Let’s face it. Not many people like opinions and even more people don’t like criticisms. Some even reject them without thinking much about them. Their brain will just keep telling them “What do they know about this? They know nothing!” or “What rights do they have to comment me like that!?” etc etc.

So they will just shut themselves out from everything be it positive or negative.

I’ll be honest with you. I used to be like that and will just shut myself out from all forms of opinions. It does sting and it’s not pleasant at all when someone just comes to you and say “whoa, your work sux big time, just give it up!” I’ve experienced it before and it can be very very demotivating. But those kind of opinions are pretty rare (they are out there somewhere, but there are rare).

What we need to do is to continue with our work (and work harder to improve ourselves). Ignore all these destructive opinions which are trying to bring you down instead of helping you. Get more constructive ones. There are still a lot of helpful people out there and they want to help you by telling you what is wrong. They have good intention.

So if you really want to be successful in the things you are doing, you must be willing to accept other people’s opinions. Learn to filter them properly but not shut them out altogether. Believe it or not, your willingness to accept other people’s opinions will dictate how far you go in your life.

I’ve finally decided to stick to a fixed posting schedule. I’ll be posting on Monday, Wednesday and Friday each week. This is due to my slightly hectic schedule and also I plan to use some of the free time to do few things such as:

• Do my own personal projects
• Start a new blog which is related to technology
• Redesign this blog’s outlook
• Draw some comics
• Maybe come out with ebooks – content compiled from the comics and articles of this blog
• Provide more helpful articles here

Last but not least, I would like to thank you all once again for all the support throughout the years. It’s really been a long time since I first started blogging. Thanks!

By the way, you can follow me at Twitter – @alvinlzg

Hmm, i think this is an award a lot of people can win

But that was many years back. Since then, there’s no sign of new “Best employer” award for the company anymore and I do wonder…has their standards dropped? If they’re still a good company to join, they should be able to win the awards after that. Why didn’t they?

Same thing goes for those companies who love to show off their awards. It’s fine if you’re showing off your new awards – those in the last few years. But if the awards are too old……well….just take them away since they’re no longer useful and by placing them as “decorations”, it might actually backfire. Unless you are getting those awards every year……from 2001 until 2009, and not just 2001 alone.

Because in my opinion, if you are really that good, you should be able to get those awards including the latest ones. If you only have the 2001 award…..it means that you’re not really doing that well for the past 8 years.

Or maybe you’re just not interested in those awards anymore – which I doubt.

The small guy will be able to outrun the big guy and make him tired

I told them, that mentality is true and applicable for 2008 but not in the future. Why? Because there will be more and more changes ahead, more so that the large companies might not be able to handle them. Most of us know that large companies are very process-oriented and they have a certain set of procedures you need to follow for every action. I used to work for a Fortune 500 company, and at 1 point, I requested to upgrade my laptop memory to 2GB. The whole process took 3 weeks since it needs the approval from some IT managers in the States. 3 weeks…for something worth RM 200-300.

Anyway, as I’ve predicted, many so-called large companies are falling and falling fast. Retrenchments are not being made by small companies only….but also big companies (some are formerly known for being the best employers in their respective industry). In fact, most of my friends from large companies are suffering job losses or pay cuts but those in smaller companies are only suffering from pay cuts (they only lose their jobs if the company get closed down ).

The thing here is that large companies tend to spend too much time handling their processes and procedures, while the small companies (the good ones) are spending their time changing and adapting to the new environment. In this ever-changing world, whoever can adapt the fastest will win. This is something important and everyone should remember…..but sadly…not many believe in it.

So if you’re still thinking that large companies are better than smaller companies…….think again. In my opinion, it’s better to keep it small or medium for now since changes will be inevitable in 2009 onwards. You wouldn’t want to be the last in the queue to make the changes.

This kind of situation is pretty n

Anyone wants to change to this job?

ormal nowadays since most companies no longer hire you for a specific skill ONLY. They want you to be as flexible as possible or in other words, provide as much value as possible to the company. So if you are willing to switch and remain flexible, the management team aka bosses can be sure that they can rely on you whenever there’s a shortage of headcount in other projects. This way, the company can reduce the expenses needed to hire someone new – and of course, get the most out of the people they’ve hired.

But let’s forget about the company for now…let’s talk about the individuals. What kind of answer do you think you will give, if you were in such a situation? Is it a good or bad thing if you are in such a situation?

Well, just like everything else, there are pros and cons. In my opinion, asking you to change department is much better than a salary cut or a retrenchment. Also, you get to learn something new (most of the case, trainings will be provided) and this new skill might become more valuable than your previous skills.

But that’s just how I think. At the end of the day, it really depends on what you want to achieve from the current job. Here are few factors to consider.

