𝐄𝐦𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩: 𝐁𝐞 𝐚 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫, 𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐚 𝐁𝐨𝐬𝐬!

I want to share a valuable insight that has guided me throughout my professional journey; true success lies in being a leader, not just a boss.

In many organizations, the terms “leader” and “boss” are often used interchangeably. However, there is a significant distinction between the two.

While a boss merely holds a position of authority, a leader inspires, empowers, and brings out the best in their team.

Let’s explore why embracing leadership is crucial for personal and organizational growth.

1️⃣ Building Relationships & Trust:

Leaders focus on building strong relationships with their team members. They actively listen, understand individual strengths and aspirations, and create an environment of trust and respect. By fostering genuine connections, leaders cultivate a sense of loyalty, commitment, and collaboration within their teams.

2️⃣ Empowering Others:

A leader understands the importance of empowering their team members. Instead of micromanaging or exerting control, they delegate responsibilities and provide autonomy. Leaders trust their team’s abilities, encourage innovation, and create an atmosphere where individuals can grow, take ownership, and make meaningful contributions.

3️⃣ Inspiring Vision and Purpose:

Leaders have a clear vision and are able to articulate it to their team. They inspire others by sharing a compelling purpose that goes beyond the day-to-day tasks. A leader’s vision motivates individuals, aligns their efforts, and enables them to see the bigger picture.

4️⃣ Effective Communication:

Leaders are exceptional communicators. They not only convey information clearly but also listen actively and encourage open dialogue. Leaders provide constructive feedback, recognize achievements, and ensure that their team feels heard and valued.

5️⃣ Continuous Growth and Development:

A leader invests in the growth and development of their team members. They provide opportunities for learning, mentorship, and skill-building. Leaders understand that their success lies in the success of their team.

6️⃣ Leading by Example:

A true leader leads by example. They embody the qualities they expect from their team, whether it’s integrity, resilience, or a strong work ethic. Leaders are not afraid to roll up their sleeves, get involved, and show their team what it means to be committed and dedicated. They inspire others through their actions.

Let’s all strive to be leaders rather than mere bosses.

By embracing leadership qualities, we can foster a positive work culture, drive innovation, and unlock the full potential of our teams.

Here’s to becoming leaders who inspire, empower, and make a lasting difference in the lives of those we lead.

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5 Essential Planning Tips To Help Your Business Survive The Pandemic

Shah Al-Ghazali
It’s crazy to think that I survived all these months in this pandemic. I don’t know how far I can last. My businesses went down the hill. Didn’t get enough income to cover my company to move on. At the same time, working hard just to secure what I still have. Struggling in this pandemic is no joke. Trying my best to keep faith, focus on the positive vibes and keep smiling.

Despair, gloom, isolation, depression… words we’ve been hearing during this global pandemic. With the current state of a depressed economy, many small business owners feel as though there is no need to plan ahead. Their idea is to just endure these uncertain times as best as possible, hoping for a brighter future.

To the contrary, planning is a must. When the recovery starts (and it certainly will one day), long-term growth will be a by-product of planning, instead of doing nothing or making haphazard business decisions.

Planning involves many different aspects of a business. Consider these five areas in your planning to help your business survive the pandemic.

1. Strategic approaches

There are a multitude of strategic approaches that a business can take, and each can be equally successful. This is what creates a competitive marketplace. However, if you do not have a clear idea of your strategic approach, then you cannot make decisions that will consistently lead to accomplishing predetermined goals.

Whether it is during good times or bad times, you must know what direction you want to take your company in order to better compete with rival businesses. Examples of different strategic approaches might be:

  • Strive to be a low-cost provider.
  • Have a higher quality product or service than the competition.
  • Focus on a narrow market niche.

If you’re not completely sure of what strategic approach you will be undertaking, now is the time to perfect and market an approach that is most likely to secure business now and in the future.

2. Marketing

Even though revenues are down in most businesses, marketing is essential to keep your company’s name in front of customers and prospects. Although you may need to reduce your marketing budget, it is important to concentrate on those marketing components that have and will produce the best results for the money spent.

As your business starts having an upturn, then your marketing strategy can be updated. Marketing is an integral part of any business and cannot be ignored, even during times of trouble. Having a marketing strategy allows you to connect with current customers, identify potential customers, and then convince everyone that your products and services have intrinsic value to meet their needs.

3. Alliances

Strategic alliances can be a viable growth option for many small businesses. They can be a way to monetize what your business has to offer with little cost or liability. Forming the right alliances can improve market access and allow your company to gain entry into markets that would otherwise not be open to you.

When business is slow, it can be a great time to investigate different types of alliances that would be a good fit and start communicating with potential alliance partners.

