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Saturday 21 december 2013

Pg 10

looking goodLearn how to packageyourself well in thissequel to Fit And Fabulous

Pg 09

THE HoBBiT’S JoURnEYBilbo Baggins’ journeyunravels many valuableleadership lessons

Pg 05

A noBlE CAUSEGood leadership is all aboutserving others, says chairmanof eXfuze and VivaKids

Step upNo one is responsible toaccelerate your careerexcept for you and hereis how you do it.

Pg 03

everyone’Sin SaleStoP buSineSS tHinKer and autHor danielPinK’S inSiGHt on tHe art oF PerSuaSionPaGeS 6-7

mystarjob.com, saturday 21 December 20132

EDITORIALAdviserRoshan ThiRanEditorLiLy Cheah

Assistant EditorevaChRisTodouLou

Contributing EditorPRemaJayaBaLan

Operations Leadhyma PiLLay

Sub EditorLee KaR yean

Layout, Art & DesignTung eng hwaZuLhaimi BahaRuddinahmad fadZuL yusofadZnam saBRimohd KhaiRuL

hafis idZLamuhd hafeeZRaZZiahshawn ng

Writers & Contributorssimon sineKhui yi-wenwendy LeeCindy yaPTaRCayani PReBagaRan

Johan meRiCanyang huei yee

Sales Managerian Lee

If you have any suggestions or feedback on our content, get in touch with the Leaderonomics team at mystarjob@leaderonomics.com.For advertising and advertorials, contact ian.lee@leaderonomics.com - 016 974 7087

LiLy SayS

The opinions expressed in this career guide are those of the writers orthe people they quoted and not necessarily those of Leaderonomics.

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opEN aCCESS JoUrNaLSDo you miss free access to journals that you had during your university years?Fret not. DOAJ.com, or Database of Open Access Journals, lists over 9,000articles which are accessible to almost anyone. They cover a wide range oftopics in various languages and best of all, they don’t cost a sen!

The ArT of sAles

FiNd thE root oF thE probLEM aNd oFFEr a SoLUtioN To be a good salesperson, put yourself in your customers’ shoes and find out what their pain points are. Once you havediscovered that, highlight the winning points of the product or service you are selling that work as asolution to their problems.

bELiEvE iN what yoU arE SELLiNg Don’t just sell because your job requires you to doso. Genuinely see how your product is beneficial to your customers, and convince them that the productwould be excellent for them. It would be more believable to your customers if you are convinced with theproduct. This works the same when you’re selling yourself in an interview!

bE CLEar aNd dirECt Always be very clear and direct with your pitches. Don’t beat around thebush or use jargon to impress customers. Give them straight answers to their questions. Explain yourselfas quickly, clearly and as directly as possible.

avoid USiNg a StaNdard proCESS For aLL yoUr CUStoMErS Each of yourcustomers is different. Do your research and know their challenges and needs. Don’t use a one-track wayfor all of your clients. It will not work for all of them. Customisation also ensures you serve their needsbetter. This is the same reason why in job interviews, you should cater your cover letter and resume tothe specific company you are addressing them to.

40% of sales repsinterviewed in a survey doneby Brainshark, Inc said theyonly start preparing theirsales presentation a daybefore the event.

40% of salespeople don’tunderstand theircustomer’s pain.

16% said theybegin preparingone week inadvance.

Forbes included Sales in their list of 10Skills that Will Get You Hired in 2013.

In To Sell Is Human: The SurprisingTruth About Motivating Others, authorDaniel Pink says everyone today is nowengaged in sales, whether by persuading,influencing or convincing others.

12% wait until theday of the meeting.

Salespreparation

67% of salespeople fail to hittheir individualsales quota.

According to a survey done by TASgroup and

Studies show women are morehesitant to negotiate than men,and that when they do negotiate theyare less likely to make the first offer.

Salesforce.com;-

THE idea for this week’s issue came about a few months ago asI was mulling over the concept of selling. Persuading and influ-encing people to buy products and services isn’t confined to theroles of sales people.

If you see sales as convincing, persuading and influencing,then everyone’s a salesman. Whether you’re selling an idea,yourself or a product, to customers, colleagues, prospectiveemployers, partners or friends, selling is part and parcel of all ourroles, even if the word “sales” doesn’t appear on your businesscard. Persuading people to come along side an idea takes sellingskills, as do job applications and interviews.

We’re sales people to friends and family too. Don’t tell meyou haven’t had a friend, sibling, parent, aunty or uncle ask yousomething about your company expecting you to know all thedetails.

The nature of human relationships and the tendency toreach to our networks for information turns us all into salesrepresentatives of our respective companies and products.“What’s so good about your programmes?” “Why is your productbetter than the rest?” For individuals in telecommunications,we ask “I don’t understand your new plans! Can you pleaseexplain?” even though they’re in human resources (HR)!

To take this thought of “Everyone’s a salesman” and make itreality in this Career Guide, we naturally reached out to DanielPink, author of To Sell is Human. According to Pink, everyonehas a selling instinct because we can all “master the basics ofmoving others.”

To our delight, Pink agreed to an interview. Prema Jayabalanhas the article on pages 6-7 this week. To add on to theconversation on what it takes to be an effective salesperson,Hui Yi-Wen does a book summary of The Art of the Sale by PhilipDelves Broughton on page 8.

With the end of the year, big films are also out, includingThe Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. To enhance your viewingexperience as you head to the cinemas to watch this recentrelease, we have a Movie Wisdom on The Hobbit: An UnexpectedJourney, the first of the Hobbit trilogy on page 9.

I hope you enjoy this week’s pages. We’re planning someexciting new content for 2014 which includes getting opinionson HR issues.

So if you’re a reader in the HR field, we want to know whatissues you’re facing and hot discussions you’re engaged in at themoment, be it churn, discussions over certification, or interviewstyles. Write to us at mystarjob@leaderonomics.com. We’d loveto have your input as we continue to develop 2014’s pages.

For other readers, please keep your feedback coming to us.We always enjoy hearing from you. Have a great Christmas andenjoy the holidays. Until next week!

Best wishes,

LiLy CheahEditor, myStarjob.com

CaN’taway FroM itrUN

mystarjob.com, saturday 21 December 2013 �

By ROSHAN THIRANroshan.thiran@gmail.com

IN my previous role as humanresources (HR) leader, I had todeal with Heather (not her realname). Heather had faithfullyserved the organisation for more

than 20 years but was rarely visible.As part of a restructuring, Heather’srole had become redundant.

Heather was extremely upset andangrily voiced her frustration thather loyalty and achievements meantnothing to the organisation.

As she spoke, a sad reality startedto dawn on me. Heather had spent 20years working very hard and waitingin futility for her company to manageand take care of her career.

She toiled in her tasks, but took nopart in planning and managing herown career, depending instead onHR and her “bosses” to “take care ofher career.” Unfortunately for her, herdependence on them didn’t quite panout as she hoped.

Heather is not a case in isolation.Surprisingly, many people truly believethat their HR department is planningtheir careers.

Part of the problem may be becauseHR leaders tend to try to “play God”and convince people at the hiringstage that there is a grand plan fortheir careers and HR will brilliantlyorchestrate this pre-ordained journeyup the corporate ladder.

But having seen and worked insome of the best organisations in theworld, I know for a fact that mostcompanies don’t really have careerplans for their entire organisation.

There may be a handful of organi-sations that monitor a select group ofhigh-potentials but for the majority ofus, our future is not mapped.

We are UniqUeCareer planning is an individualistic

process. No two people are the same,have the same background, or havethe same career aspirations.

Each of us is created distinctivelydifferent with differing ambitions andexpectations, and your bosses (or HR)may not know what these are (as theymay change often).

This is why it is close to impossiblefor HR or your bosses to play the roleof your career planner. Even though itis comforting to think that “my com-pany is looking out for me,” we shouldliberate our minds from this myth.

