On Adaptation: An Ice-Cold Glass Breaks When Hot Boiling Water is Poured...

...because they shock each other.

The tension is just too much that one can barely accept another and become one.

The same principle applies when you adapt to new environment.

If you are the water trying to fill the glass without breaking it, and you have no idea how hot/cold the glass would be, never bring your hot boiling attribute because you never know how "warm" the glass would be. If the environment is an icy-cold one, your presence will only break it. And you too, as the water, will spill.

You may ask: "Why would the glass be an-icy-cold one?"

Warm water will lose its warmth right away, and it can't simply bear hot water that well.

Indeed. You cannot be too hot as the water.

On the other hand, the environment must not be that icy-cold in order for you to blend easily.

In other words, the environment must be "warm enough" for you to be accepted.

True, when you enter a whole new environment, it is important to make the efforts to adapt.

But don't forget, what is also important is that your environment adapts to you.

The fact is: sometimes, you cannot give that much impact to change your environment. All you can give to them is time; time for them to get to know you, to warm-up to you, and finally welcome you.

Patience and persistence are key.

Don't be too harsh on yourself; yet, never stop learning.

Diandra Epifania Kanter

Astra Jardine Executive Trainee

Reflections from my year in Hong Kong

September 2017 - October 2018

A Good Team Member

Everybody wants to be in the spotlight.
Everybody wants to be the very important person.
Everybody wants to be the one driving the direction.
That's why leadership seminar is very popular.

But the "triangle" of the organisation is a triangle.
There is no leader position for everybody, and should you want to be in such position, you need to earn it. Before you are a leader, you need to become a follower - or team member.

There is a role of a leader. There is a role of a member.

I think people should get feedback on how well they are when they are playing both roles.

The question is: What makes a good follower?
The fact is people often get feedback when they play the role of the leader; but people rarely obtain feedback as a follower/ team member.
Everybody pays too much attention on the leader, that they forget that to become a good follower also needs skills and development.
Perhaps because the general assumption that a good team member should just follow the directions of the team leader; it is as if their position exists just to support the leader.
After all, without a team member/ follower, it is impossible for somebody to become a leader.

See the last sentence above.
Don't you think it is strange that there will be no leader without member, while people can come collectively without any leader, yet we hear people teach more about how to become a good team leader and not become a good team member as well?

Come to think of it. One does not simply label somebody who blindly follows the leader as a good team member. A team member can do more.
And one does not simply label somebody who interrupts the leader's direction as a bad team member.
In the world where innovation is at the heart of the progress of everything, and when the competition is tough, there is no way one team can succeed if the team members will only follow the team leader blindly.
Becoming a team member is an active role; he/ she is an active listener, active thinker, and active doer.
More people means more ideas, and that's one of the strength of working in teams rather than working alone... and having people following you from behind.

Not only ideas, a team member also provides something that a leader in his/her position may not have: feedback for the leader's personal and professional growth. There is no feedback better than the feedback coming from your customers.
And to be able to provide the right feedback, one should also have the leadership skill: knowing what to say, how to say, when to say, and having the courage to actually say it.
This makes it clear that leadership is not only about leading others; it is also about leading ourselves, so that we can carry on with whatever role that is placed or trusted in us... either we are in the position of a team leader, or team member.

Applications: For team-building activities, always rotate leadership each time a different activity/ challenge is introduced, and at the end of the day, provide feedback to everybody in the team, both when they are playing the role as team leader and as team member.

Diandra Epifania Kanter

Astra Jardine Executive Trainee

Reflections from my year in Hong Kong

September 2017 - September 2018

Corporate Life

I always look at it as a "battlefield", not a "playground".

It means you must not lose focus, or you'll lose your chance to survive... even win.

It means you always need to have your shield ready, but only take out your sword when it is necessary. It means you always need to be on guard, and make the right judgment. It means knowing when: knowing when to hold your ground, and know when and why you need to attack.

But then again...

1. Your battle principles must not outweigh your humanity principles. Be just, but merciful. Be clever, but gentle. Be kind, but sincere. Always stay positive, unless the evidence says otherwise.
2. Don't forget that as difficult as the battle process might be, always have joy and peace in your heart. They allow meaningful relationships with valuable allies who share the same purpose as you. They allow you to stand firm in the middle of fight; they allow you to judge wisely. They guard your heart from crumbling down. They allow brilliant ideas to come through.
3. Always take part in the battle celebration, so you will not get tired battling, for you know that you need to keep up the good work.

If your 8-hour a day is a battlefield, then where's my playground? 

Home. Family. Circle of closest friends. The House of God. (Psalm 27:4).
Playground -- where you can explore the infinite possibilities for love, fun, and excitement in the safest and most secure places.

Me Against Me vs. Me Against You... and Everybody Else

It is human nature to compare, but do you know that how we compare makes a big difference in the outcome of our behavior tendencies?

How We Compare #1: Me Against You... and Everybody Else

When we compare ourselves with others there is this sense of competition with 'making others lose' as the objective. It is as if one shall live because the other is gone, or basically both cannot win together... somebody has to lose. And in organization (as we know it) there is no such thing as winning alone. Everybody counts. Everything that you do shall make an impact to others like links in a chain, and everything that you do depends on others as well.

How We Compare #2: Me Against Me

I am in competition with no one.

I have no desire to play the game of being better than anyone.

I am simply trying to be better than the person I was yesterday.

That's me and I am free.

On the other hand, see what happens when we compare ourselves with ourselves.

We are stretching yourselves beyond what we previously were. Our target is going beyond our previous achievement. That way, we are growing and stay motivated in every situation; not just because there are other people exist besides us. We are growing independently. Thus in a situation where others challenge us, it is not that we need to challenge back by making them withdraw their challenge, but by taking such challenge for our individual growth.. no matter how resenting it might be. In other words, we take others as opportunities to bring the best in us. "As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another." If everybody in an organization does the same way, everybody grows together; nobody is left behind and nobody has to lose. If all the iron links in a chain get stronger together, then the chain gets stronger as well.

See the big difference?