"My new boss used that technique in our meeting yesterday!"

Yesterday, I met up a gentleman from my DIEB (Develop Initiative & Enterprise Behavior) class which ended last week. He works in a logistic company and is already in the early 50s.

One the last few sessions, he asked me about the practicality of those techniques learned during the Employability Skills Module. He said that while techniques are useful, he felt that it is of little use at work. He also brought to my attention that as ground staffs, the opportunities to use those new-found skills can be limited.

I explained to him by using the following phrase "It Is Better To Be Prepared and Not Have An Opportunity, than Having an Opportunity and Not Being Prepared". The thing is we can never know what lies ahead of us. We can never know when an opportunity will come knocking on our door. And if it does knock, what do you want to do?

That phrase is close to my heart because I was at the receiving end. In the early 2000s, the first business that I started was a freelance draftsman, drawing single line diagrams and getting endorsement from an electrical Professional Engineer (PE). I learned how to use AutoCad in Singapore Polytechnic in the late 90s. I got hands-on practice during my first job. When I discovered that demand, I took it up. I was paid $50 for every drawing. With the energy and time I have in my hands, I could easily complete 100 single line drawings in a month. However, I was under the illusion that that opportunity will last. I refused to upgrade my skills simply because I was already too busy. Weeks passed and the demand for my services dropped. One day, I was given an opportunity to do a more complex drawing. I had to give it away because their requirements were beyond me.. That drawing itself could have fetch me a cool $5,000 in a week. That is also the cost of my lesson.

Learning is part of life. The value of knowledge is not in the certificates. It is in how we apply it. When that happens, that knowledge will have greater value to self and organization.

So back to my meeting with this gentlemen; he shared that he has a new boss to report to. In his 15 years of service in the company, he has never had a conversation on career path. This new manager spoke to all his colleagues for 30minutes each to find out their goals and aspirations.

So I asked him,"So what was your response?". He said, "If only there is a manager like you in the earlier years of my career, I would be somewhere better now. Since I'm in the 50s, I've lost some drive." He told his manager to give those opportunities to the younger ones.

I told him that with his wealth of experience, he can consider mentoring the new entrees into the industry. He pondered for a while.

In the later part of the conversation, he shared that his new boss used a few techniques which he learnt in the ES modules; such as goal setting, divergent and convergent thinking, etc. He was surprised to see someone in management level applying those techniques. Now that he has a better idea of what is going on, he became more appreciative of the changes implemented by the management.

That feedback were music to my ears. It has been a week since we completed the module and he was able to change his perception of things.

My advise to everyone; keep learning, keep growing, find ways to apply your new found skills. If door to opportunity does not open, make our own door. Things always happen for a reason.

Cute and Creative Thank You Card From My DIEB Class.

It has been 8 months since I started training with MendakiSense. MendakiSense is a social enterprise that provides affordable training and upgrading program. So far, I've conducted Employability Skills (ES) and Service Excellence(SE) Modules such as;
1. Adapt to Change,
2. Develop Initiative & Enterprising Behaviour,
3. Solving Problem & Decision Making,
4. Develop Personal Effectiveness
5. Cultivate Service Innovation Mindset
6. Participating in Service Innovation Program
7. Engage in Service Innovation Initiative.

I love to take on more training projects. Being in the frontline forces me to grow and equip myself with new tools and techniques in bringing the lessons across. I'm always reading to find ways to create examples and case studies to help my learners develop clear understanding of the subject matter. I definitely am looking for more training assignments.

Training in MendakiSense has given me a very new perspective to look from. Let me tell you a secret; MendakiSense has a good pool of good trainers who are committed to giving the best. I have 2 fellow trainers who are currently mentoring and advising me as I go along; Jamali and Ian Favacho, I can never thank them enough. Ian allowed me to sit in his lessons before I got started to let me have a good feel of things and the training environment. All I can say is "I'm Loving It". BeforeI met Ian, I was told by an acquaintance that freelance trainers will never share what they know as, indirectly, they are creating a competitor. So when Ian allowed me to sit in for not 1, not 2 but a FULL 8 WORKSHOP SESSIONS!!!. Along the way, he has given me some priceless advice and I owe it to him.

