Tag: experience

Don’t assume others will understand something easily just because you do

On By LS HIn Business Fundamentals, Human Resource, ValuesLeave a comment

They call it the “curse of knowledge”. When you are working on something, you have its context, background and familiarity. You will tend to assume that the people around you also has the same level of understanding on that matter. And you get frustrated when they don’t. Similarly, they get frustrated with your lack of patience and understanding of their predicament.

I have seen this in tech implementations, organisational changes and different communication attempts. Tech folks design user interfaces which seem simple & intuitive to them, but which users struggle to use. Check out this article that used the design of a covid-19 self-test kit to illustrate the issue. Hopefully, this will help you discern what best to do the next time you are required to communicate a required action or design a system.

Is a university degree a good investment?

On By LS HIn Business Fundamentals, Career, Economy, Human ResourceLeave a comment

A study of 26,000 bachelors degree programmes found that about two-thirds of them have graduates making enough to cover their costs in 10 years or less after graduation. But the intangible benefit is the friendships you build and the experience you get through your University days. These may help you throughout your career in a manner that cannot be measured.

Robots operated remotely by people with diabilities

On By LS HIn Business Fundamentals, Career, Economy, Human Resource, InnovationLeave a comment

This is a really good way to provide jobs for the disabled. They may not be able to move around easily, but their robots can. So this cafe in Tokyo has cleverly enabled around 50 physically disabled employees to work 800km away. They control robots who bring the drinks/food to patrons in the cafe and interact with them. In this way, it is not a “robot” that the patrons interact with, but a real person – how smart! Let’s hope more companies will embrace such concepts and provide such jobs for the physically handicapped.

Do you desire to work beyond 100yrs old?

On By LS HIn Business Fundamentals, Career, Human Resource, ResilienceLeave a comment

This lady is 101 yrs old. She continues her work as a lobster catcher way beyond anyone’s retirement age. And she has been happily doing this since she was 7. It is unlikely that you can continue working in a company for as long as you like unless you own it or are related to someone who owns it. So if you are hoping to work way beyond statutory retirement age, it is best that you can turn your hobby into a business, which you can “retire” into. Then you can continue to working for as long as you like to. Do connect with us for a chat if you like to discuss this.

It’s people conflicts that impedes performance

On By LS HIn Business Fundamentals, Human Resource, ValuesLeave a comment

It’s not divorce that affects kids, it’s the parental conflicts. In the same way, it is people conflicts that impedes individual and team performance. In the world of executive coaching, we call these “interferences”. The resolution? You will not be able to change others; you can only manage how you respond to their behaviours. Your response could change their behaviours and attitudes. While that’s not guaranteed, the good thing is that your positive response will likely make you a better person. Food for thought!

Don’t underestimate the importance of experience!

On By LS HIn Career, Human ResourceLeave a comment

You may have read this story on social media…

A ship engine failed, NO ONE could fix it.

Then they brought in a man with 40years of ship repair experience. He inspected the engine carefully. Then he reached into his bag & pulled out a small hammer. He gently tapped a particular spot at the engine. Immediately, the engine rocked to life. It was fixed!

A few days later, the owner of the ship received the bill for this repair, amounting to $10,000. “What?!” the owner exclaimed. “He hardly did anything”. So, he requested for an itemised bill. The man sent in the itemised bill as follows:

  • Tapping with hammer – $ 10
  • Knowing where to tap – $ 9,998

Obviously the story is greatly simplified and no one fixes engines with just a tap of the hammer. But in this fast-paced, fast-promotion, high expectation and highly impatient generation, we really should not forget that there is a place for experience.

With the retirement age being extended and many people working beyond retirement, the work place is a complex multi-generation environment. Managers need to be able to navigate this carefully to maintain harmony in the workforce, leverage the youthful energies and tapping on the wisdom that older employees bring to the table. That also requires experience!

Will all future retail stores be like this?

On By LS HIn Business Fundamentals, Economy, Human Resource, InnovationLeave a comment

This convenience store managed by Cheers has no cashier and no check-out counter. You register your faceID, visa payment card and start shopping. Sensors in the store will keep track of your presence in the store and the items you scan upon purchase. When you leave the store with those items, your credit card will be charged accordingly. Is this the future of retail? Interesting times!

Google & Apple top best employers ranking in Singapore

On By LS HIn Business Fundamentals, Career, Human Resource, ValuesLeave a comment

I have no doubts that Google & Apple Pay well. But that would not guarantee that they will fare well in employer rankings. It has to be something in their culture that makes the difference. And here’s one example of how it is manifested in the culture of Google – they hire those who add to the team and not those who will fit in. That’s walking the talk for their values in diversity. And we can see how this came a long way in bringing them to the top in employer ranking.