4. Finances

Financing and budgeting are also essential elements of planning. Businesses must plan for the future to ensure sufficient capital is available for operations, asset acquisitions, debt servicing, and possible expansion. Near-term and future cash needs must be anticipated; investigate various governmental assistance programs that are available and apply as soon as possible. Without proper financial planning, your operations could come to a standstill.

5. Employees

Although many businesses (if not most) have had to furlough employees during the pandemic, companies must plan when and how employees will be rehired. Businesses also need to consider if skill sets in the future will differ from the skill sets required today.

The best products or services cannot be sold or provided without quality employees, so if your employees were laid off, you need to consider if those same employees will be available when operations resume at full strength. If you will be hiring new employees, there needs to be proper training in place to facilitate returning to full operation as soon as possible. Employees are the most valuable asset your business has, so employee planning is definitely an important aspect of overall general business planning.

Create a blueprint for the future

Although business survival rather than planning might seem like the activity of the day, small businesses must still plan, if even only for the next quarter or next six months. Proper planning today with forethought for the future allows for implementation with a reasonable timeline. If you choose to wait until “the time is right” before planning and executing action, you may miss out on opportunities.

Planning is the blueprint to building a solid business. It is a road map to guide your company to success. Rarely does a business beat its competition by making spur-of-the-moment decisions. Good planning and good execution are interrelated functions that create positive outcomes.

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From HOBBY Into BUSINESS!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8sR8EFX6Ys
We are happy to share about the business journey’s story with one of the success toy car entrepreneur, Sharizal Baharudin (from Shah Hobby Garage). This time, Hobby Talk from SAZDL will open up the idea of how to start a business from your hobby. If he can do it, we bet you also can do better!

Turning the hobby you truly enjoy into a thriving revenue generator can be one of the most exciting, generative and truly satisfying experiences. The exciting news is that you can turn your hobby into a profitable business if you are willing to make the transition from an employee to a business owner and the CEO of your own life.

Businesses take commitment and skillful management to make them successful, so your love for your hobby will provide the generative energy it will take to create your new business and make it a successful one!

Moreover, the only way to create a sustainable business is to do great work. And the only way to do great work is to do what you truly enjoy and to sincerely love what you do. Again, your hobby provides this.

Doing something you deeply enjoy as a business has the great potential to create a sustainable income faster than any other wealth-producing strategy. But how, exactly, do you turn your hobby into a thriving business?

There are five simple ideas to start turning your hobby into a business. So, if you already have the willingness to be and do something different, here’s how to get this transformation underway:

1. Look at the objective and the rationale behind turning your hobby into a business.

Ask yourself why you want to own your business, what is your primary aim for turning your hobby into a business, and what you truly want to create. Will it be a full-time or a part-time venture? Do you want to create a part time business to supplement your income from your job, or maybe you would like to make it full time business venture? That’s the starting point.

2. Look at your priorities and big picture.

Do you have a big picture of the way your business can be integrated into your life and living? Your ability to see the big picture will expand your awareness to greater possibilities. Ask yourself these questions:

  • Would turning your hobby into a business be enjoyable, generative, fun and satisfying?
  • Would you be able to draw at least a living wage from the business?
  • Would you be able to gain some benefit beside cash flow from your business?
  • Would you be able to generate a long-term sustainable financial future from this?
  • Does the business have capital growth potential?

3. Take stock of yourself and your current financial state.

If you would like to develop your business to be a principal source of income for you and your family, then you need to know how much money your business needs to generate so you can live the life you desire. There is no more essential precept for turning your hobby into business than to start by taking stock of yourself and your finances. You must know what it costs you to live the life you desire and to run your business, so you can see what kind of money would be required to generated by your business.

What really matters are what targets, both financial and non-financial, you would require your business to achieve in order to generate the kind of life you want to lead.

4. Develop your strategy.

While you may be good at your hobby, before you jump in and start charging for the products or services, you need to research and develop your business strategy for greater success. By business strategy, we mean positioning yourself now to create growth into the future.

You can start your business strategy by outlining the key priorities of your business into the future. The strategy must provide the details of your business, including the services you offer, what you want to achieve, what does your business stand for, how you’ll differ from the competition, financial projections, marketing strategies, what specific objectives do you want to achieve, both short and long term.

5. Move from strategy to action.

Once you’ve formed the business strategy (and it can be on merely one page), the next step is to physically actualize it. To ensure your strategies are brought to life, there needs to be specific action plans for each of the strategies set, and the necessary steps to get you there in an agreed time frame. This is vital to the success of your business. Without a realistic set of incremental steps, overarching strategies are not likely to form in the way you would like (if at all).

Powerful strategies are made from the right building blocks and a willingness to act. If your action plans do not support your key strategies, there is little to no chance that you will successfully realize the strategies to create different possibilities for your business. And be prepared to change strategy if it’s not working for you!

