JobStreet.com Malaysia Career & Training Fair (MCTF) 2010

The 9th Malaysia Career & Training Fair (MCTF) to be organized by JobStreet.com is coming soon. This event is freely open for public.

The previous MCTF 2009 had successfully attracted participation from more than 108,500 job seekers and over hundred of exhibitors. This year, they are targetting for 120,000 visitors.

The event details are as follow:

Date: 16-18 April 2010
Time: 10am ~ 7pm
Venue: Mid Valley Convention Centre (KL)

Job seekers are advised to bring along their C.V., and some of the exhibitors might conduct on the spot interview with suitable candidates during the event.

The 12th Post Graduate Education Fair (PGEF) 2010 will also be held at the same time and adjacent venue in Mid Valley Exhibition Centre together with this MCTF '10.

Click here to visit the official website of MCTF 2010.

Click here to see the exhibition floor plan of  MCTF 2010.

Post Graduate Education Fair (PGEF) 2010

The 12th Post Graduate Education Fair (PGEF) will be organized by AIC this coming April 2010. The event is freely open to public.

 

 

 

PGEF 2010 will be taking over the entire Mid Valley Exhibition Centre with more than 100 exhibitors from various countries including Australia, New Zealand, England, Scotland, United States of America, Singapore, Indonesia, South Korea, Taiwan, China, Hong Kong, India and of course, Malaysia.

 

The event details are as follow:

Date: 16-18 April 2010
Time: 10am ~ 7pm
Venue: Mid Valley Exhibition Centre (KL)

 

The 9th Malaysia Career & Training Fair (MCTF) 2010 will also be held at the same time and adjacent venue together with this PGEF '10.

 

Click here for more information about PGEF 2010.

You might probably be interested to read on:

• The Top 10s in Universities Ranking on the Web (Jan 2010 Edition) by Webometrics

Money flowing out of Malaysia at an alarming speed

Money is flowing out of Malaysia at an alarming speed! Despite the "denial syndrome" of some local economists trying to find reasons and tell us to keep cool and ignore the alarm, the immediate question is still intact: How to reverse the flow as soon as possible? Can a solution be found in the New economic Model?

Issue 795 of The Edge Malaysia printed edition for the week of 1-7 March 2010 has a striking headline of "Reversing the Flow" for its cover story. I see this as a follow up report after UBS economist Jon Anderson's report titled "Malaysia - Another Bizarre Story". In fact, there was already a Special Report in Issue 789 of The Edge Malaysia titled "Malaysia: How Bizarre?" responding directly to Jon's report, which you can read its online version here.

Publicly available data from Bank Negara reveals it is no doubt true that Malaysia has, in the recent years, been squeezed by double outflow of money from:

• Slowdown in foreign direct investments (FDI) to the country
• Surge in investments to overseas by local companies

While some pointed the excuse for the sharp plunge of Malaysia's forex reserves in 2009 to the global recession, the 2nd opinion argued that during the same period, neighbouring economies in Thailand, China, Taiwan, Singapore,  Hong Kong, etc. were all in fact enjoying an upliftment in forex reserves!

Local companies going out of the border and invest in overseas could be viewed as a good sign from certain angle, as it shows the growth and competitiveness of the companies, as well as reaping benefits to the shareholders upon success. However, some has observed that most of the money invested in overseas remains at overseas, and not bringing back to Malaysia, yet. This is not good to the development of local economy. This kind of overseas investment also impacts the local job market, as the investment and business development activities might create job opportunities abroad, but not locally.

At the same time, we saw recently some well-known tycoons sold off their local business which they have developed for decades, and invest the proceeds overseas. Is this a migration move that never come back? Not a good sign either.

I am not an economist, but as a small investor, I care about the economic weather very much. As a worker, I also care about the local industry and job market growth trend. So, I am very keen to know how the government will respond the issue and reverse the flow as soon as possible, before it is too late.

The sextuple constraint of scope, time, cost, quality, risk and resource

If you have been involved in any kind of project management, be it in business or personal, you might have known about the famous triple constraint of project management, with the following general formula:

Quality = f(Scope, Time, Cost)

It is a simple rule of concept that says:

• To get the product with quality of your expectation, you have to at least plan carefully for the scope of work, time schedule and cost allocation.
• In order to maintain the same quality, any change to one of the 3 factors will need an adjustment to the remaining 2 of them. The 3 constraints are inter-dependent.
• If you want to adjust your quality expectation (either better or lower), then you can also adjust factors of scope, time and cost accordingly.

