I used to be proud of my Maxis Broadband connection, which gave me the ability to download at the speed of sound… okay, not exactly that fast but at a ‘decent’ speed of approx. 200 KBps. Sadly, those days are now MIA.

The download speed for the past two weeks has been agonizingly SLOW, crawling at a pathetic rate of 7-8 KBps only. I tried calling Maxis about it but sadly they can’t seem to do much about it. And here I am, paying RM99 for their services but not getting what I should be given. Sad, really sad.

Any chance of jumping to the other broadband providers? Not likely. I tried P1 Wimax for 10 days; not exactly what it was touted to be as the speed wasn’t really fantastic. Izzi? Not my cup of tea though, as I heard it’s expensive with its upfront fees. Digi? Well, I’m a loyal Digi phone user but too bad the broadband coverage has been slow to spread out in the Klang Valley. Streamyx? Let’s not even get started on that one, if you know what I mean. Ditto for Celcom.

So where does that leave me? Not much choice for now, if you look at it. I’ll just have to pray that Maxis buck up soon or I’m seriously gonna start looking elsewhere, even if it means jumping to another inferior provider.

Yes, all broadband providers in Malaysia are currently inferior in terms of real broadband speed being dished out.

You start your day thinking you have all the time in the world to finish your project and meet the deadline.

Then you check your e-mail…

Then the phone rings…

Then you find out it’s your turn to make the company coffee run…

Then you make the mistake of asking your co-worker (the really chatty one) how their day is going…

And before you know it, it’s 5 o’clock already! And you’re not even halfway to getting your project done. And that means you’ll have to stay late again just to cope.

Time is a powerful force in your life. Most people allow it to control them; constantly trying to catch up and get ahead. Yet time can be a commodity that you can use to your advantage, by controlling your time instead of allowing it to control you.

By managing your time effectively, you can finish what you need to do, and have time to do what you want to do.

You would have thought that bosses today would be more exposed to better schools of thinking in management aspects but the reality is that most bosses are unrealistic in their expectations. It is agreed that the right amount of expectation and pressure can be a positive influence and help to challenge and motivate to the best. Unfortunately, most bosses don’t know what exactly is the right amount, thus just pile it on and expect the right results to come.

Psychological affects of unrealistic expectations include:

1. Stress
2. Anxiety
3. Depression
4. Guilt
5. Low self-esteem.

I can’t emphasize enough about the need for balance in work and in life. As leaders, it is up to us to find the right balance of pressure and expectation to be given to our staff. You can’t just pile it on till it hurts before making adjustments; it’ll be too late by then, the damage would have been done.

If our bosses set unrealistic expectations for us, we have to choose the right opportunity to voice our concerns on the matter. Keeping quiet and letting it be would not solve the problem, unless you want to live with the pressure. At the right place and at the right time, we need to make it known to our bosses of this unhealthy practise.

The world is changing, and the way we do our work would need to change too. We must dare to be heard, dare to be angry and dare to take action to rectify the situation. Fortune favors the bold and in this ever changing world, I believe this would be true. Look at it this way: if the bosses won’t change, then they’ll have to pay the price by being changed involuntarily. Sooner or later, it will happen. A form of retribution, perhaps? Maybe, just maybe…

A butcher watching over his shop is really surprised when he sees a dog coming inside the shop. He shoos him away. But later, the dog is back again. So, he goes over to the dog and notices it has a note in its mouth.

He takes the note and it reads “Can I have 12 sausages and a leg of lamb, please? The dog has money in its mouth, as well.”

The butcher looks inside and, lo and behold, there is a ten dollar note there. So he takes the money and puts the sausages and lamb in a bag, placing it in the dog’s mouth. The butcher is so impressed, and since it’s about closing time, he decides to shut the shop and follow the dog.

So off he goes. The dog is walking down the street, when it comes to a level crossing the dog puts down the bag, jumps up and presses the button. Then it waits patiently, bag in mouth, for the lights to turn green. When the light turns green, the dog walk across the road, with the butcher following him behind.

The dog then comes to a bus stop. The butcher is in awe as the dog stops a bus by pulling its left leg up and gets in it. The butcher follows the dog into the bus. The dog then shows a ticket which is tied to its belt to the bus conductor. The butcher nearly fainted at this sight. The dog then sits near the driver looking outside. As soon as the stop is in sight, the dog stands and wags its tail to inform the conductor. Then, without waiting for the bus to stop completely, it jumps out of the bus and runs to a house
nearby.

