Do you remember the good old days when we were young brats still schooling and being a constant nuisance to adults? We would play with action hero toys like He-Man (I Have The Power!) and She-Ra (female version of I Have The Power!) and even with marbles on the ground (you know, the one where we draw a circle on the sand, scatter marbles in it, and then try to hit them out with a marble in hand, and forfeit yours if yours end up in the circle). However, what I remember the most is how we would play with our friends together, have a fantastic time together and end up getting all dirty and messy soon after, but never failing to have a great time socializing among ourselves.
Fast forward to the 21st century. We now have Sony Playstations widely available, Nintendo Wii is out, and let's not forget Man's newest best friend - the PC. We now see kids playing with PS2s, Xbox-es, Wii-s and PC games. Would you agree with me when I say these technological marvels have replaced our He-Mans, She-Ras and marbles?
Are the days of the guli gone and forgotten? Would you prefer to see your kids play with the marbles with their friends and just have a fantastic time together but learning the importance of socializing among one another, or play with PS2s and PCs in the comfort of their own homes? Is there a price we are paying for this change in trend (from a health and social perspective), or does everything remain the same?
Friday, 16 January 2009
Wednesday, 7 January 2009
Who Breaks the Ice? (Ian)
Imagine this - 2 strangers, placed in a room together and required to get to know each other. Putting aside personality differences, who is responsible for taking the 1st step to break the ice? I'm inclined to believe that, with personality differences put aside, the responsibility is then equally shared. I'm also inclined to believe most will agree with my standpoint (or am I wrong in this inclination?).
Now, what if the players are now different - between a manager and a subordinate? Again, putting aside personality differences, who is responsible for taking the 1st step to break the ice? Is it the manager? Is it the subordinate? Or both? Or neither (it's purely an issue with personality)???
I'm a firm believer in taking the responsibility, no matter with whom I'm trying to establish a relationship (a potential friend, a family member, a girl I'm interested in, a colleague, my manager, etc.) to make the 1st move, and subsequent moves, to facilitate the relationship building process. I believe both parties need to break the ice. Why? Simply because, you want to get to know the other person, and you want him/her to get to know you. You want to understand and accept, and be understood and accepted. I believe in relationship-building, all parties are equals.
However, my experiences, both personal and from observation of others, lead me to conclude otherwise - if you are a manager, you're in for challenging times. But why must this be so? Is it just a question of personality types, or are we in actual fact, developing a dangerous mindset? Do we leave it to the manager to make the 1st move? If he's/she's trying, do we facilitate?
Now, what if the players are now different - between a manager and a subordinate? Again, putting aside personality differences, who is responsible for taking the 1st step to break the ice? Is it the manager? Is it the subordinate? Or both? Or neither (it's purely an issue with personality)???
I'm a firm believer in taking the responsibility, no matter with whom I'm trying to establish a relationship (a potential friend, a family member, a girl I'm interested in, a colleague, my manager, etc.) to make the 1st move, and subsequent moves, to facilitate the relationship building process. I believe both parties need to break the ice. Why? Simply because, you want to get to know the other person, and you want him/her to get to know you. You want to understand and accept, and be understood and accepted. I believe in relationship-building, all parties are equals.
However, my experiences, both personal and from observation of others, lead me to conclude otherwise - if you are a manager, you're in for challenging times. But why must this be so? Is it just a question of personality types, or are we in actual fact, developing a dangerous mindset? Do we leave it to the manager to make the 1st move? If he's/she's trying, do we facilitate?
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