t: 03 7966 8388 f: 03 7955 3355 - leaderonomics.com · 2015-07-02 · t: 03 7966 8388 f: 03 7955...
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T: 03 7966 8388 F: 03 7955 3355
Do what you love
YOUR ULTIMATE CAREER& TALENT RESOURCE
Saturday 4 July 2015
At your fingertipsAre you a social or anti-social leader? Think fast!
Pg 03
the blurred lineS of SoCial Mediafear it or eMbraCe it - Can you run away froM it?PaGeS 3-10
DIGITAL PRESENCEYour online reputation is not virtual but very real!
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RECIPE TO LEADBrew up your own concoction of success
Pg 12
SWIFT ACTIONHow to rock your social media presence
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mystarjob.com, saturday 4 July 20152
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i aM biggEr thaN SoCial MEdia
SoCial MEdia: a pErSoNal aNd proFESSioNal NEXUS?
By JASMINE [email protected]
“YES, I really, really, honestly, seriously think you should try it. I think you should try putting down your phone, not check-ing every single WhatsApp message that comes in through those group chats, not scrolling through Twitter, Instagram, Facebook or Tumblr.
“I think you should stop doing all that till you can make a conscious effort to pri-oritise whether the person in front of you is more important. By the way, that person should win.”
This was what I told myself six months ago when I made the decision to stop allowing social media to control me. These are my reasons:
1 The culTure of social media has
eroded The way we build relaTionships
I struggle with maintaining friendships because of my introversion; along with the reassurance that while people may be temporarily in my life, they are always accessible.
Because I feel that people are always accessible, I don’t put as much effort into building relationships.
I am wrong. I won’t truly know my friends unless I spend time with them, learning about them through engaging
conversations and activities. A moment is not memorable unless it has meaning. It will not have meaning unless I invest in it through making a point to spend time.
2 social media Takes me away from my family
My greatest fear is to one day see my family sitting around a dinner table, com-pletely silent and absorbed in their own personal devices. I see it happening to so many other people: fathers push their chil-dren away because of Candy Crush, mothers let their children run helter-skelter because they are busy scrolling Facebook, grandpar-ents eat surrounded by relatives but feel alone. I do not want that for my family. I do not want to do it to them either.
3 i wanT To be bigger Than social media
I want to be more than the value I place on the number of likes I get on a post or the glee I get from the number of com-ments on a picture. I want to be called up on my birthday. I want to not feel like I have to share every special moment with the world. I want people to converse with me because I didn’t say it all. I want to be that person that you just need to meet because she is so much more than the sum of her profile.
In the end, I don’t want to be controlled by social media. I want to be real and live outside of the screen. Isn’t that what we were always meant to be?
LAST week, I was looking something up and stumbled across an old picture – taken at a 4th of July American Independence party in Phnom Penh with friends from Switzerland, Italy, Germany, and o yes a token American or two. I was flipping burgers. You guessed it, the quickest way for me to find that photo again would be through Facebook and not sifting through the terabytes of photos I have in storage.
It was in Cambodia in fact, that my friend Laura dragged me to Facebook (after I had resisted so long) and it has been my constant pal since – allowing me to keep in touch with friends from kindergarten, and all those people at that party even though we’ve all returned to our respective home countries.
More than one writer this week has addressed the issue of work and personal life merging into one as we quite voluntarily share details of our lives for many to see (more than who would’ve read our personal journals in the past!). On digital reputation, V Kugantharan poses the question: “How are you faring online?” and if the question comes as a surprise, do read the tips on how to manage it!
And despite some of the social media nightmares we have heard (via social media no doubt!) about people losing their jobs over ill-advised rantings on Facebook, Michael Poh asserts that it can certainly be a tool to step up our careers, giving some insightful hints.
Coming from the generation who grew up with social media at their fingertips – literally – Arielle Yen, with the help of friends like Ms Swift, clues us in on how to ROCK our social media presence!
Taking us to an organisational level, Sara Yee cautions that with all that the internet promises, companies and their leaders do need to weigh the pros and cons, and strategise accordingly. Jonathan Yabut goes on to share practical examples of social media marketing for entrepreneurs just starting out, and on a shoestring marketing budget.
In his debut article (long awaited) Yusmar Yahaya expounds on the role of leaders in this fast-changing world – where news about organi-sations can travel faster and reach the masses before CEOs have had their morning coffee. Fear it, or embrace it, the onus is on leaders to understand what role it plays in shaping the environment or market they are playing in – and to seek help where necessary!
An excellent take on the unintended consequences of everyone in an organisation speaking in one voice when facing the outside world, Karin Hurt helps us diagnose “bot” syndrome in our teams – where people start to feel like they are reciting scripts and just toeing the line like corporate robots.
Keeping it real, we asked Elaine Yong for some tips for parents when it comes to their children and exposure to social media. And in quick succession, we share an online experience that has had valuable lead-ership lessons for at least one child; Tara Thiagarajan reminisces on the day she first played Kingdom Hearts and how it shaped her early development.
Last but not least, an enchanting tale of a flower, a rat and a pen-chant for cooking! Jasmine Chuah shares a delightful tale (I want to say tail of course!) of how the wee rat in the movie Ratatouille inspired her, how leaders are akin to chefs, and her conviction that everyone can be a leader as long as they have a heart for people and are willing to bring out the best in all.
To my American buddies – Soo, Lisa, Laura (too many to mention!), Happy Independence Day!
Onwards, upwards!
KAREN NEOHEditorleaderonomics.com
1 “Our social tools are not an improvement to modern society; they are a challenge to it.” – Clay Shirky
2 “You are what you share.” – C.W. Leadbeater
3 “Be a person that others will look for your posts daily because they know you will encourage them. Be the posi-tive one and help others to have a great day and you will find that not only they like you but you will like you too.” – John Patrick Hickey
4 “It shouldn’t be about getting famous. It shouldn’t be about the size of your following. It should be about the way in which you connect with peo-ple in the world around you. It’s about finding what you’re
truly passionate about, and letting that guide you. Fame is fleeting. But if you’re really lucky, doing what you love can last forever.” – Justine Ezarik
5 “Let our information and social technologies raise awareness and not propa-ganda, build connections and not passive-aggression.” – Criss Jami
6 “We all have personal brands and most of us have already left a digital footprint, whether we like it or not. Proper social media use high-lights your strengths that may not shine through in an interview or application and gives the world a broader view of who you are. Use it wisely.” – Amy Jo Martin
mystarjob.com, saturday 4 July 2015 3
VIRTUALLY POWERFULLEAdERs. . . TAkE AdVANTAGE OF THE INTERNET
By YUSMAR [email protected]
IN 2014, when AccorHotels, a leading operator with a chain of hotels in 92 countries, was facing pressure from customers as well as shareholders to increase its customer service sat-
isfaction, the company turned to social media to execute an online research and monitoring exercise by aggregating more than 5,000 publicly available monthly customer opinions that were posted at travel websites that track the online reputation of 12,000 hotels worldwide.
Based on the exercise, AccorHotels managed to narrow down the areas for improvement and within a short period of time, the Novotel brand within the AccorHotels group saw a 55% growth in positive feedback in online posts and a significant decrease in the number of negative comments.
