Out & About

The inflight service that other airlines talk about...

Present To Win

And finally...

One Life! Live It! With the energetic M1 Executive Staff at our recent "Emotional Intelligence (EQ) At Work" Two Day programme.

We covered the following four quadrants in EQ:

1. Self Awareness
2. Social Awareness
3. Self Management
4. Relationship Management

2. Social Awareness asks you whether you can exhibit empathy with others, whether you have a service orientation with other people in the organisation, and also whether you are able to respond to the needs of the organisation. Remember that 'organisation' also includes family.

3. Self Management asks whether your self- discipline is strong. Whether you display initiative, and whether you are achievement oriented. Are you adaptable in your daily work towards your goals and vision? Are you conscientious, that is, do you display painstakingly carefulness in the production of your work? And how's your character - how's your trustworthiness?

4. Relationship Management. To me, this is the leadership quadrant. Do you have the ability to develop others in their competencies, influence others, and be a change agent? Are you a great communicator, able to manage conflict competently, and able to build bonds with others? Are you able to develop and demonstrate leadership qualities and competencies, and be able to gel teams together to perform true teamwork and collaboration? If you can do these, then you are truly a great leader.

I really can't say enough about EQ. IQ gets you the job, but it's EQ that subsequently gets you the promotion, and propels you toward greater success. After attending the programme, the participants said that their interpersonal and newly developed awareness and management of their emotional skills would put them into much better positions whenever working with others. Many said that the programme was transformational.

I agree with them - I've developed so much more in my self-esteem, doability, resiliency and achievementality since putting into practice what I teach. Just don't leave home without it!

Hi there!

During the month, I had a quick trip back to Sydney flying (you know who...see below!).

One more month to go before Xmas and we'll roar into 2005! So again, if you haven't made some strong achievable plans for the coming year, start doing something for yourself!

My son Justin graduates this year as a teacher from the University of Sydney, after applying himself for four years. Another landmark is reached for all of us! Next year, he joins the work force to make a difference in children's lives - I'd like to think that he's going to teach for life, and not just regard his profession of teaching as a 'job'.

We can all influence many others in our daily lives. Trouble is, many of us don't think much of it, and never give it our best for that magic moment or what Jan Carlzon called the "Moment of Truth" - when the client meets you - when the rubber meets the road.

Let's do it a whole lot better. Let's give it all we've got 'in the moment', and whether the other person is a client, a member of staff, a member of the public, a member of our family, let's give him or her that Magic Moment of total attention! Let's be there for them by tuning in and listening sincerely to what they have to say. And then only after ensuring that we have understood their position, to put together our response to them.

Wouldn't this make such a big difference in our relationships? What do you think the benefits would be if you were to do this?

On SQ220 Returning from Sydney! Yet another memorable trip...again!. With Inflight Supervisor Peter Yap and Chief Stewardess Lynn Tan plus their extremely competent and capable crew looking after the passengers on the B747-400 Jumbo Jet, I noticed all the passengers having a WOW of a time on the SYD-SIN flight (in fact, so did I!).

It's a fact that Singapore Airlines really do give their very best and carry out carefully designed procedures to give us the service that even other airlines talk about...No doubt...it's the
Heart of Leadership at work!

How about your own work procedures? What are you doing on a daily basis that gives others a WOW! feeling after you have communicated with them? Or are you so task oriented that you forget to build rapport in the relationship?

Be there in the moment and think carefully about balancing Results and Relationships in the right mix for that moment - you'll find that in most cases, you'll romp home the winner. And your customer will keep on coming back for more of what you have!

Emphasise benefits in your introduction

First and last impressions really count. Your listeners tend to pay their best attention to your introductions and the conclusions of your business presentations. So remember to make your introductions and conclusions start with a 'bang' and end with a 'boom'.

TIP: Emphasise the benefits your listeners will gain by listening to you. Make your talk highly relevant to their concerns. Imagine if one of your listeners were to ask you, "Excuse me Mr/Ms Speaker, why should we listen to you? What will we gain?" The trick is to answer that question before anyone asks it.

Answer it by mentioning lower costs or higher profits, or the potential of solving a problem, or of increasing work safety, or enhancing quality of life, or opportunity for advancement, or the ability to perform better, or to make more money, or the like.

Think carefully about your listener's interests and concerns. Find ways to make your presentation benefit your listeners, and make sure they know, right from the start of your talk, what those benefits are.

You'll more easily deliver a more powerful, persuasive presentation when you involve your listeners with their particular interests.

Here's an Exercise for you: On a clean sheet of paper, draw up three columns. List some presentation topics that you plan to deliver in the near future. In the centre column, identify the audience for each talk. In the right column, list the benefits the audience will get from listening to you.

Armed with these answers, you'll go out now and make your next presentation really memorable and persuasive!

Remember to take some quality time off for yourself. Here's me in front of Circular Quay in Sydney. If you want to jump on a ferry to take in Manly, the famous seaside resort, this is where you need to come to catch it.

Short breaks will rejuvenate your mind, body and spirit and you'll come back again to work with renewed energy and focus in accomplishing your goals.

Until next month, live JOYfully! I'll look after myself for you, and I'd like you to look after yourself for me! Get positively motivated towards your higher goals, and I wish you enough joys and achievements for the month.

Best wishes,

Ricky