High Income Nation - Are we training our people in the right direction?

Malaysia is moving towards high income nation. To realize the vision 2020, we set our target to achieve GNI per capita of US$15,000. One of the initiative is to train our people. Training has been seen as effective method to upgrade the skills and knowledge of the people. However, are we training our people with the right skills?


Upskilling and Reskilling
Malaysia is focusing so many initiatives to produce high income workers. Among top initiatives of the government including upskilling and reskilling. This is expected to produce a high income workforce through high skill workers.

The linkage between technical skills and soft-skills

According to Carnegie Institute of Technology, 85% of financial success is depends on one personality and the ability to communicate, negotiate and lead. Shockingly, only 15% of it due to technical knowledge. In other words, success in financial depends very much on soft-skills or what I called leadership skills.

This is not the only studies that has been done related to skills. In my previous post, I have mentioned that skills contribute on 14% - 22% (based on industries and descipline). Attitude plays a bigger role, which is the personality part.

Knowing this facts, are we in the right direction of building a high income nation with high income people?

Everyone Can Become A Leader

Everyone can become a leader. But that is not the question. The question is whether they want to or they don't. Leadership is a choice and I do believe that it is your responsibility to decide whether you want to be one, or you just want to follow someone, or some organization.

Tipping Point
Some people change after there was a situation that force them to change. I remembered Jim Rohn's story of how he changed after being broke and not able to buy a cookies from a girl scout. Worst, he was lying saying that he has one. That is his turning point of his life. Some people change because of frustration and some because of inspiration. Both are good change agents.

Vision and Mission
Most companies have this nice frame on the wall mentioning vision and mission. But some companies did it because all other companies have it, and it looks weird if they don't. Some did it because their consultant asked them to do so, without understanding the purpose of having it. To me, leaders must have a vision. Something that they wanted to change. From that vision, they create missions to support their intention. This will drive them internally to pursue their dreams. I believe people are not a lazy creature. They just don't have a clear vision of their life, or finding their purpose of their life.

Music and It's Application in Learning

Last year, as I went to the new IOI City Mall, in one of the home furnishing store I just have this mood of buying. The environment was set in such a way that people will ignite their sense of buying things because they give the feeling of comfort and elegance. I look at the sofa, it was really tempting for me to bring home one. The blue blanket was like waving it's hand asking me to bring home the whole bedding set.

As I get myself into the conscious mode, I noticed the music that they use was actually playing the role of putting someone emotion to a certain state so that it will ignite the mood of those who shop in the store. Everything was planned well. Music can really give some impact in the mood of a person.

People using music for different purposes. If you watch movies, you will feel the emotion of panic, romance or fantasy by the background of the music. Try to look in a horror movie and shut down the volume. You won't have that kind of effect, and you might totally eliminate the whole emotion of fear and your mind might start to think logic. Even question, why the director did such and such.

Using the right music to accelerate learning
In training, most people use music as part of their tools. However, some trainers use a certain music which inappropriate in terms of timing and wrong type of music. It will give a different impact and in some cases, participants might get confused subsconciously. I was in this training programme, with this good trainer. At the very end of the training, he put on a song for an activity. I just can't feel myself suit because the music used was just not right for that particular activity.

Inside the Mind of Cheryl Yeoh: 5 Powerful Lessons from the CEO of Magic

Successful people have a certain pattern that makes them successful. By learning some of the thought, we can take some valuable lessons. Most of the successful people might do it unconsciously but when they share their stories, we can can conclude into some certain principles.

Today, I attended Mindvalley's Project Renaissance featuring Cheryl Yeoh the CEO of Magic. Moderated by the founder of Mindvalley, Vishen Lakhiani (which was very awesome at hosting the session), Cheryl share some of her journey before becoming the CEO.

One of the accomplishment made by Cheryl was to build an app company called Reclip.It and managed to sold the business to the Wallmart. Some of the lesson shared during the session:

1. Entrepreneurship starts from young age
She learn to become an entrepreneur since the age of 8, where her mother made some unique batu seremban. She saw that opportunity and sold it to their friends at school. However, the teachers found out and doesn't like the idea. I remembered Roshan Thiran, the CEO of Leaderonomics shared about how in the US, kids were encouraged to become an entrepreneur. They sell lemonade since kids in front of their home. When nobody bought it, they learn an important lesson - location, location, location. Then they can improve from there. But us in Malaysia, most doesn't allow their kids to perform the act of entrepreneurship, including myself. I remembered when I started my business of trading sweets at the age of 10. When my grandfather found out, he asked me to stop doing it and focusing on studying. He said, if I don't have money, ask from him. But now, if I don't have money, who do I ask from? Perhaps BR1M can give some hope.

