sixonine organizer

2007-07-23T17:51:00.001-07:00

Create like a god, command like a king, work like a slave.
(Constantin Brancusi)

office : jl. harapan II no 57 Pangkalan-Jati Jakarta Timur

phone. 86613722 - 081574090080

fax. 86613722

It’s NOT only About Money! by James Gwee

2007-07-23T17:49:00.001-07:00

It’s NOT only About Money!
James Gwee (academia)

It’s a fact that most people work for money. It cannot be denied that salary and financial compensation are important factors when choosing a job, and when choosing to stay or to leave.

It’s also a FACT that MONEY IS NOT EVERYTHING.

What motivates an employee and what does not motivate him ?

Basic Factors

A decent basic salary and safe working environment are just BASIC factors that make people want to work in your company. Without these basic factors, people don’t even want to work for you ! So if you are a manager or a business owner, do not wrongly assume that just because you pay your employees a decent salary (UMR or slightly above UMR, or market rate), you expect them to be motivated. Wrong ! People are NOT MOTIVATED by basic salary ! A decent basic salary is NOT a motivational factor. It is only a basic factor.

Motivational Factors

If you hope for your employees to be motivated, you must give the following :
Challenging work that allows people to expand their abilities
An environment where people can learn
An environment where people can enjoy the interaction between colleagues
Recognition for their efforts
An environment of respect and self respect
It is only when these factors are present in their work will employees be MOTIVATED. Otherwise, they will only be doing their job for a living, and nothing else.

Therefore, a manager must know the difference between Basic Factors and Motivational Factors. So in your workplace, are you only providing Basic Factors or Motivational Factors ?

An important Motivational Factor is Recognition for their effort. This can be in the form of a Reward or an Award. There are 1001 ways to show your employee that you appreciate his effort. Here are some common ideas :

Financial incentive
Prizes
A day off
A paid-for holiday trip
An opportunity to park in the boss’s parking lot
An opportunity to work from the boss’s office for 1 week
Being introduced and having lunch with the CEO, etc

It Not Only WHAT You Give,
It’s Also About HOW You Give It !

People are suckers for celebration, ceremony and fanfare. So pay attention to HOW you give the award. Otherwise, all the effort is wasted and your employee does not feel that he truly deserves it, or that you really appreciate him. Here are some ideas to make sure that your employee REALLY FEELS appreciated and recognized when he receives the award.

1. Choose an appropriate person to give the award. The person who gives the award to the employee does not always have to be the CEO. Choose a person who is meaningful. Ideally, choose a person who knows the employee personally. One idea is to get the employee’s appreciative CUSTOMER to present award to him with a short speech of why he personally thinks this employee truly deserves the award. Can you imagine if the employee’s mother (or even grandfather) has been secretly invited to present the award to him on stage ! A truly touching and memorable experience ! Be creative when choosing the person who gives the award. Often, a little extra effort can have really significant effort.

2. The Presenter must know about the reward. The presenter must know the name of the award. He must know the objective behind giving the award. He must know the criteria for winning so that he has a clear understanding of how qualified/committed the winner is so that his short speech should reflect this appreciation and admiration. So if you are the person who is sometimes selected to give an award, please take it seriously. It may not mean much to you, but it could mean the whole world to the person receiving the award. Maybe he has been waiting his whole life for this moment on stage ! It is his moment of glory ! Take it seriously or ask someone else to do it cos you don’t deserve to give the award ! Sorry.

3. Invite their colleague to comment on the winner. It is a good idea for someone else to say something nice about the winner on stage, to everyone who is present. This is another form of recognition that shows that other people also appreciate his effort.

4. Give the winner a chance to comment. This is always a touching moment. The winner may not want to say anything, but it is always a good idea to offer him the opportunity anyway. You will be surprised at how he feels about this recognition that he has just received. However beware of those who would speak forever until he is “booed” off the stage ! So make sure that he is given a maximum of 3 minutes to speak.
Often, it is not the price of the prize. Often what makes it so significant, touching and memorable is the WAY in which the award is given. So give it sincerely. Your employee deserves it !

How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie

2007-07-23T17:44:00.000-07:00

How to Win Friends and Influence People
This is Dale Carnegie's summary of his book, from 1936

Fundamental Techniques in Handling People
Six Ways to Make People Like You
How to Win People to Your Way of Thinking
Be a Leader: How to Change People Without Giving Offense or Arousing Resentment

Part One
Fundamental Techniques in Handling People
Don't criticize, condemn or complain.
Give honest and sincere appreciation.
Arouse in the other person an eager want.

Part Two
Six ways to make people like you
Become genuinely interested in other people.
Smile.
Remember that a person's name is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any language.
Be a good listener. Encourage others to talk about themselves.
Talk in terms of the other person's interests.
Make the other person feel important - and do it sincerely.

Part Three
Win people to your way of thinking
The only way to get the best of an argument is to avoid it.
Show respect for the other person's opinions. Never say, "You're wrong."
If you are wrong, admit it quickly and emphatically.
Begin in a friendly way.
Get the other person saying "yes, yes" immediately.
Let the other person do a great deal of the talking.
Let the other person feel that the idea is his or hers.
Try honestly to see things from the other person's point of view.
Be sympathetic with the other person's ideas and desires.
Appeal to the nobler motives.
Dramatize your ideas.
Throw down a challenge.

Part Four
Be a Leader: How to Change People Without Giving Offense or Arousing ResentmentA leader's job often includes changing your people's attitudes and behavior. Some suggestions to accomplish this:
Begin with praise and honest appreciation.
Call attention to people's mistakes indirectly.
Talk about your own mistakes before criticizing the other person.
Ask questions instead of giving direct orders.
Let the other person save face.
Praise the slightest improvement and praise every improvement. Be "hearty in your approbation and lavish in your praise."
Give the other person a fine reputation to live up to.
Use encouragement. Make the fault seem easy to correct.
Make the other person happy about doing the thing you suggest.