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DO YOU WANT TO IMPROVE YOUR MARKETING STRATEGY?

If you are interested to learn the unique marketing techniques for your business, let’s apply for our Business Development & Marketing Communications Service. We, at SAZ Diversify Legacy (SAZDL), will help to boost your business! This service is open for any type of businesses. For more information, you may visit our website:
www.sazdl.com

Please CLICK HERE and fill the form to book our training and do not feel hesitate to contact us!

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The World After COVID-19

Art student Gregory Borlein prepares his graffito with the inscription "The Corona Virus is a wake up call and our chance to built a new and loving society" on a wall in the slaughterhouse district in Munich, Germany, Saturday, March 14, 2020. Only for most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia.
Art student Gregory Borlein prepares his graffito with the inscription “The Corona Virus is a wake up call and our chance to built a new and loving society” on a wall in the slaughterhouse district in Munich, Germany, Saturday, March 14, 2020. Only for most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia.

It has been almost seven (7) weeks as the Movement Control Order (MCO) in Malaysia has taken effect but already it’s clear that life will not return to normal soon. In fact, there has already been some significant and fundamental changes in the world and many of these will become permanent. When this health crisis abates, we will be in a new world. Here are some ways this new world will break with the past:

  1. Supply chains will be local rather than global. The tariff and trade wars had stretched global supply chains to breaking point. The virus pandemic broke those chains. Local companies will be loathe to trust all the supply from one foreign country or even from outside country will look to diversify their suppliers and to favor local suppliers, even at higher costs.
  2. Shop, work, and play online. Retailers with physical stores were already struggling to compete with online shopping. The shelter-in-place rules forced everyone to shop, work, or play online. As the last online laggards adjusted to online commerce, they will likely not go back. So in-store shopping and commercial real estate will take a hit long-term.
  3. Digital divide will become a chasm. Everyone shifted to working and learning online. Those with connectivity and technology jobs and skills could continue working remotely fairly unaffected during the shelter in place order. Access and ability to work online will become even more important and those who are unable to connect online, will fall further behind economically.
  4. Home-bias will increase dramatically. Economists have long known that we perceive higher risk the further away the threat is from us. It’s the fear of the unknown. Put it another way, we have a favorable bias and a perception of lower risk for what’s closer to home. Investors pulled back from investing overseas or out-of-state as travel was difficult during this crisis which prohibited proper due diligence. Investors are likely to revert to more investing closer to home.
  5. Healthcare for all becomes a more standard view. Before the crisis, universal healthcare was still considered a left-of-center view. During the crisis, there was unified view that free testing for all was critical in protecting everyone. As rich and poor got afflicted, it became clear that we need a good health care system, for all.
  6. Unemployment benefit is not just for the lazy. When unemployment was at 3.30%, it was hard to get anyone to support unemployment benefits or minimum wage. The perception was that only the lazy were unemployed or couldn’t support themselves financially. About 2.4 million jobs are expected to be lost in the impending economic recession created by the corona-virus pandemic in the country, said the Malaysian Institute of Economic Research (MIER). This became clear that there are economic gyrations that impact large swathes of people, regardless of their skills, abilities or work ethic. And not providing unemployment benefit for these who are caught in the wrong place at the wrong time, could crater the whole economy for all.
  7. Loss of trust will take time to recover. How long will it take before folks are comfortable going on a cruise again? Or when will homeowners feel comfortable letting a stranger into their house to rent it for a weekend? How long before countries with high infection rate will be deemed clear so their citizens can come visiting as tourists again? It will take some time. My personal guess is two (2) years or more.
  8. Insurance takes center stage. In the past, businesses often viewed risk mitigation and insurance as boring areas that reflected overly pessimistic views. This incredible unimaginable crisis is unfolding and causing tremendous damage to every sector every where in the world. Those who had contingency plans and robust risk planning are really benefiting. Risk management will become a core activity in the new world. Companies will actively develop and test contingency plans and look for insurance services to protect themselves. Hedging will not be viewed as an unpleasant cost but a wise necessity. Of course, insurance companies will also look to protect themselves and tighten their exposure.

After any prolonged period of crisis, there is a strong desire for rebirth and renewal. After a war, there is a post-war boom. The citizens of a country that has been at war are weary of death and destruction and with peace comes a second chance at life and a tremendous burst of creative energy and economy-building. There is pent-up demand for products and services; folks are eager to get back to work and to invest and to shop. Hopefully, that rebirth is also part of the new world.

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DO YOU WANT TO IMPROVE THE PERFORMANCE IN YOUR ORGANISATION?