The content delivery platform is by far the most potent tool for leaders to articulate leadership values and execute them as well as the source for informa-tion analytics.
In recent years, it has developed into what we now call the social media plat-form where content is disseminated automatically to spread and to be repli-cated like viruses, hence the often-used term “viral” in social media.
Since social media software exists ubiquitously through mobile smart-phones, the social media platform empowers everyone to express his or her opinions and garner worldwide attention within a very short period of time.
Prior to social media, it would have been nearly impossible for this to be done, especially by ordinary individuals without any access to print media or audio-video broadcast channels.
In business circles, while the social media platform is heavily used by con-sumer groups to express their points of view, it also empowers business entities to promote their products, maintain product branding and enhance client engagement in order to stay ahead of the competition.
More importantly, it is an effective and crucial public relations tool during crisis management for any organisation.
There are many examples of how social media platforms are used by leaders of nations, industries and aca-demia as a proactive tool to disseminate knowledge and information, as well as to address public concerns over organisa-tional policies, product promotions or to support for communal causes.
However, it is often unclear to many leaders how to use these platforms effec-tively and what steps need to be taken to ensure proper functionality that caters to their business purposes.
StrategiSeFor leaders to be effective in manag-
ing the flow of content on social media platforms that are related to their organi-sations, there has to be a clearly defined process. It could be from a simple hourly or daily habit of checking the aggregated news to implementing a dedicated team of personnel acting as the company’s online watchguards.
Information flows extremely fast in the social media realm and within hours or even minutes, news about the company’s product malfunction or calamity could spread across the world even before the unsuspecting chief executive officer could finish having a meal.
Therefore, it is crucial that the man-agement team in an organisation is kept abreast of their presence on social media.
In the example of AirAsia, the top management exercises the use of social media to keep client communication open, thereby further gaining the trust of the public and investors of its commit-ment to transparency.
This method proved to be effective in several events involving AirAsia’s opera-tions, including the recent crisis in man-aging the airplane crash in Indonesian waters.
It also goes without saying that social media platforms could be effectively used as the promotional engine for an organi-sation, whether for business product promotions or asserting the organisa-tion’s public image. When executed well, its exponential propagation rate would mirror the leadership capability of the executives.
identify the right toolMany leaders of an organisation do
not realise that they are already sur-rounded by many existing tools – freely available – to ensure that their messages get through effectively.
Some tools are meant to push the deliverables and others to trigger notifi-cations based on keywords.
Tools such as hashtags and Google Alerts are very efficient for information
dissemination and instant online notifi-cations.
By effectively using group communica-tion software (apps) to aggregate online news into a collection of information sorted according to their preferences, leaders can create a snapshot of the organisation’s social media presence and its most recent status before proceeding with further actions publicly.
This would assist leaders to make well-informed decisions and in turn deliver them by leveraging on the social media platforms for further dissemination of crucial information within a short time.
dedicated teamThe management of social media is no
longer an afterthought in an organisa-tion’s structure and requires a dedicated team that focuses on its deliverables and impact.
The public often regards leaders that are capable of responding immediately on issues pertaining to their organisation as trustworthy and relevant.
As such, leaders require a good team in the organisation that ensures accurate information is provided within a short turn-around time.
concluding thoughtSEmbracing the use of social media
platforms in the organisational structure will enhance the effective flow of com-
munication and information from within the organisation. All employees will stay connected with each other and the man-agement at all times.
Any new updates, information or crisis, will be communicated quickly and effec-tively.
Solutions for problems can be found quickly too with full engagement from all levels within an organisation.
An organisation that practises this will definitely get acknowledged by the public and will be sought after by indi-viduals who are looking for an employer of choice.
Leaders will be able to convey their leadership values and traits more effec-tively, covering a wider audience, both locally and internationally.
Corporate executives of an organisa-tion, especially in business circles will be able to harness the power of social media platforms to improve their services more effectively, elevate their competitiveness and propel the business into catapulting growth.
An effective leader is one that is capable of identifying innovative ways to manage valuable information and is constantly well informed of on-going affairs.
Tools such as social media platforms are powerful in all businesses but their effectiveness can only be measured by the way they are being utilised.
n Besides overseeing the IT implementation in Leaderonomics, Yusmar is a professional paragliding pilot who runs his own paragliding school. He is an avid outdoor enthusiast who shares all of his exciting experiences through his social media platforms. To connect with him, write to [email protected]. For more interesting articles, log on to www.leaderonomics.com
mystarjob.com, saturday 4 July 20154
REACHING OUTTO A MOBILE AUDIENCE
By SARA [email protected]
THE social media platform has boomed significantly and taken the world by storm.
Now, almost everyone is on at least one form of social media platform or another: the top three choices being LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. More often than not, they have all three.
In the past, people would trade addresses, but now one would swap Facebook accounts and Twitter handles.
The usage of social media is something that many companies capitalise on to reach a wider audience.
With social media, customers
are able to get live updates on the fly and participate in interactive sessions in real time.
By reaching a mobile audi-ence, company performance statistics change from being tracked solely by sales figures to being tracked also by the num-ber of hits, likes, comments and retweets on the various posts made across the wide variety of social media.
This avenue of spreading infor-mation, much like any other, has its draws and setbacks.
Depending on how one uses it, it can either help the company achieve a wider reach and better engage its clientele or if misused, can cause public relations disas-ters that may have serious reper-cussions for the company.
1 Expand cliEnt basEWith a global connection to nearly every person on the planet,
companies are no longer restricted to a certain area. You can connect to a global market and expand your boundaries to cover areas and demo-graphics that may otherwise be out of your range. Use tags to enable search engines to list your site so that it can be found and with every click, the page would be higher up in the search results, which in turn, results in more hits.
1 REvEal cliEnt infoRmationTrust between the client and the company is
of utmost importance as it is the foundation that builds all good relationships. Trust is difficult to earn and extremely easy to break. Upholding the privacy of client information is a definite must in any organisation. Be careful with what you post and ensure that information does not get into the wrong hands as this could cause a crisis. Check and ensure that all sensitive information is removed from any posting(s) before it goes on the Internet.
n Sara is an avid user of social media and believes that in everything, there are both good and bad sides and that social media should be used for that of good. You can reach her at [email protected]
COMpANIEs CAN GAIN OR LOsE OUT
2 EngagE cliEntsClearly with any organisation, your
clientele is your most important user base; the purchasers, purveyors and retail-ers of your products. Engaging well with your stakeholders is imperative to foster good relationships that will be long-lasting. These are key people who keep the company afloat, for no man is an island and to extend the metaphor, communities are not lone islands either, they are a collection of small and large ones that are networked together.
3 pERsonalisE assistancE
Direct access to your clients can be personalised; each interaction between the individual client and the company can be one-on-one, which gives rise to a more meaningful and cen-tred relationship where your problems are answered in the way a good friend would. When a face is given to a compa-ny, people are more likely to respond to that as compared with an identity that is seen as omniscient.
4 intERactivE advERtisingSocial media, whilst virtual, allows for a wide variety
of interaction between not only the company and the indi-vidual but also the individual and the platform itself. With flash games, contests and interactive clicking and typing games, clients are able to better understand the company’s core values and/or products and most importantly, they have fun while doing it. Remember: fun = better informa-tion retention!