The MyTh of expecTingSomehow, because our good grades

in school got us into university andour good performance in universitygot us a great job, we believe thesame applies at work.

We believe that if we work hardand stay loyal, the company willtake care of us and somehow at thetail-end of our career, we will be in asenior role.

And this is reinforced when welook across the organisations and seesome examples of how these “loyal”leaders are bosses. But unfortunately,that was the world in the past whereloyalty was usually rewarded.

The 21st century is a whole newrealm. In the past, holding the samejob showed loyalty and enabled you tobe an expert in that role.

In today’s changing and evolvingworld, lack of career movement mayindicate to the world that you havestagnated.

“Many people think, ‘If I work extrahard, I’m going to get noticed.’ But itdoesn’t work that way. If you want toadvance, some of the responsibilityfalls on you,” claims Michael Slade, aHR director.

The first female partner atAccenture, Susan Butler, whoauthored the book Become the CEO ofYou Inc recalls how early in her careershe would throw herself into eachproject assigned to her. Yet, whentime came to be promoted, she nevergot the advancement.

“I didn’t know, but I learned thislater, that I needed to perform the job

I wanted before I got promoted,” sheexplains.

I believe you need to approach yourcareer as if it were a Sdn Bhd. If you setyourself up as you would a company,you would then have to formulate abusiness “career” plan, assemble aboard of directors who will advise andhelp your growth and be proactivelylooking to “sell” yourself, just as a com-pany would sell its products or services.

“Many of us are letting things hap-pen to us rather than making thingshappen for us,” warns Butler who rapsthose that play victim and wait for cir-cumstances to “happen” in their livesinstead of proactively driving growth intheir lives.

She adds “we only have one life andif we don’t take responsibility for it,who are we outsourcing it to?”

Some of us may have mistakenlyoutsourced our careers to HR or ourmanagers. Don’t do that – it’s yourfuture and it is too important to leavein the hands of others. Don’t let othersdefine your future.

But we can change that dependenceand quickly take on personal owner-ship of our careers. But having depend-ed on “others” all our lives, starting totake charge of your own career can bea daunting task.

So Where do yoU STarT?At the Olympics, the best athletes

win gold. But before they struck gold,they first ingrained in their hearts thegoal to win that gold.

Everything begins with a goal.Remember, you only win a footballgame if you score goals. The sameapplies to your career. The only way towin in your career is to have goals.

Write down your goal. A studyconducted by Gail Matthews at theDominican University clearly establish-es that “those who wrote their goalsaccomplished significantly more thanthose who did not write their goals”.

Some believe Abraham Lincoln’ssuccess was due to him writing downgoals. In fact, he claims, “A goal prop-

erly set is halfway reached”.Then share the goal with others.

Sharing it creates accountability andcommits you to work on the goals.

The final step is to build a plan toachieve those goals and execute onthe plan. You must own your careerplan. Don’t wait for others to providefeedback or make a decision on yournext move.

Understand your strengths anddevelopment needs and develop aproactive action plan. You won’t meetyour career objectives unless you faceup to where your skills are strong andwhere you need help.

Don’t be afraid to ask for supportand advice along the way. ClementStone reminds us “no matter howcarefully you plan your goals they willnever be more than pipe dreams unlessyou pursue them with gusto.”

final ThoUghTSAt the end of the day, your growth

and career destiny is solely yourresponsibility.

This means, you will need to deter-mine what competencies, skills andexpertise you need to achieve yourcareer goals and then it is your respon-sibility to attain that experience.

So, stop blaming others and takefull responsibility for your own career.Nelson Mandela, while in prison, reada poem on the unconquerable soul.The poems ends with these lines:

I am the master of my fate, I am thecaptain of my soul.

There are many things in life thatwe have no control over. Our career isnot one of those areas. We can be themaster of our careers – if only we takeresponsibility.

n Roshan Thiran is CEO ofLeaderonomics, a social enterprise. Hebelieves that everyone can achievegreatness if only we try to reach for thestars and take charge of our lives andgoals. To follow Roshan’s daily leader-ship wisdom, subscribe to www.face-book.com/roshanthiran.leaderonomics

Take chargeof your careeriT’s fuTile To expecT your bossesTo acceleraTe your developmenT

somehow, becauseour good gradesin school goT us

inTo universiTy,and our good

performance inuniversiTy goT us

a greaT job, webelieve The sameapplies aT work.we believe ThaT

if we work hardand sTay loyal,

The company willTake care of us

and somehowaT The Tail-endof our career,we will be in a

senior role.

mystarjob.com, saturday 21 December 2013�

Face RealityBy SIMON SINEKmystarjob@leaderonomics.com

THERE have been many occasions when I’vebeen on a plane and we hit some bad tur-bulence that my heart started pounding.I am not a nervous flyer per se, but some-times I imagine elaborate scenarios of all

the things that are going wrong in the cockpit andit freaks me out. I’ll hear strange noises sometimes,and think it’s the end. I’ll start sweating. My heartwill start beating harder and faster.

It happened last night again. I was on a flightcruising across the country to San Diego when thelights on the plane went out. I was concerned... notoverly... but I certainly started to imagine why thelights went out.

Did something short out? Was there spark?Does old wiring catch fire? Then, about 30 minuteslater, the lights went out again. This time, my heartpounded a little harder. Then, about 20 minuteslater, they went out again.

A movie was playing on my iPad, but I couldn’tfocus on it. My eyes were peeled out the windowinstead, I was watching the wing and the engine tomake sure everything was ok.

Staring out the window, I noticed that the starswere turning. We were turning. A huge turn.

Aircraft make course adjustments throughout aflight, I know that, but when you’re heading acrossthe country, there is no need for a 90+ degree turn.My breathing became shallow. My imagination wasracing. I needed to put my mind at ease.

I hit the flight attendant call button. “I’m prob-ably just being a nervous flyer,” I told the flightattendant, “I noticed the plane making a huge turnand have no idea why we’re making a huge turn.Perhaps you could ask the captain to come on thePA to let us know what was happening,” I suggest-ed, knowing that hearing the captain would stopmy mind from inventing scenarios.

The flight attendant leaned in and said, “we’velost one of our generators, but we have another

one.” My brow started to sweat profusely. “Isit dangerous?” I asked. “We have

a second generator,” she

replied with false confidence. She looked shaken.Not a minute later, the captain came on the PA.

“Ladies and gentleman,” he began politely, “we’velost our right engine generator and we’ve lostour APU,” he said matter-of-factly referring to theauxiliary power unit – the plane’s back-up powergenerator.

“Procedure dictates that in a situation likethis, we divert, so we’re going to be landing inOklahoma City.”

It was at that point, I started to relax. I didn’tknow why I was so relaxed, but I was. When I imag-ined something was going wrong, my heart waspounding. Now that something was wrong, I wascool as a cucumber.

The flight attendants came on the PA and askedus all to store our electronics, put our seats up, ourtray tables away and prepare for landing. “I’m notsure when we will be landing,” she said, “the pilotsare busy, but we’ll be landing soon.”

About five minutes later we began to descend.There was a pretty thick cloud cover, so I couldn’tsee the ground, though now and then I couldsee some hazy city lights through the clouds. Iremarked to myself under my breath, “why are youso relaxed?”

I was in disbelief. Getting wrapped up in myimagination I can bring myself to a near panic state.And now, when my heart should be pounding and Ishould be sweating... I wasn’t.

I paid attention to the landing procedures. Ourairbrakes engaged to slow us down. That’s a goodsign. The flaps extended – also a good sign. Wewere making a steady descent but I didn’t hear thewheels go down.

Again, I spoke to myself out loud and under mybreath, “no wheels.” And then actually continued tocalmly declare, “well, if we have no wheels, I guesswe’ll land on our belly.”

The whole time, still remarking in disbelief howcompletely relaxed I was. I almost wanted my heartto speed up – it seemed more appropriate.