If you are interested to learn the unique techniques and the easier ways of building your leadership skills for personal and also for your team, let’s apply for our Leadership Storytelling Training. We, at SAZ Diversify Legacy (SAZDL), will help to unleash your inner talent! This program is open for any type of businesses. For more information, you may visit our website: www.sazdl.com

Please CLICK HERE and fill the form to book our training and do not feel hesitate to contact us.

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WHAT IS THE CORONAVIRUS/COVID-19 REALLY TEACHING US?

I am a strong believer that there is a spiritual purpose behind everything that happens, whether that is what we perceive as being good or being bad. As I pray upon this, I want to share with you what I feel the Corona/Covid-19 virus is really doing to us.

  1. It is reminding us that we are all equal, regardless of our culture, religion, occupation, financial situation or how famous we are. This disease treats us all equally, perhaps we should too.
  2. It is reminding us that we are all connected and something that affects one person has an effect on another.
  3. It is reminding us that the false borders that we have put up have little value as this virus does not need a passport.
  4. It is reminding us, by oppressing us for a short time, of those in this world whose whole life is spent in oppression.
  5. It is reminding us of how precious our health is and how we have moved to neglect it through eating nutrient poor manufactured food and drinking water that is contaminated with chemicals upon chemicals. If we don’t look after our health, we will, of course, get sick.
  6. It is reminding us of the shortness of life and of what is most important for us to do, which is to help each other, especially those who are old, sick and poor.
  7. It is reminding us of how materialistic our society has become and how, when in times of difficulty, we remember that it is the essentials that we need (food, water, medicine) as opposed to the luxuries that we sometimes unnecessarily give value to.
  8. It is reminding us of how important our family and home life is and how much we have neglected this. It is forcing us back into our houses so we can rebuild them into our home and to strengthen our family unit.
  9. It is reminding us that our true work is not our job, that is what we do, not what we were created to do. Our true work is to look after each other, to protect each other and to be of benefit to one another.
  10. It is reminding us to keep our egos in check.
  11. It is reminding us that no matter how great we think we are or how great others think we are, a virus can bring our world to a standstill.
  12. It is reminding us that the power of freewill is in our hands. We can choose to cooperate and help each other, to share, to give, to help and to support each other or we can choose to be selfish, to hoard, to look after only our self. Indeed, it is difficulties that bring out our true colours.
  13. It is reminding us that we can be patient, or we can panic. We can either understand that this type of situation has happened many times before in history and will pass, or we can panic and see it as the end of the world and, consequently, cause ourselves more harm than good.
  14. It is reminding us that this can either be an end or a new beginning. This can be a time of reflection and understanding, where we learn from our mistakes, or it can be the start of a cycle which will continue until we finally learn the lesson we are meant to.
  15. It is reminding us that this Earth is sick.
  16. It is reminding us that we need to look at the rate of deforestation just as urgently. We are sick because our home is sick.
  17. It is reminding us that after every difficulty, there is always ease. Life is cyclical, and this is just a phase in this great cycle. We do not need to panic; this too shall pass.

Whereas many see the Corona/Covid-19 virus as a great disaster, I prefer to see it as a great corrector. It is sent to remind us of the important lessons that we seem to have forgotten and it is up to us if we will learn them or not.

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You want to get rid the negativity and be brave in facing challenges in life, but you are not strong enough in spirituality and no one want to listen? If you are looking for a Life Coach to help and guide you, then you come to right place. My mission is to help my clients attain transformative change their lives and careers in order to achieve greater success, fulfillment and well-being. CLICK HERE and fill the form to book your slot for life coaching consultation.

The program can be conducted face-to-face or 100% online for those who are far from Kuala Lumpur. I am looking forward for the opportunity to work with you. You may visit my website at: www.shahalghazali.com

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7 Steps to Transforming Yourself.

Humans are not meant to stop growing. In fact, no living thing on earth is meant to stop growing. We are all alive, reaching for the sun.

Progress in life is all about reinvention. I am going to preface all of this by saying that reinvention is not the same thing as endlessly seeking reward or achievement. There is a difference. Seeking an achievement usually implies an “end.” You win the trophy and then you’re “done.” That’s not what you want to aim for–because as soon as you say you’re “done,” you are no longer reaching and stretching yourself, which means you stop growing.

Reinvention, however, leaves the end open–which is actually a good thing. Reinvention is what allows you endless opportunities to continue exploring new parts of yourself. Exploration is growth, and growth in this sense is not outward facing but inward.

Whenever you find something about yourself you want to change, you need to look for a way to reinvent it.