5 coRpoRatE REsponsibilityCorporate responsibility is an initiative that is com-
mon in many companies and with the advent of social media, one would be able to not only extend one’s reach to a larger community but also have the option to encour-age your customer base to contribute to the cause. Clients would not only be able to view the corporate responsibilities carried out by organisations, but will also have the option to get involved in some of these activities.
2 EngagE in dEstRuctivE commEnting
On the Internet, news can go viral in an instant and tend to attract pugilists who are commenting solely to irritate others. If you receive such comments on your page, do refrain from engaging with him/her because you will only be adding fuel to the fire. Use caution and discretion to tell the difference between legitimate criticism and a com-ment made solely to incite a negative reaction.
3 bad customER sERvicE/unclEaR diREctions
A more personalised engagement may not only flow positively but can also go the other way. On the social media platform, you can see the person you are engaging with. Hence, it is very easy for a poorly-written sentence to be accidentally miscon-strued when it is typed instead of said, which can result in people thinking that you do not care about them or their needs. Organisations in the customer care front need to take note on this. Do ensure that the language used while communicating is as clear and concise as possible to minimise these misunderstandings.
4 spREad falsE infoRmationSpreading false information, especially infor-
mation that is personally destructive, will result in a lot of problems. Do research before posting and go over drafts to ensure that you do not miss anything. Update yourself with the latest details in case the information you use is outdated so that you can present information that is as accurate as possible and as close as possible to the publication of that post.
5 inEffEctivE cRisis managEmEntAs with all forms of media, information that spreads fast can
have consequences that range from mild to severe. When dealing with severe cases, use social media as a rallying point to show that the company is taking serious steps to address the problem or it could also be where clients can get assistance in times of disaster. Assign a team to address the situation at the grassroots level; this can be an indica-tion that the company really cares. Delegate tasks to the team so that they can handle the situation in a cohesive manner.
do’s don’ts
mystarjob.com, saturday 4 July 2015 5
By V. [email protected]
YOU may be a CEO (chief execu-tive officer), student, fresh grad-uate or businessman, but the one common thing you share with each other would be the
use of social media on a regular basis.Everyone is hooked on social media
in one way or another. Information is being shared every minute. As of late last year, there were 2.46 million shares on Facebook alone every minute. Each one of us contribute to that number in some way. Just pause for a moment and think about how much information that actually is. I am sure the number is much higher now.
So what happens to all the information that is shared? Everything stays online in some way. That can be good or bad depending on what we’ve been busy posting in the past. Whilst we are quick to share stories and post updates on social networks, the one thing we don’t often think about is the impact of our posts, the actual audience and lastly our very own digital reputation.
In this day and age, digital reputation counts for something. That is why you find top CEOs and politicians paying lots of money to public relations (PR) agencies and digital specialists to help manage their digital reputation. But what about the rest of us who don’t have that kind of money to spend on hiring a PR agent?
Firstly, let’s understand how our digital reputation can affect us.
l It may cost you that dream job
If you are a jobseeker, a common prac-tice for the human resources department or the person hiring you is to do small “research” about yourself online to better
understand you. If the information that appears is not the best, it can definitely impact your chances of securing a job.
l It may cost you a relatIonshIp or a busIness opportunIty
You may have posted something nasty, or shared something inappropriate many years ago and have forgotten about it. All it takes is for someone to find that information, if it is public, and then share it online again.
The information can suddenly become viral or be used against you. Even web-sites or blogs which have been deleted for years can still be looked up online using the Internet Wayback Machine, so nothing ever truly disappears.
l you may just get fIred from your current job
I know what you’re thinking. Yeah right? Time magazine published an arti-cle middle of last year titled “10 Social Media Blunders that Cost a Millennial a Job — or Worse”. I actually remember an employee in my previous company who lost his job.
Through some research online, it was discovered that he had falsified some of his professional certifications.
So now that we’ve established the impact of having a poor digital reputa-tion, what can we do?
Here are some tips I’d like to suggest when it comes to managing our digital reputation.
l thInk before you post or react onlIne
We have to remember that we are ultimately responsible for everything that we post online.
No one else is accountable for our actions. What we think may be a great post, may actually be offensive to some. If we are sharing information publicly, such as posting public updates on Facebook or tweeting openly, we have to accept that not all comments or criticism will be fair or positive and not everyone will agree with us.
If we do get some negative feedback, how we handle it also reflects on our per-sonality and professionalism.
l use the t.h.I.n.k. method when postIng onlIne
I’ve seen this being used in various types of situations and I think it works well when it comes to posting on social networks.
Is what I am saying, texting or typing, True, Helpful, Important, Necessary and Kind?
Following this guideline helps us pause and think for a moment before posting something online that could damage our digital reputation.
l adjustIng the socIal network prIvacy settIngs
This is not just about our digital rep-utation but also protecting ourselves online. If we feel that the information shared online is personal and private, it may be wise to adjust the privacy set-tings to match that.
If you are tweeting personal infor-mation and photos, then having an unprotected Twitter account may not be the best option for you. I’ve met up with some people who often would like to be labelled as “Thought Leaders” and are often posting intriguing as well as controversial information on their social networks.
And when someone comments on it or challenges them, they get all worked up, deleting the comments and over-reacting. If you feel you are one of those people, then having a private profile would be a better option as opposed to one that is public.
fInal thoughtsTo conclude, our digital reputation
is something that we should take seri-ously as it can have a huge impact on our daily lives. Being responsible online (as well as offline) goes a long way in helping us establish a good and healthy digital reputation.
It’s never too late to start but don’t forget that a good digital reputation is not all. You still have your offline repu-tation to manage.
n V. Kugantharan is the founder of Yourwebsafety.com, an organisation that advocates digital literacy with a focus on social media and online safety. His aim is to create awareness on the potential pri-vacy issues out there through the misuse of the internet and to empower users to make the right online decision. If you would like to get in touch with him, email [email protected]
How are you faring online?DigiTal rePuTaTion
mystarjob.com, saturday 4 July 2015 7mystarjob.com, saturday 4 July 20156
The BoT Syndrome5 SignS your employee feelS like a BoT
By JONATHAN [email protected]
THE most buzzing trend in the corporate world these days is entrepreneurship. With so many success stories of the young and old, we haven’t
seen a period in time when everything seems possible (and can be mon-etised!).
Start-ups, which allow you to book the nearest taxi, or invite the person nearest to you for a date, now pop up like mushrooms. Many food and cloth-ing stores, which were previously lim-ited to brick-and-mortar buildings are now flourishing thanks to e-commerce.
Selling is not only easier – advertis-ing and promotions have become more convenient and cheaper too.
Entrepreneurs, who will usually find themselves scavenging for money for next month’s payroll, celebrate this with the widest smile. Promoting your product or service through Facebook or Twitter is practically free, but the catch is to use it strategically.
If you’re a budding entrepreneur who has only discovered the wonders of social media for your business recently, here are five useful tips:
1 Create the basiCs, and Commit to a
Content planFor starters, create Facebook, Twitter
and Instagram accounts. Ensure you use the same company or brand name (this may sound simple, but many miss out on this), the same logo (please always use high resolution), and same company description for consistency and easy recall of customers.
