Commentary

Having control (even the perception of it) is a funny thing. It makes us believe that we can influence events that are actually beyond our capacity. It’s quite similar to a placebo drug that gives you a sense of confidence over the outcome that, in reality, is outside your influence.   Anything that increases the perceived confidence on influencing outcomes of an event can make a person quite ‘attached’ to it. We experience this attachment in our everyday lives and keep such superstitions close to us. In the past, we have seen people wearing their favorite t-shirts to cheer for their football teams or the cautious ones who do not count money while gambling.

Who isn’t guilty of a swift ‘Alt + Tab’ keyboard manoeuvre after noticing the boss’ impending approach while you’re on Facebook? This image highlights two facts. The first being virtually everyone in the workplace indulges in social media activity. The second is that social media usage in the workplace is often associated with slacking off. But this perception is fast changing.

As a manager, you may completely baulk at the notion of having a pessimist on your team. But there is a breed of pessimist called Defensive Pessimists, who are able to transmute their penchant for pessimism into a strong suit and harness anxiety as motivation to deliver exceptional results.

It’s pretty easy to get massive viral PR in Singapore. Create a website that specialises in adultery. Bring it to Singapore. Let the politicians, facebook and public do the rest. Bang you have the No.1 “dating” site in Singapore.

The Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore has warned all government bodies, government-linked entities or anyone remotely related to the public sector to be on heightened alert for targeted cyber-attacks from the Anonymous collective. Here is some further information about this potential threat.

The premise of talent management (TM)

No one should be surprised that Anonymous showed its face last week - hacking The Straits Times website and threatening further attacks on Singapore's infrastructure. Additionally, it attacked Philippine Government websites and defaced a range of Australian business websites.

The cost of a new hire is certainly escalating in Singapore and this will only be exacerbated by the manpower crunch resulting from a progressively tight labour market.  

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines a 'manager' as one who is in charge of a business, department. The Manager can also be one who directs the training and performance of a business team, sports team and/or athletes. As part of our learning partners communication model, managers are tasked to be the mentors for their people. And having coached thousands of participants together with their immediate managers in Singapore, our experience has allowed us to categorise 6 types of managers.   Which type of a manager mentor are you ? Can you identify these qualities with people you know? 1. The Escapist The escapist is a non-confrontational manager who refuses to engage in a head on meeting with his employee. He rather keeps quiet in a face to face meeting, and becomes more critical of the employee behind their backs. He may be calm or diplomatic because he wants to give his employee another chance. 2. The Dominant One The dominant manager is one who loves to engage his people head on. He is very critical and often tells them off directly. He would often takes it upon himself to take charge in any circumstances 3. The Clueless One The clueless manager is one who has no idea on what solutions to present or even what to do. He is like a jelly fish in the ocean and is fortunate to assume the role because there was a gap in the company. 4. The Non-Chalant One The non-chalant manager is one who doesn't believe in nurturing people. He assumes the role of a manager only because he is told to do so. He has no inclination to develop any one and only seeks  his own self-interest. 5. The Beggar The beggar is a manager who only wants answers to be handed to him. He will treat coaches as consultants and refuses to think harder for any solutions. He has been conditioned to answers being handed to him. 6. The Leader The leader is a manager who is positive minded, goal oriented and self motivated. He is firm, friendly, flexible and fair. He understands that building a team is essential in any growing and sustainable organisation. So which type of a manager mentor are you? It is indeed not easy to be appointed a mentor. However, when you are possess the right mindset, you can perform more effectively, and the powerful results can be seen thereafter.

I gave a talk to a group of SMU undergrads a few months ago and had a great dialogue with them. Through the Q&A, I learned so much about how the current generation thinks and behaves.

News flash of the week: LinkedIn now has 259 million monthly active users, an increase from 238 million in the previous quarter. There’s no doubt that LinkedIn is the world’s largest social media platform when it comes to business networking, however only a handful of its 259 million members are getting any real business benefits out of it.

1st August 2014 is an important date for all Singaporeans who are earning their keep in our small nation's highly competitive labour market.

As an Investment Adviser, I work with both local Singaporeans and expats living here in constructing and managing global investment portfolios. We have certainly experienced high levels of volatility over the past 4 – 5 years but it now feels more important than ever to be constantly investing with ‘both eyes open’, allow me to share with you why.

Most studies and research on the social landscape in Singapore will show that users are on the rise.

SMS was touted to be the most simple yet effective “killer application” that led the mobile growth story for more than two decades – but its time to bid adieu to this service that had revolutionized both personal & professional communication.

When it comes to investing in overseas properties, a worry that investors often have is whether the deal is a scam. While those buying Singapore properties can check online for property details (i.e. size, purchase price, etc.) such online information is not available for regional markets like Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, etc.