Unspoken Boundaries

I have completed the migration and compilation of all my blog entries from various sources into one. I felt sad shelving the web pages I have worked on since October 2009 but we keep looking forward. As I was tagging my entries, it felt like I had walked down memory lane and was intrigued to see how much I have matured over the last 6 years. Indeed, I would be a wholly different person if I had not become a mother at such a young age.

Rainbow spotted during evening rush hour

Which is why a seeing a rainbow in the sky is always so amazing as I am reminded that through storms and adversity, beautiful images emerge.

There’s really a lot of things I want to update on my blog but having read all the e-marketing books, fresh, short entries are advocated and I do tend to write much more than the average person’s attention span can last. So I shall stick to writing short succinct and frequent posts from now on. I have also categorised and tagged my entries and am quite surprised that I write a lot about God in my life. Initially I was hesitant to reveal my personal struggles but I decided to do so just in case my story can also encourage another person going through the same ordeal.

Here are some observations about my department which could be a really good guide for managers –

1. Provide clear direction and goals – this cannot be emphasized enough! I am aghast to find out that my teammates are working on separate initiatives in their assigned portfolio, each fulfilling their own KPIs but ultimately missing the link. It is the leader’s responsibility to provide a macro overview of the team’s mission and vision and how each initiative is achieving it. By providing a clear road map, I am sure my brilliant colleagues would be able to soon figure out how their efforts can be grouped together for a more effective outreach.

2. Build teams around goals, not function/markets/sectors – this is tricky because it is more efficient if individuals are assigned separate job scopes for purposes of reporting, control and appraisals. But a downside to this is that it also limits opportunities to leverage on synergies between functions or markets. Building teams around a common goal pools human capital together and allows managers to assign them more effectively according to their strengths. It also opens communication channels and makes it easier for colleagues to share ideas with each other outside their assigned job scope.

3. Don’t just look for people with talent, make sure they are passionate about the subject matter. I have no doubts about the capability of my colleagues. In fact, I am surprised at their command of the language and depth of thought and analysis despite their age. However it is clear that they are neither experts nor passionate about the subject they seek to educate the public on. It is one thing to execute a good initiative, it is another to infuse it with spirit.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.