The wheels deployed shortly after and we landedsafely in Oklahoma City with fire engines andambulances lining the runway.

We came to stop and were escorted by a wholefleet of emergency vehicles to the gate. I think thewhole plane sighed a collective sigh of relief; it cer-tainly was nice to be on the ground.

I made a few calls to let folks back home

know what was going on. It was only then, tellingthe story, did I get a little emotional and feel mypulse rate increase. But we were ok and I found mycomposure pretty quickly.

I stayed the night at an airport hotel, still calm,waiting for an aftershock of panic. But it didn’tcome. I wasn’t the least bit bothered by all theinconvenience of getting stuck and trying to getback home. We were safely on the ground and allthat stuff was just plumbing.

Lying in bed that night, I replayed the events ofthe evening back in my head, still amazed at howrelaxed I was. I also realised how our imaginationsget the better of us.

The number of times I’ve imagined scenarioswhere I was going to lose everything at work if Imade the wrong decision. The number of times Ithought my career was over because of somethingthat happened outside my control.

Or, armed with only the proof or scenarios I con-jured up in my own imagination, I thought people Iliked or worked with were planning to abandon me.Yet, in reality, I still make decisions. I still take risksand make mistakes. Things go wrong all the timeand yet we deal with them... and life goes on.

When things are fine, we look for all the thingsgoing wrong. We imagine. We fester. We worry.When things really do go wrong... and thingsalways go wrong... we deal with it.

We look for all the things going right. Before thecaptain came on, I could only see the lights goingout and imagine a fire behind the walls. Once wewere making our unscheduled landing with onlyone working generator, I listened for the flaps andwheels to deploy – signs of things going right.

This sudden change of perspective in times ofdanger – perhaps it’s our survival instinct, a waywe’ve developed to increase our chances of survival.Or perhaps, in times of stress and adversity, therereally is hope and opportunity.

As an end note, I would like to thank the flightcrew of that Delta flight. I didn’t get to thank themin person. They were grace under pressure.

And the ground staff that greeted us at an allbut closed Oklahoma City airport, they were fan-

tastic. I’ve never in my life experienced suchremarkable service and generous spirit.

n Simon Sinek is a trained ethnographerand author of Start With Why: How GreatLeaders Inspire Everyone to Take Actionan.An optimist, he believes in a bright futureand our ability to build it together.

and not youR imagination

When things aReFine, We look FoRall the thingsgoing WRong. Weimagine. We FesteR.We WoRRy. Whenthings Really do goWRong... and thingsalWays go WRong...We deal With it. Welook FoR all thethings going Right.

mystarjob.com, saturday 21 December 2013 �

By CINDY YAPmystarjob@leaderonomics.com

ONE can’t help but to beinspired by the energyof Rick Cotton, chairmanand founder of eXfuzeand VivaKids.

An astute entrepreneur and adynamic speaker, Cotton is wellrespected in the direct marketingindustry not only for his understand-ing of the industry, but also for hisimmense passion for the community.

VivaKids is a non-profit organisa-tion founded by Cotton dedicated toproviding for needy children aroundthe world, whilst eXfuze is a networkmarketing company primarily dis-tributing a revolutionary nutritionaldrink, SEVEN+.

Behind the success of eXfuze,which has since expanded to some ofthe strongest direct selling markets inthe world, lies a humble story of thereal reason why eXfuze was formed.

Cotton shared with TheLeaderonomics Show how he wantedto create something to fund his com-munity efforts on a long term basisin his mission to “make the world abetter place”.

He and his team then researchedto identify what was working bestin the marketplace and as a result,eXfuze was born.

In the begInnIngCotton relates the story of how

he, an American footballer-wannabe,went to Ukraine right after universityto play American football and wasgiven the opportunity to work withunderprivileged children for 30 dayswhile there.

“I had the chance to work withkids who didn’t have what we grewup with and weren’t as blessed as weare. It absolutely changed my life,”says Cotton.

Thus began his extraordinary jour-ney to, in Cotton’s own words, getchildren off the streets. Cotton stayedin Ukraine for two years, Venezuelafor five years and Mexico for the nextcouple of years, serving as a mission-ary and hosting short mission tripsaround the world and establishingschools for the underprivileged chil-dren.

He busied himself with a non-prof-it ministry developing businesses andprogrammes to benefit the mission.This is when VivaKids was formed.

“Working with underprivilegedchildren in 40 different countriestaught me incredible principles aboutleadership and giving back to thecommunity,” says Cotton.

“Through my experience, I learntthat leadership is about serving oth-ers; which is displayed by all greatleaders in the world historically andat this modern age,” shares Cotton.

Cotton claims that his experiencealso taught him to be contented inlife. “When you have the chance toexperience something of this nature,you realise that the life lessons theyare giving you far overweigh whatyou are providing them,” he adds.

“I vividly remember waking up oneday nine years ago while living inMexico and saying to my wife - ‘Weare going back to the United States to

build a billion dollar company and tochange the world!’” he recalls.

“We slowly put the pieces and theright people together and as a result,eXfuze was born throughout theworld, including Malaysia,” beamsCotton.

MakIng the worlda better place

When Cotton and his wife, Ann start-ed eXfuze, one of the mandates wasthat 1% of the gross sales should bechannelled back to VivaKids.

“Ann and I remain dedicated toour mission to provide for needy kidsglobally. Profits are never our focus,”explains Cotton.

“The earlier years were a challenge,as we weren’t making money andwere in the red,” he recollects. “It’s alittle easier now to contribute a big-ger amount month after month aswe are now profitable.”

Cotton further adds that the mainchallenge faced in setting up andbuilding the business back then wasputting the right people together andbuilding the right dynamics of a greatteam, as “it involves blending peoplewith different cultures and laying theright foundation.”

“It is, in fact, a challenge whichwe have to work on every single day.I always tell my leaders to bring usthe right people – people who reallywant to make an impact and not justto make money,” he says.

“Money is a great tool, but that’sall it should be – a tool,” offersCotton.

One can really witness the passionin Cotton when the topic of VivaKidsis brought up, as he speaks aboutVivaKids with such burning desire.

“We have missions all around the

world, primarily in the DominicanRepublic where I worked for 12 years,the Philippines, Mexico and differentunique projects globally.”

Cotton adds that in many of thesecountries, full-time employees whoare effective and experienced run themissions.

“Basically, we take kids that don’thave the opportunity to even have ahot meal and education, take themall the way through high school,sometimes to college and link themto relevant people,” he elaborates.

“We really believe in the impor-tance of having an education. It’s notjust about writing a cheque everymonth,” he stresses.

on MentorIngand leadershIp

“The only way to grow as a leader isto put oneself in the right communityand work with the right people.” Onthat note, Cotton counts it a bless-ing to be able to work with JohnMaxwell, an author, speaker and pas-tor who has written numerous lead-ership-focused books, and AnthonyRobbins, a world-renowned life coach,self-help author and business leaderand counts them as his greatest men-tors.

“John taught me earlier that listingdown a goal and making an affirma-tion are just the beginning. It is yourdaily agenda that makes the differ-ence – those little things that you doevery single day that you compound.”

“John also taught me to learn to‘fail forward’. Whether it’s hiring thewrong person or making the wrongdecision in entering the wrong coun-try at a wrong time, learn from thatfailure, move forward and build onthat experience,” he remarks.

“That was one of the best life les-sons I’ve gotten,” Cotton muses.

Cotton opines that an ideal leaderis someone who has a tremendousheart, gives back to the communityand lifts others up to be better thanthem. It is his wish to instil suchleadership culture within the com-pany, although he acknowledges thatsuch a leader is a rarity in our societytoday.

“That’s the reason I like direct sell-ing – it cultivates leadership, whichinvolves influencing people. We havean inspiring story in Japan, where weencountered a group of young menwho came out of gangs and rebellifestyle. I shared what eXfuze cando for them to change their lives,”Cotton adds.