2. Selling is one of the crucial skills
Cheryl learn how to sell at a very young age. He went to one of the apartment at Glomac, Kelana Jaya and told the security that she was delivering something to someone staying there. She then knock from door-to-door selling his cabinet solutions. It turns out, to her, the ability to sell is one of the important skills to be successful. She added in one of the book she read that the author is not happy with Standford University because there is no selling course thought at the university level. How come the most important skills was not been taught in the university? She also jokingly mentioned that his father comes out with the 3 Cs of selling. 1. Convince. If you don't manage to convince step 2 is to Confuse. And you still didn't manage to sell then the third C is to Con.

10 Ways to Achieve Bigger Success in 2015

Happy New Year 2015!

When we talk about success, I believe we should not do exactly what successful people do. Because all successful people do things differently. No one successful people whom I know do exactly what another successful people did yet they became as successful as the former. But what I do believe is we should learn what are the principles behind the successful people.

Andrew Carnegie was one of the richest man in history. According to one article by Business Insider, Andrew Carnegie ranked no. 2 of the wealthiest people in history after J. D. Rockefeller. Even richer than Bill Gates, if the amount was adjusted to the inflation. So it makes sense to learn some principles from one of the most wealthiest people in history. And most people know, Napoleon Hill was been assigned by Carnegie to study successful people (in terms of wealth). He did document it in one of his book - The Science of Success. Here are the 10 principles of success.

1. Define Your Purpose
One should define their purpose of living in this world. How they can look at things which can be better and start to add values based on your purpose. Put them into action! Defining a purpose is what I call defining a "Passion Statement". Passion creates desire and desire according to Hill, is the starting point of all achievement.

2. Create a "Master-Mind-Alliance"
Master Mind is a group of people who share with each other their thoughts. A group of people who have what you haven't. Master Mind works like multiplying your brain power. It works like a battery to provide that extra voltage to the electricity. Create your own "Master-Mind-Alliance" with people who have the same vision.

3. Go the extra mile
Hill said, "The man who does more than he is paid for will soon be paid for more than he does." Go the extra mile and continue to add value. Soon you will be paid more that what you earn. Scorpions sum up in a better words - What You Give, You Get Back.

4. Practice "Applied Faith"
Believe in yourself. Believe things will happen. Mohamad Ali said, "To become a great champion, you must believe that you are the best. If you're not, pretend you are!" Have faith in yourself, have faith the world is acting good towards you and believe it with confidence.

5. Have Personal Initiatives
Start to do something today. Do not wait for others to push you. Create some activities that will help to achieve your defined purpose. Stop blaming your boss when things goes wrong. Do something instead.

3 Lessons in Branding

Branding... It is important in business because branding create perception. Our brain work with association. Whatever our brain associate, it will tend to make generalization.

Branding is important for organization, product and personal as well. But why we need branding?

1. Visibility is more important than ability
Last week I attended an exhibition, MAHA 2014. Large exhibition with international participation. They have this band playing at the food court to entertain those who are enjoying the meal. I was there with my family listening to the band playing with some wrong chords, not so in tune vocalist and drummer who once in a while out of tempo. I was asking myself, I could play better with my ex-band. But I think again, why didn't they called me? Because I was not visible to the organizer.

How many times have you join a seminar and turns out the speaker was not as good as you expect and with information that you think unvaluable to you. At the same time the person sit next to you have the same opinion with you. And you think I could do better than that. But why didn't the organizer invite you instead? Because you are not visible. I have seen the same person from a seminar to a seminar and I think that he is not that competent enough, but still he was everywhere. Because he is more visible than any other options.

The Man in the mirror

Change...? Yes, most people wanted to change the world.

Most people saw the world is some sort of screwed up, and there are always something to fix.

And most people blame others for having that flaw...

Most people blame the governments, the authorities, the investors, the law makers, the teachers, the community, the societies, the corporate leaders, the trouble makers, their spouse, their uncle, their parents..... but most people forgot to blame one person...

It is the man in the mirror... Go straight in front of the mirror, and you can clearly see that person.

My dear friends, we could not directly change other people, but we can change ourselves. Start with one person.... it is the man in the mirror...