Once you’re done, connect to the low hanging fruit – your own per-sonal network (friends, relatives, loved ones, including that neighbour of yours whom you’ve been ignoring on Facebook but now is your potential customer).
Require or ask them (you may have to do this several times!) to share, retweet, and repost about your site to the universe you will never have access to: their own personal networks. This is where you start growing your network.
Keeping your social media accounts alive and active may be tedious but it’s all about content planning. Your product and the industry you belong to should give you an idea of what kind of posts you should be focusing on.
Content usually comes in three types:l A promotion (Example: Retweet this
message and get a chance to win free tickets to a concert!)
l A shareable third-party informa-
tion piece (Example: If you’re a travel agency,
repost an article shared by Trip Advisor about the Top
10 countries to visit in 2015.)
l Your own, organic information
(Example: If you’re a reseller of concert tick-
ets, remind your cus-tomers about other
means of contact-ing you: “Got queries or sug-gestions? We’re
also on Twitter @ticketplanet!”)
Stay committed to a content plan like you are married to someone. Trust me, it may be exciting to post for the first few weeks, but it can get draggy after a while.
Create a calendar if you must, and follow it religiously. This is not a diet plan, so please don’t cheat.
2 post smart, not hardIt’s not the volume, but the
quality of posts that will keep your cus-tomers engaged. Posting 10 times on Facebook or Instagram may turn away your followers as you’ll be as irritating as other advertisements. So keep it to a maximum of two or three.
Be smart with your timing. Post during the most strategic times when customers are checking online. Based on studies, we check our social media accounts in the morning before work (8–10am), after work (5–7pm) and before we sleep (9–11pm).
Posting during non-peak times will only bury your post at the bottom of the stack!
Some users schedule a dedicated category of posts on specific days. For example, try executing a “Monday Madness Sale” that offers discount vouchers only on Mondays (and are redeemable on the same night or within the week).
This will effectively make your cus-tomers look forward to discounts every Monday announced via Facebook or Twitter – and yes, it might just make your customers spend more on a Tuesday or Wednesday which are usu-ally the off-peak periods.
Be careful not to raise free-riders though, you don’t want customers who just love you purely for discounts!
Now, let’s say you’ve successfully made a Facebook fan page for your cupcake business. If you want your cus-tomers to see your posts more often, you need to make them “like” or “com-ment” on your posts often too.
Here’s why: Facebook’s newsfeed intelligence works on a basic rule: higher interaction = higher visibility. Popularity begets more popularity and a trend begets a stronger trend.
The more popular your post is (more “likes”, more “comments”), the more likely it will be displayed again and again on your followers’ newsfeeds.
Conversely, a customer will likely see a post from your fan page if he keeps on engaging with it (she comments on your posts, she “likes” your posts, or even chats with you on Facebook Messenger for customer concerns).
If you’re wondering why you’re rarely seeing the posts of a friend, this is one of those reasons – you’re likely not interacting on Facebook. Keep your cus-tomers engaged on Facebook and they will surely see you on their newsfeeds.
3 take advantage of online influenCers
You will never build a massive base of followers on social media alone. No matter how much you tweet or post, you can still end up with 10 followers for months.
You need the “powers” of the online ‘gods and goddesses’ to rub off on you. Try getting popular bloggers, online gurus, and YouTube celebrities to endorse your brand.
My bestfriend Gie owns House of Sunnies (HOS), a start-up com-pany with two people (herself and an assistant) which sells high-end sunglasses.
As she needed more publicity, she approached Lolita Perez, a famous fashion Instagrammer to post photos of herself (with HOS sunnies).
Gie gave Lolita a free pair of Gucci in exchange. Lolita also posted a link to HOS’s Instagram account. In three days, HOS acquired 300 new followers and a dozen of inquiries.
Bartering is the name of the game for most online influencers. In exchange for a tweet or a post, offer them your product or ser-vice: food, clothing, fash-ion accessories, skin or dental services, transpor-tation, and maybe even anti-termite services!
And how do you contact them? You don’t need to go to their manager (most of these guys manage themselves!) – a simple tweet, e-mail or direct message won’t hurt. If they like what you offer, they will surely negotiate next!
Online influencers aren’t just people – they can be brands too. Partner up with established compa-nies and convince them to do a Twitter or Facebook promotion with your prod-uct as a prize (ask for your logo to be largely visible on the Facebook post… and ask that your Facebook page be also linked).
They will likely do this to refresh and engage their followers (people will always bite on anything that’s free).
Are you that start-up company selling luxury organic baby lotion? Pitch it to baby product companies that aren’t your competitors but speak to the same audience – diaper com-panies, baby food companies and milk companies.
Be clear that you are proposing and offering something (if you give this to
them, then say that you expect this in return) before you invite the brand managers for a meeting. Give them samples of your product too.
4 keep your enemies Closer
Everyone is on social media, includ-ing your competitors. This is good news for you as you get free “spying” service.
How many Instagram followers does your competitor have? Does your competitor get a lot of customer com-plaints on Twitter? Then it’s time that you highlight you have better customer service on social media.
Did Larry’s Laundromat down the block just announce that they will close next week due to store renovations? Then maybe next week is the right time for you to offer customers free trial service (and attract Larry’s clients).
From time to time, check Facebook or Twitter accounts of your competitor (better yet, follow their accounts) and
get notifications on what they’re doing – everyday.
5 understand your Customers better
In my opinion, the most beautiful thing about online channels is that they are measurable. You can measure your visitors’ age, gender, location, and time of visits instantly!
In contrast, you can’t measure your customers easily if you’re selling clothes and accessories in a mall. Take advantage of this feature because it can lead you to where more money is.
If you’ve managed a Facebook fan page before, you will notice that the site gives you a breakdown of how many people “liked” or commented on a post. This gives you an idea about which information is more popular.
For example, digital natives prefer seeing photos and videos to text. If you have a text post, accompany that text with an image and you’ll see a dramatic difference.
Don’t write a novel in your posts; keep it short and sweet – something that we can finish reading while doing other tasks (like cooking or washing).
Remember, you’re just one of the hundreds or thousands of
people they’re seeing everyday on Facebook and Twitter, so
work hard to get through that clutter! You need to stand out!
You will also see which type of people visit your site the most.
Did you notice that you’re getting a lot of comments and posts from City X? Maybe you should sell more in that city.
Confused why there are more males than females commenting on your posts? Maybe that woman perfume you’re selling is becoming a bestseller gift among males – you should talk to them more.
Always keep score. Check the num-bers, smell where the money is coming from, and follow where it goes. You will start realising that marketing is also a science, not just an art.
parting thoughtsThese are just the basics and we
are barely scratching the surface. There are so many things to learn (and take advantage of) with social media. Repeat what works, and avoid what doesn’t.
Strategically utilise the best prac-tices from other people, and customise them for your business. Commitment will be taxing, but it is surely worth the effort.
Good luck and may you be the next entrepreneur to make it big!
n Jonathan Yabut is a faculty partner at Leaderonomics and is the winner of The Apprentice Asia. He is based in Kuala Lumpur with a leading airline. He also engages in motivational talks about youth and leadership across Southeast Asia. His book, From Grit to Great, recalls his inspiring journey in winning the show. Visit his website at www.jonathanyabut.com. To engage him for organisational work in your organisation, email us at [email protected].