This is a very powerful concept commonly used during project planning, project monitoring and change management. It is used to assess the viability and to balance the trade-off factors.

For example, it is generally true that if you want to achieve a wide scope with little cost and time, you have to compromise on the quality expectation.

This triple constraint has been expanded to sextuple constraint in modern project management literature. They are: scope, time, cost, quality, risk and resource.

The risk factor is crucial because if it is not well managed, it will affect the other factors as well. Risk management comes in as preventive measure to safeguard the planned time schedule, cost, quality and resource allocated for the specific scope.

Resource is also an important factor. For example, with better resource on hand, you might be able to achieve the scope of quality with less time, cost and risk.

It is a good practise to always refer to the sextuple constraint for planning, managing and making changes to projects, so that our expectation is more realistic and success is viable.

You might want to use it in some of these projects which most of us will surely encounter during our life voyage:

• Education planning
• Wedding planning
• Parenthood planning
• Buying a house
• House renovation and/or decoration
• Travel planning
• Retirement planning
• ...

And of course, this is always applied to project management at work, including:

• Software development
• Building development
• Business development
• Operations planning
• Change/Restructuring management
• ...

The oriental culture of gift economy

Now is the new year gift session, and traditionally it is a norm for oriental businesses to send greeting card or gift to their loyal clients, partners, principals, suppliers, staffs, etc. This could also be in the form of lunch and/or dinner invitation.

The oriental gift culture, especially during new year time, is a form of social appreciation and thanksgiving to the people and entities who help or involve in the business making.

Gift economy (送礼文化) and the underlying spirit of gift governance (礼治精神) has always been in the core position in traditional Chinese culture. The basic principle is that whenever we received a gift, we must also respond with a returned gift (礼尚往来). From here, the harmonious relationship strengthen.

Note that the government in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore and some other regions have come out with guidelines and rules to govern the gift economy, especially applied to civil departments. The value of the gift should not exceed a certain limit, or else it could be viewed as a form of corruption.

Normally, calendar, planner book, small stationeries, small electronic gadgets, etc. with the company info imprinted are common gifts specially made for this purpose.

The oriental culture of gift economy is a kind of crucial business activity, particularly in Asia-Pacific region. The business owners and their senior executives ought to practice well in this, in order to facilitate their money making business.

Singapore ranked as #1 economy in ease of doing business

Out of the 183 worldwide economies analysed in the Doing Business 2010 Report by World Bank, IFC and Palgrave MacMillan, Singapore is again the champion in ease of doing business (it was #1 in 2009 Report too).

A high ranking on the ease of doing business index means the regulatory environment is conducive to the operation of business. This index averages the economy's percentile rankings on 10 topics, made up of a variety of indicators, with equal weight:

• Starting a business
• Dealing with construction permits
• Employing workers
• Registering property
• Getting credit
• Protecting investors
• Paying taxes
• Trading across borders
• Enforcing contracts
• Closing a business

The top 30 economies are:

• 1. Singapore
• 2. New Zealand
• 3. Hong Kong
• 4. United States
• 5. United Kingdom
• 6. Denmark
• 7. Ireland
• 8. Canada
• 9. Australia
• 10. Norway
• 11. Georgia
• 12. Thailand
• 13. Saudi Arabia
• 14. Iceland
• 15. Japan
• 16. Finland
• 17. Mauritius
• 18. Sweden
• 19. Korea, Rep.
• 20. Bahrain
• 21. Switzerland
• 22. Belgium
• 23. Malaysia
• 24. Estonia
• 25. Germany
• 26. Lithuania
• 27. Latvia
• 28. Austria
• 29. Israel
• 30. Netherlands

Malaysia (ranked 23rd) has top ranking in getting credit and protecting investors, but laggard in starting a business, dealing with construction permits and registering property.

Click here for the complete list of ranking across the 183 economies.

