Thank You Students from GSM 5500 Second Trimester 2011/12

Time flies very fast nowadays. And suddenly it is the final exam! For all my MBA students from GSM 5500 class, thank you for being a good bunch of students this semester. I have always believed that the main factor to a good lecture relies a lot on the presence of good students. In this class, I get to see the teamwork and the patience that you give one another. I see also a lot of efforts on your part in making sure that you deliver the best to meet the requirements of the class. I really hope that your memories of this class remain in your heart forever. Although Human Resource class is generally quite dry, your continuous supports and participations have made the class lively and interesting. I also hope that wherever you are, whoever you become one day, you will remember that humans are your best assets. And governing humans require you to have the ability to empathize. Human governance comes straight from your heart. Frankly, my role in this class is not as a lecturer because I am not there to provide you with an oral presentation intended to present information or teach people about human resource. This is a class full of brilliant people already! You will not need me to teach you. But I am simply there to share with you. I hope you have managed to learn from me as much as I have learned from you. Thank you for the opportunity and the experience. Good luck for the final exam. My prayer is always with you.

We are What We Say

Over the years, one of the main hurdles that many students need to pass apart from getting good grades is having a good command of English. No matter what we think of the language, being fluent in English now becomes a necessity as it is the universal language for business communication. Students need to be able to converse in English and understand English. For that, they are required to acquire not just the skills of communicating, but also listening. Learning English can be fun if we know how. It is just a matter of sharpening your embedded skills. It is not that you haven’t known the language at all. You have been learning it since you are in the Kindergarten. If you must know, I was once like you. At the age of 13, I went to a boarding school only to discover that almost half of my classmates speak the language so fluently that it was so difficult for a village girl like me to fit in. But then I discover the joy of reading, and from reading, I discover the courage to speak. And I wish the same on you too. I have listed here some of the things that I do to improve my English. Hopefully you will find one that will suit you.

1. Own: One of the first thing that you need to have before you learn English is to own a good English dictionary. During my student’s time, I prefer Longman because it is easy to read and it provides a lot of examples in the form of sentences. I remembered when I was in the university, every time I went to study in the library; my favourite place is always to be nearby the row of dictionaries. Until now, I have a set of dictionaries in my office and at home.

2. Read: Try to read anything in English. You can read story books, newspapers, magazines, comics, blogs, or even advertisements found by the side of the road. And try to start reading a simple and interesting book. Do not be too ambitious. Remember what you learn about setting a goal? One of the criteria is that a goal must be achievable.

3. Watch movies: There are two ways that you can watch a movie. One, if you are watching the movie in a cinema, try NOT to look at the subtitles. (The subtitles are wrong most of the time – ‘sweetie pie’ should not be translated as ‘kuih manis.’). Try to LISTEN to the words and how they are pronounced. The practice of listening will enable you to understand what others are saying better (You don’t want to keep saying to your boss, ‘Excuse me, can you repeat that’ over and over again simply because you are not able to capture the spoken words.)This is a proven method at least for me. On the other hand, if you are watching a movie from a DVD where the English subtitles are provided, you can turn that on. This way you can listen to the conversation and also read the exact statements of the conversation. (Note: Turning on the Malay or Chinese subtitles is not advisable).

4. Write: There are many ways to start writing in English. If you are an introvert, you might just want to start a journal or a diary. If you are an extrovert, then writing a blog may be a better choice. But you can also start writing to a pen pal from a different country. I had a number of pen pals during my student time.

5. Speak: You must speak the language whenever you can. Once you feel at ease with the language, confidence will start to replace fear. And soon you realize that you can speak after all. If your friends laugh at you, the easiest way is to laugh with them. Sometimes when we learn new things we may also do something funny along the way. So, try to take criticisms as a challenge to improve yourself. Don’t be humiliated by criticisms. Instead, embrace them.

Remember, we are what we say. Our words define who we are.

Taking the First Step Towards the Unkown

Last two weeks, I was offered a chance to conduct my first training session to some of the management and production people from a small yet ambitious company. Initially, I was quite reluctant to conduct such training. Yes, I have been lecturing for almost 11 years now. But giving lectures and doing trainings are two different things. I believe training requires a higher level of experience and courage due to the increase in the expectations of the audiences. But then I thought, if I don't take this first step now, I will never know whether I am capable of doing it. If I let fear rule me, I will never be able to move forward. So, I did what I always do. I said 'yes' first and then think about the consequences of my decision after. By saying 'yes,' I have committed myself to this responsibility. By saying ‘yes,’ there is no looking back.

In a similar situation, a few of my students came to me this week to pour out their worries regarding their exam results. Half of them highlighted English to be the reason that deterred their performance. And so I told them this..if you always say that you are not good in English, then you are never going to be good in English. You need to take the first step. It always starts with an intention or niat. There are then three elements of intention that you will need to satisfy. First, there must be a very high motivation in you to change and you must know what you want to change. After that you have to say it to yourself. By saying it, you are indirectly making a promise to yourself. And the next step is for you to list down the things that you need to do in order for change to happen. Otherwise, your intention will remain an intention for years to come. That is when you get people saying that their new year's resolutions are still to accomplish last year’s resolutions.

Take the first step…venture into the unknown…that way, you are going to be able to expand your Open Area in the Johari Window.

HR Dialogue Session with Former Nestlé HR Director

Undergraduate students especially those who are currently taking HR are welcome to join the HR Dialogue Session that is going to take place this Friday, 23 March 2012 at BK3, Graduate School of Management, UPM from 10 to 11.30am. The session will be handled by En Wahab Bakar, former HR Director for Nestlé Malaysia. Hope to see you there.

Survival of the Fittest

One of my MBA students used to say this to me, 'Generally the students of the class think you give low marks. I think it is just because your standards are high.'

Well, that is my opening paragraph. By the time you finished reading it, I am sure that some of you have started to wonder whether you have made the right choice entering my class or not. If you believe in working hard, I assure you that you have. As a person, I believe it is not right to award impressive grades at the expense of quality. On the other hand, if the impressive grade is well deserved, there is no reason why I should not award it. When you begin your working journey, competitions will be very high and second chances are scarce. In order to succeed, you have to prove yourself. You have to create positive perceptions on yourself. You have to be strong and manage your time well. The most crucial thing is that you have to believe in yourself. Your experience in the university should help you to prepare for those times. Survival of the fittest, some people say. (The phrase 'survival of the fittest' means 'only the fittest organisms will prevail' - a view sometimes derided as Social Darwinism)

However I am not looking for perfection. What I am looking for are efforts in trying to be perfect. And I am looking at improvements. At the end of the day, I do not mind if my name kind of slipped your mind. But I hope you will remember some of the knowledge we shared, and pass it on...

P/s: Just so you know, that particular student got a very low mark for his mid-term exam, but he scored an A for his final grade. It is up to us to achieve the impossible. It has been said in the Noble Qur’an: ‘Indeed, Allah will not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves.’ [Ar-Ra`d: Verse 11].

“So many of our dreams at first seem impossible, then they seem improbable, and then, when we summon the will, they soon become inevitable.” Christopher Reeve (Superman)