By KARIN [email protected]
IT’S not just social media reps who feel that way. It happens across industries at all levels.
I’ve met vice-presidents whose fear has caused a dangerous bot-like trance. Bots leading bots is no way to change the game.
Sadly, it starts with good inten-tions: an effort to get everyone on the same page; a public relations team who wants to ensure all employees share the same story; or efficiency studies that show the “right way” to do things to save much more time.
I once had a boss tell me, “Karin, the truth is in that role, I want to take all the thinking out of it, make it as simple as possible so they can just execute efficiently.”
Sometimes your employees will tell you. But often, they just subtly lose their passion for your work and find meaning elsewhere.
Here are five “bot” symptoms your employees may be feeling:
1. They stop asking important questions.
The “why?”, “what’s next?” and “what if?” questions disappear.
2. But… they don’t make a move without asking obvious
questions.They need approval for everything, even if it means keeping a customer waiting. Most of your answers are “of course”.
3. They “follow the rules” even when they don’t
make sense.Of course they should have made an exception for the customer whose
son just died. But the guidebook didn’t say, so they stuck by the rules.
It’s impossible to predict and script every scenario. If an employee can’t function outside the playbook, check for bot-building policies.
4. Meetings are lifeless.Your meetings look like a
scene from an old zombie movie. It’s like pulling teeth to get everyone to talk. You feel like a cheerleader in an empty stadium.
5. Even well-thought-out recognition, compensation,
and employee engagement programmes don’t make a dent.If employees could double their hourly wage if they just “embraced the programme”, you first need a shift from bot gear, before any incentive overlay will work.
ConCluding thoughtsThe guy I worked for was wrong.
Because I’m not a bot, I ignored that advice, and results improved.
You can’t grow a bot. You can’t motivate a bot. Bots will never deliver a “best in class” customer experience.
Your turn. What are other symp-toms that show your employees feel like “bots”?
n Karin Hurt is a keynote speaker, leadership consultant, and MBA professor. She has decades of experience in sales, customer service, and HR which she uses to help clients turn around results through deeper engagement. She knows the stillness of a yogi, the reflection of a marathoner, and the joy of being a mom raising emerging leaders. To engage with Karin, email us at [email protected]
The other day, a customer tweeted at me, “Are you a bot?” At first I was really offended and wanted to tweet back “I am NOT a bot!” But when I thought about it some more, I got kind of sad.
I realised that by following the scripts and all the rules, I sounded very robotic. That’s not what our cus-tomers want or need.
They come to social media because they want some upbeat and friendly interaction. I could provide better service if they gave us a bit more freedom to do what we know is right.
– Customer service social media rep
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mystarjob.com, saturday 4 July 20158
Step Up YoUr Career with FaCebook
By MICHAEL [email protected]
WITH all the publicity on employees getting fired over wall posts on Facebook, the last thing you’d expect to hear
from the popular social networking site is that it can help boost your career.
True enough, posting about work on Facebook can bring about negative and serious consequences to office politics. We should always be tactful when it comes to voicing out our opinions and grievances in a public domain.
Nevertheless, the opposite can also happen.
Social networking sites like Facebook can give you an edge in your career if you use it to connect with co-workers and clients the proper way. Of course, it very much depends on your office culture and other factors.
Here are some suggestions on how you can potentially make good use of social media to impress your colleagues, bosses and clients to possibly land you in a bet-ter position at work.
‘Friend’ PeoPle From WorkMany of us avoid adding our bosses,
colleagues or clients into our social net-work for fear that they would have access to our personal posts and details.
We do that because we want to have some level of privacy to be able to post with greater ease, especially when it comes to our gripes about work.
Well, you can see that Facebook is a double-edged sword. You’ll need to grant access to people from your work before you can use it for posts that’ll impress them.
If you play the game well, then your career might get that boost it is lacking from your other efforts at work. If you post things that might inadvertently offend people from work, your chances are greatly reduced.
moral oF the story: Be mindFul oF What you Post
Forming the connections with your bosses, colleagues and clients is just the first step. If you’re worried about them having access to your personal photo albums and status updates, don’t worry.
Facebook now has more personalised and in-depth privacy settings that enable users to decide who can see what posts.
ConneCt With Work-liFe BalanCe
As much as you want people from work to think that you are a workaholic who is passionate about what you do, it is not advisable to post everything about work.
Or worse, to post everything positive about it, and about how much you really love your work. It would come across as trying too hard.
In any case, you will definitely need to connect with them on a personal level. Show them what you really are as a per-son on social media. Show them that you do have a life outside of work.
Some of us believe that work and per-sonal life are separate entities, and that the way we relate to people at work may be vastly different from our relationships with our friends and family.
However, I would think that our per-sonality in these two aspects
should be quite aligned so that people would not see
you as someone with a split, or
inconsistent personality.
This, I
believe, is an important ingredient for trust to occur.
netWorking oPPortunityAs with all other social networking
platforms, Facebook gives you the perfect opportunity to expand your network.
Co-workers from other departments may not know you on a personal level in the office, but this relationship can deep-en when you add them onto your social network. You can then attempt to chat, play games, share interesting posts and explore hobbies via mutual “likes”.
What do all these translate to?Firstly, you would improve your social
life in the office. Having more friends around would probably keep you going when times get tough.
After all, these friends are also col-leagues who work in the same organisa-tion, so there’s no one else better who would understand what you may be facing.
Secondly, networking gets you to plac-es. It is particularly important to build strong networks within the organisation if you’re climbing the ladder. Why?
One of the most crucial reasons is that it will get you noticed. If you can estab-lish friendships with at least one person from each department of your company, these friends may recommend you to their bosses should they need a replace-ment.
Another significant reason is that knowing someone from every depart-ment would likely make your work easier if inter-departmental collaboration is needed.
getting uPdatesYou need to keep in contact to main-
tain any relationship. The advantage that Facebook has over offline networking is that you get updates from friends, be it in the form of status updates or photo uploads.
This makes it easier to keep yourself informed on what’s going on in their lives before you interact with them.
Essentially, getting updates from your bosses, colleagues and clients keeps you
in the know on what they’re up to before they actually tell you in person.
Sometimes, they may not even want to tell you directly. You can then seize the opportunity to respond to what they have just posted and make a lasting impression.
At other times, this simply provides you the information to initiate a conver-sation and maintain the relationship with them on a regular basis.
For instance, if your client posted something regarding his/her need to engage some services, you can step in and offer help by either offering your expertise or just recommending some people you know.
That way, you cultivate the trust and can even expect your client to consult you in the near future. You can even add in potential clients to your network so that you can actually “recruit” them when their posts give out signs that they might require your services.
shoWCasing your exPertise
Whatever industry you are in, you can use social media as a platform to demon-strate your passion, vision and opinions you may have about your work.
Given that you’ve added a range of work contacts, it is now more convenient and appropriate to give your two cents’ worth and project yourself as a compe-tent leader, team player or a reliable con-sultant, whichever you think would bring you closer to your career goals.