The Brand Called You by Tom Peters

2007-07-23T17:41:00.000-07:00

The Brand Called You
Big companies understand the importance of brands. Today, in the Age of the Individual, you have to be your own brand. Here's what it takes to be the CEO of Me Inc.
By: Tom Peters

That cross-trainer you're wearing -- one look at the distinctive swoosh on the side tells everyone who's got you branded. That coffee travel mug you're carrying -- ah, you're a Starbucks woman! Your T-shirt with the distinctive Champion "C" on the sleeve, the blue jeans with the prominent Levi's rivets, the watch with the hey-this-certifies-I-made-it icon on the face, your fountain pen with the maker's symbol crafted into the end ...
You're branded, branded, branded, branded.
It's time for me -- and you -- to take a lesson from the big brands, a lesson that's true for anyone who's interested in what it takes to stand out and prosper in the new world of work.
Regardless of age, regardless of position, regardless of the business we happen to be in, all of us need to understand the importance of branding. We are CEOs of our own companies: Me Inc. To be in business today, our most important job is to be head marketer for the brand called You.
It's that simple -- and that hard. And that inescapable.
Behemoth companies may take turns buying each other or acquiring every hot startup that catches their eye -- mergers in 1996 set records. Hollywood may be interested in only blockbusters and book publishers may want to put out only guaranteed best-sellers. But don't be fooled by all the frenzy at the humongous end of the size spectrum.
The real action is at the other end: the main chance is becoming a free agent in an economy of free agents, looking to have the best season you can imagine in your field, looking to do your best work and chalk up a remarkable track record, and looking to establish your own micro equivalent of the Nike swoosh. Because if you do, you'll not only reach out toward every opportunity within arm's (or laptop's) length, you'll not only make a noteworthy contribution to your team's success -- you'll also put yourself in a great bargaining position for next season's free-agency market.
The good news -- and it is largely good news -- is that everyone has a chance to stand out. Everyone has a chance to learn, improve, and build up their skills. Everyone has a chance to be a brand worthy of remark.
Who understands this fundamental principle? The big companies do. They've come a long way in a short time: it was just over four years ago, April 2, 1993 to be precise, when Philip Morris cut the price of Marlboro cigarettes by 40 cents a pack. That was on a Friday. On Monday, the stock market value of packaged goods companies fell by $25 billion. Everybody agreed: brands were doomed.
Today brands are everything, and all kinds of products and services -- from accounting firms to sneaker makers to restaurants -- are figuring out how to transcend the narrow boundaries of their categories and become a brand surrounded by a Tommy Hilfiger-like buzz.
Who else understands it? Every single Web site sponsor. In fact, the Web makes the case for branding more directly than any packaged good or consumer product ever could. Here's what the Web says: Anyone can have a Web site. And today, because anyone can ... anyone does! So how do you know which sites are worth visiting, which sites to bookmark, which sites are worth going to more than once? The answer: branding. The sites you go back to are the sites you trust. They're the sites where the brand name tells you that the visit will be worth your time -- again and again. The brand is a promise of the value you'll receive.
The same holds true for that other killer app of the Net -- email. When everybody has email and anybody can send you email, how do you decide whose messages you're going to read and respond to first -- and whose you're going to send to the trash unread? The answer: personal branding. The name of the email sender is every bit as important a brand -- is a brand -- as the name of the Web site you visit. It's a promise of the value you'll receive for the time you spend reading the message.
Nobody understands branding better than professional services firms. Look at McKinsey or Arthur Andersen for a model of the new rules of branding at the company and personal level. Almost every professional services firm works with the same business model. They have almost no hard assets -- my guess is that most probably go so far as to rent or lease every tangible item they possibly can to keep from having to own anything. They have lots of soft assets -- more conventionally known as people, preferably smart, motivated, talented people. And they have huge revenues -- and astounding profits.
They also have a very clear culture of work and life. You're hired, you report to work, you join a team -- and you immediately start figuring out how to deliver value to the customer. Along the way, you learn stuff, develop your skills, hone your abilities, move from project to project. And if you're really smart, you figure out how to distinguish yourself from all the other very smart people walking around with $1,500 suits, high-powered laptops, and well-polished resumes. Along the way, if you're really smart, you figure out what it takes to create a distinctive role for yourself -- you create a message and a strategy to promote the brand called You.
What makes You different?
Start right now: as of this moment you're going to think of yourself differently! You're not an "employee" of General Motors, you're not a "staffer" at General Mills, you're not a "worker" at General Electric or a "human resource" at General Dynamics (ooops, it's gone!). Forget the Generals! You don't "belong to" any company for life, and your chief affiliation isn't to any particular "function." You're not defined by your job title and you're not confined by your job description.
Starting today you are a brand.
You're every bit as much a brand as Nike, Coke, Pepsi, or the Body Shop. To start thinking like your own favorite brand manager, ask yourself the same question the brand managers at Nike, Coke, Pepsi, or the Body Shop ask themselves: What is it that my product or service does that makes it different? Give yourself the traditional 15-words-or-less contest challenge. Take the time to write down your answer. And then take the time to read it. Several times.
If your answer wouldn't light up the eyes of a prospective client or command a vote of confidence from a satisfied past client, or -- worst of all -- if it doesn't grab you, then you've got a big problem. It's time to give some serious thought and even more serious effort to imagining and developing yourself as a brand.
Start by identifying the qualities or characteristics that make you distinctive from your competitors -- or your colleagues. What have you done lately -- this week -- to make yourself stand out? What would your colleagues or your customers say is your greatest and clearest strength? Your most noteworthy (as in, worthy of note) personal trait?
Go back to the comparison between brand You and brand X -- the approach the corporate biggies take to creating a brand. The standard model they use is feature-benefit: every feature they offer in their product or service yields an identifiable and distinguishable benefit for their customer or client. A dominant feature of Nordstrom department stores is the personalized service it lavishes on each and every customer. The customer benefit: a feeling of being accorded individualized attention -- along with all of the choice of a large department store.
