A very busy scheduling
A rotuine development required 21 days; I think I have develop the " Determination " state of mind for the past 3 weeks and clearfy draw a hard / real line in my heart; making every things - no matter how trivial it is works. to summarize my scheudule yesterday, a very fruitful day.
Early morning, I darw my speech rationale in the car on my way to office; clock in by 8:00 am, complete my professional comments on Navio - a request by TPO Wen; Send it by 9:30 am, Vincent drop by the office without prior appointment, I chat with him for 15 minutes, greeting on his first month at Yahoo, I should treat him like brothers, even in my tight schedule; heading for the Youth Commisory's forum / semiar down town, the prize for early bird is -- I found the venue is 3 minutes walk to my favorite noodle restaruant, checking my watch, I maximise my 30 minutes window and enjoy a very rush yet content brunch.
Forum discussion begin by 11:10 am, I asked the host to change the speach sequency and be the last reporter, as the first one - Dean of Economy at National Central University begin with an acdemic probe to the topic " Foreign employment for young graduate ", follow the the GM from Career Managize - he shared his valuable experience working overseas , especially the 4 years in one of the Taiwanese owned listing company; as they are 2 extreams to share their insight or experience, so I asked to be the last one and share my own view - the one who never be an expatriate even obtain close to 20 years of multinational corpoation's career; I asked audience to make a clear defination of the topic and think between " Job career and Life goal " " Job market and Industry market " and varies thoughts related to a man - in a halo perspective, I know what I delivered may not be practice immediately, but one day , someone will understand my point.
Heading for the one oclock lunch with potential music distribution and marketing company, this is to help J. close or approach the deal, as I called J. to lead the conversation, but when 4 of us sitting on the table, it seems I need to " Open " for the situation , so, I provoke to the lable why we were here, how I met and decided to work / invest J. and so on, it seems worked well. I run away in the middle of the lunch and have J. to handle the rest of the show - to his office and present the talent we proud of. by late evening, when chat with J. when met the second time at Howard Plaza, he told me everything is completly smooth and they are following with the contract terms. Great. this is what we want.
Receive the pp file from K. they only cut and paste my wording to a Powere Point format - without adding and blood and flesh to it, I have to redo it again and show them the quality and standard. this have to be done by Monday evening at Huilang.
returning office and having 3 meetings and 2 reviews. complete Andrew's VIMA review by 6:45 pm , push the send buttom then heading for my consultancy session with EZfly, we are doing the MIS / IT reveiw in the evening and to be honest with everyone, I am not confidence in handle such a session as I don't equip with any engireering backgroud; I am glad E. did a great home work and pass me thin paper, we complete the session in one hour and I inform everyone to take next week off as I am going to write my seoncd report to S.
Last meeting conducted at J.'s office, first time been there, review the talent, introduce the company and J. to Jean, she is so exciting and knows I am doing what she can't but want.
Checking the beyou site late last night, the lag is a big problem, if we achieve the goal of making all the people checking what's beyou, but can't provide them with good experience - not only the flow and UI, But also the smooth and speedy access, we may not attract the target to come back again.