Take note though, that there’s a fine line between showcasing and being a show-off. The key is to not let others per-ceive you as trying too hard.
Post something about what you think or feel about your work every now and then, but don’t let all your posts revolve around it.
Remember to stay humble and not post things that make you sound like you are right and others are wrong.
Just let your posts be as neutral as possible and keep an open mind about whatever comments that may come in. All the best!
n Michael Poh is a freelance blogger and
regular contributor for Hongkiat.com. He believes in the
power of the written word to influence and
inspire. An enthusiastic video gamer, Michael
is also actively engaged in various
physical activities in his spare time.
For more leadership insights, visit www.leaderonomics.com
By ARIELLE [email protected]
THESE days, one of the first ques-tions you might be asked upon meeting someone is: “Do you have Facebook?” – followed by a request to be “added”.
Almost everyone you meet will have at least one type of social media profile. Your social media accounts are online journals of your life experiences, thoughts and pastimes, broadcast to all your “friends” or “followers”.
The appeal of social media platforms revolve around the fact that they give everyone the opportunity to have a voice, to speak out and to share all sorts of top-ics of interest.
EvEryonE’s Got onE: social MEdia is thE nEw norM
In April 2015, there were 1.44 billion active Facebook users and over 288 mil-lion active Twitter users monthly. Millions of posts and pages were dedicated to various brands, companies, personalities and more.
Social media gives us the freedom to post whatever we want. With all the constant updates cluttering newsfeeds and timelines, it’s not hard to feel like a small fish in a vast ocean of social media presence.
If you want to rise above the clutter and give your social media profile a boost, here are some tips that might help:
l a sinGlE voicE MaKEs a dEaFEninG noisE
For a project at university, my group and I were tasked to create a platform for middle-aged mothers to discover and discuss brands of wine. Sounds simple enough? Not really. The problem was that none of us knew many middle-aged mothers with an interest in wine.
Without anyone to invite to “like” our page, our Facebook page was sadly neglected. However, there was still a wide potential of reach we weren’t grab-bing at.
What we didn’t realise was that the concept of “word of mouth” has trans-formed, with the help of social media, into World of Mouth®, a concept coined by Erik Qualman, an author, keynote speaker and marketer.
Word of mouth works like this: you tell one person. That person tells another, and the cycle continues as such. With World of Mouth® a simple click of the “Post”, “Share” or “Invite” button means that the information you post gets spread to your entire reach of friends or followers within a single action.
With another single click, your friends can pass that information to a few more hundred or even thousand people. Out of all those people, you’re bound to find a few interested consumers.
None of our Facebook friends fit the target market for our wine discussion platform, but there was a likelihood that a mum, aunt, grandmother, or neighbour might have (please refer to the graphic).
So, don’t be shy – spread the message wherever you can, and you’re bound to eventually be heard!
l crEatE a BrandPErsona For yoUrsElF
It’s important to give yourself a voice on social media. A “voice” doesn’t just mean typing a few half-hearted words, or sharing a blurry iPhone photo, and hoping for the best. In order to be seen on social media, you need to stand out from the rest. “How?” – you may ask.
Well, maybe you happen to be a talented baker, or possess a unique set of skills that not many people have?
Publishing well-produced photos of your artfully arranged food platter, with a thoughtful caption on the process, will be sure to captivate your peers. Sharing what’s personal and meaningful to you will attract the interest of like-minded or impressed viewers. They’ll feel more con-nected to you, and will be more eager to check out the rest of your material.
I find that my original photos of places I’ve visited, or activities I’ve experienced, receive the most attention on Instagram and Facebook!
l tiMinG is EvErythinGWhen you post is just as important as
what you post. It goes without saying that posting at times when most people are online will likely garner the most views, and will be most likely to receive the most engagement too.
Figures show that more popular sites with quicker updates like Facebook and Twitter are mostly used during weekday afternoons, especially by those sitting at their office desks trying to get over the “afternoon slump”. Image-based sites like Pinterest and Tumblr are used later at night or on weekends, when there’s more free time.
On Facebook you may schedule your posts, if you have an idea what you want to post immediately but want to make sure that the post appears at a time that maximises viewership.
During my time as social media officer for my university’s online arts magazine, I discovered that posting on Monday afternoons received the most likes, views and comments – a good way to start the week for your profile or page!
l listEn, intEract, rEact
Taylor Swift is arguably one of the world’s biggest pop stars at the moment, and the favourite artist of many fans, myself included. She’s known for her platinum-selling albums, several number one hits on the radio, and sold-out sta-dium tours all around the world.
Her social media strategy and relat-able persona increases her popularity even more. She utilises sites like Tumblr, Twitter, and Facebook to connect with her fans, recognising them as her friends, commenting on their fan-made content and even reaching out to her fans on social media to personally invite them to listen to new song material at her own home or to send them gifts of appreciation.
Content is tailored (pun intended!) for her social media profiles in such a way that personal, intimate content is included along with the professional, commercial content.
Interaction is key! Showing people that you hear them, you’re responding to them, you’re giving them what they want, and that you care about them ful-fils the basic human need of “belonging” in a community.
Social media can also be used to inter-act on a much wider scale. Recently, Swift was able to use her influence to speak up for herself and other lesser-known artists against Apple Music’s decision not to pay artists featured on their service for the first three months of any user’s free trial.
Threatening to withdraw her music from the service, she posted her response on popular blogging site Tumblr; within hours it reached widespread media.
Apple reversed their decision the next day.
Swift was lauded, with major publications releasing articles such as Time’s “How Taylor Swift Saved Apple Music”.
The fact that Apple, one of the larg-est corporations in the world, caved in to Swift, a 25-year-old, surely demonstrates the sheer capacity of her influence. Even more commendable? This all happened through the Internet!
l synErGisE yoUr PlatForMs
Most people enjoy cohesive, organised material. However, it can be tiring to constantly update all your profiles one by one.
To synergise your social platforms, use tools such as Hootsuite to create a singu-lar dashboard. It would be advisable to modify the content for each site, though, so your material won’t be seen as generic and it won’t look like you haven’t made an effort.
Shorter links can go with retweeted content on Twitter, whereas longer posts and more carefully curated images can go on blogging sites such as Tumblr.
Since the demographics of users for each social media site differs, make sure that the content posted on each profile you own is relevant to viewers on those platforms.
in conclUsionWhy is it so important to have a social
media presence? Firstly, businesses are having to keep up with their fast-moving customers. The modern world is quickly
changing, and if brands aren’t con-stantly updating their profiles, they
may be left in the dust.Social media platforms are
not just for businesses or commercial transactions. They can be used as an awareness tool, as well as for forging and maintain-
ing relationships.With social media,
you don’t have to have the loudest voice to make a difference or make yourself heard.
mystarjob.com, saturday 4 July 2015 9
How to Rock YouR oNLINE PREsENcE
5 tRIEd-aNd-tEstEd tRIcks of tHE tRadE
n Arielle Yen is a final-year English and Marketing student at the University of Western Australia. She enjoys reading, spending hours on the Internet, and discovering all things strange, funny or completely crazy. She is an editorial intern at Leaderonomics, and can be reached at [email protected]
WORDOF MOUTH
WORLDOF MOUTH
+ + =
mystarjob.com, saturday 4 July 201510
DRAW THE INTERNET LINEGUIDE CHILDREN WHO UsE sOCIAL MEDIA By ELAINE [email protected]
IN today’s reality, having Internet access is as essential as having water and electricity. A global mobile sam-ple and research provider called On Device Research (2014) reported that
in Malaysia, the Internet penetration is 66% against a population of 30 million people; with 70% living in urban areas.
