Wake Up!

A special dedication to all the Leaders (Who are also subordinate to other leaders) and all Subordinates (That currently also leads other juniors, whom aspires to lead a team or multi-functions teams in the future).

"Waking Up" is not an easy task. It's something that cannot be forced. It cannot be taught but it must come from within...as hoo1 Koloni puts it, Enlightenment.

Here, at Chun Toi Cracks, I use examples through my own experiences for your reference. So that (If you want) you can use it as a guide.

As a leader, you need to lead by example. There are a lot of "Sleeping Leaders" that are currently leading a group of people by example but "Blindly". Take me for example, years ago, I was leading a team executing mega projects for BAT even before I woke up...I was a leader that leads through WORK WORK WORK...AND MORE WORK...there are however, substance behind it but they have to realise them, by themselves.

I didn't really pay much attention to their "Intellectual Growth" but more on their "Experiential Growth". I didn't preach "Thinking" but only "Doing" as I went through the "Doing" process without any guidance from any leaders.

After I Woke Up, knowing that I've been doing things subconsciously, I started categorising them and explaining the reason behind them... That's when I also started asking them "And Then?" every single time...making them "Think", "Think Further" and "Think Deeper".

Just like the Client-Supplier Partnership I mentioned yesterday, if you think further into it, it's applicable to the Leader-Subordinate relationship.

If you expect certain "Things" (Whatever it may be...training, guidance, explanation, knowledge...) from your boss, be sure to give your subordinate/s the same "Things"...in your own ways through your own experiences as they will be expecting those "Things" from you. It's only fair.

It is very important that we all must know that no matter how high up in the corporate ladder we climb, we will still be subordinate to some other big fish even though we are leader to one or several subordinates who leads other subordinates...unless you are your own boss...

Therefore, with the fact that there are more subordinates than leaders...Subordinate-ship (Follower-ship...those that receive An Article A Day may refresh your memory about the article I sent out last year) plays as big a role as Leadership.

As leader leads by examples, subordinates should follow that leads. But most importantly, understanding your own position and how, You, as a subordinate, can help and support your boss to achieve the goals together...

No one work in isolation these days. I can be typing words after words, it will be pointless if nobody reads them or benefit from those words.

It's very simple actually, If you see your current boss as a good leader, understand and remember the good that he/she has done so that you can carry on that goodness and the things that you appreciate, then translate them to your future subordinates.

If your boss is not someone you think leads your team well, also see what are the things that he/she does that you hate the most and ensure that you do not give you future subordinates the same treatment as you know all too well, as a subordinate, you will not benefit from it.

Just doing the things that you do everyday the same way you did yesterday, is no longer enough today...without the "Thinking" behind it, you will not be able to understand your current strength so that you can continue to work harder to improve it and you will definitely will not be able to tell where are your weaknesses so that you can work towards eliminating them.

"THINK" people, all you need is "THINK"!

Starting as early as Tomorrow, if you're a leader, see how can you lead your team better and if you are a subordinate, find better ways to support your boss.

For the sake of it, I asked one of my ex-satff (Who ran away because cannot tahan me...hehehe...), to think about whether as a leader, did I have any positive impact on her growth, now that she's no longer reports to me (Even though I totally know that I definitely have a huge negative impact on her)?

Not sure whether she was just "Layan-ing" me by telling me what I want to hear...hehehe...but I really do hope that there are some positiveness in the things that I've done for her.

I strongly believe, if you have not "Wake Up" (Whether you're a leader or a subordinate), you will see the points when you finally "Wake Up". In fact, you should be able to see some truth to the points above if you think through them...

To top it all off...I found this quote from Mahatma Gandhi, a self taught guru..."Those who know how to THINK need no teachers".

I also know one thing for sure, after all...even after waking up, I am still me...a Chun Toi with Cracks.