I love conducting training workshops and I love what I do. Last week, I conducted the last session of the DIEB program. In addition to that, it was also their last day as most of them will be graduating. At exactly 8.45pm, one of them came to the front and gave me a special card. I loved that card. This is how it looks like;

I wish all my learners all the best in their future careers. May they be presented with opportunities that permit them to apply their new found skillsets.

My First Training Session as a Learner in 2014

2014 started so fast and I spent the first month scouting for personal development programs to attend. I looked into NLP training, public speaking and even some WSQ programs. I have been so preoccupied with training programs, meetings and operations what-nots and have not been able to even complete a book, let alone attend a training session.

In January this year, I bought a ticket to the National Achievers' Congress 2014. This is going to be my first time and I am so looking forward to learning and meeting like-minded people who are goal-getters and trend-setters. Last year, I could not get a ticket so this year, I made sure I got an early bird discount.

2 weeks later, I received a call from Success Resources, the organizer for the NAC, asking if I am interested in a free ticket to 3-day Millionaire Mind Intensive. I said yes. I was at the Resorts World Sentosa from 7th to 9th March for the 3-day MMI. I was so thrilled and excited. 3 full day sessions can be very challenging for learners, and the activities, dances, games and jokes helped a lot. This program really taught me the true meaning of passion.

The MMI trainer was Robert Riopel, T. Harv Eker's lead trainer. He has been travelling to different cities conducting 50 programs. Assuming each program runs on an average of 6 days, including travelling, he works an astounding 300 days! Nothings but passion can get you there.

Before I attended the program, I was told that the program will include a lot of selling. i.e. they will sell other programs to you and there will be booths of different companies selling wealth management solutions and stuffs.

I have a few reasons why I had to attend this program;
a. I want to learn from more experienced trainers. I want to see for myself how they conduct programs, how they respond to situations, how they keep the audience on their feet etc.
b. I want to learn how to manage my money better. We think we are good managers but most of us are screwed up when it comes to personal finance. Some of us will rather leave it to the hands of financial advisors. Hey, if I do become millionaire in the process, why not?
c. I want to network. I think it takes quite a bit for a person to attend a 3-day program and I believe many people are searching for answers to whatever questions they might have. One thing we all have in common is the thirst for knowledge in success.

Guess what, I got all three objectives met. Robert Riopel, if you happen to read this, which I think is so not possible, I just want you to know that your class rocks.

One thing I learnt from the program;
1. In the program, we were taught to disperse our money according to a 7-jar system. In some methodology, it was a 5-jar system. I personally feel that the number of jars do not matter. It's the habit that is important and not easy to maintain.

Jar 1 - FFA Jar (Financial Freedom Account) - 10%
This jar is to be used in investments to generate passive income. Whatever returns are re-invested into the jar. The whole idea is that this jar is a goose that lays golden eggs. The goose must not be killed and only the eggs can be enjoyed.

Jar 2 and 3 - LTSS Jar (Long Term Saving for Spending) - 5%, 5%
This money is for big ticket expenses such as furniture, TV, car, etc

Jar 4 - EDU Jar (Education) - 10%
This is for education and personal development.

Jar 5 - NEC Jar(Necessity) - 55%
This is for daily expenses, such as petrol, food, etc

Jar 6 - PLAY Jar - 10%
As the name suggests, this money is for us to enjoy. We cannot accumulate money here for more than 3 months.

Jar 7 - GIVE Jar - 5%
This is to be given to charity of our choice

They key thing here is to make it a habit. Even if all we have is $100, we must split them accordingly. Before this, I split my earnings to my 3 bank accounts. Looks like I need to open one or two more.

Importance of a Personal Branding

One of the things I learned as a freelance trainer is this thing called 'Branding'. Wikipedia defines branding in a few ways;
1. a particular product or a characteristic that serves to identify a particular product

2. a trade name or trademark.

Then, even though I acknowledged the importance of Branding, it wasn't enough to be part of my 'To-do' list. A mistake that costs me a fortune. While Branding has been a major concern by most entrepreneurs, it is often overlooked by freelancers from various industry and one of them is writing this blog.