Doing Business 2010 Report by World Bank, IFC and Palgrave MacMillan

The World Bank, IFC and Palgrave MacMillan have co-published their 7th Doing Business annual report for 2010 with the theme "Reforming Through Difficult Times".

This comprehensive 231 pages report presents quantitative indicators on business regulations and the protection of property rights that can be compared across 183 economies.

It measures, in detail, various regulations that affect the 10 stages of the business life-cycle applicable to the respective domestic small and medium-size enterprises, as follow:

• Starting a business
• Dealing with construction permits
• Employing workers
• Registering property
• Getting credit
• Protecting investors
• Paying taxes
• Trading across borders
• Enforcing contracts
• Closing a business

2 types of data are analysed, namely:

• The laws and regulations
• Time and motion indicators that measure the efficiency in achieving a regulatory goal

This report is worth reading as it provides valuable benchmarking and ranking information in business friendliness and reforming competitiveness of the 183 economies.

Don't be surprised to know that the top reformer of the year is a Sub-Saharan African economy, Rwanda.

Click here to download the full report of Doing Business 2010.

11 principle elements of a good manager

There are many perspective to view someone as a good manager. The following 11 principle elements of a good manager are listed in a management course I've attended, which I find the list is a good measurement as well as direction.

• Know yourself and seek self-improvement
• Be technically proficient and know your job well
• Seek responsibility and take responsibility for your actions
• Make sound and timely decisions
• Set the example and be a good role model
• Know your people and look out for their well-being
• Keep your workers informed
• Develop a sense of responsibility in your workers
• Ensure that tasks are understood, supervised, and accomplished
• Train as a real team, not just a group of people
• Use the full capabilities of your organization by developing a team spirit

Good manager are made, not born. Therefore, we should develop ourselves to be better and better.

How the PCB for bonus is calculated

The Potongan Cukai Bulanan (PCB, a.k.a. Scheduled Monthly Tax Deduction) calculation for bonus is not so straight forward.

Here is how it will be calculated.

Assuming you are not married, your monthly salary is RM4,000, you are contributing 11% from your salary to your EPF savings, and you received 2 months bonus in January 2010.

Salary = RM4,000
EPF deduction = RM440 (maximum total EPF deduction allowed for PCB calculation is only RM500, therefore available balance left is RM500 - RM440 = RM60)
Salary to calculate PCB
= Gross salary - EPF deduction
= RM4,000 - RM440
= RM3,560

PCB 2010 according to table for RM3,560 = RM87

2 months bonus = RM8,000
EPF deduction = RM880
Maximum available EPF deduction for PCB calculation = RM500 - RM440 = RM60
Therefore, the EPF deduction should be RM60 instead of RM880

Bonus to calculate PCB
= Gross bonus - EPF deduction left
= RM8,000 - RM60
= RM7,940

The amount for bonus PCB calculation has a formula like this:
(1/12 x net_bonus) + net_salary

Therefore, amount
= (1/12 x RM7,940) + RM3,560
= RM4,221.67

PCB 2010 according to table for RM4,221.67 = RM194

PCB for bonus = (RM194 - RM87) x 12 = RM1,284

Total PCB for the month
= PCB for salary + PCB for bonus
= RM87 + RM1,284
= RM1,371

Therefore, for the month with bonus:
Gross salary+bonus = RM12,000
EPF contribution from employee @ 11% = RM1,320
EPF contribution from employer @ 12% = RM1,440
SOCSO contribution from employee = RM14.75
SOCSO contribution from employer = RM51.65
PCB deduction = RM1,371
Amount you'll get = RM12,000 - RM1,371 - RM14.75 - RM1,320 = RM9,294.25

Check your payslip for that.

PCB 2010 income tax deduction rate

For your information, the Inland Revenue Board of Malaysia (a.k.a. Lembaga Hasil Dalam Negeri, LHDN) has come out a new Potongan Cukai Bulanan (PCB, a.k.a. Scheduled Monthly Tax Deduction) 2010 rate.

The monthly salary deduction amount, across all taxable income categories, is now slightly lesser than the previous PCB 2009 rate.

According to the previous 2009 rate, unmarried person earning monthly income of RM2,401 and above will be taxable, and the PCB deduction for them is RM13.