“Great leaders give people secondchances. This is what we’re doing ineXfuze.”

busIness growthdespIte tough tIMes

Cotton feels blessed that eXfuzeremains one of the few companiesworldwide that continues to growand expand despite tough economictimes globally.

He attributes its continuousgrowth to having a product that issecond to none. “Our product chang-es lives,” Cotton quips. “But evenmore important is the culture andthe people that it is made up of”.

“Tony Robbins identifies sixfundamental human needs thateveryone has in common and oneof it is contribution, i.e. the desireto contribute something of value tosupport others.

“In eXfuze, we build our teamaround this need with people whoare doing right in the world.”

success nuggetsfor buddIng

entrepreneursCotton readily admits that direct

selling is not for everybody, butadvises: “University teaches us certainprinciples, but fresh graduates mustinvest in themselves to pick up vitalleadership qualities and to nurture theentrepreneurial spirit.”

When asked on his advice to leaderswho are keen to grow a business likeeXfuze, Cotton guffaws: “Join us!”

On a more serious note, he hasthis advice to offer:

1 Get out of your bubbles: Startlooking at the international world

we live in, understand the differentlanguages and join arms with the dif-ferent cultures.

2 Work hard andbe determined.

3 Find something you are passion-ate about.

4 Always bear in mind that moneyis just the means to an end.

5 Bring out the driving force withinyou: Identify what drives you

through disappointments - whenpeople say “no”, when you can’t getthose investors, when you hire thewrong people or when relationshipsgo wrong.

“Ultimately, these are the positiveattributes which we strive to inculcatewithin eXfuze,” Cotton concludes.

Moving forward, Cotton wishes tosee VivaKids and eXfuze continue tomultiply around the world to benefitthe needy children – who are the veryreason for their existence.

n To watch this video and for moreLeaderonomics Show interviews, visitwww.leaderonomics.tv

network marketing companyTheShow

rick cotton’s honourable mission at the marketplace

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noble cause behind a

through myexperience, i learntthat leadershipis about servingothers; which isdisplayed by allgreat leadersin the worldhistorically and atthis modern age.

mystarjob.com, saturday 21 December 2013� mystarjob.com, saturday 21 December 2013 �

By PREMA JAYABALAN and LILY CHEAHprema.jayabalan@leaderonomicas.com

MOST of us think that the art ofsales resides in just a selectfew but Daniel H Pink choosesto think otherwise.

The bestselling authorsays we spend a lot of our time cajoling andconvincing others to make exchanges with us,such as attention in return for knowledge inthe classroom setting.

The only difference is that the exchangeinvolves time and effort instead of money.As he puts it, we “coax others to part withresources.”

“Once upon a time, only certain peoplewere in sales. Every day, these folks sold stuff,the rest of us did stuff, and everyone washappy. One day, the world began to change.More of us started working for ourselves – andbecause we were entrepreneurs, suddenly webecame salespeople, too,” Pink elaborates.

“At the same time, large operations dis-covered that segmenting job functions didn’twork very well during volatile business con-ditions – and because of that, they begandemanding elastic skills that stretched acrossboundaries and included a sales component.

“Meanwhile, the economy itself trans-formed so that in the blink of a decade, mil-lions of additional people began workingin education and health care – two sectors

whose central purpose is moving others. Untilfinally, in ways we’ve scarcely realised, most ofus ended up in sales,” says Pink.

Pink is the author of five books that com-prise the long-running New York Times best-sellers, A Whole New Mind and Drive, and hislatest book, To Sell is Human, which has cre-ated waves as a No. 1 New York Times busi-ness bestseller, a No. 1 Wall Street Journalbusiness bestseller, and a No.1 WashingtonPost non-fiction bestseller.

Pink’s books have been translated into 34languages and have sold more than two mil-lion copies worldwide. In 2013, Thinkers 50named him one of the top 15 business think-ers in the world. We spoke to Pink on the roleof selling at work:

1 Why does everyone need to be a sales-person in his or her career?

You’re right that selling has become crucialtoday. The United States is a case in point.One-in-nine American employee works insales – that is, his job is to try to convincesomeone else to make a purchase.

But even more importantly, the other eightare also in sales. There’s now data showingthat they’re now spending a huge portion oftheir time persuading, influencing, and con-vincing others to make an exchange – what Icall “non-sales selling.” Like it or not, we’re allin sales now.

It’s central to the effectiveness of mostwhite-collar workers – even if they don’t havethe word “sales” on their business card or jobtitle.

Suppose you’re a boss trying to get youremployees to do something different or dosomething in a different way. That’s sales.Suppose you’re an employee trying to get yourboss to free up resources for a project. That’ssales.

Suppose you’re trying to get someone tocome and work for your company instead of acompetitor. Or you’re a teacher trying to con-vince your students to pay attention in class.

Or, a nurse trying to get a patient to changehis behaviour. Or an entrepreneur pitching anidea to investors.

This sort of endeavour has become centralto what we do for a living and how we canbecome effective.

2 How does one become a salesperson inhis/her career?

Today, it depends less on duplicity and moreon mastering three fundamental qualities.Instead of the ABC’s of Always Be Closing, theyneed to adopt the new ABCs of Attunement,Buoyancy, and Clarity.

These three qualities are the platform foreffectiveness in a world where buyers and sell-ers are more evenly matched.

Attunement is perspective-taking, gettingout of your own head and seeing things fromsomeone else’s point of view.

Buoyancy is staying afloat in an ocean ofrejection. And clarity is moving from accessinginformation to curating it and from solvingexisting problems to identifying problems cus-tomers and prospects don’t realise they have.

3 You say that sales isn’t what it used to beand our basic human nature means many

of us are much better at it than we realise.Could you explain this?

Sales isn’t what it used to be because ofsome profound changes in information. Mostof what we know about traditional salescomes from a world of information asymme-try – that is, the seller always had more infor-mation than the buyer.

When the seller holds a huge informationedge over the buyer – and the buyer has limit-ed choices and no way to talk back – the sellercan take the low road.

That’s why we have the principle of “buyerbeware.” Buyers had to realise that becausetheir better-informed counterparts coulddeploy all manner of underhanded tactics.

But in the last decade, the informationasymmetry that defined the sales relationship

has become something closer to informationparity.

That’s a world of “seller beware” – and itdemands new qualities and new tactics thatpeople are only slowly learning.

Those qualities tend to be more fundamen-tally human capabilities rather than the slip-pery and duplicitous tactics of before.

4 Is the art of negotiation and persuasionsomething inherent or can it be nur-

tured? If it can be nurtured, then how can itbe done?

It’s a fundamental human ability, but it’sone we can improve with practice. Again, I’dbegin with the ABCs.

How can you get better at understandingothers’ perspectives? One way is simply to talkless and listen more.

How can you deal with rejection? Oneway, according to Martin Seligman of theUniversity of Pennsylvania, is to look for waysto explain failure has less personal, pervasive,and permanent effects than it initially seems.

How can you take a welter of informationand distill it to its essence? One way is tobecome a genuine expert in your area andwork to curate information about that area forfollowers, customers, and prospects.

5 What advice would you give to youngrecruits who have just embarked on their

career path on how to make their journey asuccessful one?

I’d recommend the three key lessons ofimprovisational theater, which is great prepa-ration for selling of any kind:

1. Hear offers. Even if someone says “no,”embedded in that rejection is often an offer.Listen for it.

2. Say “yes and”. This is fundamental toimprovise. Build on others ideas. “Yes but” isdestructive. “Yes and” is constructive.

3. Make your partner look good. In negotia-tion, the idea isn’t to fleece your counterpart.It’s to help him/her get what they want.

ACE sEllEr

“People are now spending about 40

percent of their time at work engaged

in non-sales selling—persuading, influ-

encing, and convincing others in ways

that don’t involve anyone making a

purchase.”

