The Hard Truth - : Employees as your biggest asset - Yes or No ?

My old colleague from North America branch - whom I have utmost respect for (and the one I got the quote : "Good Company Are Known By The People It Keeps") once asked me this : what do you think about the saying "Employees Are Your Greatest Assets" ?

I said, I don't know - maybe part of it is right, but not entirely the truth.  He agreed with me - and explained his view on this.  When you start to generalize that all employees are great - that statement is not true. However, there are some employees really go beyond and above.  Those that worked really hard, and realize that they need to make progress, set examples for others - are the one worth keeping with the company.  However, those that keep saying (and complaining) in front of their colleagues, bosses, or subordinates (e.g: OMG, I fell asleep on my desk working on this project last night - or OMG, I am tired all the time because I spent 8 hours doing this shit, and so on ...) - those are the one you need to keep your eyes on : either they are REALLY working hard, or they just like to exaggerate things, but dump the whole work to their subordinates.

A Good Manager supposed to be distributing equally balance of workload to his/her subordinates (and him/herself), while re-assessing the progress of the job.  If one subordinates fell behind, seemed stressful, etc - talk to them (to see what are the challenges, etc).

Same thing for those that seems doing really well and progressed impressively - talk to them, give them more challenge, and encourage them - so they can do even better and excel.  At the same time, you have to provide praises and encourages those that perform well, and punish those that still left behind (even after your talk / counseling session with them).

T.P Rachmat (you can click the link to find out more about him) - former Astra Group CEO has classified employees into three main categories:

A) The Talent - those that are consistently work hard to increase their standards/talents.  These individuals always look for projects, improvements to be done, and challenged themselves.  They are not afraid to take up challenges, new positions, even they have little to no experience on the subject matter.  They are willing to learn and adapt into new roles.  As their bosses, you must have keen eyes to identify these individuals, as they are only a few of them within an organizations (5-10% at most) and it will be such as a waste for companies to lose them.

B) The Solid Worker - these are the individuals that always work according to the standard.  You tell them/provide them with instructions, and they will execute it 100% exactly according to your instructions.  However, solid worker will not like / enjoy fluctuating/dynamic working environment where the factors always changing and need to adapt / adjust all the time (or need to make quick decisions by themselves).  Bosses will also need to know which individuals within their organizations are Solid Workers - you can give them consistent flow of projects or work - but you will need to keep tab on them from time to time.  Depends on how effective and efficient of your organizations conditions, the amount of Solid Worker can be more than Dead Wood , or vice-versa.

C) The Dead Wood - those are below standards employees.  As the term dead-wood indicate, these are employees that works below standards, those that browse internet and social media during work (facebook, twitter, etc), or even enjoy pooping in their work time, or take care of personal stuff (that's right - you read me correctly - when people trying to find him/her, usually they are "in the toilet", or "take smoking break", or "go to ATM", etc).  You can warn these individuals during session with HR and their direct supervisors/managers, that time of year during performance appraisal, etc.  If after several sessions, these individuals did not show improvement - it's your decision whether to keep them, or let them go.

Back to our original discussions - "Employees Are Company's Greatest Asset" ? YES AND NO. You need to keep the best employees (the talent and solid worker), but get rid of the dead wood.  How to do that ? Well, it will be entirely different chapter on this one, folks.  But let me give you a clue : Talent Management is not the answer (yes, some companies insisted on having Talent Management program, to identify and spot these Talent - but let me tell you something - is this the answer to identify and keep these talent and solid worker employees ? NOPE).

Have a good Monday ! I have very good inspiration today, and I promise you to write another article before end of this week !

I am moving to Istanbul, Turkey - on company assignment for one year !

Dear readers,

So sorry for the long hiatus from posting on my blog - my last posting was from May 3rd, 2015 (*whew - that was three months ago !).  Reason being for my hiatus is because I am on company assignment, and has been relocated to Istanbul, Turkey - for a year contract.  Yes, Istanbul - the country that (approx.) half part of it on Asian continent, and the other part on European continent.  

Although it doesn't look that far (see map), but it's actually quite far.  I took Singapore Airlines, depart from CGK (Soekarno-Hatta International Airport), Jakarta to SIN (Changi International Airport), Singapore - 2 hours 45 mins, then wait for approx. 2 hours to continue flight from SIN to IST (Attaturk International Airport), Istanbul - 15 hours 20 mins (*whew).

It took me quite sometime to get back on my feet in Istanbul, Turkey (settle in my new apartment, get used to the environment, buy some utensils, etc) plus the workload that kept me occupied.  However, I am OK now, and ready to share some pictures and stories with you all.

My colleagues and staffs are very helpful. Knowing that it's my first time to Turkey, they took me to some very interesting places :

1) Bosphorus Bridge.
Connect Asian and European continent.  If you have the time, take a picture of this bridge during night time (beautiful sight, and a popular tourist, couples destination).  You can also visit various cafe alongside the strait, sit back, relax, and enjoy the view.  It's breathtaking, and as if you own the whole view by yourself !

2) Sultan Ahmed Mosque / Blue Mosque.
One of the historical places and main tourist attraction.  If you are a historical and/or architectural geek, this is a must place to see.

3) Have kebab !
Kebab is one of Turkey most delicious dishes - and you must try it ! Or as Singaporean sayings - "die die must try !"


According to Wikipedia : Kebab, (also kebap, kabob, kebob, kabab, or shishkebab) is a Middle Eastern, Eastern Mediterranean, and South Asian dish of pieces of meat, fish, or vegetables roasted or grilled on a skewer or spit, originating in the Eastern Mediterranean,where it is mentioned by Homer, or the Middle East, and later adopted in Central Asia and by the regions of the former Mongol Empire and later Ottoman Empire, before spreading worldwide. In American English, kebab with no qualification refers to shish kebab (Turkish: şiş kebap) cooked on a skewer, whereas in Europe it refers to doner kebab, sliced meat served in a pita. In the Middle East, however, kebab refers to meat that is cooked over or next to flames; large or small cuts of meat, or even ground meat; it may be served on plates, in sandwiches, or in bowls.

The traditional meat for kebab is lamb, but depending on local tastes and religious prohibitions, other meats may include beef, goat, chicken, pork or fish. Like other ethnic foods brought by travellers, the kebab has remained a part of everyday cuisine in most of the Eastern Mediterranean and South Asia. Doner kebab is popular in Germany as a snack after a night out.

So far, this is all I can share with you all.  If any of you visiting Istanbul, drop me an email - maybe we can hang out together !  Cheers !