So what is the "feature-benefit model" that the brand called You offers? Do you deliver your work on time, every time? Your internal or external customer gets dependable, reliable service that meets its strategic needs. Do you anticipate and solve problems before they become crises? Your client saves money and headaches just by having you on the team. Do you always complete your projects within the allotted budget? I can't name a single client of a professional services firm who doesn't go ballistic at cost overruns.
Your next step is to cast aside all the usual descriptors that employees and workers depend on to locate themselves in the company structure. Forget your job title. Ask yourself: What do I do that adds remarkable, measurable, distinguished, distinctive value? Forget your job description. Ask yourself: What do I do that I am most proud of? Most of all, forget about the standard rungs of progression you've climbed in your career up to now. Burn that damnable "ladder" and ask yourself: What have I accomplished that I can unabashedly brag about? If you're going to be a brand, you've got to become relentlessly focused on what you do that adds value, that you're proud of, and most important, that you can shamelessly take credit for.
When you've done that, sit down and ask yourself one more question to define your brand: What do I want to be famous for? That's right -- famous for!
What's the pitch for You?
So it's a cliché: don't sell the steak, sell the sizzle. it's also a principle that every corporate brand understands implicitly, from Omaha Steaks's through-the-mail sales program to Wendy's "we're just regular folks" ad campaign. No matter how beefy your set of skills, no matter how tasty you've made that feature-benefit proposition, you still have to market the bejesus out of your brand -- to customers, colleagues, and your virtual network of associates.
For most branding campaigns, the first step is visibility. If you're General Motors, Ford, or Chrysler, that usually means a full flight of TV and print ads designed to get billions of "impressions" of your brand in front of the consuming public. If you're brand You, you've got the same need for visibility -- but no budget to buy it.
So how do you market brand You?
There's literally no limit to the ways you can go about enhancing your profile. Try moonlighting! Sign up for an extra project inside your organization, just to introduce yourself to new colleagues and showcase your skills -- or work on new ones. Or, if you can carve out the time, take on a freelance project that gets you in touch with a totally novel group of people. If you can get them singing your praises, they'll help spread the word about what a remarkable contributor you are.
If those ideas don't appeal, try teaching a class at a community college, in an adult education program, or in your own company. You get credit for being an expert, you increase your standing as a professional, and you increase the likelihood that people will come back to you with more requests and more opportunities to stand out from the crowd.
If you're a better writer than you are a teacher, try contributing a column or an opinion piece to your local newspaper. And when I say local, I mean local. You don't have to make the op-ed page of the New York Times to make the grade. Community newspapers, professional newsletters, even inhouse company publications have white space they need to fill. Once you get started, you've got a track record -- and clips that you can use to snatch more chances.
And if you're a better talker than you are teacher or writer, try to get yourself on a panel discussion at a conference or sign up to make a presentation at a workshop. Visibility has a funny way of multiplying; the hardest part is getting started. But a couple of good panel presentations can earn you a chance to give a "little" solo speech -- and from there it's just a few jumps to a major address at your industry's annual convention.
The second important thing to remember about your personal visibility campaign is: it all matters. When you're promoting brand You, everything you do -- and everything you choose not to do -- communicates the value and character of the brand. Everything from the way you handle phone conversations to the email messages you send to the way you conduct business in a meeting is part of the larger message you're sending about your brand.
Partly it's a matter of substance: what you have to say and how well you get it said. But it's also a matter of style. On the Net, do your communications demonstrate a command of the technology? In meetings, do you keep your contributions short and to the point? It even gets down to the level of your brand You business card: Have you designed a cool-looking logo for your own card? Are you demonstrating an appreciation for design that shows you understand that packaging counts -- a lot -- in a crowded world?
The key to any personal branding campaign is "word-of-mouth marketing." Your network of friends, colleagues, clients, and customers is the most important marketing vehicle you've got; what they say about you and your contributions is what the market will ultimately gauge as the value of your brand. So the big trick to building your brand is to find ways to nurture your network of colleagues -- consciously.
What's the real power of You?
If you want to grow your brand, you've got to come to terms with power -- your own. The key lesson: power is not a dirty word!
In fact, power for the most part is a badly misunderstood term and a badly misused capability. I'm talking about a different kind of power than we usually refer to. It's not ladder power, as in who's best at climbing over the adjacent bods. It's not who's-got-the-biggest-office-by-six-square-inches power or who's-got-the-fanciest-title power.
It's influence power.
It's being known for making the most significant contribution in your particular area. It's reputational power. If you were a scholar, you'd measure it by the number of times your publications get cited by other people. If you were a consultant, you'd measure it by the number of CEOs who've got your business card in their Rolodexes. (And better yet, the number who know your beeper number by heart.)
Getting and using power -- intelligently, responsibly, and yes, powerfully -- are essential skills for growing your brand. One of the things that attracts us to certain brands is the power they project. As a consumer, you want to associate with brands whose powerful presence creates a halo effect that rubs off on you.
It's the same in the workplace. There are power trips that are worth taking -- and that you can take without appearing to be a self-absorbed, self-aggrandizing megalomaniacal jerk. You can do it in small, slow, and subtle ways. Is your team having a hard time organizing productive meetings? Volunteer to write the agenda for the next meeting. You're contributing to the team, and you get to decide what's on and off the agenda. When it's time to write a post-project report, does everyone on your team head for the door? Beg for the chance to write the report -- because the hand that holds the pen (or taps the keyboard) gets to write or at least shape the organization's history.