• Do you love your current company and are planning to stay longer in the company?
• Will there be a pay cut if you switch? If yes, how significant is it?
• Will trainings be provided?
• Are there any other projects in the pipeline for your current role?
• Can you find a better job out there?
• What’s your goal and objectives for doing whatever you are doing now? Start your own business? Be a consultant?
• Do you prefer to be a specialist (harder to find job but with higher pay) or a generalist (easier to find job but with lower pay)?
• If you choose not to switch and prefer to sit idling around….is your boss okay with that?

In fact, there are a lot to consider but all of the questions drill down to 2 main things – will your financial condition get affected and what is your plan for the future?

For example, people like myself would not mind switching since what I want to learn is the domain knowledge/operation and not just the technical side of things. I am the type of people who don’t like to get tied down or limited by a single thing. It’s just too risky that way….and too boring. Furthermore, my ultimate dream is to start my own business which does not really require me to know that specific skill. Because…well…an entrepreneur (a poor one especially) has to know EVERYTHING, not just a singe skill.

But enough about myself. What about you? If you were in such a situation, will you be willing to change? Do you mind letting go the years of experience you’ve obtained previously?

p/s… most bosses love employees who are worth more than they have been hired for. For example, it would be better if an employee knows multiple skills since the bosses can easily place him/her in any project to “fill in the gap”. Such employee is a valuable asset to the company (and they are not as expensive as the specialist).

What kind of nonsense is this? This is called the “don’t talk to me unless you are more qualified than me” syndrome which, sadly, is suffered by many people on Earth.

To be honest, I don’t really blame people who have this kind of syndrome or mentality because there are just too many news, facts, “facts” flying around in our life every single day. If people were to believe in everything, time will never be enough and …well…I think they will go crazy due to excessive information.

I think this boy is not qualified enough to tell people about birdwatching

This kind of syndrome will be even more obvious on someone if that someone is paying for this particular “fact”. Nobody wants to pay for something which is not right or not trustworthy. That’s why businesses are willing to spend thousands and millions of dollars on qualified consultants and experts. Why? Not because they’re smarter or have higher IQs or are more experienced, but because they are regarded to be more “qualified”.

So the next time you want to talk or convince somebody, look at your own situation. Are you qualified enough to talk to the person? Will the person actually listen to you or will he just treat you as an idiot? Think about it and decide whether you really want to talk to the person.

There’s no harm trying but when there are a lot of potential people you can talk to…..you really need to filter and pick only those who will listen to you. You can’t spend too much time on idiots who think you’re more idiotic than them.

p/s…. there are also some people who can be very convincing without the proper qualifications. Those people rely on their reputation. Maybe you can be like them too?

Or more like, what does Alvin Lim really want? LOL

Anyway, the topic here is Security. Everyone wants security especially during economy crisis like this. People want cheap and lasting stuff so that they won’t have to spend money to buy a replacement. In other words, they want to get something which is gives good value for money, or good return of “investment”. Why? Simply because buying a replacement can be very expensive. Imagine buying a new 32 inch LCD TV to replace the 2-year-old 32-inch LCD TV. With the combined price (which is very expensive), you can easily get a 42-inch Full HD LCD TV (I think…but well, it’s just an estimation).

I wonder if there's any company giving this kind of warranty coverage?

I know that few years ago, when people are still spending a lot, some of the cheaper stuff do not come with warranty period because it’s just too expensive for the businesses to offer that. Still, people will buy because if it doesn’t work, they can just buy another one. But now, situation has changed. More and more people are starting to feel the heat from the economy downturn and they are not willing to risk their hard-earned money on something which is not “secured” or without a warranty……unless it’s dirt cheap…like 80% off the original price.

Funny thing is, most businesses do not realize this and they still think customers are willing to risk their money to get something which can break down anytime.

This happened to me today (start of rant). I went to IKEA to look for an office chair and I found a RM 350 chair which is the type that I’m looking for. But it was over my budget. So I went to the furniture shop near LDP (Kelana area) and found an office chair which is pretty similar but RM 290. After some “discussion” with the sales guy (kudos to my mum who is very ruthless when bargaining for cheaper price), I managed to get the price of RM 260. Here’s our conversation after the “discussion”:

Alvin : So if I want this chair, do you think my car can fit in the box?

Sales guy : What box? This is cash & carry. This is the unit you’ll get.

Alvin : Oh.. display unit eh? Then is there any warranty period?

Sales guy : Aiyah, won’t break down one. It’s brand new.

Alvin : How would I know? Maybe you’ve put here for many months. So, is there a warranty period?

Sales guy : Nope. We don’t give warranty period for something this small.

Alvin : Ok, then I’ll get from IKEA.

Seriously, I rather fork out the extra RM 100 to get something brand new and also to buy the “security”. I don’t think I want to spend another few hundred buying yet another chair if the RM 260 breaks. It’s just too risky and certainly not a good investment.

That’s why if you’re trying to sell something to your customers, you must remember that most customers want security or some kind of assurance that the item will not break. If it does, at least, they want to know that they can replace the item with zero fee. Either that, or give them an extremely cheap price which will allow them to buy another new item if the existing one breaks.

As for me, I will still prefer to pay that extra money to get that “security” or warranty. No security, no deal. No assurance, no deal.