Mad about my Sofa
The secrurity system trigger the alarm around midnight; seurity company follow their procedure calling us in 2 minutes; we were not aware of the siren as the alarm was block by the heavy door and the air-conditionaer; I walked down the stair to living room and turn off / unleash the security system; as I didn't know whether there's any intrutor, so, I turned on every light in the house - I though it may kick out some of the fear in me. nobody's there, secrurity company called again confirm my identity and decided not to come, the lights shine on our sofa -- I saw terribly bad condition; after the repairing of the lines and sent for leather maintainance, the skin of sofa grow with some white spot - I guess it caused by the humility and unprofessional maintainace process; I am so mad and begin to wipe those sofa, I don't know if water is OK for the leather, so, using only tissue paper, I wife it hard, sweat it out and anger burst out........... I am so mad.Watching CSI Miami at home, the bonus of early home last night was to take the lesiure moment enjoy some TV movie. I love this kind of investigation and brain exercising program. they really spend decent resource on this popular series.Morning press conference is a good on, I memorized the top messages I wish to delivered, TV New stations came before the offical progarm and asked for the interview before ceremony, I am OK and pulling out all I wrote and memo in front of the camera. It was good.Marketing team and product team pick up Eddie - young actor / idol from one artist mangerment company to act as the spoken person in the press conference; I help to achieve the goal of having him together with the MC wearing out LOGO T-shirt ( Be You ). his boss - Miss M. came to see me after the press conference and I reconnected with her and invited her for a quick lunch - we share a few things and talked about our mutual friend - M. and G. She is doing the so call soap drama and some variety shows, the company owned by her and she is looking for a relief - I can smell it. it happen to be one of my investing profolio - to have a platform of content owner among all segment of entertainment -- now the confirmed line-up is : Music production and artist management ; flash animation and marketing company; musical development / therater projects and if a drama and artsit management company in place, the cross platform mechinism will drive the overall power bigger, I am thinking how to make it happen and of course, this is not the only chance or only company -- I should not forget Dorian... it's time to hook up with David now.TPO senior Wen called for investment advise , Andrew call for the same reason, I am in the loop of helping my target clients, this is good and I should keep the motto in me - Determination is to draw a real line in your heart and doing everything right .
I am the champaign
Outperfomred other players last night at the ping pong exercise; I wasn't sure it contributed from the Gensang I took one hour before the exercise, or it cause by what we always joke about " The gesture generated during office hours turning to the energy of winning will ", but I did a great job last night, I have not embrace the triumph feeling for some times. last night, not only sweating all over the floor, but satified by the performance , it a double pay-off - both physically and sphcalogically. even before the game, I asked my diver to pick me up by 9:30 pm, as I didn't lose any game, it keep me on the arena until 10:00 pm.Went home, I serched for the milky-naughy candy. well, there's no supplyment today, asked my wife, she replied me that the owner of the shop decided to add cocanut flavor into the naughy and she knows I am not found of the strange taste; so the temperory terminate the milk-naughy candy addiction make me reflect on how deep I am addicted to this candy, it's like 3 months, I didn't know how much milky-naughy's I ate until now, -- everyday, everynight; when I check the candy jar, I will finished them all, no matter how many left in the jar -- this is a certain sydrome I can image, but I can't help to get rid of, so I asked my wife last night, stop supply it for a while; I must find a way to dispose this bad habit - it impact on my body somewhere I believe.
Drinking too much coffee is anothe addiction these days, I had 3 or 4 cups yesterday, I can feel that my hands are little bit shaking - it much impact on my nerve system; too much coffee breaks with mangers and I can't help to order the coffee; I decided to ask my secretary to change the coffee scheudling in the afternoon only and not to arrange coffee break at Starbucks all the time - I remenber one professor told me the secret formula for Starbuck to brew the tastefully coffee - pure double dose of coffee beans, brew it to one and half cup. dump the other 50% , so you enjoy a much stronger coffee than other coffee shop. I must get rid of both addcition soon.
Lunch with C. -- always a pleasure moment and alwasy rush in finishing the meal, we shared the " Culture Economy " during the lunch and we were in line with the problem in Taiwan - take the music industry as exampale, the industry mogule or icon panic in the market shirking and forget to thinks the root of the industry - why it booming and how - for Mandairn Pop. it began from mid 80 when the movement of " Singing your song " campaign launched, university student started to write their own song in Mandairn, and the industry took off afterward... now the langure - Mandarin became another critical issue to be discussed, this is to reexamine the root of industry -- or to examine the comsumer or industry operator who they are - or the equibilent question is : where they adapt their culture inside - American influenced ( Westernized ), Janapense influence, Local Dilect influence or Mandarin only influences... a very good topic to form a forum for discussion. she is heading UK for the concert pre-preparation, I am out of the picture - voluenteely , when you in the dite rooms, you can't challenge others to mess with their clothes ; so I don't want to take any benefit from this trips... I do hope some " Right thing " will burst out from this initative. -- although I doubt it.
