School of Mumagement

How to be and stay positive... All of us are social creatures. What happens around us has a huge impact on us - consciously or subconsciously; intentionally or unintentionally. It isn't easy in today's world of work pressures, competition, stress, war, hatred, social media to always be and remain happy, positive and enthusiastic. But life is short and if you do manage to make it and shape it how you want it, then you are way more fortunate than half of the world.  I have a very simple mantra and three simple strategies to be and remain positive, productive and passionate in everything I do - personally and professionally: 1) Focus on what's possible : whenever you are in a rough and tough situation, it's easy to get defensive, have your barriers and inhibitors on and get negative or even worse - become a moaner. This is a huge drain on positivity. So my antidote is to focus on what's possible. Consciously make an effort to think and act in ways where yo

Do you find yourself with shortage of time at work? Or get jealous of colleagues who are in a similar position as yours but can go home on time and not pull in long hours? Have you ever wondered how you can go from meeting to meeting, one job to another and yet maintain a healthy work-life balance without affecting the quality of output? I was in a similar position too until I made three simple changes to the way I work and set three simple rules to my working. I have tried and tested these and the results have unfailingly been as I wanted them. In this blog, I share these with you and hope you are able to strive for excellence and work-life balance using them. 1) Switch off social media at work:   I know this is a lot easier said than done. Since the introduction of smart phones, mobile apps, large data plans by phone companies and the ever increasing content available on various channels, the time spent on these channels really  cuts into the work time significantly.  You m

Let me ask you three questions. If you answer 'no' to any one of them, then you should continue reading this blog to the very end.  First, can you learn to ride a cycle by reading an instruction manual? Second, can you learn to swim without drowning by watching a how-to video? Third, can you replicate your grandmother's cake by listening to her recipe on the phone? I certainly couldn't do any of the above without trying it out myself, getting it wrong, learning from my mistakes and practicing it again and again. Of course, It certainly helps when you have someone to coach, guide and encourage you through the learning phase. My husband and I were recently trying to teach our three year old son to swim. As I saw him get used to being in deep water, struggle through becoming independent in water and gain confidence, I realised two important things: 1) what are the failures of most management trainings and 2) the theory of arm bands. In this blog, I explore the

Every year, there comes a period in the life of managers that they either love or loathe - the time to prepare budgets! While those who enjoy numbers can't wait to sink their teeth into the financials, projections, break even analysis, risk modelling, etc, there are those who would rather procrastinate, delegate or have their teeth extracted without anaesthesia than work on the budgets. This blogs is for those who are petrified of budgets and want to know a better, less painful way of setting and managing budgets. ABC of budgeting! If you are a parent who has gone on a holiday with toddlers, who will easily relate to the parallels between planning and going on a holiday with a toddler and the process of setting budgets.  I don't want to undermine the importance of colleagues in financial and accounting professions, but the theory of budgeting can be quite simple. Infact, I would go so far as to say it's as simple as A B C. Below I will explain each one of t

The moment someone says 'tantrum', the stereotypical image of a child lying flat with their legs moving manically in the air, wailing at the top of their voice comes to mind. Yes, it does elicit all sorts of reactions from observers including scorn, sympathy, disdain, annoyance, apathy, and so on. I, on the other hand believe, it is a G O O D thing! Now now...hear me out! When someone has a tantrum, it is usually because they are not getting their way. If I take kids as an example, the tantrums come on when children are hungry, sleepy, bored, out of their comfort zone or unable to express themselves. Essentially, it is an indication that they need your attention, ... I'd much rather know that there is an issue and deal with it by finding a fitting solution rather than letting it silently fester. Even at work, it is much better that your employees, colleagues or teams vent out their frustrations rather than let it build up. That's why I say, tantrums are a good thing. I