The mobile social media penetration in Malaysia (as of October 2014) stood at 50%, when compared with neighbour-ing countries Singapore (80%), Thailand (46%) and APAC average (22%).
The top three most popular websites visited by Malaysians are: Google.com, Facebook and YouTube. For Facebook, children and young people (aged 13–24) make up nearly half of the users in Malaysia.
With these statistics, one can be cer-tain that a typical 13-year-old Malaysian dwelling in a big city is likely to own a mobile phone with Internet access and is an active Facebooker. This is the reality of the day.
As a parent, how do we fit into this scenario? Do we need to take our parent-ing online too? Is there a line to be drawn for our children when it comes to social media use?
Before we proceed further, let’s have a clear understanding of the concept “social media”. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary explained it as forms of elec-tronic communication (as websites for social networking and microblogging) through which users create online com-munities to share information, ideas, per-sonal messages, and other content (such as videos).
It is a means of interaction among people in which they create, share, and/or exchange information and ideas in vir-tual communities and networks.
On the other hand, Whatis.com, (a search site for knowledge exploration
and self-education tool about
information
technology), defines social media as “the collective of online communications channels dedicated to community-based input, interaction, content-sharing and collaboration”.
BRIDGING THE PARENTAL DIVIDE
Popular social media platforms include blogs, Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Wikipedia, Reddit, Pinterest, YouTube, Vimeo, Flickr, Instagram and LinkedIn. These definitions have one thing in common, they all explain social media as being community-based, and which involves the exchange of information using an online platform.
So, what do parents in other parts of the world do to manage their children’s social media use? How do they react?
A quick browse through the literature yields mixed views. For instance, a survey conducted by Children’s Mercy Hospitals and Clinics involving 728 American par-ents found that 83% of parents think the benefits of their children’s social media use outweigh or at least balance any per-ceived risks.
This view seems to be at odds with 40% of parents within this group who worry that their children’s online activity could breed social isolation and behav-ioural problems; and another 40% of
parents who are concerned about their children’s virtual lives getting in the way of their real-life social skills and friendships.
In the UK, parents reveal their discomfort with social media. Approximately
63% of 1,006 parents of children aged eight to
16 surveyed online by Opinium, reported following their child’s Internet activity at least
once a week.While 21% of these parents were not
confident they could install parental controls, 46% admitted not being con-fident or aware of the school Internet policy.
An interview with 16 American parents with teenage children in Altanta, Georgia gave detailed insights into their fears of wanting to balance parental authority with teen privacy and independence.
Parents of pre-teens were stricter than parents of older teens in enforcing rules about frequency, time and place of tech-nology use.
However, despite having such rules none of the 16 parents used GPS to track their child’s location.
Equal numbers of parents (18%) required their teenagers to befriend them on Facebook and share passwords.
The researchers also found that par-ents acknowledged their awkwardness with technology and some did not under-stand their children’s fascination with chats.
All parents were aware that they could not monitor or control everything their children were doing online.
ON THE BRIGHT SIDEDespite the negativity, is social media
all that bad? There must be something good about it otherwise children will not gravitate towards it.
Many children have more positive than negative perceptions towards social media. Some benefits noted are:
l another outlet to express themselvesl builds confidencel reaffirms their extroverted personality
traitl strengthened friendshipsl opportunities to collaborate with othersl encourages self-censorshipl sources of informationl encourages multitasking
In essence, if you have a child or teen-ager today, we as parents, have to jump on board the ship; otherwise the ship will sail without us. Just like the times when our parents used to nag us about televi-sion watching, many saying it’s a waste of time, we certainly never thought so.
PARENTING SOcIAL MEDIA TIPS:
1. Adopt an authoritative parenting style l Set rules and limits for acceptable technology use and behaviour l Allow children to talk and negotiate on these rules l Outline clear consequences for rule- breaking
2. Get educated about technology l Keep up with technology trends
3. Educate children on how to keep their online footprints clean l Not to leave identifiable details such as phone number, address, and identity card number
4. Remind children it’s a World Wide Web l Information is permanent and public l Be prepared for differences in opinions and instigations for arguments
n Elaine Yong is a lecturer and developmental psychologist with Sunway University. She is a mother of two; a five-year-old boy and a four-month-old baby girl. She lectures in the area of Developmental and Educational Psychology. Besides lecturing, she enjoys giving talks on parenting to assist new parents with parenthood. Email [email protected] to connect with her. For full article, go to www.leaderonomics.com/personal/parents
REsEARCHERs fOUND THAT pARENTs ACkNOWLEDGED THEIR AWkWARDNEss WITH TECHNOLOGy AND DID NOT UNDERsTAND THEIR CHILDREN’s fAsCINATION WITH CHAT
mystarjob.com, saturday 4 July 2015 11
Leadership Lessons from Kingdom hearts Leading from
the heartBy TARA [email protected]
MY love for video games blossomed when I was at the impressionable age of 12. To me, video games provide something more
than just the thrill of leveling up after winning each “boss fight”.
They also introduce colourful, complex, and lovable characters that stay with you long after you complete the game.
One such video game that first set the bar for me was Kingdom Hearts, which tells the story of a young boy named Sora, who has the weight of the world thrown on his shoulders when a pow-erful, celestial weapon known as the “KeyBlade” chooses him as its wielder.
With two classic Disney characters, Donald Duck and Goofy as his com-panions, Kingdom Hearts follows Sora’s journey to different worlds in search of his lost friends, Riku and Kairi, while also aiming to prevent infinite darkness from being unleashed by the main antagonist, Ansem.
This unexpected collaboration between Square Enix and Disney Games produced one of my all-time favourite video games that also taught me a lot about friendship, love, and of course, leadership.
The following are the four main les-sons that really stuck with me through-out the years.
1 We Have to FulFill our responsibilities
even WHen We Don’t CHoose tHem
At the start of the game, Sora, an aver-age, laid-back teenager, was suddenly given one of the biggest responsibilities
imaginable, which was something he saw as a burden he could not carry.
Eventually, Sora accepted that he could not get rid of the KeyBlade that chose him. He understood that although he did not feel capable, the universe needed him to stop Ansem from spreading eternal darkness throughout the universe.
Sometimes, the role of “leader” is thrust upon us when we least expect it and we have no choice but to assimilate ourselves into that role.
We are often given responsibilities we have to fulfill, which may not directly benefit ourselves, but serve a higher purpose that can benefit society as a whole.
2 We Get by WitH a little Help From our FrienDs
Although Sora was the only one wield-ing the KeyBlade, his growth as a warrior and as a person throughout his journey would not have been possible without his companions providing support along the way.
There are times we think that we’re all alone on our own journeys, which are filled with problems we should solve by ourselves.
Sometimes, we forget that there are people around us who care and are will-ing to help.