Writing and produce the marketing / corporation /sales proposl template for Kororo, a hard job, this is for succefully pitch the Park View Hotel business, to bring the company to next level required lot efforts, this is what I need to do and I am doing it now.
A. called the other night around 9:00 pm, she cried at the phone, losing confidence and losing hope to her job, her life and her goal, when she called, I am at the car with my wife, I can only comfort her and finally, she calm down, I remeber to offer her a chance to work for me , in a much easier manner, she rejected and wish to start her new career in Taichun,after the kimotheraphy, and the surgery of removing the cancer tumor, people changed, unitl the night, I can really know how frigile she was; then I asked her to recall the purpose of working in Taichung ? perform a great career will never be the top priority for her now, she must accpet the alternation and follow necessay changes in mind and in life; enjoy and cherish life everyday, if the company and the job dosen't serve this purpose, she should resign immediately; until the end of our conversation, she seems gradually pick up the picture, I wish her well , but it's hard for me to offer her second chance to work with me - now I have 2 partners, they should be respeced on the decison and rationale I made.
Be You launch press conference today, I modify my beyou site and enhance with a few article - taking from the not yet published 100 Songs, and upload one more photo albums; wearing beyou T-shirt to office today, a symbol and a commitment too.
People are stranger when you are
Getting to know expatraite more, then you will learn more, let me try to describe one subject and lead you to the story of " knowing your expatraite ":
K. was sent to Taiwan on April 1th, his assignment was mainly to help me and accomplish his missions ( I quote what he emphesised " Mission " ) in Taiwan; until 2 weeks ago, I discovered his personal goals ( in my terms -- this is personal agenda ) - to be " Deeply Involved " in top management ( my intepretation is to escalate to highest position in the company if chance is there ); his helping me without informing me create problems - when insturcted people who's not reporting to him ( acturally in pararell - horizental position ), they feels harrasment and feels the territory of realm being attacted; well, this is fine, the temporary mission assignment won't be a big obstacle, the real problem for me is to deploy additional amount of time and energy to make sure his aggrestive and initative won't create too much trouble for me; especially in the critical moment of management turn over.
When he got this assignment , we provide the language training ( or he requested for such a training ), the duration for such a Mandarin training is 3 months ( compare with Expatraite's Language Trainging Guildline , which provide 60 hours of training ), we triple the hours ( 3 hours per day in office hours for 3 months ); when it come to the end, he asked to extend his training course -- of course, he is asking company to pay for the tuition as well, this is againt the company policy but in a blur area which the executive have the descreption to decided whether to extend such a training for expatraite. His reason:
1. Better commend of local language will improve the communication skill with local staff and ultimately contribute to the efficiency of operation to the company ( The turth is : Work place communcation is totally different from language institution's text book, the best way to pick up local language is to dive into the enviromement )
2. T. the other expatrate who join our company 3 months before him enjoy a 6 months program. he should be entitled to match this benefit . ( The truth is T. came for language training for a full-day 3 months schedule, but we asked him to come to work in the afternoon and slice his training program into 2 parts, the extented 3 months wasn't extend, but to break down to 6 months / half day program )
3.T. training allowance was fully covered by company. ( The truth is : yes, but the fund was came from Tokyo , not born by local subsiderary, and we put the language training progree a performance apprisail factor in his development sheet. )
4. Training in office hours, K. insist that he work 8 more hours even after the language training ( The truth is : Expatraite is asked to perform his / her duty 24 hours around the clock )
As I don't want to suffer his feeling too much, when discussed with COO, I decided to provide addition one month of training the same condition as before - expense born by company , course take place 6 days a week in the moring time. but when inform his my decision in person, he is not happy , I can tell that some of his mission wasn't achieved. he would like to have additional months - explained to me that the middle level requried 3 months of training; then I came up with a half-way solution - company bear the first month ( Time and Money ) for second and third month, company will pick up either Time or Money ( for example if K. pay for the tiution himself, he can attend the training in office hour; or we pay the allowance, but he can only do it off hour ); maybe my suggetion need to be analised by him, so he told me not to release the second conditon to HR, but go with the first month extendtion first, then he have one month to think how to response to my suggestion.
