For me, you’re just a “frown” !!

Guess what, those days I’m practicing my new habit of communicating with people. It’s a new game I’m beginning to love. I used to watch people “from a safe distant” like a silent observer of people and their social activities. But I found out recently that I can learn a lot more by getting closer.

One of the things I learned is that people don’t see you as you are; they rather see you as a pile of collective experiences.

The human building

These days I’m busy preparing a project for staff selection and evaluation. I’ve been discussing the issue of staff selection and management for a while and I kind of shaped a more solid understanding. At this time I feel the need to write because I want to share and it’s good to get some comments

Lately, I’ve met with people trying to get the best out of there staff but all in vain. There was this kind of dissatisfaction from both sides (the manager and the staff). Most of those people pay high salaries and nearly all of them assured me that the have been so careful choosing there staff and that they give them all the job requirements. So what’s wrong?

Please freak out !!

The buzz in the news yesterday was the blast that hit the congress building in Manila. Several people were killed and others were injured.

What gripped my attention and forced me to write is not the incident it self; it was the reaction of their president “Gloria Macapagal Arroyo”. Gloria Arroyo addressed the nation to stay calm and called for people not to start making allegations until the investigations reach an end.

In fact, I will be bald to say that the whole thing means nothing to me. But,

The healthy freeze

I noticed that some people have a habit of temporary freezing. It happens a lot with me but I discovered it very recently.

If you’re talking with someone, especially if the subject was serious, usually people freeze for a moment when the conversation ends. You can see it for your self after you finish talking to someone and he walks away you freeze for some moments and then continue what you were doing. I noted this in myself and some others, I don’t know if it’s the same for everyone.

What makes a good leader?

I was reading in the news the other day that presidential candidate Hilary Clinton was engaged in a public debate. The news reporter said that the audience was testing her “consistency” and “judgment“.

This phrase rang a bell in my head. Those two words summed up a long debate in my mind on what characteristics make a good leader.

A bad advertisement

 

I don’t think that there is a certain guideline or technique to make a good advertisement. For me any advertisement is good enough as long as it is innovative, descriptive, targeted and in line with the company’s culture and personality.

I saw a TV advertisement today for a “certain” bank. It was based on close shots of roses and flowers emoting in a lovely way were some sentences like: “we do everything to satisfy our customer” and “perfection is what we mostly care about” came through. And at the end the logo and the name of the bank appears.

I am giving my self the privilege to criticize some of the aspects of this ad:

Before you press send

I found this document on Microsoft website by chance. It’s a check list to do before sending an email. It makes very good sense and I think people who regularly send mass emails to clients or distributers will find it very useful.

Download it here “Before pressing send”

Before pressing send

□	Does this e-mail message make sense? Are the actions clear and do they have owners?
□	Does the e-mail message meet the MPS P.A.S.S test?
	□	What is the purpose of this communication?
	□	What action is involved and does it have a due date?
	□	What supporting information does the recipient need?
	□	Has the communication been effectively summarized in the subject line?
□	Is the message well-written? Is it concise while providing enough data for action to be taken or decisions made?
□	Do the links in the message work? Are the attachments included?
□	Is the e-mail message being sent to the correct recipients (not too many and not too few)?
□	Does everyone on the To line have an action to take?
□	Has the message been re-checked for grammar, spelling, and use of jargon?

Boxing-style learning

 

Long ago I used to attend kick-boxing classes. We noticed that those who start learning some new moves begin to be so proud and they tend to be aggressive in there attitude. You would see them walking in the street showing off. As soon as those begin to be more mature in the game, their attitude begins to get wiser and more moderate.

In the business environment the same applies. Some people, in the beginning of their career, when they start to realize that they’re getting bigger (or different) than there peers, begin to adopt the same attitude.