Dinner and discussion with Dato' Seri Khaled bin Nordin

In the effort of 1Thinking to move forward efficiently and to set a proper direction and vision, 1Thinking had a session with Dato' Seri Khaled bin Nordin to brief him on the vision, mission and objective of 1Thinking. The dinner and discussion was attended by founding members and invited attendees who supports the initiative including from Ministry of Higher Education, GLC Companies and representative from media.

We look forward to bring 1Thinking to a whole new level without boundaries.

Ten Leadership Characteristics

Ten Leadership Characteristics
By Danny Cox

No organization can rise above the quality of its leadership. Because leadership is a position that must be earned day in and day out, there are important personal choices that both new and experienced leaders must make on a regular basis. Effective leaders are first and foremost effective people.
 
Personal ethics can't be separated from professional ethics. Therefore, the character of the leader is essential. The following list of ten characteristics is a valuable guide for quality living in addition to being critical criteria for leadership.

1. A high standard of personal ethics leads the list. Honest Abe Lincoln, who walked miles to return a customer's change, is a classic example of how personal ethics are reflected in professional conduct. Decisions made under pressure and/or temptation separate the great ones from the impostors.
   
2. High energy. Great leaders are not exhausted by dealing with petty issues. These people know right from wrong as well as the difference between what's truly important and what's merely interesting.
   
3. The ability to work priorities shares equal importance with setting priorities. Many brilliant priority lists end up in the landfill of life. The difference between setting priorities and working them through is the difference between a dreamer and a doer.
   
4. Courage. The willingness to take risks and accept responsibility for the outcome is a consistent quality among effective leaders. Either you or your fears will control everything you do. An organization will be no bolder than the leader.
   
5. Committed and dedicated hard working leaders will eventually develop dedicated and hard working organizations regardless of who they start with or the experience they bring to the job.
   
6. Unorthodox leaders have an urge to create and don't have the patience to wait for a phone to ring before acting. Effective leaders are innovators who bore easily and prefer shaping tomorrow to repeating yesterday.
   
7. Great leaders have the goal orientation to make tough decisions. Goal orientation produces a drive and energy that shield us from the pain of the task. Keeping an organization focused increases efficiency.
   
8. Inspired enthusiasm is like the pilot light on the oven. Genuine enthusiasm is contagious. People look to their leaders for enthusiasm. The inspiration level of the organization is directly proportionate to the enthusiasm of the leader--be it high or low.
   
9. Level-headed people make realistic leaders who respond to problems rather than simply react. A leader who can stay cool under pressure inspires confidence among those in the organization and empowers them to do the same.
   
10. The desire to help others succeed is the mark of a truly great leader. Synergy is created when a leader truly invests his or her efforts in the success of others. Zig Ziglar says it like this, "People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care abut them."

Whether you're trying to increase your own effectiveness as a leader or are trying to develop leadership talent within your organization, keep studying the characteristics of those you consider to be great leaders.

Remember that leadership is an art, not a science and the difference between a genuinely effective leader and a short-term motivator can be found in the personal decisions an individual makes when choosing how to live his or her life. Long-term commitment to the principles described above will produce an effective leader and, over time, an inspired organization.

Retrenchment in Malaysia

In our effort to help the future generation, we have to also accept the fact that the current working professionals are going through challenges and uncertainty from day to day. The most feared amongst all is being retrenched. With this 1Thinking hopes that we can share our knowledge on retrenchment also rights of employee if you get retrenched.

Reaching out to everyone that needs any assistance and willing to give a hand, I am inviting all professionals that knows any open vacancy in their organization to email us at together@1thinking.com and listing all open positions with the subject (Open Position) and those who are interested to deposit your CV to any of these organization to also email us at together@1thinking.com with the subject (Interested in Open Position). We look forward to lend a hand.

Under the Malaysia Labor Law: Employee Act 1055 or Industrial Relation Act 1967, this is the minimum amount of money the employer should pay the employee if they decide to retrench. If you have been working for a company:

*Between 1 to 2 years, you should get minimum of 10 days salary for each year of your employment under a continuous contract of service with the employer.

*Between 2 to 5 years, you should get minimum of 15 days salary for each year of your your employment under a continuous contract of service with the employer.

*Above 5 years, you should get minimum of 20 days salary for each year of your your employment under a continuous contract of service with the employer.

How about if you work for 1.5 years, 2.2 years, 2.5 years, 3.4 year? Let say, if you work for 1.5 years, then the retrenchment compensation will be calculated like this:

If you found that your employer fails to provide you whatever stated in the contract of service, then you can make a complaint at the Labour Office.

Labor law in Malaysia is not so strong, the retrenchment compensation is not that much if the company decides to pay you the minimum. For those employees who do not know about their rights and are not aware of such things then they may get retrenched without anything.