Most important, remember that power is largely a matter of perception. If you want people to see you as a powerful brand, act like a credible leader. When you're thinking like brand You, you don't need org-chart authority to be a leader. The fact is you are a leader. You're leading You!
One key to growing your power is to recognize the simple fact that we now live in a project world. Almost all work today is organized into bite-sized packets called projects. A project-based world is ideal for growing your brand: projects exist around deliverables, they create measurables, and they leave you with braggables. If you're not spending at least 70% of your time working on projects, creating projects, or organizing your (apparently mundane) tasks into projects, you are sadly living in the past. Today you have to think, breathe, act, and work in projects.
Project World makes it easier for you to assess -- and advertise -- the strength of brand You. Once again, think like the giants do. Imagine yourself a brand manager at Procter & Gamble: When you look at your brand's assets, what can you add to boost your power and felt presence? Would you be better off with a simple line extension -- taking on a project that adds incrementally to your existing base of skills and accomplishments? Or would you be better off with a whole new product line? Is it time to move overseas for a couple of years, venturing outside your comfort zone (even taking a lateral move -- damn the ladders), tackling something new and completely different?
Whatever you decide, you should look at your brand's power as an exercise in new-look résumé; management -- an exercise that you start by doing away once and for all with the word "résumé." You don't have an old-fashioned résumé anymore! You've got a marketing brochure for brand You. Instead of a static list of titles held and positions occupied, your marketing brochure brings to life the skills you've mastered, the projects you've delivered, the braggables you can take credit for. And like any good marketing brochure, yours needs constant updating to reflect the growth -- breadth and depth -- of brand You.
What's loyalty to You?
Everyone is saying that loyalty is gone; loyalty is dead; loyalty is over. I think that's a bunch of crap.
I think loyalty is much more important than it ever was in the past. A 40-year career with the same company once may have been called loyalty; from here it looks a lot like a work life with very few options, very few opportunities, and very little individual power. That's what we used to call indentured servitude.
Today loyalty is the only thing that matters. But it isn't blind loyalty to the company. It's loyalty to your colleagues, loyalty to your team, loyalty to your project, loyalty to your customers, and loyalty to yourself. I see it as a much deeper sense of loyalty than mindless loyalty to the Company Z logo.
I know this may sound like selfishness. But being CEO of Me Inc. requires you to act selfishly -- to grow yourself, to promote yourself, to get the market to reward yourself. Of course, the other side of the selfish coin is that any company you work for ought to applaud every single one of the efforts you make to develop yourself. After all, everything you do to grow Me Inc. is gravy for them: the projects you lead, the networks you develop, the customers you delight, the braggables you create generate credit for the firm. As long as you're learning, growing, building relationships, and delivering great results, it's good for you and it's great for the company.
That win-win logic holds for as long as you happen to be at that particular company. Which is precisely where the age of free agency comes into play. If you're treating your résumé as if it's a marketing brochure, you've learned the first lesson of free agency. The second lesson is one that today's professional athletes have all learned: you've got to check with the market on a regular basis to have a reliable read on your brand's value. You don't have to be looking for a job to go on a job interview. For that matter, you don't even have to go on an actual job interview to get useful, important feedback.
The real question is: How is brand You doing? Put together your own "user's group" -- the personal brand You equivalent of a software review group. Ask for -- insist on -- honest, helpful feedback on your performance, your growth, your value. It's the only way to know what you would be worth on the open market. It's the only way to make sure that, when you declare your free agency, you'll be in a strong bargaining position. It's not disloyalty to "them"; it's responsible brand management for brand You -- which also generates credit for them.
What's the future of You?
It's over. No more vertical. No more ladder. That's not the way careers work anymore. Linearity is out. A career is now a checkerboard. Or even a maze. It's full of moves that go sideways, forward, slide on the diagonal, even go backward when that makes sense. (It often does.) A career is a portfolio of projects that teach you new skills, gain you new expertise, develop new capabilities, grow your colleague set, and constantly reinvent you as a brand.
As you scope out the path your "career" will take, remember: the last thing you want to do is become a manager. Like "résumé," "manager" is an obsolete term. It's practically synonymous with "dead end job." What you want is a steady diet of more interesting, more challenging, more provocative projects. When you look at the progression of a career constructed out of projects, directionality is not only hard to track -- Which way is up? -- but it's also totally irrelevant.
Instead of making yourself a slave to the concept of a career ladder, reinvent yourself on a semiregular basis. Start by writing your own mission statement, to guide you as CEO of Me Inc. What turns you on? Learning something new? Gaining recognition for your skills as a technical wizard? Shepherding new ideas from concept to market? What's your personal definition of success? Money? Power? Fame? Or doing what you love? However you answer these questions, search relentlessly for job or project opportunities that fit your mission statement. And review that mission statement every six months to make sure you still believe what you wrote.
No matter what you're doing today, there are four things you've got to measure yourself against. First, you've got to be a great teammate and a supportive colleague. Second, you've got to be an exceptional expert at something that has real value. Third, you've got to be a broad-gauged visionary -- a leader, a teacher, a farsighted "imagineer." Fourth, you've got to be a businessperson -- you've got to be obsessed with pragmatic outcomes.
It's this simple: You are a brand. You are in charge of your brand. There is no single path to success. And there is no one right way to create the brand called You. Except this: Start today. Or else.
Tom Peters (TJPET@aol.com) is the world's leading brand when it comes to writing, speaking, or thinking about the new economy. He has just released a CD-ROM, "Tom Peters' Career Survival Guide" (Houghton Mifflin interactive). Rob Walker contributed the brand profile sidebars.

