Life is like Bolero...

Was listening to this tune on my Zen when it just reminded me how life show be.

Slowly a crescendo builds up and ends with a bang.

Something to strive for. =)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-4J5j74VPw

The Importance of Learning in Organizations

Quite a good video on learning organization. Good stuff that you can apply to everyday work.

Article of the day...

Developing A Vision For Your Future
By: Brian Tracy

What Only Leaders Can Do
The one quality that all leaders have in common is that they have a clear and exciting vision for the future. This is something that only the leader can do. Only the leader can think about the future and plan for the future each day.

Develop A Clear Vision
Excellent leaders take the time to think through and develop a clear picture of where they want the organization to be in one, three and five years. Leaders have the ability to communicate this vision in such a way that others "buy in" and eventually see the vision as belonging to them.

How to Motivate People
It is the vision of the future possibilities, of what can be, that arouses emotion and motivates people to give of their best. The most powerful vision is always qualitative, aimed at and described in terms of values and mission rather than quantitative, described in terms of money. Of course, money is important, but the decision and commitment to "be the best in the business" is far more exciting.

To encourage others, to instill confidence in them, to help them to perform at their best requires first of all that you lead by example.
Be A Great Team Player
A study at Stanford Business School examined the qualities that companies look for in promoting young managers toward senior executive positions, especially the position of Chief Executive Officer. The study concluded that there were two important qualities required for great success in leadership. The first is the ability to put together a team and function as a good team player. Since all work is ultimately done by teams, and the managers' output is the output of the team, the ability to select team members, set objectives, delegate responsibility and finally, get the job done, was central to success in management.

Keep Your Cool
The second quality required for rapid promotion was found to be the ability to function well under pressure, and especially in a crisis. Keeping your cool in a crisis means to practice patience and self-control under difficult or disappointing circumstances.

Everyone Is Watching
The character and quality of a leader is often demonstrated in these critical moments under fire, when everyone is watching, observing and privately taking notes. As Rudyard Kipling once said, "If you can keep your head when all around you are losing theirs and blaming it on you, then the world is yours and all that's in it".

Your job as a leader is to have a clear vision of where you want to go and then to keep your cool when things go wrong, as they surely will.

Action Exercises
Here are two things you can do immediately to put these ideas into action.

First, project forward 3-5 years and imagine your ideal future vision. What does it look like? What steps can you take immediately to begin turning your future vision into your current reality?

Second, resolve in advance that, no matter what happens, you will remain calm and cool. You will not become upset or angry. You will take a deep breath and focus on the solution rather than on the problem.

Article of the day : Key to motivation

The Key to Motivation
By: Brian Tracy

Your Real Goal
Your goal is to become a transformational leader, the kind of person that motivates and inspires people to perform at levels far beyond anything that they had previously thought possible.

Keep People In the Know
Transformational leaders empower others by keeping them "in the know," by keeping them fully informed on everything that effects their jobs. People want and need to feel that they are "insiders," that they are aware of everything that is going on. There is nothing so demoralizing to a staff member than to be kept in the dark about their work and what is going on in the company.

Give Regular Feedback
One empowering behavior practiced by transformational leaders is regular feedback on performance and results. People need to know how they're doing so they can improve if performance is below standards and so that they can be proud of their successes. The more feedback you give to people, the better it is, as long as the feedback is objective and not critical. My friend, Ken Blanchard, says that, "Positive feedback is the breakfast of champions."

Be Generous With Praise
Be generous with your praise and encouragement. Remember, people are the only asset that can be made to appreciate in value by giving them warmth, respect, approval and by creating a climate of positive expectations.

Create An Exciting Future
What companies and countries and institutions need today are courageous visionary leaders who are committed to creating an exciting future for themselves and others. You have within yourself the ability to evolve and grow as a leader and to make a real difference in the world around you. And the one thing you can know for sure about yourself is that, no matter what you've accomplished up to now, there is far more that you can do.

As you practice the behaviors of effective leaders, you will grow more and more toward the realization of your full potential. It's completely up to you.

Action Exercises
Here are two things you can do immediately to put these ideas into action in your work.

First, hold regular meetings with your staff and tell them everything that is going on. Invite their comments, questions and concerns. Make everybody feel as if he or she was an insider in the organization.

Second, continually look for opportunities to give positive feedback, praise and encouragement. People need praise and encouragement like roses need rain and sunshine. Take every opportunity to make people feel better about themselves and their work.

Day dreaming...

Plain day dreaming but sometimes I wonder - "What would happened if I could turn back time and join @ 2 or 3 years earlier?" Would I have ran for EB? Would I have ran for MC? Would I have obtained a vote of confidence from my fellow peers? How would the future from there on be?

It's something that I won't have the opportunity to find out. But oh well, life is as such - we get some and we lose some.

Okay, day dreaming session over. Get on to work.

Catholic High Rox!

2008 GCE ‘O’ Level Examination Results L1B5 aggregate 9.8 (estimate) School Band Band 1 Passed ≥5 ‘O’ levels 100% At least 5 distinctions 77.7% Eligible for JC 99.2% Cohort size 381

No. of students with A1s 10A1 5 9 A1 22 8 A1 13 7 A1 21 6 A1 28

No. of students with distinctions (A1 & A2) 11 distinctions 1 ≥10 distinctions 29 ≥9 distinctions 79 ≥8 distinctions 140 ≥7 distinctions 206 ≥6 distinctions 256

Subjects % Distinction % Pass English Language 65.4 99.5 English Literature 50 94.4 Higher Chinese 40.5 92.8 Chinese Language 73.2 100 Chinese Literature 76.5 88.2 E Mathematics 93.4 100 A Mathematics 82.4 99.7 Physics 73.4 99.7 Chemistry 74.9 100 Biology 91 100 Science 66.7 100 Geography 77 100 History 81 100 Combined Humanities 71.1 99

Top performers in 2008 GCE Name Chinese Name Class Results CHAN HUA PENG 曾华鹏 4-8 10 A1s LI ANG 李 昂 4-9 10 A1s MELVIN YIN CHEE PENG 严子鹏 4-9 10 A1s XU ZIYANG 徐子扬 4-9 10 A1s YAP CHIEN 叶 展 4-8 10 A1s ANG JUN KIAT 洪俊杰 4-8 9A1, 1A2 CHEE ZHENG FENG 池政锋 4-8 9A1, 1A2 DILLON YAP 叶毅仁 4-9 9A1, 1A2 HOW GUO YUAN 侯国源 4-9 9A1, 1A2 JEROLD LOH WEI ZHE 罗伟哲 4-10 9A1, 1A2 TU ZHENGKAI 涂征凯 4-9 9A1, 1A2 XU RUOLIN 徐若麟 4-8 9A1, 1A2 YEE KUAN HAO 余冠灏 4-9 9A1, 1A2 ZHANG SHEN 张 燊 4-9 9A1, 1A2 ZHU QIREN 朱麒仁 4-9 9A1, 1A2