“Please follow the process!”. “Why aren’t you following the process?”. “The processes are there to help you”.

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.

Recession is nearly over (or at least, this is what most of us believe). For the past 1 – 2 years, we’ve seen many companies closed down and all of those which survived are franctically cutting cost (still). Cost cutting is not wrong but the definition of the so-called cost cutting is, in my humble opinion, not clearly defined in most companies.

How many times have we heard about such a scenario:

The big boss decided to reduce working day from 5 days week to 4 days week, removed the optical and dental allowances, and stopped the food and drink supply in the pantry. All these things have to be done in order to save the company from being closed down during this difficult period.

The big boss then flew to another country for business purpose, on a business class, and used the company credit card to have expensive meals. He also ordered the purchase of several high-end office equipments which were practically useless. Expenses shot up.

In the end, the company still did not do well and was forced to close down due to the high expenses. The big boss went on to find another job as the ‘big boss’ in another company and the best thing was, his bungalow and luxury car were safe.

In case you’re wondering about the shareholders, well, most of them don’t really look into all the details.

I’m sure some of you have experienced or have at least heard stories like the one above. Truth is, there are just so many bosses out there who don’t walk the talk. They’ll ask you to cut cost, but the cost cutting measures are not applicable for them.

The result? Almost everyone will end up unhappy due to the unfair treatment and this will actually force some good people to leave (maybe forcing people to leave without compensating them is part of the plan). If you’re one of the bosses, the next question is do you care about it?

If yes, perhaps there are few things that you really need to work on.

• Know that your responsibility as the boss is to grow the business, not (just) grow your own pocket.
• Earn respect from your employees. A boss who is not respected will not have good employees.
• Understand that what kind of employees you have depends on what kind of boss you are.
• Always walk the talk so that your people trust you. Too much empty promises will not do you good.

But well, I know it’s hard to do the things above. It’s just that, sometimes when the bosses or the company’s top management decided to cut cost by retrenching people, pay reduction, etc …maybe they should think about the entire cost cutting plan thoroughly as many people will suffer due to their decision. And having a bunch of top management people enjoying champagne and driving BMWs just add salt to the wound of those cost cutting victims.

Perhaps, in the end, the main question to the bosses is, do you know what are your responsibilities as a boss?

Let’s be honest, most of us have either met or heard about bosses from hell. I myself have encountered 1 or 2 such individuals who are being labeled as “notorious creatures of the deep” by some of my ex-colleagues. Hmm, quite interesting term there.

Anyway, based on my experience dealing with such “creatures”, all of them have 1 thing in common – they don’t treat their subordinates or their people as human beings. They shout, scold vulgar words in public, backstab, treat their people like entities from another world (as in, cannot see them even if they are next to each other), or order their people around like dogs (hey, even some dogs have better luck!).

In my opinion, these “creatures” need to take a look at the mirror and see if they can still see themselves change and learn to treat their people as human beings. This might appear to be common sense to some, but it could also be more difficult than conquering Mount Everest. But well, let’s do it one step at a time, and start with the simple list below.

• Greet your people or acknowledge their presence – a simple “Good morning” or “Hi, how was your weekend?” is good enough.
• Let them speak out – every conversation should be 2-sided. So give your people a chance to talk and hear them out.
• Control your tone of voice – never raise your voice against your people. Try to talk and explain to them in a proper way. They’re human beings after all.
• Hang out more with your people – go out for gatherings, dinners, movie outings, etc. Try to improve the relationship. Also, remember that you are their boss in the office, but their friend when it’s outside the office.
• Remember names – try to remember as many names as possible. Calling your people by their names also shows that you remember who they are and this is much more useful than calling them by “oi” or “you”…or worse…call them with the wrong names.
• Treat your people as adults – Stop ordering your people as if they’re primary school kids. Respect them as adults who know how to think for themselves. Also, you yourselves need to behave like an adult.
• Control your ego – ego is perhaps the root of all evil when it comes to leadership. I know that some of you leaders have gone through a lot of hardships in the past but time has changed. Always put your ego away when you deal with your people.