  1. See yourself outside yourself.
    Imagine you are a sculptor. A sculptor looks at his or her piece of stone and endlessly questions new ways to shape it. And if he or she thinks of something to change, there is no emotional attachment. They just do it. This is how you need to see yourself–as a work of art, always in progress. No need to get upset, or come down hard on yourself when you see something you do not like. Instead, like an artist, just get to work.
  2. Find the habit associated with the thing you want to change.
    Far too often, people focus too much on the thing they want to change instead of the habits that formed the thing in the first place. For example: They try to solve being overweight with doing a lot of ab exercises, without acknowledging that the problem is their poor diet. To truly reinvent aspects of yourself, you have to find the habit that created that trait in the first place–and then adjust the habit.
  3. Practice every day, no matter what.
    Change is not something you do some days and then take a break from other days. Change is a shift in lifestyle. It requires daily dedication, to the point where that new habit takes the place of an old one and no longer requires conscious effort.
  4. Set realistic goals.
    You can’t just wake up one morning and say, “I’m not going to be impatient anymore!” Yes, you are. And you actually help yourself by acknowledging that a bad habit like that won’t be solved immediately. Instead, set the goal to be more patient during your team meeting that happens every morning. Use that as an isolated practice space and subconscious reminder of what it is you want to practice. Focus on that for a few weeks, and then go from there.
  5. Constantly look in the mirror.
    Things get dangerous when you refuse to stop and really look at yourself–when you avoid self-reflection. There is a time and a place for “go go go” mode, and then there is a time and place for reflection mode. Both are necessary. And you will quickly find that unless you take the time to ask yourself the tough questions, you will fall off track and not know how you got there.
  6. Surround yourself with people who will tell you the truth.
    If everyone around you is telling you “yes,” then you have a serious problem. You need people who are going to challenge and question you. You need people who won’t be afraid to tell you the truth. Tough feedback is essential for personal growth.
  7. You have to take risks.
    You will never become the person you want to be by continuing to be the person you currently are. Growth’s only request is that you step out of your comfort zone. That’s it. And unless you are willing to take that risk, to take that uncomfortable leap into the unknown, you will forever stay exactly where you are.

Summary

Reinvention is an art. It is a process. It is not a “quick fix” or an “overnight solution.” It is a deliberate practice, day in and day out, until you realize who it is you want to be, you already were all along.

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You want to get rid the negativity and be brave in facing challenges in life, but you are not strong enough in spirituality and no one want to listen? If you are looking for a Life Coach to help and guide you, then you come to right place. My mission is to help my clients attain transformative change their lives and careers in order to achieve greater success, fulfillment and well-being. CLICK HERE and fill the form to book your slot for life coaching consultation.

The program can be conducted face-to-face or 100% online for those who are far from Kuala Lumpur. I am looking forward for the opportunity to work with you. You may visit my website at: www.shahalghazali.com

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STOP TALKING, START DOING!

I wonder how much more productive we would be if we didn’t talk about how productive we could be. I wonder if it would be easier to ‘find our purpose’ if there weren’t thousands of blogs and people telling us how we should find our purpose. And I wonder if everyone would be happier if we didn’t over analyze everything to the nth degree using the myriad of social media and blogging outlets.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not a hater. I have a blog. I use social media tools. And I definitely over analyze everything. But last week I just stopped. For one day, I decided to stop talking and start doing. And here’s what I found:

  1. I found that I was lonely. I was so accustomed to my ego being stroked by the people I surrounded myself with online that I had forgotten what it was like to be alone. Someone once said you can only be happy when you’re alone if you like the person you’re alone with. I think today’s society has taken away from alone time. Even when we’re alone, we’re still communicating; be it on Twitter, Facebook, Blogging, WhatsApp, Messenger, Telegram or the next “big thing”.
  2. I was productive. I wasn’t writing about “getting out of my comfort zone”, instead I was actually working to push myself out of my real comfort zone. I found work to challenge myself and enveloped myself in it.
  3. I had time to spend with my close friends to find out how their days were and to just talk about something or nothing at all and while we all enjoying quality time together, you know that they are the people who read your blogs and keep update with your social medias. I would say that they are a “type” of friend that you can call as true family, because they are the type whose house you can go to at 4:00AM when something is wrong.

Most importantly, I was doing. I wasn’t talking about what I WOULD do, or what I DID do. I just did. And I realized that while blogging and podcasting and social media and all of these other communication tools are great to market oneself; they also take away from the concept of self. All of the sudden, people need positive reinforcement for writing a blog post or developing a podcast. I would ask, are they ‘doing’ for themselves? Or so they can receive the positive feedback their egos crave?

I wonder when this movement of talking about oneself will end. I wonder if it will end. People naturally think they’re interesting; and they inherently want to be liked, to be noticed. But most importantly, I wonder what would happen if we all just stopped talking about what we are doing, or did, or going to do and just started doing.

