look impressive. Still, their hunger for such items never seem to fade. Instead, it grows stronger and stronger as they become hungrier for more. They ended up spending thousands again….but what about those old items? They either auction the items off at 80% discount, ignore or just throw away.

Do such behaviors end up solving the problem? Do they end up being impressive? For most of the businesses and individuals, the answer is no. Why? Because in order to be impressive, one needs to look at the fundamentals and not just the eye candy. For businesses, it could be something to do with the products or services. Perhaps people just don’t like what you are selling or perhaps there are other better options out there…or perhaps people just don’t get what you want to sell! And for individuals, perhaps people don’t like the way you talk or behave, or perhaps the people you are trying to impress care nothing about the posh items you bought.

At the end of the day, if one takes a closer look at the fundamentals, it is not really expensive to be impressive as long as you know what to improve on. If you hit the right keys and focus on improving them, then becoming impressive is just a matter of time. On the other hand, if you focus too much on eye candy, marketing gimmick, or anything exterior and NOT the fundamentals, then no matter how much you spend, it will be useless. Your impressiveness will not last.

So focus on the fundamentals, improve them and then you can talk about other things.

Unless you are someone who loves to burn your money away for no reason, then I have no comment.

All of us have a role (or roles) to play in this world especially to our family and society. If everyone starts to think about creating values for the society, I am very sure together we can make this world a better place.

Here are some simple examples to get you started:

• Recycle
• Donate blood
• Encourage people to donate blood
• Teach others things that you are good at / share your knowledge
• Motivate people
• Make people laugh
• Help out those in need including your customers
• Start a motivational blog
• Stop eating shark’s fin
• Organize sporting events to promote healthy living
• Turn off the tap if you’re not using
• Turn off the lights if you’re not in the room

And the list can go on and on and on. But these are very simple examples which should be good enough to get you started. The more ‘advanced’ examples would be things like how your current job can contribute to the society or are you creating things which can improve the life of others, etc.

Or are you just trying to protect yourselves and reap off benefits just for yourselves? If that’s the case, don’t you think it’s time for you to do your part for the society?

I understand that not every job can contribute to the society especially those in the financial sector. But if our own job can’t do that, then we just have to spend some of our personal time to do it.

Remember that it’s never too late to start creating values for the society. Simple acts could go a long way.