Bergerak ! by Rhenald Kasali

2007-07-23T17:29:00.000-07:00

Bergerak by Rhenald Kasali

Guys, artikel bagus buat yang mau “berubah”…Bergerak

“Sebagian besar orang yang melihat belum tentu bergerak, dan yang bergerak belum tentu menyelesaikan (perubahan).”

Kalimat ini mungkin sudah pernah Anda baca dalam buku baru Saya, “Change“.Minggu lalu, dalam sebuah seminar yang diselenggarakan Indosat, iseng-iseng Saya mengeluarkan dua lembaran Rp 50.000. Di tengah-tengah ratusan orang yang tengah menyimak isi buku, Saya tawarkan uang itu. “Silahkan, siapa yang mau boleh ambil,” ujar Saya. Saya menunduk ke bawah menghindari tatapan ke muka audiens sambil menjulurkan uang Rp 100.000.
Seperti yang Saya duga, hampir semua audiens hanya diam terkesima. Saya ulangi kalimat Saya beberapa kali dengan mimik muka yang lebih serius. Beberapa orang tampak tersenyum, ada yang mulai menarik badannya dari sandaran kursi, yang lain lagi menendang kaki temannya. Seorang ibu menyuruh temannya maju, tetapi mereka semua tak bergerak.

Belakangan, dua orang pria maju ke depan sambil celingak-celinguk. Orang yang maju dari sisi sebelah kanan mulanya bergerak cepat, tapi ia segera menghentikan langkahnya dan termangu, begitu melihat seseorang dari sisi sebelah kiri lebih cepat ke depan. Ia lalu kembali ke kursinya.
Sekarang hanya tinggal satu orang saja yang sudah berada di depan Saya. Gerakannya begitu cepat, tapi tangannya berhenti manakala uang itu disentuhnya. Saya dapat merasakan tarikan uang yang dilakukan dengan keragu-raguan. Semua audiens tertegun.
Saya ulangi pesan Saya, “Silahkan ambil, silahkan ambil.”Ia menatap wajah Saya, dan Saya pun menatapnya dengan wajah lucu.Audiens tertawa melihat keberanian anak muda itu.Saya ulangi lagi kalimat Saya, dan Ia pun merampas uang kertas itu dari tangan Saya dan kembali ke kursinya. Semua audiens tertawa terbahak-bahak.Seseorang lalu berteriak, “Kembalikan, kembalikan!”Saya mengatakan, “Tidak usah. Uang itu sudah menjadi miliknya.”
Setidaknya, dengan permainan itu seseorang telah menjadi lebih kaya Rp.100.000.Saya tanya kepada mereka, mengapa hampir semua diam, tak bergerak.Bukankah uang yang Saya sodorkan tadi adalah sebuah kesempatan?Mereka pun menjawab dengan berbagai alasan:
“Saya pikir Bapak cuma main-main …………”“Nanti uangnya toh diambil lagi.”“Malu-maluin aja.”“Saya tidak mau kelihatan nafsu. Kita harus tetap terlihat cool!”“Saya enggak yakin bapak benar-benar akan memberikan uang itu..”“Pasti ada orang lain yang lebih membutuhkannya….”“Saya harus tunggu dulu instruksi yang lebih jelas…..”“Saya takut salah, nanti cuma jadi tertawaan doang….”“Saya, kan duduk jauh di belakang…”dan seterusnya.
Saya jelaskan bahwa jawaban mereka sama persis dengan tindakan mereka sehari-hari.Hampir setiap saat kita dilewati oleh rangkaian opportunity (kesempatan), tetapi kesempatan itu dibiarkan pergi begitu saja.Kita tidak menyambarnya, padahal kita ingin agar hidup kita berubah.
Saya jadi ingat dengan ucapan seorang teman yang dirawat di sebuah rumah sakit jiwa di daerah Parung. Ia tampak begitu senang saat Saya dan keluarga membesuknya. Sedih melihat seorang sarjana yang punya masa depan baik terkerangkeng dalam jeruji rumah sakit bersama orang-orang tidak waras. Saya sampai tidak percaya ia berada di situ. Dibandingkan teman-temannya, ia adalah pasien yang paling waras.Ia bisa menilai “gila” nya orang disana satu persatu dan berbicara waras dengan Saya. Cuma, matanya memang tampak agak merah. Waktu Saya tanya apakah ia merasasama dengan mereka, ia pun protes.“Gila aja….ini kan gara-gara saudara-saudara Saya tidak mau mengurus Saya. Saya ini tidak gila. Mereka itu semua sakit…..”. Lantas, apa yang kamu maksud ’sakit’?”
“Orang ’sakit’ (gila) itu selalu berorientasi ke masa lalu, sedangkan Saya selalu berpikir ke depan. Yang gila itu adalah yang selalu mengharapkan perubahan, sementara melakukan hal yang sama dari hari ke hari…..,” katanya penuh semangat. Saya pun mengangguk-angguk.
Pembaca, di dalam bisnis, gagasan, pendidikan, pemerintahan dan sebagainya, Saya kira kita semua menghadapi masalah yang sama.Mungkin benar kata teman Saya tadi, kita semua mengharapkan perubahan, tapi kita tak tahu harus mulai dari mana.Akibatnya kita semua hanya melakukan hal yang sama dari hari ke hari,Jadi omong kosong perubahan akan datang. Perubahan hanya bisa datang kalau orang-orang mau bergerak bukan hanya dengan omongan saja.
Dulu, menjelang Soeharto turun orang-orang sudah gelisah, tapi tak banyak yang berani bergerak.Tetapi sekali bergerak, perubahan seperti menjadi tak terkendali, dan perubahan yang tak terkendali bisa menghancurkan misi perubahan itu sendiri, yaitu perubahan yang menjadikan hidup lebih baik.Perubahan akan gagal kalau pemimpin-pemimpinnya hanya berwacana saja.Wacana yang kosong akan destruktif.
Manajemen tentu berkepentingan terhadap bagaimana menggerakkan orang-orang yang tidak cuma sekedar berfikir, tetapi berinisiatif, bergerak, memulai, dan seterusnya.
Get Started. Get into the game. Get into the playing field, Now. Just do it!.
Janganlah mereka dimusuhi, jangan inisiatif mereka dibunuh olehorang-orang yang bermental birokratik yang bisanya cuma bicaradi dalam rapat dan cuma membuat peraturan saja.Makanya tranformasi harus bersifat kultural, tidak cukup sekedar struktural.
Ia harus bisa menyentuh manusia, yaitu manusia-manusia yang aktif, berinisiatif dan berani maju.Manusia pemenang adalah manusia yang responsif.
Seperti kata Jack Canfield, yang menulis buku Chicken Soup for the Soul, yang membedakan antara winners dengan losers adalah“Winners take action, they simply get up and do what has to be done”.

Selamat bergerak!
Sumber: Bergerak oleh Rhenald Kasali

“Ibu, I Miss You So Much” by Jamil Azzaini

2007-07-23T17:28:00.000-07:00

“Ibu, I Miss You So Much”
Jamil Azzaini - Kubik Leadership

Hukum kekekalan energi dan semua agama menjelaskan bahwaapapun yang kita lakukan pasti akan dibalas sempurna kepada kita.Apabila kita melakukan energi positif atau kebaikan maka kita akan mendapatbalasan berupa kebaikan pula. Begitu pula bila kita melakukan energinegatif atau keburukan maka kitapun akan mendapat balasan berupa keburukanpula. Kali ini izinkan saya menceritakan sebuah pengalaman pribadi yangterjadi pada 2003.