So I plead with you to discipline yourself. Be honest with yourself. Take some time alone and find the real reason you are seeking constant communication, approval, or even disagreements. Could it be that you, too, have forgotten how to be alone? And you’ve forgotten how to “do” without talking about it? Take a step back. You’ll be amazed at what you find. Trust me!

______________________________

You want to get rid the negativity and be brave in facing challenges in life, but you are not strong enough in spirituality and no one want to listen? If you are looking for a Life Coach to help and guide you, then you come to right place. My mission is to help my clients attain transformative change their lives and careers in order to achieve greater success, fulfillment and well-being. CLICK HERE and fill the form to book your slot for life coaching consultation.

The program can be conducted face-to-face or 100% online for those who are far from Kuala Lumpur. I am looking forward for the opportunity to work with you. You may visit my website at: www.shahalghazali.com

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8 Tips For An Amazing Mentor Relationship.

Many successful people attribute at least part of their success to having a mentor. The right mentor can provide advice and connections that help their mentee reach heights that would be impossible alone.

Here are some pieces of advice on mentorship, with perspectives from successful tech professionals who have seen its benefits firsthand.

1. Mentorship requires intentional investments of time and energy; you get what you put in.

Being a mentee is not a passive role. When you have a mentor, it’s your job to define your own goals, cultivate the relationship, seek out advice, attend meetings or events you’re invited to, and so on.

“Building a strong network of mentors requires commitment of time and energy, but with these types of relationships, you absolutely get out of them what you put in,” says Shah Al-Ghazali, Founder of SAZ Diversify Legacy. “The more you know yourself, what you are good at, what you are not, the more value you and your mentors will get out of the relationship. Then make time to invest in those relationships.”

Says Noraniza Mohtar, Executive Senior Sales Director of Mary Kay (Malaysia), “Mentor relationships must be tended to and are constantly evolving. Those experiences and discussions culminate in a stronger bond to navigate more complex life or business discussions in the future.”

2. Experienced perspectives are invaluable for young careers and companies.

While mentorship can be valuable at any stage of a career, it’s especially important when the mentee doesn’t have as much personal experience in the industry. With a mentor, they can benefit from the insights gained through years of experience without having to spend years of trial and error themselves.

“When I first started my career, I discounted the importance of experience,” says Fatim Aiman, Business Development Executive at SAZ Diversify Legacy. “A strong mentor has the experience to help a startup avoid the pitfalls and identify possibly paths to success. Often entrepreneurs feel like there isn’t time, but the time and trouble you can save by working with a good mentor is invaluable.”

Syazwan Shukri, Founder of Al-SyuQ Palace Spa Cafe, still experiences this firsthand in his career. “As a first-time founder, I look to people who have lived through the experiences and challenges that I face every day in building and scaling my company. I’ve found it invaluable to have a board of advisors who have experience scaling companies and can provide valuable, actionable advice.”

3. The best mentors are the ones who can fill gaps in your skillset. Don’t seek a mentor who’s your clone.

Every entrepreneur has their own strengths and weaknesses. And while mentors can certainly help make the strengths even stronger, it’s usually even more valuable to have someone who can give advice in areas where you’re struggling.

“Entrepreneurship is essentially about constantly learning, and having great mentors is crucial to learning fast,” says Muhammad Shahffiq, Business Administration Executive at SAZ Diversify Legacy & Subject Matter Expert at ByteDance (Malaysia). “In particular, it’s important for for a mentor to supplement the strengths that the entrepreneur brings to the table. For example, I came to the game as a strong technologist, but had to learn about the science of enterprise sales, finance/operations, etc. An entrepreneur should always select a mentor that fills the gaps in his/her experience and skill set.”

4. You don’t always have to follow a mentor’s advice but listen to it and evaluate it.

One important thing to understand about mentorship is that the mentor can’t live your life for you. They’re there to provide advice and perspective and make you think differently not make unilateral decisions for you. “Counsel need not always be followed, but should always be carefully considered,” advises Noraniza.

The role of the mentor is to make you reflect, not to give you advice or answers. Helping you ask the right questions that’s real mentorship,” explains Louis Hong, Business Analyst at SAZ Diversify Legacy & Founder of Life Mastermind.

5. Anyone can be a mentor even without knowing it.

If you go through life with the perspective that you have something to learn from everyone you meet, you’ll collect a lot of informal mentors along the way.

“In my own life and career, I have had numerous mentors, most of them accidental, and many of them unaware that I saw them as mentors,” says Louis. “At one point I decided that any person I meet will be treated by me as a mentor for the time the interaction lasts. In an Uber or Grab, the driver can be my mentor for a few minutes. Among friends, I seek out mentorship moments. I even have fantasy mentors, i.e. I envision myself being mentored by someone I admire (for instance, Tun Dr. Mahathir) and I try to figure out what questions that mentor would ask me. It works!”

