I haven’t taken any day off this year. Due to Covid-19, I’ve cancelled my March trip and have been working from home since March. If not going anywhere, why waste vacation days to stay at home? Yet the good news is that many of the physical events have moved online and become free. I came …
Category Archives: Inspiration
2020 Class Commencement
I came across Dear Class of 2020, a virtual commencement (due to Covid-19) by many super stars, e.g. Barak and Michelle Obama, Beyonce, J-Lo, Malala, Bono, etc. It reminded me that 17 years ago SARS took my college graduation ceremony. Asia was hit the hardest at that time yet countries rebuilt stronger economies afterwards. Taiwan, …
Possibility, Accountability
Read the breaking news of Kaohsiung Mayor, Mr. Han’s recall…like every election, some people cheered for the result while others was very upset on the unfairness. Putting politics and judgment aside, Mayor Han’s rise and fall provided lesson for all of us. For Kaohsiung, a city has been ruled by Green (DPP) party for the …
(Good, Bad) Luck?
This week we had a technical incident and I was brought in at last minute to open a P1 ticket to declare it as a critical incident and inform teams/ stakeholders. At that moment, it was nerve-wracking as it’s my 1st time to do so, at the end of US work day (most of my …
Creativity Everywhere
I tried to peel a label off a glass jar…Normally, the glue is applied as 1 vertical line so it’s easy to remove the label but for this one, the glue seems to apply across the jar in several horizontal lines, it’s hard and slow to peel pieces of label off. I recalled a trick …
Maturity
A long and tough week to prepare a big launch and change management. Looking back, I’m proud for what we’ve done, moreover, how ‘calm’ I’ve worked through the people drama, heavy load, and last minute changes…yes, there were moments and long hours that I’d not wish anybody go through yet there were no self-pity, resentment, …
Kindness is Courage
I drove pass a school field ground and saw a sign, Kindness is Courage. It brought me a smile. Being kind to each other, no matter of different belief and behavior, takes courage. Being kind to ourselves, taking the time to nurture our body and soul, takes courage. Being kind to the environment, making a …
Listen, Thank you, Move On
Have you had meeting with people ‘dominating’? Not only does the person talk a lot but also raise topic out of context or demand more without appreciation or concerning the reality. What can we do? We could defend or explain yet it’s unlikely to achieve an outcome either side wants. What’s more productive would be …
Quiet Power & Influence
Attended 2 workshops/ seminars this week by 2 presenters, both are passionate about their topics related to mindset yet presented in very different ways. Bep was calm and speaking slower in a soft tone while Kim was full of energy and the words poured out of her mouth. When we think of a good public …
Pat on Our Back
We have Toastmaster District 31 Communication & Leadership conference this week. In ‘Four Secrets of Powerful Evaluations’ workshop, I was nominated by my breakout session mates to represent the group in ‘giving evaluation – what, why, how to use the stage’. Instead of going with my thoughts, I tried to ‘incorporate’ everybody’s inputs which meant …