“Today, much of what we do also seems

to involve moving. That is, we’re moving

other people to part with resources —

whether something tangible like cash or

intangible like effort or attention — so

that we both get what we want.”

“The ability to move others to exchange

what they have for what we have is

crucial to our survival and our happiness.

It has helped our species evolve, lifted

our living standards, and enhanced our

daily lives. The capacity to sell isn’t some

unnatural adaptation to the merciless

world of commerce. It is part of who we

are.”

“Research from the University of

Pennsylvania shows that the most

effective sales people are not extroverts.

But they’re no introverts either.

They’re ambiverts - people who are

someone extraverted and someone

introverted. Ambiverts have a wider

repertoire of skills to draw from. They

are also more attuned. They know when

to speak up but also when to shut up,

when to push and when to hold back.”

lEArning to sEll An EssEntiAlpArt of All CArEErs

get their perspectiveAttune yourself to the way the other person is think-

ing. Take their perspective, but bear in mind that this isn’t thesame as empathy.

Pink explains that perspective-taking isn’t just aboutunderstanding their feelings, but also knowing what they’rethinking and what their interests are.

An experiments on price negotiation showed that peopleyield better results when they focus on what the other side isthinking rather than how they are feeling.

This insight into their thought processes will put both ofyou on the same wave length, and guide the discussion to anarrangement that works for both parties.

Why not try putting an empty chair in the room to helpwith the attunement. Amazon.com CEO Jeff Bezos makes thisa habit in meetings.

“It’s there to remind those assembled who’s really themost important person in the room: the customer,” Pink

writes.“Seeing it encourages meeting attendees to take

the perspective of that invisible but essentialperson. What’s going through her mind? Whatare her desires and concerns? What would shethink of the ideas we’re putting forward?”

really listenThis is part and parcel of understanding

the perspective of the person you’re tryingto persuade or convince.

Whilst listening is logical advice,Pink says we still make the mistake of

focusing on what we’re going to sayafter they’ve finished speaking.

“For many of us, the oppositeof talking isn’t listening. It’s wait-

ing. When others speak, we typically divide our attentionbetween what they’re saying now and what we’re goingto say next – and end up doing a mediocre job at both,” hewrites.

instead of pumping yourself up,ask questionsQuestions work better than statements to yourself

like “You are a superstar! You will blow them away!”“Pumping yourself up with positive self-talk is often

not as effective as interrogative self-talk (‘Can you do this?’).Motivating yourself with questions leads to better prepara-tion and is more likely to surface your autonomous, intrinsi-cally motivated reasons for doing a task,” writes Pink.

find proBlems, curate solutionsThis comes under C of Pink’s ABCs (clarity). There’s

a premium on finding problems rather than just solvingproblems.

Selling today is not about steamrolling and pushing asolution. Increasingly, it’s about advising. We’ve moved fromselling solutions to selling insights, says Pink.

So find the problem that the other person may not evenbe aware of. Then select a small but effective pool of solu-tions. This is much more powerful than offering a myriad ofchoices.

talk aBout potential more thanachievements

We featured this same thought in our September brainissue. Studies show people are more attracted to potentialrather than achievement, and say it has to do with the ele-ment of optimistic uncertainty. So if you’re selling an idea, oreven yourself for a job or a promotion, keep this thought inmind.

“yes and” vs. “yes But”The word “but” highlights matters of disagreement,

but Pink reminds us that the conjunction “and” is more inclu-sive. The book offers the following example of a conversationabout organising a high school reunion:

“Let’s have our high school reunion in Las Vegas.”“Yes, but that’s going to be too expensive for some people.”“Yes, but that way only the people who really want to be

there will attend.”“Yes, but some of our classmates don’t gamble.”The conversation goes on like this, and all that is high-

lighted are the issues. When it changes to “and”, the result isquite different:

“Let’s have our high school reunion in Las Vegas.”“Yes, and if it’s too expensive for some people we can raise

money or organize road trips.”“Yes, and if we start early, we could reserve a block of

rooms at a hotel that offers volume discounts.”“Yes, and for families with kids and for people who don’t

gamble, we could organise activities during the day.”

Pink explains that “Instead of swirling downward into frus-tration, ‘yes and’ spirals upward toward possibility. When youstop you’ve got a sense of options, not a sense of futility.”

BYE BYEElEVAtor pitChEs

six wAYs to sEll morE EffECtiVElY

Daniel Pink

thought topondErDaniel Pink’s To Sell is Human: TheSurprising Truth About Moving Othersis a bestseller. There have been a mul-titude of positive reviews applaudingit as “remarkable” and an “easy read”,but there are camps of folks that saythe content is far too simplistic and justplain common sense.

As writer Ben East comments ina piece for The Observer, Pink is just“clunking common sense” and “onewonders whether shifting this book is,perhaps, the best sales trick of all.”

Nothing is new under the sun, goesthe saying. Did you like this book? Didyou find anything ground-breakingabout it? Tell us your thoughts at mys-tarjob@leaderonomics.com

HOW do you pitch an idea effectively when attention spans are soshort? Pink says elevator pitches don’t even work anymore becausepeople in the elevator are too busy looking at their phones! He bringsus back to the core objective of a pitch, which “isn’t necessarily tomove others immediately to adopt your idea.”

“The purpose is to offer something so compelling that it begins aconversation,” writes Pink. Here are three out of the six pitches fromTo Sell is Human to sell your product, idea or yourself:

the one-word pitchWrite a fifty-word pitch. Reduce it to 25 words. Then to six

words. One of those remaining half-dozen is almost certainly yourone-word pitch. Google and the word “search” is one example of apowerful one-worder.

the question pitchAsk a question if your arguments are strong. In a video inter-

view with Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, Pinkgives an example of asking his daughter to clean up her room.

Instead of giving instructions, dangling a carrot or threatening astick, he suggests asking a question like this: “On a scale of one to 10,how ready are you to clean the mess in your room?”

If the answer is predictably a low figure like three, then ask, “Whyisn’t it lower?” She may respond saying that it’s not a zero becausethe mess can make it difficult to find things and she feels betterwhen the room is clean.

To answer the question, she has to summon her own autono-mous intrinsically related reasons, explains Pink, and it forces her tothink about cleaning her room as something she is doing for herself.Questions have that kind of power.

the pixar pitchPixar uses this to structure their stories, as tweeted by Emma

Coats, Pixar’s story artist. It’s a simple but compelling framework.Just fill in the blanks: “Once upon a time... Every day... One day...Because of that... Because of that... Until finally...”

Now notice Pink’s quote to us at the beginning of our main story.He practises what he preaches.

By HUI YI-WENyiwen.hui@leaderonomics.com

ONCE upon a time, a childwas born into a loving,comfortable family. Oneterrible day, disaster struckand the child was left

orphaned, alone in the world with evillurking in the shadows.

Thus begins the storyline for manywell-loved fairytales and superherostories. Spiderman, Batman, Cinderella,Snow White – the classics stay firmly inour memories because of the universalstruggles and triumph of good against evilthat resonate deeply within us.

Like any good tale, a good sales process playswith our subconscious, demanding our atten-tion and holding us rapt until the very end.

The greatest salesmen, says author of thebook The Art of the Sale, Learning from theMasters about the Business of Life, Philip DelvesBroughton, don’t need to sell the features oftheir products or services.

We just naturally want to buy from them.The key to this is the sublime art of storytell-ing, the compulsive need to win and hold theattention of others.

In the book, Broughton tracked downanyone who could help him understandthe heart of achieving greatness in sales.From the master merchant in the depths ofMorocco’s antiques markets, to Japan’s topinsurance saleswoman and on to the maestroof American televised infomercial, Broughtonfound a wealth of insights, methods and prin-ciples to selling successfully.