Again, when I double check with COO, I found he swallow the second conditon and only disclose the one month extention conclusion to COO, This is his habit of hiding something which is not beneficial to him , then digest how to counter it before send the message he favored.
And I invited his idea of how to make a more transparent communiction between me and divisions - I didn't specify which division, I told him my idea and he response with go or bad and even improved some of my ideas such as " Change the format of weekly managers' meeting " - a brilliant discovery; then I told him that how I apprecaite his value in this topic and will launch it across all divisions -- include his division, then he stucked there; 「smart people provide solution and they have to follow the smart solution they provide」
Again, I encounter the power of listening :「ONLY LISTENING ENGAGED.」
I had a coffee with another Japanese expatraite in the afternoon, his character is totally different, maybe their position is different, age is different and scope of experience is different, but how different they approach thing and get things done. T. show his apprecation so sincere and so itimacy, this is what I can't find in K.'s reaction.
I am telling a story and my encounted with expatrate; the time is value and the experience is valued also.
Had lunch with key Kororo management member. knowing the investment is real and the sturcture of company may change, J is exciting about the change - they hope and see only the bright side. and they do raise their voice and asking resource now - move the office, hire more people... it will come to a negociation table. it will happen as I predict. I can't place myself in the old days and act as their General Manager in the office, I am investor, they should perform their duty. the relationship is different. and the respone is different also.
Watching Amodorwa's new film " Bad Education " at home, I falling asleep in the middle of the showing, I may missed some important parts, but I don't really enjoy this film, as my wife afraid of lacking time of watch it next week -- she had a presumed headache of kid summer - 2 daughty kids keep her busy all day and we can't really do what we want to do. so we sit with her for the DVD, with a very egtostic and tired body.
Leaving of new hired leagle representative cause a commotion of her manger, as the resigned one walked into my office complained about why she leave and told me the true reason of leaving wan't the reason she delivered to her mangers -- a game offen performed in Rock Record Group, she addicted to this bad habit, although I encourge her to express her true feeling to her superior and not to limited herself to the world she will never escape forever........ I know M. - our manager is upset about this true feeling as well; when convery message to both HR Manger and M. I advised them the book " Story Factor " I am reading and share with them how " Fact " hurts and why we should wrap the fact with a story - then the influence will last longer and the straigh foreward trauma will not be such painful.
Don't Forget to Write it Down
I almost forgot to write it down; the accidental encounter with an old fellow; that was 2 more weeks ago, In the morning, it seems like a Thursday, I was taken my routine review with director of CRM - The rename call center after the organization changed in April; as the call center located in the far side of the software park; it took about 8 minutes from the main office to call center; in the middle of the hall way -- the inside channel connected the 5 buildings - names after the alphabet A;B;C;D and E; I ran into him; I can recongized his face but hardly recall his name -- one of my bad deficit - I can't hardly remember names; I saw him wearing an very old navy shirt; old sport pants and with a pair of plastic sanders -- it's odd to see a humble person wearing like a beggar strolling in the high-tech park, so, my eyes lay on him for 2 more seconds; then I realized that I knew this guy; he is helping an old woman - a woman sitting on a wheel chair , they are strolling in the park hall way; then he approached me and greeting with " General Manager Lee, how are you ? ", as I am dumb at recall his name, I wait for seconds until he told me who he is : yes, he was once the secretary general for Taiwan Records Association - a local music industry association established longer than IFPI; the thin and dark person greeting me and asked my where about, I gently inform him I am working in the same conglomerate but transfer to its telecom / internet segment; he told me he stayed in China for a few years and coming back to escort his mother - the woman on the wheel chair -- then I move my eyes to her and nod my head, showing my greeting with the body gesture; he told me his mother wasn't well these days, so he accompany her to take stroll in the park, and they live in neighborhood; I stop the implus of sending my business card, and with a very short conversation, I appologies and heading for the reveiw session; the encountering and image of him keep in my mind; I am so afraind to become him one day; although we were told not to judge a person by its appearance, but the ambience it flows to me like the warning alarm -- keep working hard.
