MBA wannabes

Getting into top MBA program is pretty tough, or perhaps time-consuming is a more correct word. Applicants must take GMAT (Graduate Management Admission Test), which may take months to prepare. Another test for international students are TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language); this also takes some time to prepare. In addition to these tests, applicants must submit their GPA(s), which may be difficult to get in some countries. Then there comes the essays and interview.

I've been helping a few of these applicants, especially in giving my opinions to their essays. Some started well (i.e. good story, structured, good English), some others were hopeless, especially those with bad English. Despite that, the very first thing before getting into this messy journey of MBA application is the decision to get an MBA. Some people are very clear why they want an MBA. And as usual, some others don't. For those who really want it, it's no longer a dream - it's become their goal. (BTW, the difference between dream and goal is merely a date - that the date exists and is reasonable).

Last week I met with several to-be-applicants in Jakarta to share my experience at Duke. Pretty impressive pool of young men and women. I probably can tell, barely from getting the idea how prepared and how knowledgable they are about MBA, who has higher chance to getting into top-ranked schools. Yeah, right. Now I can read palms too...

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Nissan Serena

SPACIOUS. LUXURIOUS. MODERN.

The New NISSAN Serena symbolizes first class travel on the road. The distinctive wide boxy exterior, the mark of today's flagship MPVs (Multi-Purpose Vehicle) such as the NISSAN Elgrand is evident in the new Serena as well.

I agree with the spacious claim, and it has decent safety features too. It is a good size minivan type of vehicle (don't compare with Alphard, though). Kids can "run" around inside, which now I think probably is not preferable. It fits three-four decent size bicycles with the last row folded. Another cool feature is the rotateable second-row seats.

Luxurious and modern? I'm not sure. It seems Nissan try to balance between costs and features. It's way behind what Toyota Wish has, not to mention the truly luxurious Honda Stream. The interior seems rigid, which I wish Nissan can do a much better job in designing it (they have many options for exterior accessories).

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A hazy nation

The haze in Malaysia, especially in KL where I can really experience, is pretty bad. Not only it disturbs vision, it also hurts eyes and, during the worse days, your respiratory system, i.e. it's difficult to breath. People get sick, schools cancel their outdoor activities, etc.

Most of the haze does come from Indonesia - some hotspots are also located in Malaysia. Interestingly, people in Jakarta don't get affected. Life goes on beautifully over there, as I went to Jakarta last month. I guess the government could've done better to prevent the fire at the first place - as we all know preventive is better than corrective actions.

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Sandbagger

Just came back from business plan meeting in Singapore, and realized that most Asians are sandbaggers. It's so obvious that some people sandbag so much that they can easily say yes when challenged for a new target without making sure it's the "right" target. They just know their sandbags are big enough.

This is a problem for those who want to do business the right way. Those trying to be transparent get scrutinized. But I believe that everyone builds his/her own reputation. If we can convince people (i.e. bosses) that we don't have anything to hide, or even show where we try to build contigencies, would then life be much easier and less stressful? Too naive?

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Fortune's Global 2006 Most Admired Companies

Which companies in the world have the best reputations? Among those surveyed, here's the top 10 global companies:

1. General Electric
2. Toyota Motor
3. Procter & Gamble
4. FedEx
5. Johnson & Johnson
6. Microsoft
7. Dell
8. Berkshire Hathaway
9. Apple Computer
10. Wal-Mart Stores

So it's GE again for the overall ranking as well as in the electronics industry. J&J is global's #5 and the leader in the pharmaceutical industry. And of course, Toyota leads the motor vehicle industry.

The leaders for most admired for managing talent:
1. Procter & Gamble
2. General Electric
3. Walgreen (really, Walgreen the stores?)

The most admired for innovation:
1. Apple Computer
2. Procter & Gamble
3. Walt Disney

It seems that P&G is a good place to work....

The Most Admired list is the definitive report card on corporate reputations. Our survey partners at Hay Group started with the FORTUNE 1,000 -- the 1,000 largest U.S. companies ranked by revenue -- and the top foreign companies operating in the U.S. They sorted the companies by industry and selected the ten largest companies in each.

To create the 65 industry lists, Hay asked executives, directors, and analysts to rate companies in their own industry on eight criteria, from investment value to social responsibility. This year only the best are listed as most admired: A company's score must rank in the top half of its industry survey. Ranks for the rest of the contenders are available online only.

To create the top 20 and overall list of Most Admired Companies, Hay Group asked the 10,000 executives, directors, and securities analysts who had responded to the industry surveys to select the ten companies they admired most. They chose from a list made up of the companies that ranked among the top 25% in last year's survey, plus those that finished in the top 20% of their industry. Anyone could vote for any company in any industry. The difference in the voting rolls is why some results can seem anomalous -- for example, FedEx is one of the top ten Most Admired Companies but only second in its own industry.

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World Cup and Productivity

As most management articles and newspaper predicted productivity drop, I'm surprised to see the productivity at our production floor wasn't affected. Or at least it was able to hide behind other external factors. Or perhaps we're having these external factors (mostly due to quality of our raw and packaging materials) because of the productivity loss at the supplier sites?

The effect might be bigger in the European countries, countries that participate in the World Cup, or other countries with higher GDP. And, with some common favorites out before reaching semi-final (#1 team supported in Malaysia, btw, is England), even fewer people stayed at night to watch the later games.

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The New Manager's Handbook

A book by Morey Stettner. I bought 'just to make sure' I'm aware of all the possible challenges in the near future. The book is easy to read, but, really, is quite similar to other management or 'new manager' books around. Other books I've read, "Winning" and "Execution" also share similar values and learnings. The good thing about "The New Manager's Handbook" is that it is brief, concise, and easy to read, although at times I wish it provides more hands-on example.

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Indcoup and Jakartass

I found these two very interesting blogs, Indcoup and Jakartass, most likely through comments and other blogs linked to Tiara Lestari's. I've been their regulars for some time now and enjoy their writings.

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Tiara Lestari

By this time, most of Indonesians should've known Tiara Lestari, her pictures and posing for Playboy. Quite pretty, has Indonesian look, and, surprisingly writes very well in her blog, Tiara Lestari's Personal Journal.

Here's her "About Me" and picture from her blog:
"I am originally from Indonesia. Formerly residing in Singapore, I am now firmly back in my own beloved country. Modeling has been my passion and profession. My journey as a model has taken me to the cover of Playboy Magazine in a far away land and right in the center of a national controversy. It plunged me into depth of humility without prejudice or guilt. It guides me to see through changes, places and faces. Through it all, I understand that life itself is full of surprises that neither reason, nor logic can comprehend. It certainly has been a journey filled with joy and turbulence. It is a journey from sensuality to elegance. Welcome to my life."

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Follow-Ups and Culture of Accountability

Having an objective to "transform to high performance and process-based culture" really tells that something must be done to the culture at my work. It is right on the dot. First, I thought it was only that people don't manage their meetings effectively. Then, I thought it was that people just don't follow-up thoroughly. Furthermore, I concluded that people don't follow-up because there just no feeling of accountability around here. And lastly, I also found out that transparency and candor are also not practiced. It's just the exact opposite of what Jack Welch explains in his book "Winning".

Then we decided that this particular issue needs to have special attention. My kick-ass boss chose to be the owner of this strategy. We'll see how it goes, but we're moving to the right direction.

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