But more than just a book for a sales prac-titioner, The Art of The Sale throws out deeptruths of how we live out our entire lives assalespeople, persuading others to see us theway we wish them to, and getting our way inthis world.

We take a look at the aspects of storytellingthat could make or break a sale. Broughtondescribes the process of storytelling acrossthree essential stages. From the ancient Greekplays to today’s blockbuster movies, thesesteps have withstood the hard test of time.

Step 1: An IncItIng IncIdentIn the Spiderman universe, Peter Parker’s lov-

ing family environment is suddenly shatteredwhen his uncle Ben is shot dead by a passingrobber. In an instant, his comfortable life andeveryday routine is thrown off balance, andhe faces a problem much larger than getting adate for the prom.

Without a crisis, there would not be a needfor a solution. A salesperson grabs the audi-ence’s attention with an event that is out ofthe ordinary. The Inciting Incident isn’t a super-natural story, but a challenge in everyday lifethat needs to be overcome.

The kitchen floor is smothered with dirt,food bits and your kid’s vomit – how do youovercome? If your computer freezes from amalicious virus – what do you do?

Step 2: A clImAtIc StruggleBatman vs Bane, Holmes vs Moriarty – all

our favourite stories contain universal ele-ments of the hero struggling to establish apositive difference, with the enemy trying todisrupt at every step of the way.

Anthony “Sully” Sullivan, the informercialpitchman on many of the US TV commercials,believes that good salesmen are able to sus-tain long-term success by being alert to thereal stories running through their customers’minds.

“I don’t want to sell ice to eskimos. I’drather sell them an igloo, or a beach holiday inFlorida,” says Sullivan.

When we as salespeople seek to understandour customers’ unique situations, we develop agreater sensitivity to every customer’s internalhero story. The resulting competitive advan-

tage is the salesperson’s ability to identify withthe customer’s struggles to solve their prob-lem, be it emotional or practical.

Similarly, Moroccan merchant Abdel MajidRais El Fenni, mentally categorises his salesleads and tailors his approach accordingly.Majid recognises that every customer whowalks into his shop struggles with a specificneed or to match up to different expectations.

Usually it is never as simple as buying anexotic carpet to liven up a room, but a precisehierarchy of decision-making triggers thatallow good salespeople to establish an appro-priate sales strategy.

Majid cites the example of the rich Texanwho walked into his shop, looking to buy the“very best” rug for his home in Houston. Afterlooking around, the customer was still not sat-isfied. Immediately perceiving that customer’sidea of “best” meant the “most expensive”,

Majid took the Texan to another selection ofrugs, and reluctantly, apologetically, explainedthat these were the most expensive and per-haps not what the customer was looking for.

Step 3: A reSolutIonAt the climatic struggle in almost every

story, a lifeline is given, enabling the hero totriumph against trials and tribulations.

Intimately understanding the customer’sinternal hero story allows the salesperson toaccurately help the customer achieve whatthey want. Recognising that Ariel, the LittleMermaid, desperately wanted to be on landwith her human prince, the sea witch Ursulaclose her deal.

As a result, Ariel willingly gave up the verything that Prince Eric would recognise – herbeautiful voice – in order to be with him forthree days.

In Majid’s shop, the rich Texan instantlybought the most expensive rug – not becauseit was necessarily the most aesthetically beau-tiful, but because Majid correctly assessed theTexan’s inner hero story and put out an accu-rate call-to-action.

Story powerWhen we read a book or watch a movie, we

often judge the work on how compelling thestoryline was to us, and the skill of the directorand production team.

Similarly in sales, a good story is ultimatelya tool to establish a relationship between thesalesperson and the would-be customer.

Through stories, the salesperson sells theproduct or service by bringing the customerthrough their own imaginary hero story ofconquering their problems with the seller’ssolutions.

Realistically however, most of us function inenvironments where many vendors and goodscan satisfy the customer’s requirements.

Ultimately, the competitive advantage liesin the hands of salespeople who can tap intothe power of stories to sell themselves on thevalue of their work.

And with great story power comes greatresponsibility.

n The Art of the Sale, Learning from theMasters about the business of Life, by PhilipDelves Broughton is published by PenguinBooks. It is available at all leading bookstores.

mystarjob.com, saturday 21 December 2013�

By PREMA JAYABALANprema.jayabalan@leadeonomics.com

FOR most of us, the words “sales” and “mar-keting” mean the same thing. We associatesales with marketing and vice versa. Whenwe see a sales person, we assume that thesame person does marketing too.

Well, sales and marketing are not thesame thing. They may come under the samedivision in most organisations but the jobscope is certainly not at all the same.

Below are a list of differences betweenthe two to help us understand what eachrole actually means.

1 Sales is very much driven by relation-ship. Once a product is created for a

customer’s needs, sales people take on thetask of analysing a limited group of peoplewhom they feel will benefit from the prod-

uct and start working on persuading thecustomers to purchase it.

The customer is usually one particularindividual whom they can liaise with. Theydo not develop a product.

Marketing on the other hand, is datadriven. Marketers usually take on the task ofidentifying customers’ needs.

This is done through research, analysis ofdata and tests, and focusing on target audi-ences that come in a large quantity.

Once the need of the target group isidentified, then a product is created to caterto those needs and promotions and adver-tisements are carried out to introduce it.

2 Sales people focus on numbers andtheir main aim is to generate purchases

and keep orders flowing in.Their focus is on fulfilling sales volume

objectives. They try their level best to get as

many buyers as they can for the productsthat have been put under their care.

Marketers generate leads, catering andfulfilling customers’ needs and require-ments by providing products or servicesthat best suit them.

3 Sales is all about selling. They arefocused on selling whichever product

they have as that is how they also maketheir commission.

Sales people are known to be persuasiveas they try to influence you into buyingtheir products or services. A good sales per-son is tactful and good at convincing you topurchase their products.

Marketers on the other hand focus onmanaging reputation by creating a goodproduct and advertising it in a proper man-ner. They are paid a salary and don’t go justby commissions.

How tHey differ interms of job scope

Are sALes AndmArKetinGtHe sAme?

tHe power ofstoryteLLinG in sALes

mystarjob.com, saturday 21 December 201310

FitandFabulous The arT of packaging

yourself well (parT 2)

By WENDY LEEmystarjob@leaderonomics.com

LAST month, I started writing about how to packageyourself well and make a great first impression.

We all come in different shapes and sizes.Although we’d like to highlight our best features –long legs, broad shoulders, slim waist, we need to beperceived first as an attractive wholesome package,not as a separate body part. This will encouragepeople to look a little deeper and get to know you asa person.

Carrying on from where I left off, here are afew more tips to dress well and make a great firstimpression in any setting.

Ever since Cinderella won her prince in shiningarmour with her glass slippers, girls have beenobsessed with shoes! Any time sales hit ourretail shops, girls will go into a buying frenzy,buying the same designs in five different col-ours!

Your choice of shoes can break or make you.It is not easy to find shoes that are comfortable,yet chic at the same time. But certain brandshave bridged the gap not only between comfortand style, but affordability as well. So, there isno reason you should still be in your Grandma’sshoes!

The Good

A Heels don’t lie. We can practically tell ifa shoe is of a current style or not by just

looking at the heel of the shoes. Unless you arein a teaching profession, which requires you tostand eight to nine hours a day, then pick a slimheel to make you look graceful.

B Shoes that are tapered or pointy, willalways make you look longer or narrower.

C And the lower the vamp of the shoes, thetaller the wearer will appear to be.

The BAd

A Spice Girls’ platform shoes were never fash-ion’s favourite. They make your legs heavy

and shorten your whole body.

B Straps around the ankles and T-Straps willinterrupt the vertical line of your legs, mak-

ing you look shorter, and ankles wider.