Have you been to a restaurant, a wedding, a shopping trip or a party and heard parents publicly (loudly and repeatedly might I add) asking their toddlers if they want to go wee-wee? You maybe in the middle of a most interesting conversation when suddenly the person you were talking to, from the corner of their eye, spots their prodigy passing by and without any excuses to you, yells out 'do you want to go to the toilet?'. It used to really bug me! I found it rude, insensitive, annoying and highly irritating...until...it was my turn to potty train my toddler! I have to admit it is a milestone when achieved! Along the way though, I did realise that there is a change management process and theory in action. Just like potty training, managing change isn't easy, it isn't quick, and it isn't without its set of issues. This blog looks at the 'potty training' theory to managing and implementing change. Assess change readiness  Does your child understand what we

I remember the time when I was teaching my son good dental hygiene. He was always great at wanting to brush his teeth, he just wasn't so keen on using the toothpaste. As he got into the routine for using toothpaste each time he brushed his teeth, I realised that there is indeed a theory that can get you the results you want and bring about positive changes in behaviour. This blog looks at what I call the 'toothpaste tactics' and draws parallels to what can be done in the workplaces. First, tell them what you want them to do  "I want you to brush your teeth with toothpaste." It may sound very obvious, but the very first step in getting the results you want is to tell your audience what you want! Whether that's "X, I want you to come on time everyday"; or "Y, I want you to proof read your documents before circulating them to anyone"; its quintessential to let your audience know what you are after every. It helps in setting the expect

When was the last time you went to a public swimming pool in spring? Or to a water park with kids? If you were a parent you'd be watching for the number of snotty children and hoping and praying that your child doesn't swallow too much pool water (pre-warning). I can almost bet that after the water time, in changing rooms, the parents would be vigorously scrubbing their kids' hair to make sure it's dry before going out again (prevent). But despite all these efforts, if the child did fall ill, then the parents most certainly have a closet full of remedies ready and they don't shy away from the analgesics, chicken soup, pampering and cuddling their little ones (acceptance and MEDS). So what does this have to do with managing sickness absence?  If you search the web for sickness absence, you will find numerous statistics and management theories that prescribe the way for managing sickness absence. I strongly believe and can prove that the parenting methodology of

5 stages of evolution of new managers (and parents) It may be a long time since you were a new manager....or indeed a new parent. But if you look back and think about those early days, you will undoubtedly relate with five common things that happen to most of us. It's almost a cycle that one has to go through before finding one's feet as managers or parents. Stage 1: The labour process...(pun intended) In your workplace, you are excellent at your job, people respect your opinions, you get on brilliantly with your colleagues and have the best career experience but you still aren't a manager. Becoming a manager for the first time isn't easy. First you need the skills and experience, then you need technical knowledge, then you need to demonstrate people skills and get on well with seniors, then you need to find the right opportunity and get  shortlisted, and finally a bit of luck to get it. But once you get that first managerial breakthrough, there is no looki

Moms make marvelous managers Have you seen a mother on a shopping trip? She usually has an eye on her toddler who is running nearby, while keeping an eye on her shopping, she is directing her children while packing the goods, paying for the purchase, being friendly to the till operator. She breezily walks away with her children, her shopping cart, the buggy, her handbag and most importantly... Her sanity! That is management in action! That simple scenario is an example for how successful mothers have demonstrated key managerial attributes including resource, time, people and financial management.  In this article I explore the key reasons why I think mothers can make excellent managers given the right support mechanisms. There are four main characteristics that are crucial for success as a manager and good mothers naturally demonstrate these as mentioned below: Keeping sight of the big picture: Any good manager or leader will know that long term success lies keeping sigh

Motherhood and Management....there are hundreds of books on each of the topics but until you start practicing it yourself and apply it in real life, you can't really know it all.  I am a parent and a manager and constantly discover that there are numerous parallels between the two. Hence this blog... School of Mumagement was born! It became my way of documenting my journey as a manager and a mum, what I learnt along the way, and perhaps an unique perspective on how I dealt with things! In this blog, I talk about common management issues and parental problems and how wearing the "mum hat" in work context and vice versa can bring fruitful results!  So if you are a great parent taking on a management role or if you are fab manager about to become a parent, this blog will help you make the links between the two and use your strengths and experience in one field to enhance the effectiveness in other!  If you are neither, well...this is a perfect blog to find out the rea