With the new 2010 rate, unmarried person will be taxable only when their monthly income exceeding RM2,451, and the PCB deduction for them is RM10 (previously was RM16 under PCB 2009).

Click here to download the new Jadual PCB 2010 schedule table.

Click here to download the previous Jadual PCB 2009 schedule table.

You might probably be interested to read about:

• How the PCB for bonus is calculated 

Jobs Rated 2010: 20 best and 20 worst jobs of the year

CareerCast's Jobs Rated 2010 Report has made a ranking for 200 jobs from best to worst using a comprehensive analysis methodology covering the aspects of:

• Environment
• Income
• Outlook
• Stress
• Physical Demands

The resulting 20 best jobs of 2010 are:

• 1. Actuary ($85,229)
  
• 2. Software Engineer ($85,139)
  
• 3. Computer Systems Analyst ($76,162)
  
• 4. Biologist ($71,279)
  
• 5. Historian ($62,226)
  
• 6. Mathematician ($95,161)
  
• 7. Paralegal Assistant ($46,152)
  
• 8. Statistician ($73,193)
  
• 9. Accountant ($59,176)
  
• 10. Dental Hygienist ($67,107)
  
• 11. Philosopher ($60,218)
  
• 12. Meteorologist ($81,226)
  
• 13. Technical Writer ($62,162)
  
• 14. Bank Officer ($88,217)
  
• 15. Web Developer ($60,090)
  
• 16. Industrial Engineer ($74,123)
  
• 17. Financial Planner ($59,353)
  
• 18. Aerospace Engineer ($93,133)
  
• 19. Pharmacist ($106,070)
  
• 20. Medical Records Technician ($31,150)
  

Click here to see the slideshow for The 10 Best Jobs of 2010 with their pros and cons information.

The resulting 20 worst jobs of 2010 are:

• 1. Roustabout ($31,133)
  
• 2. Lumberjack ($32,114)
  
• 3. Ironworker ($32,123)
• 4. Dairy Farmer ($32,114)
• 5. Welder ($34,122)
• 6. Garbage Collector ($31,183)
• 7. Taxi Driver ($22,113)
• 8. Construction Worker (Laborer) ($29,200)
• 9. Meter Reader ($33,170)
• 10. Mail Carrier ($50,041)
• 11. Butcher ($28,150)
• 12. Photojournalist ($28,275)
• 13. Firefighter ($44,227)
• 14. Sheet Metal Worker ($40,208)
• 15. Emergency Medical Technician ($29,158)
• 16. Stevedore ($38,182)
• 17. Reporter (Newspaper) ($35,285)
• 18. Sailor ($34,148)
• 19. Machinist ($36,150)
• 20. Choreographer ($39,272)

Click here to see the slideshow for The 10 Worst Jobs of 2010 with their pros and cons information.

The figure in the brackets above is the median income for the corresponding job.

Taxable amount from company car, petrol card, driver, etc.

If your employer provides you a company car, petrol card and/or car driver, you will notice that an amount will be treated as Benefit-In-Kind (BIK) in your EA Form, which is taxable.

The following table shows how the value of such taxable BIK value is calculated.

The annual BIK value of driver provided is RM7,200.

For example, if you are provided with a Honda Accord 2.4 which its cost is fall under the range of RM150,001-RM200,000, and you are also provided with a petrol card but no driver, your taxable BIK income will be RM7,000 + RM1,800 = RM8,800.

If your tax rate is 27%, then you will need to pay RM8,800 x 27% = RM2,376 for this BIK in your income tax. (Note: the maximum personal income tax rate will be reduced to 26% from assessment year 2010 onwards.)

This amount is normally already divided and deducted in your monthly PCB deduction.

Malaysia Employment Outlook & Salary Guide 2009/2010 from Kelly Services

The Malaysia Employment Outlook and Salary Guide 2009/2010 from Kelly Services reveals that there is increasing demand in telecommunication, Web 2.0 development, call centre, and some other fields.

It is observed that these fields generally registered a 3% increase in minimum and maximum salary, despite the dampen economic climate during the survey period.