Pada September-Oktober 2003 isteri saya terbaring di salah satu rumahsakit di Jakarta. Sudah tiga pekan para dokter belum mampu mendeteksipenyakit yang diidapnya. Dia sedang hamil 8 bulan. Panasnya sangattinggi. Bahkan sudah satu pekan isteri saya telah terbujur di ruang ICU.
Sekujur tubuhnya ditempeli kabel-kabel yang tersambung ke sebuah layarmonitor.
Suatu pagi saya dipanggil oleh dokter yang merawat isteri saya. Dokterberkata, “Pak Jamil, kami mohon izin untuk mengganti obat ibu”. Sayapunmenjawab “Mengapa dokter meminta izin saya? Bukankan setiap pagi sayamembeli berbagai macam obat di apotek dokter tidak meminta izin saya”Dokter itu menjawab “Karena obat yang ini mahal Pak Jamil.” “Memangharganya berapa dok?” Tanya saya. Dokter itu dengan mantap menjawab “Duabelas juta rupiah sekali suntik.” “Haahh 12 juta rupiah dok, lantassehari berapa kali suntik, dok? Dokter itu menjawab, “Sehari tiga kali suntikpak Jamil”.
Setelah menarik napas panjang saya berkata, “Berarti satu hari tigapuluh enam juta, dok?” Saat itu butiran air bening mengalir di pipi.Dengan suara bergetar saya berkata, “Dokter tolong usahakan sekali lagimencari penyakit isteriku, sementara saya akan berdoa kepada Yang MahaKuasa agar penyakit istri saya segera ditemukan.” “Pak Jamil kami sudahberusaha semampu kami bahkan kami telah meminta bantuan berbagailaboratorium dan penyakit istri Bapak tidak bisa kami deteksi secaratepat, kami harus sangat hati-hati memberi obat karena istri Bapak juga sedanghamil 8 bulan, baiklah kami akan coba satu kali lagi tapi kalau tidakditemukan kami harus mengganti obatnya, pak.” jawab dokter.
Setelah percakapan itu usai, saya pergi menuju mushola kecil dekatruang ICU. Saya melakukan sembahyang dan saya berdoa, “Ya Allah YaTuhanku… aku mengerti bahwa Engkau pasti akan menguji semua hamba-Mu,akupun mengerti bahwa setiap kebaikan yang aku lakukan pasti akan Engkau balasdan akupun mengerti bahwa setiap keburukan yang pernah aku lakukan jugaakan Engkau balas. Ya Tuhanku… gerangan keburukan apa yang pernah akulakukan sehingga Engkau uji aku dengan sakit isteriku yang berkepanjangan, tabunganku telah terkuras, tenaga dan pikiranku begitu lelah.Berikan aku petunjuk Ya Tuhanku. Engkau Maha Tahu bahkan Engkaumengetahui setiap guratan urat di leher nyamuk. Dan Engkaupun mengetahui hal yang kecil dari itu. Aku pasrah kepada Mu Ya Tuhanku. Sembuhkanlah istriku.Bagimu amat mudah menyembuhkan istriku, semudah Engkau mengatur milyaranplanet di jagat raya ini.”
Ketika saya sedang berdoa itu tiba-tiba terbersit dalam ingatan akankejadian puluhan tahun yang lalu. Ketika itu, saya hidup dalam keluargayang miskin papa. Sudah tiga bulan saya belum membayar biaya sekolahyang hanya Rp. 25 per bulan. Akhirnya saya memberanikan diri mencuriuang ibu saya yang hanya Rp. 125. Saya ambil uang itu, Rp 75 saya gunakanuntuk mebayar SPP, sisanya saya gunakan untuk jajan.
Ketika ibu saya tahu bahwa uangnya hilang ia menangis sambil terbataberkata, “Pokoknya yang ngambil uangku kualat… yang ngambil uangkukualat…” Uang itu sebenarnya akan digunakan membayar hutang olehibuku.Melihat hal itu saya hanya terdiam dan tak berani mengaku bahwa sayalahyang mengambil uang itu.
Usai berdoa saya merenung, “Jangan-jangan inilah hukum alam danketentuan Yang Maha Kuasa bahwa bila saya berbuat keburukan maka sayaakan memperoleh keburukan. Dan keburukan yang saya terima adalah penyakitisteri saya ini karena saya pernah menyakiti ibu saya dengan mengambiluang yang ia miliki itu.” Setelah menarik nafas panjang saya tekan nomortelepon rumah dimana ibu saya ada di rumah menemani tiga buah hati saya.
Setelah salam dan menanyakan kondisi anak-anak di rumah, maka sayabertanya kepada ibu saya “Bu, apakah ibu ingat ketika ibu kehilanganuang sebayak seratus dua puluh lima rupiah beberapa puluh tahun yang lalu?”
“Sampai kapanpun ibu ingat Mil. Kualat yang ngambil duit itu Mil, duititu sangat ibu perlukan untuk membayar hutang, kok ya tega-teganya adayang ngambil,” jawab ibu saya dari balik telepon. Mendengar jawaban itusaya menutup mata perlahan, butiran air mata mengalir di pipi.
Sambil terbata saya berkata, “Ibu, maafkan saya… yang ngambil uangitu saya, bu… saya minta maaf sama ibu. Saya minta maaaaf… saatnanti ketemu saya akan sungkem sama ibu, saya jahat telah tega sama ibu.”Suasana hening sejenak. Tidak berapa lama kemudian dari balik teleponsaya dengar ibu saya berkata: “Ya Tuhan pernyataanku aku cabut, yang ngambiluangku tidak kualat, aku maafkan dia. Ternyata yang ngambil adalah anaklaki-lakiku. Jamil kamu nggak usah pikirin dan doakan saja isterimuagar cepat sembuh.” Setelah memastikan bahwa ibu saya telah memaafkansaya, maka saya akhiri percakapan dengan memohon doa darinya.
Kurang lebih pukul 12.45 saya dipanggil dokter, setibanya di ruangansambil mengulurkan tangan kepada saya sang dokter berkata “Selamat pak,penyakit isteri bapak sudah ditemukan, infeksi pankreas. Ibu telah kamiobati dan panasnya telah turun, setelah ini kami akan operasi untukmengeluarkan bayi dari perut ibu.” Bulu kuduk saya merindingmendengarnya, sambil menjabat erat tangan sang dokter saya berkata. “Terima kasihdokter, semoga Tuhan membalas semua kebaikan dokter.”

