Well, that is at least what most people think. Fact is, this kind of favouritism can happen anywhere, not just in a family business. If you happen to work for a boss who favours few individuals over the rest, the same thing will happen. The good opportunities will all be left to those few individuals. As for the rest, consider yourselves lucky if you are able to get a decent increment. And yes, this kind of scenario happens in a lot of companies. So what makes you think this is different from your fear of working in a family business? Not much difference as far as I can see.

And on the other hand, a family business under the management of the right people will always pick the best person for the job even if the person is not one of his relatives. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I think Genting is doing a very good job at this. Genting directors are some of the highest paid people in Malaysia and don’t tell me all of them belong to the Lim family.

Okay, I know some of you would say “what about those small family business where the CEO is the husband and the COO is the wife?” Normally, that kind of company has a big “Join us and die” sign board at their entrance. Just kidding. It can be very bad but also, it depends on how mature and how professional they are. I believe there shouldn’t be any problem if the CEO and the COO know what is personal and what is work. If they can’t, then you better stay away. Don’t end up like my friend who was forced to resign because he did not know which instruction to follow – CEO (husband) or COO (wife).

Anyway, I think at the end of the day, the most important factor here is who are the top people and how do they run the company. Favouritism style? Or best-man-for-the-job style? And also, is there a long term future working for them. Are they professional enough to know what is best for the company. If majority of the above questions are ‘NO’, then time to move on.

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?

A friend of hers has just started a new job in a multinational company. After only 1 month, she wanted to resign because of the ill treatments she received from a senior operation manager. The manager has been with the company for 30 years and used to be a star performer. But for the past few years (according to many), he has been a star performer only when bosses were around. Otherwise, he would just sleep in the office for whole day or disappeared into nothingness. He also started to force other people out, people who he did not like.

I think this is quite a good example where being loyal actually brings more bad than good. For someone who has been working in the company for 30 years, his position in the company (and in the bosses’ mind) should be pretty secure. But that does not mean he is contributing to the company. In the example above, he is actually bringing the company down due to his ego.

And this kind of scenario also applies to other things such as a long-term relationship gone sour, a long term customer who starts to be overly demanding, a friend who becomes overly possessive, etc. These scenarios will most likely turn from bad to worse in the long run, and this can be very bad for everyone.

Maybe this is the reason why people should know how to assess things properly and able to make the right decision(s). In the end, just like everything else in this world, being loyal can be good and bad, depending on which context. Sometimes, it pays to remain loyal but there will also be moments when calling it quit is the best option available.

For example, if you are a fresh graduate in IT, you should be a programmer.

If you have 5 years experience, you should be a senior programmer.

If 10 years, then a technical architect or a project manager. You CAN remain as a senior programmer, but your salary will not go up since it belongs to the lower group in the corporate food chain.

Do you think this is a good practice? For me, I don’t. I don’t see why someone who loves to do programming should not be rewarded properly and must be forced to move to the management level in order to get proper remuneration. Why force someone to do something he does not like? And most importantly, why decide for people what they should be working as based on how old they are?

Perhaps this is one of the reasons why I’ve met more passionate people in western countries than I’ve ever met in any Asian country. What do you think? Should something be changed or you think it is fine the way it is now?

p/s…. i understand that in certain companies where a manager is regarded to be more important than a programmer, it is only natural to pay the manager more. If that’s the case, then let us try to put it in a different context. Let’s say you are hiring a programmer, and a 50-year-old guy with the proper experience and knowledge apply for the job. Will you consider him or will you think he is actually too old for the job even though he is really passionate about it?

Here’s the question I’ve asked the interviewer during the job interview.

Alvin : Mr XYZ, I understand that this company’s operation is pretty similar to Accenture.

XYZ : *looks surprised* You’re right. We’re trying to be like the big boys in consulting world and one of them is Accenture.

Alvin : Hmm, I’m a bit curious here. How do your company actually differentiate itself then? Because without differentiating itself, the company is actually competing with Accenture, isn’t it?

Maybe that’s the finishing blow I gave because the interviewer failed to answer my question after that. And he got rather pissed at that last remark.