I believe there are many more things that a leader can do in order to improve the overall working condition in the company. Some can be quite difficult, while some can be as easy as the things above.

But I do understand that sometimes, employees do demand a lot from their bosses. My advice to these bosses or leaders – if you cannot give your people the things they want, then at the very least, treat them as human beings. I am sure that that alone, will make their working experience more pleasant.

But if you find that you cannot even do 1 of the things listed above……then perhaps it’s better for you to check with your psychiatrist.

In every good CV, there will be a section reserved for referees, their positions and their contact details. This is a very important section and is often overlooked by the job candidates.

Why is it important? Because job interviewers will most likely call the referees for a reference check if you managed to pass the interview process. And this is where your past behavior will either help you in your job application….or ruin your chance.

And it wouldn’t help if you are only putting your friends or relatives as referees. You can put at most 1 close friend but most of the referees should be those individuals who have worked with you before. They should be the people who know how you work, and what is the attitude that you bring to a workplace. They should either be your supervisor, former supervisor or senior colleagues.

Also, by putting your supervisors/colleagues as your referees, it is very obvious that you have nothing to hide and you are willing to let the interviewer knows about your past records. If you can’t find anyone from the company or your ex-company, then finding someone (from within the same industry) who knows you well will help too. It’ll even be better if that someone holds a senior position in a reputable company.

However, one thing that you must always make sure is that these referees will say good things about you and not the other way round. You wouldn’t want to get a referee who would back stab you. Also, always remember to ask permission from the person before you actually put their contact details inside your CV.

Last but not least, be honest in your job interview. The referees are important but they are only there to prove whatever you said during the interview is correct. They are more like the supporting casts. The main cast is you.

As for me, I’m very fortunate that I have good supervisors (former and current) who are willing to help me out by becoming my referees.

p/s…… if you don’t have any good referee…maybe it’s time to perform better in your job so that you can get good testimoninals from your bosses or even ask one of them to be your referee.

I work in KLCC area (but not sure whether I’ll still be working there few months later) and every time I go to work or come back from work, there will always be a lot of cars rushing here and there….speeding all the way. And when I reach KLCC, there will always be people walking very fast to their office.

It’s either they’re being hasty….or they’re late for work.

To be honest, I was one of them. Time passes by without me knowing it…and things that actually matter didn’t seem to matter. All I have in my mind was work, and work, and work. How to fix that issue? How to get more money? How to present it to the bosses? Even at 7.30am, my brain was already busy working for the company.

And I believe I’m not alone.

In fact, this kind of lifestyle is slowly becoming a trend in this world. We’re just moving too fast in our life. Why? Because to many people, time is a nonrenewable commodity and money, is a very rare commodity which will only appear if you work ‘HARD’.

However, most of us have forgotten the purpose of us being here, in this world – to contribute, and to enjoy life. By being so hasty, we will certainly miss out on a lot of things in life. Ever wonder where has all those DAYS gone? Ever wonder why it is weekend AGAIN? or ever wonder why everyone around us have aged so much while we’re busy chasing after money?

It’s not like those time just go disappear into thin air. These things are happening all around us but we’re just too hasty and too busy to pay attention to such ‘minor’ things.

Our life is passing by too fast, without us knowing it.

Maybe it’s time to slow down a little, and enjoy whatever we have now? Stop driving so fast or walking so fast, try to slow down a little and enjoy the air, or the blue sky, or the morning sun. Spend time with your family and not dig your head deep into the big pile of files.

It’s time to make a change, and it’s never too late to do so.

Last but not least, remember that life is not about rushing here and there. It’s about enjoying the things this world have for you……. but if you’re moving too fast, it’ll be impossible for you to notice them.

So, do slow down once in a while. No point being too hasty