6. Diversity of mentorship is important.

It’s common to have one person you regard as a primary mentor, but that doesn’t mean you can’t seek out a variety of perspectives on a more informal basis as well.

Noraniza further her saying, “At Mary Kay, majority of our investing partners are women. Having such a diverse set of mentors has helped me realize that there isn’t a cookie-cutter for success in Mary Kay, or any industry for that matter. This gives me confidence in my own career path, and has helped shape the way I think about investing and entrepreneurship.”

Shah Al-Ghazali also encourages seeking out mentors who bring other perspectives to light: “I always encourage people to find mentors who you not only trust to be sources of counsel throughout your career, but also who bring a different point of view to your own.”

7. There are specific things you can do to being a good mentee.

Often, people consider the “burden” of mentorship to be on the mentor. But mentees can take responsibility for cultivating the experience of mentorship too.

“The biggest difference between people having a successful mentor relationship boils down to initiative,” says Mohammad Muzammil, Operation Executive at SAZ Diversify Legacy: “Many thoughtful pieces have been written about how to be a good mentor, but there is less attention on how to be a good mentee. When I look at those that I have mentored and those that are getting a lot out of the program have some clear similarities:

  • They thoughtfully select the right person.
  • They establish the framework of the relationship.
  • They work at the relationship.
  • They are prepared with specific questions, areas for feedback, and requests for support.”

8. Mentorship is beneficial for the mentors too.

Finally, just as the responsibilities of mentorship are shared by mentees, the benefits are shared by mentors.

“The most successful mentorships are the ones that are a two-way experience where both sides benefit from the relationship,” says Noraniza. “In these relationships, the mentor experiences satisfaction and new perspectives by providing guidance and insight to the person seeking advice, while the mentee gains the benefit of experienced advice.”

“We tend to think that mentorship was designed to help the mentees, the up-and-coming. But mentorship helps the mentor too,” adds Louis. “To be a mentor makes you a more understanding human being. It keeps your mind young and your skills fresh. Successful people who don’t start to mentor others will over time lose touch with their own excellence. Mentoring someone connects you back to the original you who became so excellent.”

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DO YOU WANT TO IMPROVE THE PERFORMANCE IN YOUR ORGANISATION? If you are interested to learn the unique techniques and the easier ways of building your leadership skills for personal and also for your team, let’s apply for our Leadership Storytelling Training. We, at SAZ Diversify Legacy (SAZDL), will help to unleash your inner talent! This program is open for any type of businesses. For more information, you may visit our website: www.sazdl.com

Please CLICK HERE and fill the form to book our training and do not feel hesitate to contact our team at +601123827811 (Aiman) or +60169667912 (Louis), to discuss further.

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LEADERSHIP: It’s Not About You.

One of the greatest things about leadership is that we all bring something different to the table. If you were to read articles on good leadership qualities, you would usually see factors like integrity, effective communication and influence. These are all wonderful qualities of a leader, but I am going to share something I believe has made me stand out as a leader by putting my people ahead of myself.

I must admit, in my early days as a leader I was all about myself. I had a title and I thought that was all I needed. I thought because of my title everyone would follow me and respect me. I didn’t think leadership was something I needed to work hard at. I had already arrived.

I was wrong!

Lucky for me, I had a few great leaders, who also brothers to me, who cared about me enough to confront me about my selfish attitude. As leaders, we need to be able to recognize people who are not performing at their greatest level and provide support and feedback to them. I had no idea I was failing as a leader and hurting my people because of my pompous attitude.

I do believe that some people are born leaders and learn throughout life to become better leaders. One of the best lessons I learned was that it is not about me. When I made the transition from valuing myself to valuing my people, I was transformed as a leader. My mentor Irfan Khairi, in his book “Nota Jutawan, Nota Motivasi” writes, “When we learn to turn our focus from ourselves to others, the whole world opens up to us.” When you understand this and take the focus away from you, it will change who you are as a leader.

I’d like to share some ways you can work toward valuing your people more:

