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Showing posts from June, 2022

Are you Coachable

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  Since I started mentoring people at the beginning of my career in the development sector in 1998, I invested a big part of my time in the growth of others. I realised early on when I worked in the President's Office on the lowest rungs of the administrative ladder that something was amiss. I would spend duty just filing papers and then the only time I got relief was when I get the duty to deliver the letters up to the big bosses.  Then I was transferred to State Trading Organisation, in those days, being transferred to another organisation was not seen as something acceptable. You were looked down by society. This made my resolve stronger to empower people if ever I became the boss.  In 1998, I co-founded Care Society and I became the boss. I had an Executive Board to give the direction of the Non-governmental organisation (NGO) but I had free rein to run. I had grown Care Society from running on my own funds to pay for the electricity and free space in an attic in my h...

Fixed Mindset versus Growth Mindset

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  How do we know someone has a fixed mindset?  A person who has a fixed mindset is unwilling to learn. This is a person who knows it all. A person who is not willing to change and thinks it is okay to be in the same situation and circumstances, without being challenged.  How can we teach someone to have a growth mindset? On the other hand, a person with a growth mindset will be excited to learn new things, this person is willing to go to extreme lengths to explore and be challenged in life. A person who loves feedback accepts changes and adapts easily to learning or situations.  Over the years, I have met numerous people who have the fixed mindset versus the growth mindset. How do I deal with them? Most of the time, I have been successful to help people grow but other times, I have to let go. Wanting to learn and change comes from people, themselves. I need others to be willing to learn and grow, in order for me to help them or support them.  So how can we chang...

Growth Zones!

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Some time back I was requested to mentor the senior members and the Exco of an organisation. I helped them in the past and the organisation did well. The second time when the request came I had to think twice. The first time, it was easier to mentor and turn around the organisation to be successful.   This is a group of entrepreneurs who already have created a path for their future, and no outside influence or mentorship can change. The company has set ways and created a culture they didn’t want to change.   I have no regrets today, as I am happy to see the entrepreneurs flying high & I wish them all the best in the future. I can see their growth far & beyond. My only advice will keep growing with the continuous changes and adapt.   Fathimath Afiya Brigden

Mindful Leaders

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  Leaders are mindful when they take care of what they say or write to others. are mindful of -         What is said to the public? -         What is said to Teams? -         What is said about others? -         What is written in texts/blogs/presentations?   What goes around comes round.   Meaning if someone mistreats others or are badmouthing others, that person will end up being given the same treatment.   This is especially important in a working environment or network places.   Focus on the vision, collaborations, or networking, it will reap benefits. #networking #environment #leaders #network  

Learning from experiences

  Have you heard of this from your seniors or experts saying learn from experiences?   I tell you; this is something which may not sit well with our younger generation. All of you are loaded with experiences. We have millions of books communicating experiences. We had WW1 and WW2; how much are we learning from these lessons?   The continuous wars declared by powerful nations and politicians are making the citizens of Ukraine, Afghanistan, Iran, and many other countries, how much have these wars taught us?   My stand on this is, open doors for the youth to experiment and learn. Let them fly around the world. If they are above 18 or less and if you trust them well enough, let the youth enjoy the freedom and independence? If you want them to trust and tell you things, do the same.   How can we teach our youth? Give them the same treatment you expect from others. Give them the learning opportunities. Engage their youthful minds, apply critical thinki...

Consistency is required to improve Public Speaking Skills

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  I have observed even the greatest speakers when they don't speak for a while, need to re-learn and work on their skills. In my experience, attending a one-time workshop or event will not improve public speaking skills. After conducting public speaking workshops, I always encourage participants to join a forum where they can practice their skills continuously and consistently. Toastmasters is the platform where you can speak, practice and learn from the feedback. Consistency in public speaking skills or communication skills will improve the learning.

Habits of Effective Leaders:

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1. Don’t do everything 2. Distribute leadership & don’t micromanage 3. Delegates work & let the workers do the job without meddling 4. Gets well on with everyone, ask teams for feedback 5. Discusses and make collective decisions 6. Have a vision and foresight to optimise resources 7. Listen to the collective voice to form a judgement 8. Trust workers  

Appreciation of Grab Drivers

  Humans are made to appreciate kindness.  Saying a simple thank you can make a person's day. Since we moved to Malaysia 3 years ago, we use Grab taxis a lot to travel around. We always make a point to say thank you after reaching our destination.  You can see the smiles spread across the drivers' faces, probably they are not used to being appreciated.  Most customers may see the work Drivers do, driving to their destinations as part of a paid package, so customers may think, Drivers, don't need to be appreciated.  Believe me, Drivers deserve to be appreciated. You will see the magic of their smiles if you say thank you to them. 

Life Challenges

1.      Routine  in your life works  2.       Getting up in the morning early will give you extra time to enjoy your life, you will be amazed at the amount of work you can accomplish 3.      Once you have got up early for a month it becomes a routine Coach John Khalid   

Transform Negative to Positive Thoughts

 In our daily lives, we are bombarded with negative thoughts and niggly feelings of incompetency and doubts about our self-confidence. These are the killer thoughts that can kill our contentment and rip our positive thoughts to nothingness.  What can we do about it?  Stop, pause & refuel. Smile Appreciate yourself Pat on your shoulder for doing great What tiny things made you feel positive during the last one hour Cast the negative thoughts aside like dust Smile again! Coach Fathimath Afiya

How do you do manage time? Time management!

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    People always ask me this question about productivity.    How do I manage my time? People see my active life and wonder how I can plan my life around doing so many things.   Here are a few tips to manage your time.    Remove Distractors My husband is a lover of watching Television (TV), he was addictive that he would watch television all day. How did we remove this distraction? We have a television that came with renting our condo in Malaysia.  After our return from the Maldives, attending the National Human Resource Convention by MAHRP on 21st and 22nd May, we decided to pull off the cables and push the TV behind the TV rack, we covered cloth to protect it. Reading news Every morning when we get up, we would end up catching up on the world news. Of course, it is good to keep up with the world and current affairs. However, we have a duty to our souls and body. We cannot be consumed by the wars, hatred and murders that are happening across...

Journey together

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  People ask us all the time, what makes us to be together. What is so special about our relationship.   We have our moments like any other couple. One thing that keeps us going is the ability to talk to each, forgive and appreciate each other.   Most importantly, we have a lot in common, we exercise together, learn together, and plan our life to grow together in every respect.   Alhamdillah, it has been a wonderful journey that we love each other and yet give space to each to grow rich in our hearts, mind and personally.