KIRH CHIEN NG

Technology like all things in life can be a curse or blessing. Not leveraging upon technology means we are missing out on the opportunities to be more efficient. However, over leveraging upon technology may take us away from being more humane. A simple rule of thumb: 1. Use technology to replace non or low value activities such as scheduling. I use Calendy to schedule meetings with clients overseas providing my availabilities. 2. Use technology to make work more efficient such as learning Gen AI for work optimization. 3. Leverage upon human interaction as much as possible for activities that foster rapport and building stronger relationships. 4. Leverage upon human & technology to foster collaboration in achieving more with less.

Clear communication is key in life, full stop. Failure to communicate with clarity brings much impediments such as misunderstanding, miscommunication, confusion and emotional disruption (stress, anxiety, anger, etc). I trust that it is a clear win that communicating effectively is key. How do we do that? 1. Be sincere and respectful, 2. Be open and transparent, 3. Is ok to say "no". Learn how to do so elegantly. 4. Think before saying. Be clear that the intent is communicated and ensure that message is understood. Choice of words matters. 5. Verify that the message is well understood. That's it. Maintain consistency with the way we communicate builds rapport and reputation if we have a fun, engaging and memorable conversation. Enjoy!

What does work-life balance mean to you? How do you view work and life? This is important as your perspectives towards these two spheres drives your thoughts, emotions and actions. Why am I saying all these? Look at our life as as a facet of many aspects. If you are able to do what you enjoy and able to make a living out of it, isn't work equals play? So the key here is: 1. Have a holistic view of your life. Define what is your purpose? 2. Evaluate your emotions in different facets. 3. Take stock of how you manage your activities. 4. Apply the concept of Eisenhower Matrix (urgency vs importance) on life management. 5. Reduce the list of urgent matters 6. Increase scheduling out important ones. Don't settle for anything less. Step up!

The topic here is "How to infuse urgency into team". If you have noticed, the key words are "infuse", "urgency", "team", "dateline". To make sure that all team members are excited and driven towards an aligned goal: 1. Be clear of the purpose-driven goal. Specifically, clarify "Why is achieving the goal important?", "what does it mean to all team members and how does that delivers an impact to them and others?". 2. Be explicit on bringing out the emotions on the urgency of getting it done. Feel itI Similarly celebrate the joy and exhilaration of accomplishing the goal. Make it felt! 3. Gather all team commitment in the process. There is no turning back! 4. Build up the sense of triumph and the sense of victory and urgency early.

It takes both hands to clap! For remote coaching to be effective, both coach & coachee must be comfortable with the technology deployed. Here is a simple guide to assist you: 1. Keep it as simple as possible to the needs of the remote coaching call. 2. If all you need is voice call, a simple telephone or VOIP technology such as WhatsApp serves its purpose. Otherwise, readily available apps such as Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams are the mainstream choices. 3. Never assumes but Always check with your coachee on the preference. 4. Equip yourself as coach with several common platforms to increase your successes with tool selection. 5. If need to, provide an onboarding instruction for coachee as a service to ensure a successful call. YES!

The only certainty is uncertainty! As we evolve with time and advancement with technology, we are keeping up with time to embrace with the new norm. Remote meeting is becoming commonplace hence we should make the best use of what remote coaching can offer. Whether remote or physical, getting a clear outcome from the coachee is always the key. To do this well, do check and validate with the following questions: 1. Why is the outcome important? 2. How is the outcome serving coachee? 3. What is preventing coachee from achieving it? 4. What emotions does coachee attach with the outcome? Clarity is power and if we are able to get a clear goal (outcome) and understand the root cause of what needs to be focused, the coaching call is a bliss.