Confronting change

Gary Hamel recently came to town. If you have not heard of him, pick up his book ‘Leading the Revolution’, its a good read. He tackles the hard reality beseiging organizations today. In one section in his book he spoke about ‘Activists Rule’, where most senior executives no longer command commitment, as the new generation that’s entering the workforce is more authority-averse. That control-oriented companies are likely to fail, and that more and more employees are now shareholders as well as they are suppliers and owners.

How many of your friends, acquaintances or colleagues have part-time work, or side-line business? Doesn’t matter if its selling insurance on the side, or MLM early starter from the likes of Amway, Lampe Berger to a part-timer on credit card MGM program (Member-get-member). In a nutshell, its about knowing how to make that extra buck here and there. And money can be found anywhere.

That’s why the Internet is a wonderful tool. Drop by the MPH in Mid Valley, check out the Internet section and pick up any of the ‘Start Your Own Business’ (SYOB) on eBay or ‘How to become a millionaire selling and buying on eBay’. Its endless. The only thing that matters is – do you have the self-commitment to do it. I was informed by a close buddy of mine, about one of his friends who was previously attached to Subaru. He started an online business selling turbo charger units in the US for Subaru Imprezza WRX. Legal versions of the Imprezza in the US comes with lower performance turbo units to enable the vehicle to be sold there. Its DIY, all this guys does is he sells them on his web site, orders it from Japan and it get delivered directly to the customer. All he does is assist in the DIY installation procedures. Isn’t that a great way to do business online. His business is thriving.

With so much opportunities available to us today, why would we need a full-time employment. There’s just too many get-rich-quick-schemes out there. That’s the reason why employers need to change the way they evolve and manage their organizations.

I had the opportunity to sit in on a 2 hour talk, courtesy of MDC, by Craig Rispin recently. Craig calls himself a ‘Business Futurist’. If you want to evolve or innovate your business, products & services, to have a crystal ball to the future, he is one person I highly recommend. His case study on Google is most interesting. Organizations like Google now allocate 20% of their personnel time to personal projects. During which time should the employee invent, create a new service or product, Google has first right of refusal. Which means the invention must be offered to the employer first. Would you consider such drastic measures to keep your personnel or motivate your personnel? Figure out how many of your friends have worked in an company for more than a year, or have built a career in one company.

The employee marketplace is continually evolving and keeping staff motivated and commited is now getting more complex and difficult. The issue is employees figure ‘money’ is everything, even if it were for a mere RM200 more. Much to my dismay its something I personally encountered recently with one of my employee. While money is an important motivator, but corporate culture is still key, and it is an effort by the senior managers and overall personnel mix that help keep the team together and driven.

How often do we hear about ‘building a career’? Maybe I am too old school, I spent 7 years in my last employer. What does it cost to buy such commitment? Maybe I am just too old school. gt

Popularity: 2% [?]