Saya meninggalkan ruangan dokter itu…. dengan berbisik pada dirisendiri “Ibu, I miss you so much.”

Keterangan Penulis:Jamil Azzaini adalah Senior Trainer dan penulis buku Best Seller KUBIKLEADERSHIP; Solusi Esensial Meraih Sukses dan Kemuliaan Hidup.
d

Keterbatasan Orang Pinter by Bob Sadino

2007-07-23T17:23:00.000-07:00

Keterbatasan Orang Pinter
prepraed by Made Teddy Artiana

"Saya tidak pernah menganggap segala sesuatu yang jelek itu tidak menyenangkan.Segala sesuatu yang tidak enak bisa jadi enak, begitu juga sebaliknya. Disinilah keterbatasan orang pinter. Kalian begitu terstruktur.Kalian demikian terpola,sedangkan saya bergerak acak.Saya orang bebas."

Om Bob bergerak perlahan kearah meja, menuangkan teh kedalamcangkirnya. Kemudian melihat kearah kami berempat.

"Sekarang coba jawab pertanyaan saya dengan cepat, tanpa berpikir.Menurut kalian gelas ini kosong atau isi ?"Kami ternganga sebentar, tetapi kemudian menjawab cepat "setengah isi!"

"ya..itu menurut kalian", kata Om Bob tersenyum," kalau saya bilang setengah kosong bener nggak ?"
Kami menjawab serempak "benar"
"Nah kalau demikian",lanjut Si Om,"Orang dagang cari apa?"
"margin!"
"Untung maksud kalian khan ?"
"Ya Om, untung"
"Kalau saya dagang itu cari rugi"
"lho kok bisa ?", celetukku spontan

Om Bob terkekeh sebentar kemudian menjawab"Orang untung..untung terus nggak ?"
"Nggak mungkin,"jawab kami.
"Nah orang rugi juga nggak rugi terus, orang untung juga nggak untung terus jadi sama aja Goblok!", timpal Om Bob dan tawa kamipun pecah diruang tamu beliau.

"itulah..kalian begitu seragam dan mudah ditebak",gumam Om Bob sambil menggelengkan kepala.

Cinta Membuat Kita Bersayap by Gede Prama

2007-07-23T17:16:00.000-07:00

Cinta Membuat Kita Bersayap
Gede Prama

Entah dari mana datangnya kekuatan, setelah belajar jauh ke negeri orang bertahun-tahun, membaca ribuan buku, majalah, koran, mengumpulkan pengetahuan lewat internet, dicerahkan oleh pergaulan yang demikian luas, diperkaya oleh film yang sempat saya tonton, namun bolak-balik saya didamparkan pada puncak ide yang bernama cinta. Mirip dengan guru Aikido yang bernama Morihei Ueshiba, yang menyebut hanya ada satu puncak yaitu cinta, perjalanan ide saya juga demikian. Dari bacaan, pergaulan, maupun tontotan, semuanya berujung pada lorong yang bernama cinta.Demikian juga ketika saya bersama anak-anak menonton film The Theory of Conspiracy di HBO suatu malam pertangahan Maret 2000. Film inspiratif yang dibintangi Mel Gibson dan Julia Roberts ini, memang dilatarbelakangi oleh dunia intelejen yang penuh teka-teki, menantang dan kadang kejam. Mel Gibson dan Julia Roberts memang bermain mengagumkan. Namun, yang lebih mengagumkan adalah cerita film ini. Untuk tujuan kekuasaan yang penuh kekejaman, kerakusan dan keserakahan, Mel Gibson memorinya diacak-acak dan dihancurkan. Kemudian, diformat ulang agar ia menjadi seorang pembunuh yang berdarah dingin. Yang diharapkan bisa membunuh seorang hakim yang membongkar kasus lama.Akan tetapi, begitu Mel Gibson siap membunuh sang hakim, ia melihat cinta seorang hakim terhadap puterinya (Julia Roberts) yang menawan.Entah cinta sang hakim pada puterinya, atau cintaseorang pria kepada seorang wanita, yang jelas seluruh energi cinta ini menghentikan energi membunuh Mel Gibson yang penuh dengan format penguasa.Merasa takut dan tidak puas dengan hasil format terhadap Mel Gibson, ia pun dikejar dan disiksa. Bahkan sampai mengerahkan seluruh komponen aparat keamanan. Sekali lagi, ia selamat berkat sayap yang bernama cinta. Di akhir cerita, secara amat romantis Mel Gibson bertutur apik : love gives us wing.

Kalimat apik terakhir ini mengingatkan saya pada sejumlah pengalaman berat. Dalam presentasi di depan petinggi-petinggi Citibank Indonesia dari country manager sampai dengan semua vice president saya bertemu dengan banyak sekali orang pintar dengan jam terbang yang mengagumkan. Demikian juga ketika diajak keliling Indonesia oleh Tupper Ware. Saya bertemu dengan banyak manusia yang amat beragam. Hal yang sama juga terjadi, ketika melakoni diri menjadi konsultan yang harus berhadapan dengan pengusaha-pengusaha sukses yang kaya raya. Ada yang sombong, merendahkan, menghina sampai dengan kagum penuh pujian.Akan tetapi, dengan modal sayap yang bernama cinta, semua itu lewat tanpa halangan yang menakutkan. Seorang peserta lokakarya yang amat sarkastis di awal, di akhir malah memeluk saya sambil memberikan hadiah sepasang sepatu mahal. Kerap saya ragu dan bingung, tanpa usaha yang terlalu keras, bagaimana orang yang demikian bermusuhan awalnya menjadi demikian bersahabat. Dalam politik perkantoran juga sama. Kepala saya pernah diinjak dan dikencingin orang lain. Bahkan ada yang melakukannya di depan umum.

Entah dari mana datangnya kekuatan, orang-orang seperti ini belakangan tidak sedikit yang menaruh hormat yang tinggi.Dan setelah mendengar pesan Mel Gibson bahwa love gives us wing, saya baru saja sadar. Bahwa cinta bisa membuat kita bersayap. Untuk kemudian, terbang tinggi-tinggi dalam kehidupan. Tidak hanya tinggi dalam prestasi materi, tetapi juga tinggi dalam prestasi spiritual. Lebih dari itu, sebagaimana burung yang bersayap, tubuh dan jiwa ini juga menikmati kebebasan yang demikian mengagumkan.

