Something for deliberation (34)

You think.....you feel.

Or you feel.....you think.

You can be smarter than the customer but you cannot be more important than the customers.

You cannot think like that because if you think like that, you will feel like that.

And that's how the not-so-likeable attitude is formed in people in business who sell things or provide services.

Something for deliberation (33)

Let's say X can help you to do your job faster and with better result. And as a result of that, you can get more job. And let's take X as one type of tool or technology.

Would you buy, invest in X with money you have to borrow, to do and get business or you will wait until you have good business and use the profit to buy it?

Something for deliberation (32)

Due to globalisation and advancement of Information and Communication Technology, getting a job done is no more a problem ; it's a given.

It's not so much of technology and tools have made the the human factor redundant but in making the job easier to be done by those who do the job, making the job easier to be learned, making how to do the job easier to replicated. Not many can claim monopoly on " I know how to do this job ". The availability of this player and accessibility to them have contributed to making getting a job done not being a big problem.

Value is not in " you know how to do it " but in " how fast can you get it done ".

Something for deliberation (31)

What made a plumber? What made a wireman? What made a brickslayer? What made a glazier? What made a fabricator? What made a contractor? What made a draughtman? What made a designer?

What they know? What they do? How they know? How they do their work?

Actually there is no secret to know what they know. It's PLAYROLE. It's something people do by design.

All the jobs are done with the assistance of tools and technology, one way or another ; some involve more of it than the others.

It's technology and tool that make the job more than that person himself!

Have you ever found a keysmith working without that trade's machine and tool?

Have you ever found one designer presenting his work without the software?

In playing role one must understand the importance of tools and technology and the necessity of investing and keeping up with the related and relevant ones.

Something for deliberation (30)

Overheard this conversation between two two friends.

Friend A : That guy is smarter, more important and cool because he speaks English!

Friend B : Why do you feel this way? Why is he smarter because he can speak English while you cannot? You can speak Thai but he cannot, how about this ? And why are you less smart, important, cool than him?

Perception is very important. Know how to do a job, the technical part of it is not EVERYTHING. One has to remember that while one can speak English whereas others cannot but there are others who can speak Thai which one cannot! And the people who speak Thai, learn and know the same way as the one who speak English does!

And to know is not hard. It is learning it and practising it. Perception is important. You must feel good about what you are doing. You must have the confidence you can do it.

Something for deliberation (29)

Experience is not the number of years working. Experience is the amount of things known through willingness to learn new things and unlearn old irrelevant things.

You will find some senior staffs in an organisation expecting to be paid more because they have been working many more years. They feel slighted when younger staffs are paid more or being given higher position.

I always like to tell the technical man, those who use skill to work. There is a limit to how the job is done. Once the limit is reached, additional years doesn't make anymore difference to the knowledge of how the job is done.

Position must come from merits, results and not the number of years with the company.

Something for deliberation (28)

As the facilitator cum contractor for the job, I too must understand my job description / definition in order to play my role effectively.

No matter how much I help my workers to do what is their job, I still must pay them even if I cannot get payment from my customers. Helping them in their job will not mean I can be excused for not doing my job, what is my responsibility.

If I know my role well and fulfill that part of my responsibility, it is OK that I go back to sleep when I am free, instead of helping the workers in doing their job.

Something for deliberation (27)

If nobody is responsible for a specific job, that specific job will not get done. There is substantial truth in the saying : EVERYBODY'S JOB IS NOBODY'S JOB.

Job description of the departments and players involved in getting a job done must be defined and understood by all parties concerned. The keywords are : GETTING ONE'S JOB DONE AND NOT ANY OTHER JOB.

The point of this post is : In order for one to play one's role well, one must understand one's scope of job and responsibility ( as per the job description ).

Something for deliberation (26)

There exist some unwritten ethics or code of conduct in our industry set by the old / past players. It may be something not punishable by the law if it is broken but it is observed nonetheless so that there is order and harmony among the players for the work to get done.

Just like in any other game, how can it be played when there are no rules?

You can fight hard to get the business. Competition brings out enterprise, so they say. But when the deal has been sealed, there must have order and harmony among the players of the jobs. Industry rules, the unwritten codes come into play.

Long term business dealing is built on the foundation of trust, integrity i.e "I stand by the ethics" and not solely on "I know how to do the job". I have commented in the earlier post this : not at any one time will you find that there is only one clinic or accounting firm at any given place.

Something for deliberation (25)

The responsibility of a contractor involves more than just knowing how to do the job, the technical aspect of it ; it also involves the ability to work as a team and KNOWING ONE'S POSITION.

One must know the chain of command / communication in executing one's role as a contractor.

I had this advice given to me by one Mr Lim, a main contractor, when we first started out :
When you have the customer asking you for opinion , information, tell him, " I am here to do the work under the instruction of Mr So-and-So ( the main contractor ). I know and can do just that. More than that, please refer to Mr So-and-So." With this work policy, you can have a lasting working relationship with your main contractor.

Many contractor don't see it this way : To the sub con, the main contractor is his customer. The customer of the main contractor is NOT the customer of the sub contractor. Thus, the sub con does not take order from the customer or deal with him in any direct manner.

Something for deliberation (24)

How can I be unfair due to my price being higher when I deliver the job to you in the manner and at the time we both agreed, and I collect from you the amount as agreed, nothing less and nothing more than the agreed?

My uncle shared with me this : If you make more by cutting corner or giving something lesser than the agreed, you are shortchanging the customers ; this is cheating. If you are able to negotiate and convince your customer to secure a higher price (higher profit ) on a willing buyer willing seller basis , that is doing business and there is nothing not fair about it.

Something for deliberation (23)

I need a lorry to transport the goods, what difference does it make whether I own that vehicle or I hire it?

Under such circumstances, ability to arrange for the transport to have the goods sent to it's destination in manner and time agreed is more important than whether or not one owns that lorry being used to transport the goods. Is that not right?