Actually, there’s nothing wrong for a small company to try and be like Accenture or any big companies for that matter. But for me, setting a company as your final goal also means you will never reach there. Remember the old saying “aim for the stars, so that you can land on the moon”? It’s like you set something as your final goal, and you work and work towards it but never manages to achieve that target. And even if you are the lucky few who managed to achieve it, what’s next then? Aim for something bigger than Accenture?

To be honest, if I were the client, I will ask myself these questions.

• What is so special about this company if compared with Accenture?
• Are they providing cheaper solution? If yes, how much cheaper? Will the quality be compromised? If it’s not providing cheaper solution, what makes them think I won’t go for Accenture instead?

Let’s face it. Most people want the original stuff as long as they can afford it. So the only bargaining chip you have here is to be cheaper. But how much cheaper do you want to go? I believe the last thing any company wants is to end up in a price war – red ocean, anyone?

So the next time you help to set your company’s goal, try to set something which is independent of any other companies. Again, I must say that it’s not wrong to do so. It just does not seem like the best way for me. I rather set goals like “becoming the market leader in the web 2.0 consulting world” or “integrating the world of legacy systems” or a simpler “becoming the leader in the niche market which the company is involved in”.

Compare those 3 with something like “becoming just like Accenture”….I think I rather chose the former 3. But that’s just my personal opinion.

p/s… For your info, I failed the interview. Guess my curiosity didn’t serve me well

p/s… By the way, a goal can be a direction and not the destination.

I’ll admit it. I have that kind of problem, all the time.

Then I came across an article which actually touched on this issue. I couldn’t find the link anymore, so sorry for that. I’ll post it here once I found it.

Anyway, it talks about focusing on the priority and removing all the not-so-important tasks. I find it very useful and effective, and have actually came out with my new formula of doing things which matter. Erm, not really a formula, but few steps which allow me to focus.

1. List out all the things to do in a single day (a single week if you’re more of a weekly person or if doing it daily is too tedious for you).
2. Mark the 1 thing which you really want to complete it no matter what. It must be something which means a lot to you. You can choose to have 2 things, but preferably make it 1.
3. Remove all other things or if you cannot remove them, postpone them to later date.

Done.

I find these 3 steps to be quite useful. For example, I always find myself spending too much time in IM (Yahoo Messenger and MSN Messenger) and also the RSS feeds. I could actually spend the entire morning just to go through all the articles in my RSS feed. Most of those articles are beneficial (business, motivational, etc) but it wouldn’t hurt if I remove them altogether, or postpone them to a later date.

By doing these 2 simple things, I can actually free up at least 2 to 3 hours each day to do the things which matter.

It’s not that these things don’t matter. In fact, some of them are quite important. But the main point here is, will it bring any significant impact if I don’t do them TODAY or NOW? Nope.

So, why not just postpone them or just cancel them altogether?

But for those things which are really important (but not urgent), remember to complete them later. Don’t just postpone and forget about them.

Last but not least, each one of us has only 24 hours a day for us to use. If we waste it, it will never return. So, manage your time wisely and do the things which matter the most to you.

p/s……. this is another reason why I’m putting my blog schedule to Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

p/s……. for those on Twitter and Facebook, try to avoid them. It’s good if you have a USEFUL purpose. Otherwise, they really can be pretty time consuming and addictive.

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.

But those signs are already very drastic signs…..and by the time you know it, sorry to say, it’s already too late. You’ll most likely be caught in it.

Not a very good sign either...why must they cut the cubicle?

Well, there is still hope. I do believe that there are other less significant signs that one can observe to know whether one’s company is doing well or not. And these less significant signs normally appear before the obvious signs.

And here they are, some of the not-so-good signs if you notice them occurring in your office.