The UGly

A Unless you are involved with creative arts,mismatched shoes and outfit will cause

indigestion. So, forget these combinations:i. Shorts with heavy bootsii. Long skirts with ankle strapsiii. Jeans with flats

B If you have heavy cuffs and ankles, ultrapointy toed stilettos will make you look as

if you will tumble anytime!

C If the shoes can’t fit, don’t wear them!Camel toes are an ugly sight. So, don’t

squeeze your toes into a small vamp!

Design lines have the power to visu-ally increase height, decrease weight,enhance your good points or camouflageyour flaws. And among the various typesof lines – horizontals, diagonals, verti-cals, vertical lines are still the best!

The faster our eye scans a line, thelonger and narrower the area will appearto be. Which means, when you wear ver-tical design lines, your body will appearlonger and leaner!

Let’s look at a few vertical options:

lines

A The thinner your stripes are, theslimmer you will appear to be, as it

divides your body into smaller areas.

B The smaller the distance betweenthe lines are, the thinner you will

appear to be.

desiGns

A Vertical design influence can becreated from internal design lines

or embellishments. For example: place-ment of buttons in the middle, ruffles,lace, zippers, V-neck line, etc.

B The best vertical influence is onethat runs down the centre of your

garment or body, as it cuts your bodyinto two equal halves. For example: ifyou leave your jacket open, or if youwear pants rather than skirts.

A A long necklace not only adds interestto a plain outfit, but also elongates your

torso significantly.

B One of the most versatile accessories that onecan have is a scarf. You can just hang your scarf

inside your jacket, underneath your lapel, or make itala tie straight down in the middle, etc. These trickswill cause your eyes to unconsciously focus on thelines, and slim you immediately.

your shoesThe Good, The Bad, The Ugly1

n Wendy Lee is the president of Mabic (Malaysian Association of Brand andImage Consultants) and a director at Brand Image International Institute. Sheis a firm believer that with style, there must be substance!

VerT

icals

arey

ourB

esTf

riend

!

accessories

2

Vertical stripes are deadly on tight, stretchyfabrics. It will follow every single bulge andbump along the way. If you are bottom heavy,stretchy leggings with visible stripes willshowcase everything you are trying to hide!

a word ofcauTion

3

By TERRY SMALLmystarjob@leaderonomics.com

BILL Cosby, that well known neurologist said, “I am what I ate and I’mfrightened.” He was right, especially where the brain is concerned.

Food has the power to heal the brain. Good nutrition can balanceand support healthy brain chemistry, without drugs.

The results can be felt within minutes. I have been telling peoplefor years in my live presentations that what we consume directlyinfluences our thoughts, feelings, and actions.

Best Brain smoothiethe no.1 Brain Drink

Here is one of myfavourite brain foods. Iespecially enjoy this onsummer afternoons.

BrainSmoothie

Get a good blender.

Put in a little water.

Add organic apple, orpear (or a bit of both) –skin on, seeds removed;

half a banana;

one pitted date; and

a handful of organic,baby spinach (otherleafy greens work, too)(a good ratio is 40%greens, 60% fruit)

Add more water, ifnecessary (to up iteven more, add a bitof avocado and kelppowder)

Blend untilsmooth.

Congratulations on learningsomething about your braintoday. The Brain Bulletin iscommitted to help to do justthat.

Always remember: “Youare a genius!”

Enjoy your brain.

n Terry Small is a brain expertwho resides in Canada andbelieves that anyone canlearn how to learn easier,better, faster, and thatlearning to learn is the mostimportant skill a person canacquire. To interact withSmall, email mystarjob@leaderonomics.com

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mystarjob.com, saturday 21 December 2013 11

By TARCAYANI PREBAGARANmystarjob@leaderonomics.com

HAVE you ever been ina situation where youwould like to strikea conversation withsomeone but you are

not able to because you lack theconfidence to do so?

Do you feel like a loner whenyou attend group sessions, partiesor even during lunch with your col-leagues?

Has there been a scenario duringa job interview where you failed toland the job not because you aretechnically or intellectually incom-petent, but because you are overlyintroverted?

Developing social skills is impera-tive to achieve success in any areaof your life be it in your relation-ships or career advancements.

Social skills are needed to engagepositively with families, colleagues,bosses and friends.

Social skills are essentially a setof skills people use to interact andcommunicate with one another

including verbal and non-verbalcommunication.

Verbal communication includesthe choice of words and phrases.Non-verbal communication whichis equally important comprisesfacial expressions, body languageand eye contact.

With good social skills you caneffectively improve what you sayand how you say something duringan interaction.

Max Messmer Jr in his bookManaging Your Career for Dummieswrites that “your career successin the workplace of today is inde-pendent of technical expertise anddepends on the quality of yourpeople skills”.

That statement goes to greatlengths to illustrate the impor-tance of social skills in your life.

Daniel Goleman, expert on emo-tional intelligence, once sharedthat social intelligence emerges asthe make-or-break leadership skillset as for one, where leadershipis the art of accomplishing goalsthrough other people.

He adds that to lead, you need

an additional interpersonal skillset: you have to listen, communi-cate, persuade, and collaborate.

To be an effective leader, youneed to be able to build relation-ships, inspire, motivate and com-municate powerfully and that iswhen your competency in socialskills will shine and bring you tothe next level.

Tan Sri Tony Fernandes, arenowned entrepreneur uses hisadmirable social skills to interactwith his workers and to assist himin making business decisions.

He adopts a “walk about” man-agement style and even works onthe ground or as a cabin crew for afew days every month.

When it moved from the 737 tothe Airbus, his employees said theyneeded belt-loaders which wouldhave cost millions.

During his experience workingalongside his staff he almost brokehis back loading the plane and heunderstood the dire need for thebelt-loaders.

His leadership style requireseffective social skills that in turn

helps improve the business overall.Social skills are extremely impor-

tant during job interviews. Believeit or not 55% of your communica-tion relies on your body language.That implies how you say some-thing carries more weight thatyour actual words.

Focus on being articulate andappearing confident without beingarrogant. Your likability during aninterview process plays a deter-mining role in hiring decisions.

You ought to build a rapport andmake a strong connection throughyour body language such as smil-ing appropriately and listeningattentively.

USA Today published an articleabout how several human resourc-es executives said that prospectiveemployees between the ages of 18and 34 most commonly displayedinappropriate and unprofessionalbehaviour.

It blamed the social media forthe stunted social skills of theyoung people due to the casualway of communication via tweetsand text messages.

Here are several ways to improveyour social skills.

1 InteractIngwIth new people

Even if you currently lack social skills,the only way you can improve is bypractising and meeting new people.The more you interact with people,the better you will become.

2 one at a tImeWhen you are trying to improve

your social skills, it can be overwhelm-ing when there are many differentskills to work on such as conversation-al skills and body language. Chooseone skill that you wish to improve on acertain time frame and patiently workon it.

3 get to know socIallyskIlled people

Interact with people that practisegood social skills. This is one of thebest ways for you to improve yourown social skills as you will naturallyover time gain insights about theirgood mannerism. As Andrew Carnegieonce said “As I grow older, I pay lessattention to what men say. I justwatch what they do.”

4 VarIety of resourcesThere are various resources to

effectively improve on your socialskills. You can visit websites such asimproveyoursocialskills.com. Bookssuch as How to Talk to Anyone by LeilLowndes or What Every Body is Sayingby Joe Navarro may help improve yoursocial skills.

To sum up, mastering social skillsis a great opportunity to scale newheights and beyond as this will assistyou in breaking your comfort zone andbroadening your horizons. The bestpart is that social skills are learnable!It takes time and effort to master thisvaluable set of skills but it is certainlyworth accomplishing.

soCiaLskiLLsnoW!De

VeLo

PYoU

r

“Let fooD BeYoUr meDiCine.”— hiPPoCrates

Here’s what the research says:l Food can determine whether

you are happy or sadl Healthy eating can optimise

your brain functionl Your diet provides the fuel for

cellular renewall Brain foods “rustproof” your

brain and bodyl Antioxidant-rich foods protect

your brain from free-radicaldamage

and the list goes on....