Among the highlighted hot jobs are:

• Credit manager
• Finance manager - investment
• Head of charge cards
• Head corporate credit risk
• Senior customer service officer
• Call centre team leader
• Finance & admin executive
• Safety officer
• Sales manager
• Head of channel management
• Business development manager
• Senior HR manager
• Compensation & benefits specialist
• Recruitment manager
• Help desk analyst
• Software engineer
• Unix specialist
• Logistic coordinator
• Warehouse manager
• Purchasing manager
• Head of quality
• Senior project manager
• Sales engineer
• Civil engineer

Click here to download the Malaysia Employment Outlook and Salary Guide 2009/2010.

You might probably also be interested to read on:

• Result of Robert Walters Global Salary Survey 2009
  
• Result of ZDNet Asia IT Salary Benchmark 2009
• JobsDB Compensation and Benefit Survey Report 2009

10 taboos that managers/leaders should never say

The following are translated and summarized from an article with the title of "管理者最不应该说的十句话" which believed to be originated from the China Baidu blogosphere.

Below are the 10 taboos that managers/leaders should never say, but quite common to hear them saying.

1. "Not my business" - as a manager, you have your share of responsibility on every big and small matter in the company. Even though when it is totally out of your responsibility, you should graciously provide guidance to demonstrate your liberal-mindness and courtesy. If you have spoken this to your subordinates, your image might be easily subverted. If you have spoken this to your peers, it will cause conflict and misunderstanding. If you have spoken this to your boss, you might have annoyed him/her.

2. "Why do you all..." - before you start questioning others, think about any mistake on your own, and how much effort you have put in. Sometimes, be tolerant to others' mistake is an encouragement for them to improve. Using a series of "why" to launch attack on people might just end up with a series of answer just to tackle your "why". It might be better for solving the issue if you ask question like "Why didn't I collaborate well with you all? Where you need my help?".

3. "How I got scolded from above, I'll do the same to you" - one of the function of manager is to bridge the information from the top to the bottom, but you should convey the message effectively instead merely passing on the whole thing. To the top, you should be responsible and get the thing done. To your subordinates, you should attempt to motivate and show your support. The right thing you got to do is to be courageous to take on the pressure from the top, show your responsibility, and ease the tension of subordinates.

4. "I have no way to..." - the capability of a manager, in certain respect, is measured by the ability in problem-solving. Only emphasizing on objective reasons and not aggressively manoeuvre whatever resource in your hand will only show your helplessness and setback to your boss and subordinates. You have to believe that solutions always outnumbered the problems, and group wisdom can tackle the hardest moment.

5. "I say no means no" - this is a very egocentric discourse which does not provide relevant explanation to fact, and is hard to convince others. The situation can be worsen when we don't base on fact, and no open for discussion. In fact, even if the opinion is wrong, there is no harm to listen to it, and correct it accordingly. Making decision sidedly could be a sign of dictatorship which nobody like.

6. "Just do what you say" - this sounds like angry words or irresponsible remark. When getting into controversy and your opinion not accepted, saying so will make the listeners sense that you have no point. Instead, you should communicate all your idea clearly, in a cool manner.

7. "I can always take action on..." - this is a very stubborn discourse that make others feel uneasy. Trying to overwhelm others will only derogate your image and plant the seeds of hatred. Remember to pay respect to others.

8. "You are so stupid" - ridicule, satire, sarcastic discourse will hurt others' esteem and feeling. This will cause your subordinates to on the surface listen to you and act according to your command, but in reality they are in the state of perfunctory. This is very harmful to productivity and work quality.

9. "No, it is out of my ability. Let the capable one do it" - If you try to avoid or contradict assignment with this discourse, or to ridicule others to hide out your inner panic, it shows that you don't have sense to accept challenge. By showing this attitude, you are not qualified as manager (anymore).

10. "All is good", "pretty good" - vague recognition is lack of sincerity and cannot serve to inspire or motivate, as people just doesn't like insincere flattery. Therefore, verbal recognition and praise should be timely, rightful and specific. To praise timely and appropriately is a skill that all leaders must learn.

CRN 25 Most Influential Executives of 2009

CRN has selected the 25 Most Influential Executives of 2009, who are believed to have changed the computing landscape with aggressive channel sales expansions, blockbuster acquisitions, breakthrough cloud computing initiatives and strong sales even in the midst of the biggest downturn in the economy since the Great Depression.