If we observe carefully, we all have at least one person in our lives who would be by our side through thick and thin.
Leaders should realise and acknowledge that they can’t do everything by themselves.
Yes, they get to call the shots and
make big decisions for their team, but at the end of the day, leaders guide a team of people who help each other out. This resonates with the famous saying, “there is no ‘I’ in ‘team’”.
3 We are all easily Corruptible, but We
Have tHe poWer to FinD tHe riGHt patH aGain
Sora: … The heart may be weak and sometimes it may even give in. But I’ve learned that deep down, there’s a light that never goes out!
At the climax of the game, Sora reunit-ed with Riku after being separated back in their home world.
However, Sora soon discovered that Riku was working with a group of villains as a result of Maleficent stirring feelings of distrust and anger within Riku, cor-rupting him in the process.
His corrupted heart made him vulner-able, allowing Ansem to possess him as part of his plan to unlock the ultimate source of darkness to be unleashed unto the universe.
Although Riku’s heart was corrupted, Sora knew that his friend could still be saved, as he believed that everyone has light in their hearts that can lead them to the right path.
Sora’s beliefs that we all deserve second chances in life really resonate with the fact that many people in the past have turned their lives around to become better individuals who give back to the community.
People like the famous Frank William Abagnale, who was a conman in his teens, is now working as a fraud consultant, battling corruption in the United States.
4 Determination in pursuit oF a Goal
In the conclusion of the game, Sora briefly reunites with Kairi before being split up once again.
Although his goal of reuniting with his friends was not accomplished, he promised Kairi that he would not give up on finding her and Riku again, no matter how long it would take.
True leaders are driven to achieve their goals although tough challenges may come their way. They give their all into whatever they do, especially if it’s for something they are truly passionate about.
ConClusionKingdom Hearts taught me about
the many trials and tribulations we are faced with when taking on the seemingly daunting task of being a leader.
Although it seems undoubtedly hard to be a leader, especially for a young person, this game showed me that lead-ers could come in any shape, size, and even age. As a young person myself, I believe we should not underestimate our strengths that give us the potential to become leaders.
Every great leader was once young, naïve, and scared at some point in his or her life, just like Sora was at the begin-ning of the game.
n Tara is your average Psychology student who loves reading, video games, her cat named Leo, and Zayn Malik. She believes that humans tend to overcomplicate things and that they should just chill instead. Share your thoughts with her at [email protected]. For more interesting articles, visit www.leaderonomics.com
mystarjob.com, saturday 4 July 201512
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How leaders discreditthemselves
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‘EVERYONE CAN LEAD’ HERE’S HOW
By JASMINE [email protected]
ONE of my favourite mov-ies to watch is the 2007 computer-animated comedy film Ratatouille. Reasons being, for
one, the close-up graphics of really delicious-looking food and two, the simple message of the movie which is “everyone can cook”.
The truth of that saying hit me in a cooking workshop one day, when I was taught how to make a meal out of spaghetti, salt and herbs.
I was 12 years old and inspired, and I resolved to go home and make spaghetti for the whole family. They didn’t like it. Regardless, I fell in love with herbs like parsley and thyme and later on, got infatuated with rosemary. The relationship between the four of us has been solid ever since.
Brewing leadershipI grew up into not only a consider-
ably adequate cook but also a leader of sorts. Being a prefect in school took me to many places in my personal development as a leader.
I learnt how to control a crowd without causing a riot, how to get a point across without offending people and so on. Looking back, it was truly an adventure that brings back really great memories, but the most memo-rable lesson is that leading is just like cooking.
And just like Ratatouille: everyone can cook. In other words, everyone can lead.
Why do I say so? The leader is like the cook, the current situation is like the kitchen that the leader is in, and everything else about people: their characters, personalities and skill sets, goals, backgrounds… are the ingredi-ents.
The meal is the end goal that the leader is supposed to help everyone achieve.
leadership recipe tipsIn the real world, all of these vari-
ables are different and they are always changing. So, the question is, how do you cook?
The easy answer here would be: there is no real recipe for success. But I understand how disappointing that sounds, so here are some pointers:
n Know your cooKing styleJust as there are different kinds
of chefs, there are different kinds of leaders. Just as each chef has his own cooking style, each leader has his own way of leading.
Some people are methodical chefs, so they will be organised leaders. Others like things simple, their leader-ship will be direct and uncomplicated.
Some individuals like to play around with spices and experiment, they will have unconventional methods.
In the end, regardless of which-ever kind of leader you find yourself becoming, the most important thing is to ensure that you play to your strengths and never become too extreme.
If you are unconventional, ensure that your risks are wellthought out. If you happen to be methodical, make sure to allow for flexibility in your plan. If you like things simple, remem-ber that sometimes a little bit of flair won’t hurt.
At the end of the day, play them to your best ability and be ready to throw off failure and keep trying.
n PrePare your reciPeA good chef always prepares a
recipe or has an idea of what he will be doing before beginning the actual preparation of food. Just like a chef, a leader too must have a plan, no mat-ter how vague.
Like a recipe, a plan helps the leader to see what is needed. This in turn helps with the pacing of the project as well as the management of people.
In addition, a plan helps the leader prepare for what is ahead and see potential pitfalls. This in turn helps the leader prepare for those pitfalls and improve communication between members.
n Know the ingredientsA smart chef always makes it a
point to get to know the ingredients.Have you ever realised that the
chefs on food shows always make it a point to introduce the ingredients to an audience?
They usually drop tidbits of infor-mation about its history and its general usage. This is because you never know when knowledge about that food might help in choosing your ingredients.
Just like a chef, a leader too needs to get to know his ingredients: his people. A chef mixes and matches his ingredients to bring out the best qual-ities for the final product. A leader’s
job is to mix and match his people to bring out the best in them.
To do that, a leader has to know who his people are, what they are inspired by, what their skill sets are and what backgrounds they come from.
The more you know about people, the easier it is to communicate with them. A good leader knows his people and is able to communicate the final aims and objectives to them. His peo-ple would know that he cares about them, about bringing the best out of them so that everyone gains in the end.
n Know your KitchenThe kitchen is the home of the chef.
Everything that he needs can be found in the kitchen. Henceforth, a good chef knows his kitchen and the equip-ment available.
Likewise, a good leader is aware about his environment and how he can change it.
A good leader is capable of chang-ing his environment in such a way that it helps the team be more pro-ductive and efficient without decreas-ing the team’s passion – for example, having a meeting to realign the team towards their goals and objectives all the while cheering them on in their current efforts. Or having little discus-sions with team members on how they as a team can improve.
in cOnclUsiOnIn the end, I guess what I
truly want to get across is that anyone can be a leader if they are willing to step into the “kitchen” and “start cooking”. As long as you have a heart for people, no matter big or small; as long as you are willing to move to bring out the best in every-one, you are a leader.
The world isn’t your oyster, it is your kitchen!
THE WORLD iSN’T YOuR OYSTER, iT iS YOuR kiTCHEN
n Jasmine is always game for ambitious new recipes and radical new ways of communication. She loves mixing and matching herbs as much as she loves doing the same with people. Most of all, she loves how delicious life can become when people take the initiative to lead and bring out the best in others. Have a recipe for success you’d like to share? Write to [email protected].