The old ways of doing our best work and hope for the next project to fall on our laps is becoming an outdated, not to mention insufficient, practice.

In this century, we face global competition, companies can close down tomorrow. We are competing projects and jobs with providers from all over the world, as such we need to market ourselves strategically in order to maintain a decent market value and have a good flow of projects. Question to think about; Do we want to be a commodity or a sought-after asset?

The right branding strategy will keep us noticed
and stay ahead of the pack

Personal brand goes beyond doing an excellent work. It means we need to plan a strategy to market our excellent work. Staying employable is as important as staying employed, if not more. Personal brand represents a promise of service delivery and quality.

I spoke to several freelancers in mid 2013 from various industries. Some of those I interviewed are earning a six figure yearly income while some are struggling to make ends meet. Interesting findings, I must say..
Based on those interviews, those who have been earning a comfortable 6 figure yearly income has the following attributes;

1. besides being good at what they do, they follow up and follow through their projects. 

2. Has vested a lot of time marketing themselves as a product/service. 

3. Attended networking sessions and community of practices to showcase what they can do.
4. They have a positive online presence with lots of self promotion, testimonials and credentials.
5. They keep upgrading and improving themselves, personally and professionally.
6. Maintain themselves as a brand of service that they provide.
7. Those with personalized services tend to do a few pro-bonos while others set a premium price since they began and instead of lowering their service rates, they provide value added services.

Hey, these are attributes of entrepreneurs too, isn't it? Ahh... how interesting. What separates a top earner from the rest is really the entrepreneurship spirit and this applies not just to freelancers but to employees too. Why are some employees headhunted while others need to look for recruitment agency? It all lies in personal and professional branding. 

I.C.E Challenge 2013 - The entrepreneurship competition of the year

As most of you already know, I joined Moneytree as a trainer in 2008 when it started and came on board as a Head of Operations in 2011. After 2 years of effort in innovating and implementing processes, I left this year((2013) February to return to independent training. During those few months, I had a fantastic experience from networking sessions, forming business partnerships, providing and executing training, marketing my own programs, finding mentors and conducting interviews for my own book. I had a lot of time to spend with my lovely wife and adorable daughter.

On 26th July 2013, I received a message from the CEO suggesting a meet up. We met up, discussed for 4 hours and the meeting ended at 2am with me saying YES to his offer, with a few conditions.

Before I returned, I was awarded training assignments for 3 schools; Holy Innocent High, Unity Secondary and Anglican High. I carried on with these schools until the very last session.

This year is really a sweet year for me, as far as school projects are concerned. 2 of my schools has attained top honours in the coveted ICE Challenge 2013. ICE Challenge is an annual competition where students compete with one another on their business ideas. There were 2 categories this year. A social enterprise category was added and there were a total of 35 teams competing in the semi-finals.

This year, the I&E Category was won by Holy Innocent High and the Social Enterprise Category was won by Unity Secondary School. Anglican High won the Most Innovative Prototype Award. As a trainer, I am very proud of their achievements.

So far, I have helped 3 schools attain ICE Challenge championship.

In the year 2011, Nan Chiau High were the Champions in the ICE Challenge 2011. In addition to that, they also won the Singapore Polytechnic Business Challenge.

In year 2012, I did not train any school. In 2013, Holy Innocent High won the I&E Category

 

And Unity Secondary won the Social Enterprise Category.

And one Best Prototype Design by Anglican High School

I am joyful of the achievements. This is really something that money can't buy.

A friend asked me for my 'secret recipe'. Recapping the whole process, there really is no silver bullet. It's about completing the equation ASK - Attitude, Skills and Knowledge.

I gave them the Knowledge, they applied and practiced it into Skills. Their drive to survive/excel reflects their Attitude towards learning and applying. Personally, I feel that if the equation is complete, the sky is the limit.

Personal Challenge - Conducting Workshops for Primary One students.

I got an email from one of the project coordinators of Moneytree, asking my availability to take up a workshop for a group of students in Primary One. I checked my schedule, yes, I was available for all the sessions.I sent my availability to the coordinator.