• Everyone is watching Youtube.
• The list of online people in Facebook, most of them are your colleagues.
• Your colleagues are playing games during office hour. Some are watching movies. Their excuse? Nothing to do.
• Your office space is getting a bit crowded. Many people who are supposed to be in client’s site, are back in the office.
• Or, your office space is becoming less crowded because people are being laid off or forced to go on unpaid leave.
• You always see a group of people going into a meeting with the bosses, and after the meeting everyone looks gloomy, with a letter/envelope each in their hands.
• Your office network is getting slower everyday. Someone is busy streaming or downloading.
• The biscuits in the pantry have not been refilled for a couple of weeks.
• The supply of tissue paper has been replaced by toilet paper.
• Your bosses start to monitor everyone’s behavior and what online activities they are doing in the office.
• Your sales guys are having extended tea breaks……..far too often.
• Your office is getting darker – in terms of lighting and also aura.
• There’s no more weekly or monthly updates from the bosses. They just don’t care anymore.
• Most of your management people left.
• Your management is arguing with you over a claim which is worth RM 5.
• Removal of some of the employees’ benefits.
• The plants in your office are dying. Nobody is taking care of them.
• The lunch breaks are getting longer, from 1 hour to maybe 3 hours.
• Your company starts to take in any kind of projects….including those that are completely out of scope or not within the industry.
• etc….

The list can go on and on and on. For some of the companies, it can be quite different since different industries have their own share of problems and issues. Mine is looking more from the IT industry (I gather the information from various sources).

So if you happen to see some of those signs in your company, perhaps it’s best for you to plan your way out. Things might get better or worse from there…….and most of the time is worse.

And by the time you get things like pay cut, retrenchments, etc ……it’s already too late.

By the way, if you have any other signs that you want to list out here or share with us, do feel free to contribute in the comment box.

Guess what happened next?

The interviewee, or in other words, the person who needs the job, started complaining to my friend in a not-so-polite manner. The person told my friend why didn’t she inform him earlier that the interview process was going to take so long, bla bla bla and he has this appointment he needed to attend in another far far away place at 4pm.

When my friend told me this, my first response was “Friend, just fail that guy. He’s an idiot who doesn’t know how to manage his time and he’s too unprofessional to blame others for his own mistake”.

As a job candidate, one should always allocate at least 3 hours for the entire interview process. I’ve been to an interview which took me 5 hours (the manager forgot about my existence). This is because each interview process can be quite different from one company to the other. Some companies require you to take a lot of tests, some don’t. Some companies have long-winded interviewers, and some just don’t bother that much. So it’s pretty hard to predict how long the actual interview is going to last. That’s why it’s very dangerous and risky to schedule another important appointment right after the interview. Always leave a buffer of 2 to 3 hours between the 2…. unless you can fly or teleport.

Remember that time management is very important. If you cannot even manage the schedules for your interviews and appointments, what makes you think your employer will give you the job? You are just another disorganized person to them.

Oh, and even if nothing is going right for your schedules……you should never ever blame the interviewer. That’s way too unprofessional.

Better to check what's on the other side first, Mr Fishy

And all the signs are pointing to one thing  – get the hell out of there and find yourselves a better job!

But how true is that? How much “better” do you want your new job to be?

The thing is, when changing job, there’s always the risk of leaving a not-so-good company for a super-duper-bad company. Or in other words, jumping into a deeper shit.

But how can you do that? Here are few things you need to pay attention to.

• Research the company. Check the company web site, information, history and also Google around for any information related to the company. It’s not difficult to actually know more about the company by using Google.
• The outlook of the company web site. This is quite important. If a company does not pay close attention something as simple as web site, which is the first thing clients see (and clients here mean $$$), what makes you think they care about something more complicated like their own employees?
• Try to search Facebook and LinkedIn for contacts within the company. Most likely you will have some friends who have worked in that company before…or their friends. Try to dig some information about the company and its working culture.
• Study the office and its atmosphere. If you are not comfortable with the office and the environment, or some of the employees there look pretty much like zombies, then maybe it’s better for you not to put too much hope in that company.
• Be yourselves during the job interviews. If the interviewer is trying to find faults with you, or is not being polite and friendly, then most likely he will be the same after you’ve joined. If you think you can work with such person, fine. Otherwise, it’s better not to torture yourselves by joining them.

So make sure you do all these homework before you actually make the decision whether to join a company or not. And if you’ve done all those stuff listed above, and you personally feel it’s safe to join the company, then by all means go ahead. The last remaining element is your luck, which is completely out of your control.

But if you’re afraid that you have pretty bad luck and thus might end up jumping into a deeper shit…then take some time to think of what you really want. Grass is not always greener on the other side but if you don’t have the courage to go to the other side……..how would you know?