HAVE A MEANINGFUL CHRISTMAS - REFLECTING: Strengths, Weaknesses and Bad Habits.

 REFLECTING: Strengths, Weaknesses and Bad Habits

Self-Managed Learning demands that we take charge of our future; focus, operate from our strengths and deal with our bad habits.

It is a good time of the year to do some deep reflection and rethinking. Ask for and listen to feedback. Measure success – where we did well and where we failed. With feedback and deep reflection, we know what our real strengths, weaknesses and bad habits are. Reflection is necessary for the individual, an organization, and the nation.

This exercise is crucial as we can only perform from our strengths. We must concentrate on our strengths and place ourselves where we can produce the best results. We must not waste our energy trying to improve on areas of low impact on performance. We cannot build performance on weaknesses.

But it is crucial that we deal with our bad habits. Bad habits are things we do or fail to do that can dilute, negate, or even destroy our strengths. A talented entrepreneur who has the flair to make a lot of money will in the end go bankrupt if he has the bad habit of gambling.

In your organization, what are the bad habits that inhibit performance and excellence? Big plans without follow through? Lengthy meetings with few outcomes? The practice of artificial harmony where most managers avoid difficult conversations? Or simply the general lack of following S.O.P.?

How about we as a nation? What are the bad habits that is eating up our strength? Poor maintenance culture? The practice of corruption? Not being honest on both sides? Cybertrooping at a drop of a hat? Seeing every turn through the lenses of race? 

To be a successful leader, manager or individual contributor, we must learn to recognize our strengths, weaknesses and bad habits and feedback the same to others. To know more, ask us about our Self-Managed Learning Workshop.

Let us add value,

Have a meaningful Christmas

 

Peace, anas

 

CHOPSTICKS AS A SYMBOLIC REPRESENTATION

"Of Chinese and Malay identities in Malaysia"

Most Malaysian Chinese chose to keep their Chinese ethnic identity and hardly assimilate into the local culture. Mandarin is their first and preferred language.

Many Malaysian Chinese are more ‘western’ in their outlook instead of keeping to their ethnic identity. English is their first and preferred language.

Scores of Malaysian Chinese are more ‘local’ in their outlook – speaks Bahasa Malaysia or the local dialect extremely well especially the Baba Nyonyas and Peranakans.

Most of Malaysian Malays are trying to keep to their Malay identity, still dressing as much as possible as Malays do and enjoy and proud of the Malay language and culture.

Many Malaysian Malays are abandoning their local ethnic identity and becoming more like Saudi Arabs. Arabic is their preferred language, if only they can speak it.

Scores of Malaysian Malays are more ‘western’ in their outlook instead of keeping to their ethnic identity. English is their first and preferred language.

Culture represents a distinctive way of life of a group of people, their complete design for living. It is the complex whole of knowledge, belief, customs, art, skills, morals, traditions, habits, artifacts and objects and common knowledge to the members of the society.

Chopsticks represents part of the cultural symbol of the Chinese community. If we want to take this conversation forward in a positive way, we need to understand it as a symbolic representation of the community instead of harping on chopsticks per se – taking the conversation to the level of coffeeshop banter.

It is obvious that we are not ready to have a mature dialogue on the Malaysian identity. Perhaps we are operating from a society deeply wounded at the emotional level.

Or perhaps, many are simply in self denial

Peace.

anas zubedy