Often enough, we hear the saying, ‘The buck stops here’. Well, leading a company or a country, for that matter is an enormous task; where the biggest challenges would lie in managing people rather than in operations.
As a business owner myself, I find it crucial to make decisions every day, no matter how hard. There really no gray areas, no maybes. It’s a yes, or a no. I’ve discovered from experience that the more you leave an issue unresolved, the more it will grow and return to hit you right on the head – much like a boomerang!
This is especially evident when making decisions on people and their roles within the organisation. Selecting and keeping the right team in place is most important to business success. I’ve learned the hard way from experience, that coupled with the right people, on the same wavelength, we’re truly able to move mountains and make a difference. But the trick is in getting that team together; no matter how small.
Firstly, I will hold true to the belief that my staff, are my colleagues firstly. We’re all working together to achieve the goals of the company. So it’s natural that each person is given the leeway to make mistakes and learn. However, work attitude is something they bring with them from their previous jobs. And that, is hard to change. All you need is one person on the team who’s not on the same page as management, and the virus spreads. Gossips, back-stabbing and so on.
Here are a few tips on building a strong corporate culture based on LOVE. Someone once asked me, why is it a side stall that sells the same ‘ice-cendol’ as his neighbour gets only half the customers. And the answer, according to this friend of mine was that the stall owner had no LOVE.
We all need LOVE. Whether it’s at work or at home. So let’s just practice a little more care and love for one another in the office. Protect each other and do things for one another. Selflessness.
Let me share an example. A new intern came into the office on Monday fresh from his hometown in Kampar. Guess what was on the table? You guessed right! Delicious snacks from Kampar! I hope he will remember to be nice as he grows and becomes a citizen of the corporate world.
A staff with LOVE for himself / herself is also a sign that they respect themselve. This is important because if a person is fearful of others, or fears that others cannot LOVE him/her for themselves, then they create an invisible ‘block’ between them and Clients. I have met overly enthusiastic young people who tell me to give them a chance by giving them a job. I’ve done that. Give them a chance. Some of them prove themselves so well they move on quickly to another job. Some of them take on more than they could, and as a result, put unnecessary pressure on themselves. It takes LOVE to cultivate a relationship. And creating a healthy relationship at work is important for the mind and soul.
“The buck stops here” is a phrase that was popularized by U.S. President Harry S. Truman, who kept a sign with that phrase on his desk in the Oval Office. (Footage from Jimmy Carter‘s “Address to the Nation on Energy” shows the sign still on the desk during Carter’s administration.) The phrase refers to the fact that the President has to make the decisions and accept the ultimate responsibility for those decisions. Truman received the sign as a gift from a prison warden, who was also an avid poker player. The ship’s motto of the U.S. Naval Aircraft Carrier, USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75), is also “The Buck Stops Here.”[3]
LIFE. A POST RELEASE. 