#TheAspiredCXO

This book was the first management book I’ve bought. I still remember it was my birthday. I took leave. I walked into IOI Mall’s Popular bookstore, saw this funny looking book – Sun Tzu Was a Sissy: Conquer Your Enemies, Promote Your Friends, and Wage the Real Art of War by Stanley Bing. Back then … Read more

That was the first management book that I managed to finish reading. I was quite young and was just promoted to be a people’s manager not too long ago. My boss told me it will be good for me to start reading ‘management’ books. I shared with her I find management books quite dry & … Read more

I love all of the characters in Peanuts created by Schulz. But if I have to pick it has to be Snoopy & Lucy. They both are narcissists. Love to mock others. Very straightforward when they communicate and so honest they are, they can forget about people’s feelings. They are loyal. And they are also … Read more

Growing up, way before the Internet, I read quite a bit. Like a lot of people, I started with Peter & Jane and gradually to Enid Blyton. I love really comics too. Archie, Tintin, Gila-gila but the 2 comics that I love and still read today are Garfield and Peanuts created by Jim Davis & … Read more

The industry is a small world after all I always say. People know people. Words do get around. Like the workforce industry that I am in currently. After 17 years, I do know quite fair bit of people in it. And it’s the same a fair bit of people do know me too. So I … Read more

There is this game that I like to play called “Who am I?” A name of a famous person will be written on a piece of paper & taped to my back. Then I will get to ask 10 ‘yes’ or ‘no’ questions only to the audience to gather information in order to guess who … Read more

There was once an employee asked me, “If I put you as a referee, can you not share with them about my disciplinary records?” “You mean you want me to lie if they ask me if you have any record in disciplinary?” “Yes, I would really appreciate that if you could help me with that.” … Read more

I remember the first time I had given someone a reference check. It was for an ex-staff who left me not too long ago. I was actually quite nervous during my first ref check call. What I was going to say was going to somehow determine whether she was going to get the job or … Read more

A lot of people do tell me that reference check is biased, so why bother. Because: The referee is referred by the candidate. Of course they will choose someone who most likely going to give a good ref check. They have known each other way much longer than that 5-10 mins call that you are … Read more

The other day I conducted a candidate’s reference check. The candidate applied for a leadership role so I called up one of his previous subordinates. In the interaction with the referee, he was telling me a story of how he was developed by him a decade ago when he first started to join the workforce. … Read more