A few days later, I was informed that I will be taking the students in the first session. I thought it was kind of exciting. Unfortunately, I was not able to prepare much because there were no information such as profile, special needs or literacy levels. I had to play it by ear and move accordingly. I spoke to my wife, who is a school teacher, and she told to take to my nephew as reference. I do have a nephew who is in primary one but I think different kids come from different upbringing and, like adults, have different strength and weaknesses. I needed that information and decided to drop by the school 3 hours earlier.

I sat at the seating area near the general office, watching, observing the students, trying to lay down a strategy in my training program delivery. I just needed to place myself as 'barney-like' as possible. Well, that's the best reference for a primary one group. With my size, being a barney-figure should not be a problem, I thought.

When we got into the class, we were told that the students will be a mixture of primary 1 and primary 2 - A last minute change of plan! I couldn't help laughing to myself on the eleventh hour change and thinking how fun the session will be. I have a few things that just slipped into my mind and it got me very excited. First thing, I got the students to introduce themselves to their counterparts. The primary 2 students were naturally more 'brotherly and sisterly' and try to coax their younger, more introvert schoolmates into the activities. The students were brilliant, playful and competitive. A few introvert ones take a bit of time  before they get warmed up but I enjoyed every moment of it. I managed to get the students to think of a few innovative ideas and present them. It is nice to take some new groups of learners.

Here are some photos of the workshop..

Training During The Month of Ramadhan

It has been quite some time since I last wrote on this blog. I have been spending time conducting workshops and meeting people for my article.Not forgetting my obligations during the month of Ramadhan such as fasting, sahur, iftar, terawih and tadarus. It is really taking quite a toll on me and whenever there is an opportunity, I will grab a wink or two.

In 1999, I was enlisted into National Service(Army) and I was posted to one of the combat engineer's battalion during the start of the Ramadhan(fasting month). As we made our way to the company line, the sight of bridges and other construction displays presents an overview to what we will be facing in the next 2-3 months. I was thankful to be surrounded by some of the friendliest group of trainees. They expressed their concern to me during those tough training as I was fasting. I assured them that I will be alright and will fall out if there is a need. One of my favorite training in those days was the Standard Obstacle Course(SOC). I remembered clocking 9minutes for my rundown. Comparing my timing to that of my non-fasting platoon-mates added rage to my commanders. While I marched to the cookhouse for my iftar, my platoon mates will pay for the consequences. They were made to march around the parade square till I returned from my iftar. When I found that out, I tried to consume my food quickly and rushed back to 'rescue' my platoon.

I was asked a few times where did we get that strength. From the deprived sleep and lack of food, we are expected to not to perform and most of us don't. Some of us outperform. I think it is about conditioning, conditioning of the mind and body. When I was in school, I will never excuse myself from strenuous physical activity just because I was fasting. In my secondary school days, we used to have a football coach. A Muslim himself, he will lead the team in runs around the Bidadari cemetery during fasting month. He was the first person to encourage us to keep pushing and not to give excuses. His training was tough, mind you. Today, some of us who trained under him are national sportsmen and some worked in the elite special and emergency response team within the prison service. Wherever we are, we just don't quit. We were conditioned to be put on a brave front and to outperform even in the lack of basic needs such as sleep, water and food. We will have football training in the afternoon after school and will get back home for iftar and eventually attend our terawih in the night. At the end of the night, the 'sweetness' of victory is indescribable.

Today, when I see students excusing themselves from physical education activities, I wish I could relate to them what they are really missing. We are strong. We just do not know how strong we are. The only way we can know, is to keep pushing our limits.

Last week on the first day of Ramadhan, I was approached by one of the students during my workshop. She asked if I fast. Apparently, she did not expect to see a trainer who fasts yet always on the toes during the workshop. Well, if she were to see my conditioning 'training', she might have understood the reason. Moreover, I loved what I do. I love running those workshops. I even have back to back workshops that starts at 7.30am in the morning.

To all my fellow Muslim readers from all over the world, Ramadhan Mubarak to you.