P/S….not sure if it is Assurance, or Insurance, or.. ? Ah well, I know “if” statement more than English now.

Why is that so? Here are some of the factors which I can think of for now.

• Agendas and things to be discussed in the meeting or discussion are not set. People do not know what to talk about and most probably end up talking nonsense.
• Most people are just there in the meeting room for the sake of being there, without actually wanting to solve the problem. Their bodies will be there, not their souls.
• The person chairing the meeting and discussion is not experienced enough or he himself tends to talk something unrelated to the objectives. Or worse, the person does not know what he wants from the meeting and just want to get it over as quickly as possible.

In my opinion, if you don’t have the willingness to achieve the objectives of the meeting (which, most of the time, is to solve problems), then don’t conduct a meeting or discussion in the first place because any meeting which fails to achieve the objectives is regarded as meaningless and a waste of time.

I think this kind of meeting is pretty popular

And if you conduct a meeting for the sake of coming out with ANY solution….then please…..don’t start the meeting at all. No solution is better than a very bad solution which might make things worse.

I started this topic after my sister told me that a customer service officer of a company called her up and changed her (the officer’s) statement from “Our company products’ warranty period is only 3 days”  to “After confirming with our senior managers, we have to inform you that our company does not provide warranty coverage to the toys AT ALL“. See the difference?

Call this irresponsible, or whatever. To me, it’s lousy management and leadership. If you can only come out with such lousy solution (it’s actually a worse answer than the first one), then at least, don’t tell me “After confirming with our senior managers”. You are giving me the impression that your whole company, including the senior managers, consists of a bunch of idiots.

Louis Vuitton (LV) bags

But to me, we will never understand why people spend on those things unless we are in their shoes. Guys will never understand why girls spend so much on cosmetics and fashion stuff (LV bags…omg… =_= so freaking expensive bags). And girls will never understand why guys love gadgets so much.

So the next time you want to comment on other people for spending a lot on something that doesn’t make sense to you…..think again. It might not make sense to you….just like the things you buy don’t seem to make sense to other people.

I think in the end, the most important thing is for you to know what you are spending on and your own priorities especially during recession period. Is the thing you buying really worth it? Can you live and enjoy life WITHOUT it? Will the value depreciate a lot after you’ve bought it? Ask yourselves such questions and hopefully the answers will be able to help you in making the right decision.

P/S… by the way, I don’t know how much it cost to go to Timbuktu. I assume you’ll need at least 40k in order to come back alive.

And that brings me to another point – is he really that important that, he alone is bigger and more important than the entire Apple? I thought there’s a saying in the football world which says that there’s no 1 player who is bigger than the football club. In this case, there should not be one employee/leader who is bigger than the company itself.

I think such employee is not easy to be replaced (unless the person was not working, but busy MSN-ing)

In my opinion, a successful company should always have a proper succession plan. We cannot deny the fact that there will always be some superstar employees or leaders in a company but we also cannot deny that these superstars will not be with the company forever. Nothing lasts forever in this world. And it is pretty likely that these superstars will not outlive a successful company (things might be different for unsuccessful companies who might wither out within few months or years). Thus, a succession plan should be in place in order to replace these superstars.

This is to ensure business will continue as usual without those superstars and hopefully the new replacement will be equally capable. Part of the so-called business continuity, remember?

Also, it is important to remember that the superstars should not focus on themselves too much. This is exactly what some of the business and managements books are trying to teach – to focus on the company, and not the individuals. Use their talents to build a superstar company, and not to make themselves shine brighter than the company. Because at the end of the day, the transition from an employee to another employee within a superstar company is much easier than the transition from a superstar employee to a yet-to-be-superstar employee. Remember that such transition is not known to be smooth and without any problem. Thus, it is important to try and keep it as problem-free and as smooth as possible.

Besides that, the shareholders might get pretty worried if a superstar is leaving and he is to be replaced by someone unknown. Maybe that explains why the share price of Apple Inc has been dropping since the news of Steve Jobs’ health started to spread like wildfire.

Last but not least, always have a succession plan even if the superstars or the leaders, or the employees, are not planning to leave anytime soon. Because you cannot predict what might happen tomorrow. Maybe tomorrow, a company larger than you will approach to buy over that employee immediately? Or maybe that employee has some family issues and need to quit as soon as possible? These things can be unpredictable. Thus, it is important to have a succession plan. A well-planned succession plan is always better than a last minute find-anyone-will-do succession plan. The last thing you want is to replace the superstar with someone who knows nuts about the company… or someone who is basically an idiot.

From the above points, you can see the importance of having a proper succession plan in your company. So if your current company currently does not have a succession plan, maybe it’s time to have one. You can’t afford to waste too much time finding the proper replacement (though most companies do that and end up getting the wrong guy). Time wasted = money wasted. And too much money wasted, will make your company more fragile.

Remember that, any company which can adapt faster than its competitors, will most likely do better in this fast-changing world.