They say, if you assess a fish by its ability to climb a tree, the fish will spend its entire life thinking that it is a failure.
Not true.
If you get a fish to climb a tree, the fish will realise that it is not cut out to climb trees. The fish becomes humbled by its inability to climb trees, and will seek to go back to the ocean. And learns to gather seaweed instead.
On the other hand, those who can climb trees will climb high enough till they can gather fruits for everyone on the ground.
The problem therefore, is not the system that tests your tree climbing ability. The problem is about fish not wanting to gather seaweed. The problem is about fish wanting to take the place of those who can climb trees. That is the problem.
Wawasan 2020 – Ceritaku, Ceritamu
Wawasan 2020 – masa tu tahun 1991, aku baru Form 3. Berita, surat khabar, teks ulangkaji, petikan-petikan majalah penuh dengan idea Wawasan 2020. Wawasan 2020 ni merupakan brainchild Tun Mahathir. Tapi masa tu kita tak panggil Tun, kita panggil Dr. Mahathir. Meman...
We have come to a point where human knowhow and skills have expanded in depth and breadth - and for us to participate in an economy dictated by these, we have to pursue a high degree of specialization.
So what does this mean to parents? Amidst all the talk and attention given to exams and grades,...
In any part of the world, public service is defined by its highly standardised and rigid service structures, processes and hierarchies. People see the public services as highly bureaucratic while its employees, the public servants, see them as a set of strict process chains that they have to adhere...
Conventional hiring does not always work….why?
Do people with good grades make good workers? Do people who score high in IQ contribute more to your business? Who is more suited to your environment – the disciplined Gee or the loud opinionated Bob or the IT geek Hans? How does internal culture dete...
''Today, we don’t sell ‘things and services’ anymore. We sell experience and people are paying for experience.''
People spend 70 dollars for a dinner for two – pan fried dory with potato chips and lobster cream sauce – in an upscale restaurant on the high street. Why do people spend that much when...
Economic growth creates ample opportunities for entrepreneurs. With increased demand across key sectors and its domino effect into every small subsector, anyone with good ideas and the ability to organize a ‘production’ that yields surplus (after paying off the supply factors) can become an entrepre...
Flexible working. Alternative working arrangement. Mobile working. Telework. Whatever term we use, it means the same. It means you no longer sit in 9"x 6” cubicle 9am to 5am every single working day, every day of your working life. It means you can choose to work elsewhere. You can choose the way yo...
The repository of expertise that resides in the public service forms the backbone of its capability and capacity to govern. The traditional experts were the officers who learn the policies, strategies, rules and regulations and who apply them to their day-to-day administrative areas – be it for proc...
If you are contemplating on the activities that you can do for your kids this coming school holidays and unsure if they would work out well, the best way is to get your kids to design their own holiday plans. You can then minus an idea and plus another and you have a winning formula that makes your...
Is talent more crucial in the public sector than the private sector? Lets look at some of the following arguements:
Complexities in the economic and social sectors are increasing exponentially – with every emerging technology, thousands of new areas are created, requiring more policies, more strat...
The public sector, though not driven by revenues and profits, has more need for performance measurement than any private entity. Starting from the performance of individual employees, it has to measure the performance of units, departments, entire organisations, ministries and the total government....
With emerging technologies, fast-paced lifestyles, rapid changes in the way society is organised and the rapid growth in the economy, the public sector is left with little choice but to continuously reinvent its operation and delivery mechanisms. To date, innovations in the public sector has been ta...
In 2012, we conducted a nationwide survey to understand the career and workplace preferences of today’s female workforce. Survey participants were asked for their opinions on the attributes of a perfect workplace, the push and pull factors at today's places of employment and the employee’s choice in...
NOT UNDERSTANDING THE MICRO LEVEL COMPLEXITIES
Why good understanding of the nature of work is crucial…
Our performance measures are highly customized for ONE reason – every environment, every person, every task and every target – are all unique. A sales executive in one organisation may be meas...