after the review session, I pass the hall way returned to the main office, I saw them still; as he didn't watch my way, I intended to walk in fast pace and passing through them, I sneak myself in Starbucks for a while, watching how the mother and son moves; finishing my Latte, they were gone and I adjusted my turbulance of feelings before walking back.
Had the first shareholders acquaintance breakfase last Friday at Sherwood Hotel; this is for accomodate C.'s scheduled; both of them were late; the breakfast was excellent; they working for the same accounting firm AA before in difference stage; both of them holding the CPA position and speak the same language... C. is energetic -- the terms J. used to describe the person she met the first time; the coincidenct is the accounting firm we were hiring was run by one of their old colleage - in AA; it all come to a fate that we were meant to be together; I am like the man who holding the line flew knits and all the knites now seeing each other in the sky.
Sat. I didn't attend J. colleage's wedding but to conduct a business session with the guest coming over from Japan; as the COO departure create some ambiguilty and uncertainty to our operation, I took the change to express all my concerns, A. - the guy serious about business and always wearing his poker face says the word more than 10 times " I hear it ", From now on, I need to learn how to appreciated people from varies countries with diversify culture and background.
Drafting the new management organization chart on Sun afternoon, as the Monday strategic meeting was postponed - due to the emergency of delay lauch for new business. so it gave me time to think about the new organizations..... Fruit was terribely bad then, she was not yell at her mother but perform physical assult to her mother; I really can't stand it, she was totally out of controll; her mother mentioned to me that she never lost anything, always gain what she want , but can't help jearous about her brother and so bias about this situation; we decided to ban her from attending the teachers' farewell lunchon. it seems like my wife don't know how to help Fruit; I told her the stroy of J. - how she make Chinese Fortune Telling turn a phychatrist and helping lose child finding their way home; it worth tring, I said; as least, it won't put a sterotype of authority takes the lead.
Friday evening, I attended the Alasam visiotors greeting seminar at Rits; it was invited by Mark - my sponsor to YPO. this is very strange, as Mark is not active in local YPO activity -- I didn't know it until I am a qualified member now; Alamsan desert protection is initatiave by the China entreprenure nowadays - they called upon 100 business leader ( 70 something from China, and the rest from Taiwan and HK ) to form a SEE ( Social Entreprenur Ecology ) NGP to promote this campaign; 14 of the leader visiting Taipei on last Friday; they were the big shot in China and its a rare chance to meet them in person all at once; unfortunately, I am not in a good shape, the flu hit me when the seminar took place, I have to leave before dinner and miss my chance to know these China business leader more. I run to the hospital and take medicine immediately. if I stayed for 2 more hours, I don't really know what will happen.
Begin my BeYou site yesterday, it's kind of fun, the ministage is the fun part and of course, the trick part to generate revenue. We are going to hold the press conference on 23th; Marekting head approach me late last night and seeking my advise about the endoresment / sponsership / co-promotion segment when working with artist in the press party like it; as on last meeting, I inform them to make sure the artsit who appear on our press conference shall wear the " Be You T-Shirt " during the entire performance. they didn't response me last week, but to tell me if I can change my mind -- I simply told them if you can't make the artist wearing our logo-shirt, then we losing the game and this is a one time deal for mass media exploure; we can't control what jourlist said, but visually we can be sure the picture will tell the story we want to express. I hope the understand my point and reach the goal.
