The Choice is Yours

Whether we realize it or not, we are born to make the choice. What we choose, determine the future. Everyday, you have to make the natural choice, in the early morning, in your own bed, you decide whether to wake up late or early, what to take for your breakfast, what to wear and so forth..

Steven Covey realized the important of this and include this in his Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.



1. Yes, people can change himself and re-emerge as a renewed and a better individual.

2. The 7 Habits starts with set of principles, the first is "Be Proactive". Simply said, that there is a "space of opportunity" that you can make the choice to respond to a given environment. The space can be at first "small", but given time, you can work to expand it.

3. The Gurus have been arguing whether we are the products of nurture or nature. Whether we are the prisoner of our past, moulded by the circumstances of our upbringings. Steven is firm to say that we are the creation of our own choices. We may be raised a certain way, but we can still make the choice. The space of decision is in our hand.

Does is mean that you are total in position to determine your future? Does it mean that the there is no such such thing as "FATE" or "destiny". In my opinion, what Steve is promoting is closer to the Muslims thought that the Christianity. Christians believe in the "Original Sin" that a newly born has to be baptized to clean him/her. Muslims do not believe that sins or virtue are inherited. People are given the ability to choose, and you will be rewarded or punished for your choices.

So the choice of your path is in your very hand...

Game Plan for Your New Job

Joining a new post at a new company is not something that you do everyday. If you do, then careful planning is required.These are some of the issues that you may like to consider:

A- Identifying the roles
a. Question yourself and do research on the business of the company. What is the roles of the organisation, especially the division or section that you are working.
b. Build up a description on your roles and clarify this with your boss. Take care on the way you do this, as you need to show that you are capable to handle the situation. It is better to present it as a total solution giving your own version of issues and problems and followed by your solutions of opportunities and corrections.

B. Identify the success factors
a. Know the power of the workers- I was retired and join a new smaller company as a training manager. Some of the trainers are elderly and had been the valuable staff since the company started operating. Their views and cooperation are very important. They have to be on your side for you to be successful.

b. Know your bosses - Everybody has his own strength and weakness, like and dislike. You need to know what your boss likes. He may not be saying it directly, but his comments and stories tell a lot. I present boss is proud of his achievement in the company, what he normally calls "his way of getting done". I need to be careful not attack "his way". Any changes proposed have to grounded on "his way" and suggestions will be an improvement to "his way"

c. Know the culture -No organisation operates at 100% efficiency. There is a thin line of the bosses' vision and the organisation's vision. This is especially so if the company belonged to an individual, as his word is the final rule.

C. Write your strategies and share discretely.
Please never tell everything and all your plan. You have to have a hidden spot for your to hide. Remember the games and plays that we did when we were young... there are something reserved for us alone.

Retire Gracefully

When it is time to move out and exit from a company, please do it gracefully. There may be many reasons for a person to resign, but breaking the news is never easy. The first step is realize and accept the fact that the event is inevitable, and secondly, it should be realizes that it is rarely a stress free situation.

The followings are the tips to leave your organisation professionally:

1. Resign for the right reasons. It is important to consider all the options. The worst is to decide based on emotion or just because you have a bad days or weeks. Think through the reasons and if necessary, write yourself an explanation letter, why you have to resign. It is not easy to pull your resignation back.

2. It is a small world. Do realize that, there is always a chance that you will meet the same people at the other jobs location. It is possible that your present colleagues can be your future bosses, and even the people below you can be your superior.

Always threat your subordinate with respect as they can be your future bosses. If you want to share your frustration, venting your anger, think again as it can have a damaging consequences.

3. Timing is critical. The timing is important for both the organisation and the staff. The company needs to ensure that its operations are nor affected by your leaving. As such, they will require time to plan for the response. It is a mistake to select a time just to create inconveniences for the organisation.

4. The resignation letter. It is the formal document to record your intention. It is normally handed after the resignation meeting with the bosses. The letter should be formal and short, straight to the point. It should cover issues such as the last day at work, any outstanding monetary issues and matters relating to annual leave.

It may not seem important, but to retire gracefully does make sense, never burn the bridge after you have crossed it, you my need it later.