They are:

• Mark Hurd, Chairman, CEO and President, Hewlett-Packard
• John Chambers, Chairman and CEO, Cisco Systems
• Larry Ellison, CEO, Oracle 
• Ben Bernanke, Chairman, Federal Reserve  
• Enrique Salem, President and CEO, Symantec 
• Steve Ballmer, CEO, Microsoft 
• Rob McKernan, Senior Vice President and President North America, APC by Schneider Electric 
• Sam Palmisano, Chairman and CEO, IBM 
• Paul Maritz, President and CEO, VMware 
• Eugene Kaspersky, CEO, Kaspersky Lab 
• Kevin Murai, President and CEO, Synnex 
• Paul Otellini, CEO, Intel 
• Greg Spierkel, CEO, Ingram Micro 
• Michael and Dan Schwab, Co-CEOs, D&H Distributing 
• Tally Liu, Chairman and CEO, Newegg 
• Rory Read, president and COO, Lenovo 
• Ursula Burns, CEO, Xerox 
• Rance Poehler, President, Panasonic Computer Solutions
• Eva Chen, Co-founder and CEO, Trend Micro 
• Michael Dell, Founder, Chairman and CEO, Dell 
• Joe Tucci, CEO, EMC 
• William McCracken, Interim Executive Chairman, CA 
• Steve Jobs, CEO, Apple 
• Dave DeWalt, President and CEO, McAfee 
• Steve Luczo, Chairman, President and CEO, Seagate 
  

Click here to learn more about the CRN's 25 Most Innovative Executives of 2009 and detail explanation of why the above are selected.

CRN Top 25 Most Innovative Executives Of 2009

CRN has selected the Top 25 Most Innovative Executives of 2009, who are believed to have put big profits into solution provider pockets with breakthrough products and channel programs that cover the most explosive emerging technology markets.

They are:

• Stephen Cho, Director of Google Apps Channels, Google (Web 2.0/utility computing)
  
• Steve Munford, CEO, Sophos (security)
• Michael Klayko, CEO, Brocade (computer network)
  
• Evan Williams, CEO, Twitter (social networking)
  
• Steven Chang, President, Asus (netbook)
  
• David Farr, CEO, Emerson Electric (green IT solution)
  
• Danny Windham, CEO, Digium (VoIP)
  
• Bill Gross, Co-founder and Secretary Treasurer, EFolder (SaaS)
  
• Bob Cagnazzi, CEO, BlueWater Communications (value added solution provider)
• Gavin Garbutt, Co-Founder, President and CEO, N-Able (managed service provider)
• Peter Cannone, CEO, OnForce (outsourcing services)
• Christopher Dean, Chief Strategy Officer, Skype (Internet telephony)
• Mike Lazardis, President and Co-CEO, Research In Motion  (mobile wireless solutions) 
• Mont Phelps, CEO, NWN (system integrator)
• Adam Selipsky, Web Services Vice President, Amazon.com (online retail)
• Jen-Hsun Huang, President and CEO, Nvidia (3D graphics processor)
• Lars and Jens Rasmussen, Wave Design Developers, Google (Google Wave online communications)
• Joel Allen, Founder, President and CEO, AllenPort (360-degree GPS solution)
• Mark Shuttleworth, Founder, Ubuntu (Linux distribution) 
• Rick McEachern, Co-founder and Chairman, LongJump (cloud computing platform)
• John Kish, President and CEO, Pano Logic (virtualization)
• Michael Gold, Founder and CEO, Zlago (SaaS)
• Sridhar Vembu, Founder and CEO, Zoho (online business applications)
• Juan Santana, CEO, Panda Security (antivirus)
• Craig Schlagbaum, Vice President, Level 3 Communications (telco channels)

Click here to learn more about the CRN's Top 25 Most Innovative Executives Of 2009 and detail explanation of why the above are selected.

Managers, are you prepared for your next position?

Dr. Arthur Langer who is the senior director of the Center for Technology, Innovation and Community Engagement at Columbia Uniersity has thrown out several analytic questions for managers and/or senior management people to assess how prepared they are to continue moving on to their next position, either inside or outside their current organization.

