Chinese New Year 2009

Happy Chinese New Year!! 

             

Currently Reading: Shackleton’s Way

Leadership Lessons from the Great Antarctic Explorer
By Margot morrell and Stephanie Capparell (Preface by Alexandra Shackleton)

The General Manager of my company recently read an excerpt in a seminar. It was taken from a story on a South Pole expedition led by Shackleton way back in the 19th century. Interesting it was. Soon after, I stumbled upon this book through a friend by chance, and thought that it’d be good to feed myself with some leadership lessons.

Some of the terms we use a lot at work lately.
“Read widely, wider perspectives, contribute to society.”

Amazon.com
The explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton has recently become the legendary character at the center of a renewed fascination with the early days of Antarctic exploration. Though not the most renowned explorer of his day, nor even the most successful in terms of stated goals, Shackleton's story of adventurous ambition, incredible endurance, and heroic survival against all odds is indeed the stuff of legend. And now, thanks to the detailed research and helpful insights of Morrell and Capparell, his story is also the meaty material of lessons on how to lead with authority, integrity, humor, and compassion.

A British explorer once summarized the feats of the great Antarctic explorer like this: "For a joint scientific and geographical piece of organization, give me Scott; for a winter journey, give me Wilson, for a dash to the Pole and nothing else, Amundsen; and if I am in the devil of a hole and want to get out of it, give me Shackleton every time." His words set the tone for Shackleton's Way, at once both a travel narrative and a handbook of the skills required for effective leadership of diverse groups, especially in times of change and crisis. Shackleton's attempts to reach the South Pole and his two-year fight for the survival of his crew, when their ship is stranded in ice and then sunk, makes for exciting reading. Using this story as the centerpiece of their book, the authors have woven in their interpretation of his success using interviews with exceptional modern leaders such as Mike Dale, Jaguar's former chief of North American operations, and Apollo 13 Commander James Lovell, and by offering useful advice points at the end of each chapter. For example, in the chapter entitled "The Path to Leadership," Shackleton is shown to have been a well-read man, eager to learn and able to mix with varied company. The authors support this by noting that broadening one's horizons and learning to see things from different perspectives will allow for greater flexibility in problem solving. U.S. Secretary of the Navy Richard Danzig agrees that a level of well roundedness is vital in leaders, acknowledging that "one of my prime aims in distributing books is to get people to think outside themselves and to think broadly."

Morrell and Capparell's excellent use of archival material (especially crew diaries) and their intelligent interpretation of what Shackleton's story implies about good leaders makes this book both pleasurable and educational. Throughout the story of the explorer's exploits, the authors have inserted summarizing subtitles that succinctly capture Shackleton's leadership style. Occasionally, this seems a little strained; while the explorer's progressive attitudes and actions deserve praise as leadership lessons par excellence, even some of his misjudgments are referred to with something approaching reverence. For the most part, however, the authors employ a subtle and effective hand in translating the actions of a man at the helm of a dangerous adventure into advice beneficial to leaders in all areas of life. -- S. Ketchum

From Publishers Weekly
The heroism of British explorer Ernest ShackletonDbest known for his failed 1914 Antarctic expedition in which he saved his 27-member crew from perishing under harrowing conditions for more than two yearsDhas been chronicled in numerous narrative accounts and, most recently, became the inspiration for another book of business nostrums, Leading at the Edge (Forecasts, Apr. 3). Although they tread in that book's footsteps, Morrell (a financial expert who has studied Shackleton's life and leadership style for 15 years) and Capparell (a Wall St. Journal business editor) have produced a first-rate business primer. With the help of diaries and other first-hand accounts, they vividly describe Shackleton's expeditions and his powerful leadership style, relating them to today's business world in a streamlined presentation. The authors also include the insights of a handful of modern-day leaders, including James Cramer, who believes that his own following of Shackleton's example in hiring talented, optimistic people made the difference for him at the TheStreet.com. Morrell and Capparell's book is strongest in its emphasis on leading a team against desperate odds over an extended period of time ("Give your staff an occasional reality check to keep them on course. After a time, people will start to treat a crisis situation as business as usual and lose their focus"). (Jan.) Forecast: With a first serial in the Wall Street Journal and a five-city author tour, this solid book may come from behind to overtake its competition, Leading at the Edge.

Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Looking Back: 2008

Looking back, 2008 had past peacefully, filled with much joy.

Family
I’m glad I had a vacation with my parents, which was one of my goals set in the beginning of the year. I tried to join them for breakfast during weekends, or at least have a meal together every week. Dad retired in November, so I tried to stay home as much as I could, hoping to make the transition bearable. On the other hand, I have not seen much of my sis and brother. Perhaps I traveled a lot, and they have their lives to carry on. People often asked me about my brother and sister, but I had very little to share. What a shame.

Perhaps a long over-due family vacation could spice things up!

Friends
I have to say that I failed miserably at this department. I guess I had put family and work first. I know, that sounded like an excuse. Maybe it is. I shall work on it.

Love
T has been great. We argued a lot. I still don’t call him every day, and we never talked on the phone for hours like other couples do. In fact, our phone conversation never exceeds 5 minutes most of the time. But he’s been very supportive and patient with me through thick and thin.

Work
An eventful year that kept me busy. Learned many lessons from the project that I handle. I wouldn’t say that it was super successful because despite the completion of the project, there were many glitches and even failures along the way. But those lessons were valuable. At times, I was choking myself with work and my expectations. Having a team to work in sync and passionately is not an easy task because each individual is different and special. Therefore, I have learnt that embracing each person’s strength is more efficient than forcing a change.

This year also marked a milestone in my short career—a job promotion. It was unexpected. My challenge became juggling current tasks with new responsibilities. Suddenly, I was more conscious to set good examples, and was more aware of the decisions I had to make because it would affect not only myself but my team members. I remember back in UMBC, my teammates always said, “Joc, you lead by example!” I believe it is the first step in leadership. But  of course, there are more to it. I shall learn one at a time as I go.

The year end biz trip to Tokyo was great! Finally visited the Tokyo Disneyland.

Sports
2008 was the year of Olympics. Many records were broken. Federer was over taken by Nadal, who was crowned the world No.1 soon after the Olympics. The epic 5 setter in the Wimbledon final was classic. I wanted Federer to win so bad, but had to give it to Nadal for his superb strength, agility, speed and unbelievable fighting spirit. China Women’s Volleyball team got bronze. Phew… Outstanding achievement. Brazil deserved the Gold.

Played in a few tournaments - Asian Volleyball Cup (AVC), Seremban Open, Asean Uni Games, JB Open, Sunway Beach Volleyball Circuit. I had wished for competitive volleyball and the AVC had given me the highest quality I could get. Never thought in my wildest dream that I’d be playing the Olympics Gold (04’) and Bronze (08’) medalists. Meeting Ya Nan again after 10 years was wonderful.

Health
Health was fine until December, where I was terribly ill. It was like I had accumulated it throughout the year and only allowed my body to give in in December, where I had taken most of the month off work coz I needed to clear my work leaves. I don’t remember ever being that sick. Besides, I might have picked up some injuries on my right knee from volleyball games. I can’t jump full fledge right now, but I think it will recover given enough rest.

Looking forward to a more fruitful year in 2009!

Photos: Phuket Island, Thailand

24th July 2008

 

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