The dog opens the big iron gate and rushes inside towards the door. As it approaches the wooden door, the dog suddenly changes its mind and heads towards the garden. It goes to the window, and beats its head against it several times, walks back, jumps off, and waits at the door. The butcher watches as a big guy opens the door, and starts abusing the dog, kicking him and punching him, and swearing at
him. The butcher became angry and walks up to the guy.

“What in heaven’s name are you doing? The dog is a genius. He could be on TV, for the life of me!

The guy responded: “You call this clever? This is the second time this week that this stupid dog has forgotten to bring along the house key.”

Moral of the story

You may continue to exceed onlookers expectations but shall always fall short of the boss’ expectations.

It’s a dog’s life after all….. A smart dog, but still only a dog.

1. It’s an incentive to show up.

2. It leads to more honest communications.

3. It reduces complaints about low pay.

4. Employees tell management what they think, not what they want to hear.

5. It encourages car pooling.

6. Increase job satisfaction because if you have a bad job, you don’t care.

7. It eliminates vacations because people would ra ther come to work.

8. It makes fellow employees look better.

9. It makes the cafeteria food taste better.

10. Bosses are more likely to hand out raises when they are wasted.

11. Salary negotiations are a lot more profitable.

12. Employees work later since there’s no longer a need to relax at the bar.

13. It makes everyone more open with their ideas.

14. Eliminates the need for employees to get drunk on their lunch break.

15. Employees no longer need coffee to sober up.

16. Sitting “Bare ass” on the copy machine will no longer be seen as gross.”

1. Picture yourself near a stream.

2. Birds are softly chirping in the cool mountain air.

3. No one but you knows your secret place.

4. You are in total seclusion from the hectic place called “The Office”.

5. The soothing sounds of a gentle waterfall fills the air with serenity.

6. The water is crystal clear.

7. You can easily make out the face of your boss you’re holding underwater!

See? You’re smiling already!

The meeting started out with her beating around the bush, talking about what has been happening in and around the office. Then she went off the beaten path when she started pouring her heart out to me about the lack of support she perceives from her downlines, the rebel-rousers amongst us, and the pressure she faces when dealing with her boss.

Hmm, am I the counsellor or what? After two-and-half hours of this droning did she tell me of my impending transfer, which was already decided upon and wasn’t really negotiable!

Here’s my beef: if I’m the one being transferred, logically she should be the one doing the listening, with me airing my concerns on the matter, right? Somehow, that didn’t go according to plan, which makes me question her leadership and listening skills. Managers are supposed to listen more and talk less when dealing with downlines (and occasionally uplines too).

Listening ensures that they know you do understand their wants and needs, grievances and demands, fears and hopes. It is good to let them tell you how they feel, and for you to tell them that you do understand it. Clearly it didn’t happen here because I was her downline and I was doing the listening. Hmm…

The path of Ronin requires managers to listen more and talk less, and when listening, really ‘listen’ to understand, not just ‘hear’ it out.

CEO – Chief Embezzlement Officer.
CFO – Corporate Fraud Officer.
BULL MARKET – A random market movement causing an investor to mistake himself for a financial genius.
BEAR MARKET – A 6 to 18 month period when the kids get no allowance, the wife gets no jewellery, and the husband gets no sex.
VALUE INVESTING – The art of buying low and selling lower.
P/E RATIO – The percentage of investors wetting their pants as the market keeps crashing.
BROKER – What my broker has made me.
STANDARD & POOR – Your life in a nutshell.
STOCK ANALYST – Idiot who just downgraded your stock.
STOCK SPLIT – When your ex-wife and her lawyer split your assets equally between themselves.
FINANCIAL PLANNER – A guy whose phone has been disconnected.
MARKET CORRECTION – The day after you buy stocks.
CASH FLOW – The movement your money makes as it disappears down the toilet.
YAHOO – What you yell after selling it to some poor sucker for $240 per share.
WINDOWS – What you jump out of when you’re the sucker who bought Yahoo @ $240 per share.
INSTITUTIONAL INVESTOR – Past year investor who’s now locked up in a nuthouse.
PROFIT – An archaic word no longer in use.

And my own interpretation, which I still think is valid regardless of the economic situation.

BANKER – The guy charging you interest for loaning your money back to you.

The best way to appreciate your job, is to imagine yourself without one.
Oscar Wilde

Appreciation, Job