In short, if you want a great brain,eat nutrient-rich foods every day.

Expect a surge of energy andbrain focus. These foods containthe amino acids tyrosine andtryptophan.

The combination of leafygreens and fruit boostdopamine and serotonin.Dopamine boosts your atten-tion and memory. Serotoninimproves your mood, learning,and curbs appetite.

Remember: one life, onebrain... look after it.

Is there such a thing as mem-ory in a cup? Yes there is.

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Dear IsmaIl,This is clearly not an easy

choice but it is one that you alonemust make. At the end of the day,only you can decide what you reallywant and what is more importantto you, after considering the varioustrade offs. In reaching your final deci-sion, you may want to compare youroptions taking into account the fol-lowing factors.

rIsk vs. returnThe temptation to move arises

from a very good offer on the table,one that would help you ease yourfinancial commitments. Naturally, formany of us, providing for our family isa priority.

The extra income will help.However, in securing the higherincome (return), are you exposed tohigher risk (as is the case with invest-ments)? Your current position seemssecure especially when you appear tobe uniquely qualified.

How secure is the job on offer? Thisis something to evaluate especially ifpart of the motivation is better finan-cial stability. You should look both atincome and risk.

short vs. long-termThere is always a potential tradeoff

between short-term and long-term.In part of your question, you highlightthat your current job offers goodprospects long-term, whereas the joboffer immediately offers in the short-term better income. I am personallybiased towards decisions based onlong-term considerations.

However, there is also a contra-diction in that you do say it is yourdream to eventually join the corpo-rate giant offering the job. If it is yourdream, why not move now?

A consideration to stay would be ifyou feel your current position offersmore to learn which would put youin better stead long-term. Wouldn’tthere also be long-term prospectswith the job on offer?

Income vs. growthLinked to the issue of short-term

versus long-term, is the pros-pects of growth; that is yourpersonal growth as a pro-fessional. You wouldhave to evaluate,beyond just incomeon the table today,what is the scopein both options interms of a foresee-able career path.

Is the role something that fits withyour ambitions? Do have the conver-sations with your current manage-ment on their plans for you or whatpath you can pursue, in addition todiscussing with your prospectiveemployer your growth prospects.

career vs. FamIlyMany like you are faced with what

appears to be a choice between per-sonal career ambitions and the needsof one’s family.

My only advice is “own” the choiceyou make. Do not for example, havein your mind, making a choice foryour family’s sake supposedly at yourexpense – especially as you mightend up blaming them if things don’twork out well.

Even if you choose to prioritise yourfamily’s needs, it should be becausethat is what would make you happier,based on your personal priorities.

I wish you all the best on your deci-sion. However, to put it in context,having options is a good problem tohave. Some say, it is not so much thedecision but what you do after thatto make the most of it. I’m confidentyou’ll succeed in whichever path youchoose!

Regards,

Johan merIcan

Dear IsmaIl,Congratulations on your career

achievements which is by far com-mendable being the only expert inthe region. It is indeed a great confi-dence booster having options to theright organisation in growing yourcareer.

At a glance, the package offeredis attractive; the decision to join thisorganisation shouldn’t be that hard.

After all, it is your dream to jointhem some day and now the oppor-tunity is within your grasp.

To ensure that you make the rightchoice, I would suggest that you firstidentify your career vision and life’sgoals, then evaluate what is mostimportant to you on your journey toarrive at your ultimate destination.

You will need to practise logicalreasoning (rational level), lookingat things that matter and intuition(emotional level), reviewing whatemotions are telling you.

If both are congruent and consist-ent with your overall career visionand life’s goals, then you would trulybe happy with your decision.

In analysing the organisation, youshould consider the extrinsic factor– all things to which we can assign amonetary value and intrinsic factor– internal value or motivation.

extrinsic factors: Base cash (sal-ary, allowances), short term vari-able (annual incentive, bonus, spotawards), long term incentives (stocks/equity), passive benefit (retirementplan, health and welfare, holidays)and active benefits (car, club mem-bership, staff discounts). This com-prise of your total remuneration.

Intrinsic factors: Engagement fac-tor (worklife balance, lifestyle, culture,building for the future, developmentand challenges, quality of work) andpsychological alignment (values,leadership, reputation of employer,accountability, environmental con-cern, etc.)

You may want to consider factorsof the job as well, whether it is a newrole or a vacated position. Some ques-tions you will need to check with therecruiting manager would include:

1 What are the skills and compe-tence required by the job and

beyond in the organisation?

2 What constitutes doing a greatjob?

3 Does the department I will bejoining have adequate resources?

4 How much training and supportwill be provided?

5 Where have incumbents in thisrole moved to?

6 What is the average tenure inthe position?

7 What is the level of authority indecision making?

8 What are the challenges of therole?

You need to understand the roleitself and what you will be typicallydoing on a daily basis. \Assess your-self and review how long it wouldtake for you to contribute to theorganisation.

It is also good to assess the cultureand work environment. You maywant to speak to current employeesof the organisation to learn moreabout its culture.

Questions to ponder on culture ofthe organisation may include:

1 What is the environment or waysof working? Would you fit in?

2 Do they support flexi-workschedule?

3 What are the behaviours andoutcomes that will be rewarded?

4 Are there recognition schemes?How are employees recognised?

As each organisation has itsstrengths and weaknesses, you maywant to evaluate your needs and pri-orities in the short-term vs long-termusing an evaluation checklist.

Once you’ve completed the list, youcould better rationalise your decision.Next, you need to tap into your intui-tion or inner voice and listen to yourheart and emotions.

Most of the time we are caught inthe rat race, running after deadlinesand project completion that we don’thave time or stamina to do anythingelse. Make time to be with yourselfto re-evaluate your life and careerdirection.

Once you do that, you will havemore clarity to your life’s goals andcareer. If you clear your mind, youwill find the answers you are seekingcome to you.

It takes courage to move forwardin your career as there will always bemoments of doubt and fear of the

unknown.One word of advice is

to never look back onceyou’ve decided on theaction but continue toplough forward day byday. As long as you haveyour life and career goalsaligned, your inner voice

will be your beacon.Know that the right career

decision is in you and have faith thatit will work out if you take the pathyou know you are supposed to take.

Good luck!

yang hueI yee

n The opinions expressed are those ofthe authors and not necessarily thoseof Leaderonomics or myStarjob.com

mystarjob.com, saturday 21 December 201312

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WE have experts on career man-agement, HR and office issueswho will address your questionsweekly. We refer to them ascareernomers – experts in careermatters who will help you inyour career journey. So if youhave burning questions, sendthem to dearcareernomers@leaderonomics.com and we willget the panel to answer yourquestions.

This week, we have JohanMahmood Merican, CEO,TalentCorp Malaysia andYang Huei Yee, HR manager,Tupperware Brands Malaysiaand Singapore to answer Ismail’squestion.

Dear careernomers,I am currently holding a good

position in a multinationalcorporation and enjoy regionaland international exposure. I amthe only one who is qualified toperform my current tasks in thisregion.

My contributions have beenrecognised by the senior man-agement and I can see I have agood career prospect if I stay onfor the long term.

Recently, I have beenapproached by a corporate giantin my industry and the packageoffered to me was really good.

It is my dream to join thecompany someday knowingthat it is one of the Top 10 mostdemanded employers globally atthe moment.

With that kind of offer, I couldease my financial commitmentsas my spouse is a full-timehousewife, I can build up mysaving fund, help my parentsand provide good education formy children.

I find myself standing at ajunction. I don’t know whichroad I should take. I have a posi-tive sight with my current com-pany, I wish to stay long-termbut on the other side, commit-ment to my family seems to beon top of the list.

I seek your advice on this situ-ation.

Thank you,

IsmaIl