There are many factors of retrenchment and it can be happened with all in the sudden. If company is doing very well, doesn’t mean that there will not be any layoff. It could due to many reasons, for example, company restructuring, cost cutting and so on. So, it’s better to know more about Malaysia Labor Law so that you will know what to do if bad luck fallen on you.

Quick facts:

Between 2008 and 2009 there was 21,665 employees which was retrenched and the highest number of retrenchment was in the month of December 2008 with 7,608

1Thinking Vision, Mision and Values

Mission:

1Thinking is an independent group that aims to be a registered society which comprises of working           professional volunteers whose mission is spearheading the growth and enhancement of quality of knowledge and awareness for the future generation of leaders.

Values:

Committed—to commit in the effort to bring value to the community and future generation

Sincere—to bring changes with an open mind and generous in sharing and exchanging knowledge

Quality  - Strive for excellence to deliver the best with the best

Caring—To be courteous and diligent in assisting the community and future generation

Aware—keeping an open mind on the current issues and   problems to assist in finding solutions

Effective—To share knowledge with precise information and workable solution

Vision:

The vision of 1Thinking is to have a common thinking towards the betterment of the future generation to excel as future leaders.

1Thinking Registration is Open to All

1Thinking is encouraging everyone to join us to be a part of a common thinking group that can independently organize community activities and public talks for the benefit o all. Please click on the below link to access the registration form either you want to be a member, be a part of our panel speaker, or just to give support and comments. Thank you!

Registration form for 1Thinking

Public talk in UTEM

In the early morning of 23rd of October 2010, 4 of us drove from the streets of Kuala Lumpur to the town of Ayer Keroh excitedly wanting to meet the future generation of leaders currently studying in UTEM. We came with high hope that we can contribute our ideas and share our experiences with the students of UTEM that anxiously and confidently bombarded us with questions covering from technology related, working and personal experiences, thoughts on current issues and many others.

We started the talk at 9am and ended at 12:30pm with a lot of unanswered questions due to the limititation. However, 1Thinking have setup a forum on this site and any questions can be addressed by or fellow group members. Thanks UTEM and our fellow speakers:

1. Husin bin Ahmad from ACS
2. Abdul Rahman bin Mohamed from MAS
3. Mohd Izwan bin Ismail from Heitech
4. Mohamed Zuhri Yusof from Proton

5 Traits Event Organizers Want From Speakers

A good article I found on Slideshare

1) Understand the event’s community – get to know your audience ahead of the event. Spend some time with them (online or in person), and make sure you’re current with the most relevant topics of discussion or debate. This will also help if you choose to have a Question and Answer session. Find out who the other speakers are, and publicly reach out to them. This will help build momentum and comraderie in advance of the event, itself.

2) Promote the event – a speaker’s own following or readership is great source of potential attendees for a conference. Organizers are aware of this and will notice when you actively promote the event to your community. Get the word out on your blog, shared calendars, message boards and social networks.

3) Are dependable – organizers will choose speakers who show up on time, have all their materials, are prepared for AV mishaps, and can adapt to last minute changes. Your reputation matters. Many speakers don’t realize it, but conference organizers of different events compare notes and talk amongst themselves to share their experiences working with speakers, on and off the stage.

4) Expect the unexpected – when it comes to professional events, Murphy’s Law prevails. Don’t assume there will be a dependable Internet connection. If you plan on presenting a “live demo”, make sure you have backup screenshots handy in case the Internet connection isn’t as speedy or stable as you need.

5) Participate in the event – don’t just fly in, speak, and fly out. It doesn’t matter how busy you are, the event is your customer, and the audience is your extended community. Be approachable and make time to engage with attendees in the halls, in other sessions, at lunch. Be willing to do an impromptu podcast, and be a good sport about having your picture taken with attendees. It will be worth your time, you’ll meet interesting people and you just might learn something!

An engaged, supportive speaker is like an honored guest – if you are genuine and gracious you will surely be invited back.

Thank you UNISEL!

Finally we are able to upload the pictures from our most recent public talk in UNISEL. For more picture please click on this link. UNISEL PICTURES.

Thank you UNISEL!

First Public Talk in UNISEL, Main Campus

After months of trying to get the group and speakers together, we finally have agreed to have the group first Public Talk with the students of UNISEL, Main Campus in Bestari Jaya on the 2nd of October 2010. Although the initial topic of IT Project Management - Issues and Challenges was set as the introductory topic but we have managed to keep the topic open discussing on the ICT, Project Management, current industry trends and career advice. I would like to extend my gratitude to the speakers that made time to share their knowledge and experience with the students.

Fellow speakers:

1. Abdul Rahman Mohamed from MAS
2. Rozana Rosli from Khazanah
3. Azahari Jantan from Business Risks
4. Nik Azril Nik Hassan from Prince Court Medical Centre
5. Mohamed Zuhri Yusof from Proton

Pictures from the event will be posted very soon.