Here are the questions:

• Do you spend enough time with the business? (beside your own domain such as technical...)
• Who is your replacement? (are you trapped in your job because you do it too well?)
  
• Do you know your individual weaknesses? (do you have good staff that compliment your weaknesses?)
  
• Where is your organization vulnerable? (are you serious in continuous improvement?)
  
• Are you involved with corporate social causes? (which you can get more attention and value to the management)
  
• Are you involved with getting new clients? (are you playing a key role in driving major business opportunies?)

With these strategical questions entered your mind, you are more prepared to move on for your next higher position in your career.

Strengthening Your People Skills In The Workplace workshop by Casey Tee

Individuals with excellent interpersonal skills rise to the top – in their careers, in their organizations and in life! You’ve probably seen it happen time and again.

Take 2 people with similar skills and knowledge, but one of them has enviable people skills while the other’s interpersonal skills are only mediocre. Which one gets ahead faster and goes further? You know the answer to that one — no contest! What you may not know is that effective interpersonal skills can be learned – just like any other skill.

The ability to build effective professional relationships, to strike up instant rapport, to communicate with tact, and to make a memorable impression are nothing more than a collection of techniques that you can learn and cultivate.

To be conducted by Mr. Casey Tee, Strengthening Your People Skills in the Workplace is an intensive new workshop that provides you with ways to gain the essential people skills you need to push ahead in your career.

This workshop is...
Organized by: Training Zone Dot Com Sdn Bhd
To be conducted by: Mr. Casey Tee
Date: 12 & 13 January 2010 (Tuesday & Wednesday)
Venue: Grand Dorsett Subang Hotel, Kuala Lumpur
 
Click here for more information about the Strengthening Your People Skills in the Workplace workshop.

Click here for more information about the trainer, Mr. Casey Tee.

8 common technology capabilities that IT organization needs

The technology capabilities that IT organization needs might form a very wide and deep list, varying based on the business strategies in place.

Richard Brennan, managing director of Denver-based technology strategy and advisory firm Tipperary Partners, has come out with a list of 8 common technology capabilities for our reference.

1. Operational: Expert in operating systems, networks, data centers; scaling them efficiently while appropriately managing risks.
2. Development: Expert in leveraging the appropriate technology to code and deploy complex systems.
3. Innovative: Expert at introducing technologies and processes.
4. Project management: Expert at managing and delivering complex projects within budget and timeframe.
5. Architectural: Expert in designing reliable, scalable and extensible applications and systems.
6. Data management: Expert at collecting, managing, organizing and providing access to data.
7. Process: Expert in establishing and managing operational and business processes.
8. Agile: Expert in reacting quickly to the changing technical/business environment.
   

This list is good enough for organizations to use as reference to determine and define technology capabilities of their own need. It is also a good evaluation/assessment list for both employers and employees.

Bear in mind that we might not be able to master in all of them. It is better to pick at most three to four items in the list and excel in them.

What would you do with 10 million dollar?

This question "What would you do with 10 million dollar?" stroke my mind when it flashed out from the presentation slide of David Axmark during his talk about “Persevering in a FOSS business valued at USD$1 billion” in FOSS.my 2009 conference.

David Axmark is the co-founder of MySQL, the great database management system in used by many websites and applications nowadays. Somebody asked him this question few years back, before MySQL was sold to Sun Microsystems for US$1 billion.

David Axmark told us, by the time he was asked the question, he had no idea, though he sensed the investor might expect the answer something like "grow it to 100 million or more".

So, if you were asked the same question, what would be your answer?

Some of the possible answers might be...

• Employee: retire immediately and enjoy your life
• Businessman: grow it to 100 million or more
• Investor: possibly the same answer as businessman above
• Kind person: charity and social welfare, eg. build a school, setup a charity fund, help the unfortunate, etc...
• Traveller: go around the world, take a lot of pictures and videos, then produce books, films, etc. to share with the whole world about your discoveries
• Scientist: fund research to bring a better life to mankind
• Environmentalist: fund for activities to save the mother earth!
• Politician: fund for contesting in election
  
• Movie director: well, that's probably not enough to make a great movie. Too bad.
  
• many many more possibilities of answer (put in my comment page if you are generous to share with my readers...)