The Arrogance of Growth

I was fortunate enough to read an article by Mr. Rajeev Peshawaria who is the CEO of ICLIF, a leadership think-tank titled "The Arrogance of Growth" and wish to share the three simple rules by Mr. Rajeev which I find useful:

1) Try to help as many people as you can even if they seem of no use to you. You never know when they might be of help. At the very least, you can only benefit from their best wishes and gratitude.

2) When you walk into a meeting, ask three questions before giving your opinion. Even if you are totally convinced about the topic at hand, asking three questions might give you some new information, and prevent you from digging yourself into a hole.

3) Seek more to learn, and less to preach. By all means share your expertise and vast knowledge, but also try and learn something from everyone you meet.

Remember, it is important to be a leader who inspire confidence but is not arrogant. Again, it's a fine line again. So, to be a good leader, it is all about striking the right balance.

Simon Sinek: How Great Leaders Inspire Action

This video from www.ted.com is so inspiring that I have to share it with all of you. The question that we have to ask ourselves everyday is WHY? Why do we get out of bed? Are we doing something which inspires others and give us sense of satisfaction? For fellow engineers, we have to remember that people makes decision based on emotion and less on rational thinking. So, we must be rational (we are still engineer) and at the same time also touches the customer's emotional heartstring. The customer must believe in us and that we are doing something which is in their best interest (not ours).

Enjoy!

For those who cannot view the video, please follow the following link:

http://www.ted.com/talks/simon_sinek_how_great_leaders_inspire_action.html

M.Zuiko Digital ED 60mm f2.8 Macro Lense

Was recently bitten by the photography bug and this picture was taken when I tried to look at the bright side when I found my house being attacked by termites. My boss was kind enough to borrow me his brand new Zuiko 60mm f2.8 macro lense which I tried it out for the first time with my Panasonic GF3. By my own low standards, I kinda like the pictures.

 

(Picture taken with f/5.6, 1/60 sec, flash on)

 

 

(Same picture but with some editing using Lightroom in less than a minute by my wonderful colleague and sifu in photography, Darryl)

 

 

My own experience for trying out macro photography for the first time:

 

1) Abundance of patience is required. Was practically lying on the floor waiting for the "model" to come out of his/her hole.

 

2) A mini tripod is handy.

 

3) As you can see, my focus is out and my sifu has recommended me to brush up by reading the following articles:

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperfocal_distance

http://www.dofmaster.com/hyperfocal.html

http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/hyperfocal-distance.htm

 

Really like the lense but I don't think I do justice to the lense. Interested readers may refer to http://www.robinwong.blogspot.com/ on his review of this fantastic lense.