Tag Archive: Management

It’s Okay to Fail

Written on February 3, 2012 by JeD Chan in Management, Motivation, Productivity, Self-Improvement

Sean is a kid who would play Plants vs Zombies that when he got a little overwhelmed by the zombies, he would restart the game right away. In keyhero.com, a typing training site, he would press escape even if he just missed a single letter. He is also the type of kid who would cry because he got a 97 in an exam.

He is a kid who’s not yet good with failures.

But I believe Sean’s behavior is completely normal. I too sometimes is guilty of that.

There is a game in Nintendo DS called Brain Age 2. It’s about playing a series of test, and the game will grade you by giving the age of your brain – according to the result of your tests. The ideal brain age is 20. The lower the number, the better.

When I reached a brain age of 25, I thought I got a pretty high grade, and stopped playing the game. The reason? I got comfortable with my success that I fear I may fail the next game, and would get an older brain. Since then I never played the game until recently…..got an age of 46.

The truth is we are so afraid to fail that we actually Fail.

It is OKAY to fail, and there is absolutely nothing to be ashamed of.

But there are two failures that are not acceptable: Failure to TRY and Failure to LEARN from your failures.

To close this post, let me leave you with 3 of my favorite quotes about Failure:

“Success is a lousy teacher.” – Bill Gates

“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” – Thomas Edison

“I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. Twenty six times I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.” – Michael Jordan

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How To Have An Effective Workday

Written on November 27, 2011 by JeD Chan in Management, Productivity, Self-Improvement

Photo by rachelsmarties

The future belongs to those who prepare for it today.

We all only have 24 hours a day, and sometimes the difference between success and failure lies thinly on how effective you spend your day. In my current position as a general manager and part-time entrepreneur, 8 to 12 hours of work seems like not enough to carry out all my day’s tasks. I have tried to restructure my daily routine ever since.

I read tips from various articles online and practiced which one works for me. I have formulated a simple routine, that I am using for the past 3 weeks, which gave me better productivity.

1. Before going to bed, Ponder on important tasks that will be accomplished the next day.

By doing so, it will align your mind with your tasks and will greatly help you be more organized the next day. Being organized saves you a lot of time.

2. Divide your day in 2 halves. First half, with routine. Second half, free-for-all.

I usually have my routinary work when I got to the office until lunch time. After lunch I spend the rest of the day: spreading the word about my products, getting involve in trainings, developing our website, meetings, planning and conceptualizing, etc. Basically it depends on my mood, whichever I enjoy doing.

3. Accomplish everything in Bursts. Avoid multi-tasking.

Give pure 10 to 15 minutes in every task. If you’re checking your emails, then just check your mails. Do not invite another task that may intervene with the current one. This way, you are clear about your task’s progress.

The first thing I do when I arrive my office is to check and reply emails. Then open our company’s Chatter to get updated with what happened yesterday and if there are any pending tasks. Then go to our company’s Facebook or Twitter to see if there are any queries. After accomplishing all those online stuffs, I then go ahead to offline matters. It starts by checking out my incoming documents that is needed for review and signature.

After accomplishing those, the number 4 item is what I do next:

4. Delegate.

There are corresponding responsibilities for every department in the company. Be sure to delegate those tasks that are applicable to the department. This not only workout the company’s system, but it also helps you proceed to the next task.

5. Pray.

No matter how good and organized a routine is, your day may be ruined by a single unexpected problem. Be sure to always backup your plans with a prayer.

How about you? How do you make your day effective? Share!

God Bless!

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Filtered

Written on July 21, 2011 by JeD Chan in Business, Management

Just like any other businesses, there are always the “Ups” and the “Downs.” Unfortunately for one of our business, it is currently on the Down side.

Due to financial instability, there are times when salaries and wages of employees comes a bit off-schedule. Even though they do not say anything to me, I can sense their disappointments regarding this matter.

There’s a point in time when everyone is buzzing about resigning from the company due to the delays that happened. One by one I am receiving resignation letters with no indicated reasons at all. Some just left without any advise.

Frankly, it has been very difficult for me knowing that these people are just here for the “Up” side of the company. As I truly believed that everything is well until recently.

I called up a meeting, told everyone that if anyone is just here for the 15th and 30th salary day, anyone who is more concerned about himself rather than the company, anyone who cannot endure the Down times of the company, – perhaps this is not the right company for them, and that I would expect their resignation letters to be tendered 3 days from now.

Surprisingly, no one handed his/her resignation after 3 days. But received two letters after I extended the deadline.

Now, I wish those who left a more fruitful career. For those who stayed, I know that they are the ones who are worth investing for. And I won’t let them down.

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Distraction

Written on June 7, 2010 by JeD Chan in Self-Improvement

Distraction.

One of my favorite game shows on TV is the show named Distraction. The concept is simple and funny: A simple question and answer game show with a little twist. Any participant who gives the wrong answer will be punished – Punishments like putting a snake inside their underwear, beating their car, etc..

It’s really funny when participants couldn’t get the right answer even to a simple question because they are greatly distracted.

HOW GOOD ARE WE AT DISTRACTING OURSELVES?

If we are working for a specific goal, here should be a simple illustration of how it should be achieved. If we work without any distractions, we are creating a clear channel from work to our goal. As a result, our goals can be achieved faster with better quality.

But there are times that we are just good at distracting ourselves (I’m guilty of this); That even a simple task that could be done in the span of 30 minutes, will be accomplished in an hour or two.

CUT IT

I easily get distracted at work when I started to open the internet. I tend to Stumble and Tweet, the next thing I know I already spent 30 minutes online. And my work still undone.

The first step to cut the distraction is determine what distracts you most. In my case, it’s the internet so now I make sure to accomplish my work first before going online. If there’s a need to go online, I make sure to control myself from launching Tweetie or TweetDeck – Sometimes even Safari. I check my mail via Apple Mail and calendar on iCal, rather than Gmail and Gcal.

Discipline is the key. Don’t temp yourself to get yourself distracted.

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The Memory Finger

Written on March 28, 2010 by JeD Chan in Management, Self-Improvement

The Memory Finger.

How does short-term memory loss affect your efficiency?

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Clutter Box: Organize it Later

Written on October 22, 2009 by JeD Chan in Management

Clutter Box: Organize it later.

Looking for a misplaced documents cannot only be annoying, but also wastes a lot of precious time as well. Spending forever turning the office upside down, looking for a single document, that in the end you’ll find it on the coffee table outside.

More than a result of memory gap, it’s a result of being unorganized. Organizing can be a challenge especially on busy days.

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Learn Management in 5 Minutes!

Written on June 8, 2009 by JeD Chan in Management

Perhaps this is the most fruitful 5 minutes I ever had. I can’t resist but to share this priceless 5 minute management course to you guys! I know this is more than worthy of your 5 minutes. Enjoy!

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