Imajinasi, inovasi, inspirasi datang demikian mudahnya dalam kehidupan yang bersayapkan cinta.

Coba perhatikan lirik lagu Boyzone yang berjudul Every Day I Love You, It's a touch when I feel bad, It's a smile when I get mad. Cinta memang bisa demikian memabukkan kalau tidak dibingkai dengan kedewasaan dan kearifan. Namun begitu ia berada dalam bingkai kedewasaan dan kearifan, ia berfungsi persis seperti sayap besar dan tangguh. Dan siap membawa kita kemana saja kita pergi dalam kehidupan.Bercermin dari filmnya Mel Gibson, pengalaman pribadi saya, maupun lagunya Boyzone, akan banyak gunanya kalau kita membanjiri diri kita dengan cinta. Dan ini sebenarnya tidak sulit. Energi cinta tersedia demikian melimpah di mana-mana. Istri, suami, anak, orang tua, tetangga, alam semesta, Tuhan adalah sumber dan sekaligus tempat penyaluran cinta. Kita bisa melakukannya kapan saja dan di mana saja baik dengan biaya mahal maupun murah.Saya menyisakan sebagian kecil makanan di pinggir piring setiap kali makan, meletakkan segenggam nasi di pinggir taman rumah agar dimakan oleh burung-burung gereja yang datang setiap pagi, meletakkan daun talas di kolam ikan agar ikan makan dengan lahap, membagi sebagian kecil rejeki ke orang-orang bawah yang memerlukan, memberi semampu mungkin ke anak, isteri dan orang tua.

Anda saya yakin punya cara yang jauh lebih banyak dibandingkan dengan saya. Mencintai juga lebih hebat dibandingkan dengan saya. Namun, jangan pernah lupa, cinta membuat kita bersayap. Dan kemudian membuat tubuh dan jiwa ini terbang demikian enteng dan ringan. Seperti Mel Gibson yang mengalahkan format teknologi yang demikian mengagumkan namun kejam.

sumber : www.iloveblue.com

Menyeberangi Sungai by Andrie Wongso

2007-07-23T17:09:00.000-07:00

Andrie Wongso
Menyeberangi Sungai
“Guo He”

Suatu hari di dalam kelas sebuah sekolah, di tengah-tengah pelajaran, Pak Guru memberi sebuah pertanyaan kepada murid-muridnya, “Anak-anak, jika suatu hari kita berjalan-jalan di suatu tempat, di depan kita terbentang sebuah sungai kecil, walaupun tidak telalu lebar tetapi airnya sangat keruh sehingga tidak diketahui berapa dalam sungai tersebut. Sedangkan satu-satunya jembatan yang ada untuk menyeberangi sungai, tampak di kejauhan berjarak kira-kira setengah kilometer dari tempat kita berdiri.”
“Pertanyaan saya adalah, apa yang akan kalian perbuat untuk menyeberangi sungai tersebut dengan cepat dan selamat? Pikirkan baik-baik, jangan sembarangan menjawab. Jawablah dengan memberi alasan kenapa kalian memilih jalan itu. Tuliskan jawaban kalian di selembar kertas. Kita akan diskusikan setelah ini.”
Seisi kelas segera ramai, masing-masing anak memberi jawaban yang beragam. Setelah beberapa saat menunggu murid-murid menjawab di kertas, Pak Guru segera mengumpulkan kertas dan mulailah acara diskusi. Ada sekelompok anak pemberani yang menjawab: kumpulkan tenaga dan keberanian, ambil ancang-ancang dan lompat ke seberang sungai. Ada yang menjawab, kami akan langsung terjun ke sungai dan berenang sampai ke seberang.
Kelompok yang lain menjawab: Kami akan mencari sebatang tongkat panjang untuk membantu menyeberang dengan tenaga lontaran dari tongkat tersebut. Dan ada pula yang menjawab: Saya akan berlari secepatnya ke jembatan dan menyeberangi sungai, walaupun agak lama karena jarak yang cukup jauh, tetapi lari dan menyeberang melalui jembatan adalah yang paling aman.
Setelah mendengar semua jawaban anak-anak, Pak Guru berkata, ”Bagus sekali jawaban kalian. Yang menjawab melompat ke seberang, berarti kalian mempunyai semangat berani mencoba. Yang menjawab turun ke air berarti kalian mengutamakan praktik. Yang memakai tongkat berarti kalian pintar memakai unsur dari luar untuk sampai ke tujuan. Sedangkan yang berlari ke jembatan untuk menyeberang berarti kalian lebih mengutamakan keamanan. Bapak senang kalian memiliki alasan atas jawaban itu. Semua jalan yang kalian tempuh adalah positif dan baik selama kalian tahu tujuan yang hendak dicapai. Asalkan kalian mau berusaha dengan keras, tahu target yang hendak dicapai, tidak akan lari gunung di kejar, pasti tujuan kalian akan tercapai. Pesan bapak, mulai dari sekarang dan sampai kapan pun, Kalian harus lebih rajin belajar dan berusaha menghadapi setiap masalah yang muncul agar berhasil sampai ke tempat tujuan.”

”Bu Yao Tao Bi Kun Nan”
Jangan melarikan diri dari kesulitan.

Dalam kenyataan hidup, kita semua sebagai manusia selalu mempunyai masalah atau problem yang harus di hadapi, selama kita tidak melarikan diri dari masalah, dan sadar bahwa semua masalah dan rintangan itu harus diatasi, melalui pola pikir dan cara-cara yang positif serta keberanian kita menghadapi semua itu, tentu hasilnya akan maksimal. Hanya dengan action dan belajar, belajar, dan action lagi. Manusia baru bisa mencapai pertumbuhan mental yang sehat dan meraih kesuksesan seperti yang di idam idamkan!

Salam Sukses Luar Biasa!!
Andrie Wongso
www.andriewongso.com

sumber : www.pembelajar.com