  • View your people as your biggest success. A good leader supports those around them. Your focus should be on developing them, helping them succeed, and watching them grow into the people they want to become. When your people are successful, it is a reflection on you as a leader. Work hard on your people. They are your biggest asset. Without them, your team can fail.
  • Acknowledge and appreciate people. Everyone wants to be valued. It is critical as a leader to give your people credit and recognition for the incredible things they do. One of the reasons people leave a job is because they feel underappreciated. A leader should never take the credit for the work that their people do. A good leader is a generous leader who recognizes people. Work recognition into the culture of your team. Make a conscious effort to call out your top producers in a recurring meeting. When others see a coworker being recognized, it infuses motivation into your team. Everyone will work harder to be the next person whose hard work is recognized.
  • Know your people. I mean really know them. Sure, you may know their names and their positions and what they are working on, but do you really know them? Do they have children? Do you know where they came from? Do you know what they have done in their lives before they started working with you? Most importantly, do you know their hopes and dreams? Getting to know them in a more personal way will make them feel valued and increase their respect for you as a leader.
  • Leave your ego at the door. People are going to do better than you. You will have people on your team who have significant achievements. They may get another degree, get a certification, or move on to a new position. One of the biggest compliments you can receive as a leader is to have one of your people move on to a better opportunity. Be proud, not jealous.
  • Empower your people. Everyone wants to be trusted to make decisions. Empower your people to make certain decisions. Do not short change them. Allow them opportunities to shine rather than discounting their abilities and doing it yourself. Do you have a big presentation coming up with your executive team? Allow one of your top performers to give the presentation instead. Being empowered will make them confident and help them strive for larger-than-life goals.

Leadership is both a gift and a privilege. You can erode the cohesion of your team if you fail to value them. Everyone on the team deserves to be valued. Each one of them performs an essential part to keep the engine of your company running. When you can put your people’s needs and interests before your own, you will be a more successful leader.

“Inspiring people to become who they were designed to be.” – Shah Al-Ghazali, Founder of SAZ Diversify Legacy.

 

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DO YOU WANT TO IMPROVE THE PERFORMANCE IN YOUR ORGANISATION? If you are interested to learn the unique techniques and the easier ways of building your leadership skills for personal and also for your team, let’s apply for our Leadership Storytelling Training. We, at SAZ Diversify Legacy (SAZDL), will help to unleash your inner talent! This program is open for any type of businesses. For more information, you may visit our website: www.sazdl.com

Please CLICK HERE and fill the form to book our training and do not feel hesitate to contact our team at +601123827811 (Aiman) or +60169667912 (Louis), to discuss further.

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5 ATTITUDES To Lead With A Gratitude.

One of my clients recently shared something that bears repeating. Years ago, when he was a bank officer in training, a senior vice president walked up to him and said, “I know we don’t get to talk much, but I wanted to thank you for bringing such a creative spirit to he workplace. It’s important to shake things up a bit.”

Until then, my client had been worrying about whether he was going too far, whether he was making suggestions and trying things that made his colleagues uncomfortable. But that bank executive’s expression of gratitude washed away his doubt and set him up for a successful career of innovation and thought leadership.

Expressing gratitude is really the art of noticing, noticing what others do and how it affects you. Yes, our co-workers sometimes cause problems, but the vast majority of what our colleagues do helps us and helps the company. By putting more emphasis on leading with an attitude of gratitude, we can build confidence in others, improve productivity, foster innovation and develop positive relationships at work.

Here are five tips for leading through gratitude.

  • Combine gratitude and feedback. Providing employees with frequent, specific feedback is a critical teaching and management tool. Prefacing feedback with “I want to thank you for…” is even more powerful and builds trust and camaraderie.
  • Be specific and authentic. For gratitude to be believable and effective, it needs to be true. Effective leaders take time to notice the many ways in which employees make sacrifices and contribute to the team. Then, they offer specific thanks. “Thank you for staying late every night this week and making our Friday deadline,” not “Thanks for working hard.”
  • Make gratitude intentional and routine. Some managers are so focused on gratitude that they keep a daily log. Even if it’s not every day, take time regularly to reflect on each team member, list the person’s finest qualities and achievements, and make a note of how that person has positively affected you.
  • Make gratitude either intimate or public (but not casual). If you’re taking time to notice the good work your team is doing, don’t waste that effort with a casual “thank you.” Depending on the situation, either sit down and express your gratitude during a calm, private moment or make your “thank you” a moment of public acknowledge in front of your team.
  • Don’t forget about notes, handwritten, please. While e-mails and texts might be convenient, most are easily brushed aside. But the occasional handwritten note can make a big and lasting impression on employees and superiors.

There’s nothing wrong with pointing out areas in which people can improve, that’s another important part of leadership, but almost everyone prefers managers who lead from a position of gratitude. After all, who likes to have their faults highlighted and strengths ignored?

 

______________________________

DO YOU WANT TO IMPROVE THE PERFORMANCE IN YOUR ORGANISATION? If you are interested to learn the unique techniques and the easier ways of building your leadership skills for personal and also for your team, let’s apply for our Leadership Storytelling Training. We, at SAZ Diversify Legacy (SAZDL), will help to unleash your inner talent! This program is open for any type of businesses. For more information, you may visit our website: www.sazdl.com

Please CLICK HERE and fill the form to book our training and do not feel hesitate to contact our team at +601123827811 (Aiman) or +60169667912 (Louis), to discuss further.

Continue Reading