Human Capital Asia Inc.

To install simplicity as a way of life in your organization would involve making it your responsibility to take charge of moving from the complex to making things simple. Simplicity will not happen on its own. It has to be someone’s task to deal with complex issues that waste time, energy and effort for the corporation. To position simplicity in your organization will call for everyone to be involved in making it work but it will need a group or an individual to take charge of the program.

Let’s take for example the process of signing up visitors at the reception desk for buildings located in active business districts. There definitely is a faster and less complex way of doing registration for guests coming for appointments with tenants in the building. Almost everyone complains about how long and difficult it is to line up to get an identification card and finally receive clearance to proceed. Why has the system not changed despite the fact that it needs changing? Why has there been no effort to simplify the system even if it has proven itself to be a time-waster? No change has happened because no one has taken the responsibility towards making things simple. Someone has to stand responsible for implementing simplicity in the workplace. (more…)

If it’s none of your business, don’t ask questions.

As a young kid there would be occasions when we would hear the grownups talk about some problem during dinner and curiosity getting the better of us would prompt us to ask what it was they were talking about. Many times the answer would be a curt, “It’s none of your business!” In our minds our response was, “I’m old enough to be part of that”, but of course you knew better and you kept your mouth shut.

It was a good lesson to learn and it was even better if you learned it early. (more…)

One of the most overpowering temptations when growing up is to attempt to try to operate some gadget or equipment that we see adults use. Sometimes we even push it as far as ignoring all the warnings our parents give and still try to do something we were told not to do. When we throw caution to the wind we sometimes end up doing huge mistakes that are accompanied by oppressive and agonizing consequences. Maybe some of you remember being told not to drive the car by yourself because you’re not ready yet. As soon as no one is home and the car keys are available we start the car and begin our grand adventure. Less than ten seconds later our grand adventure comes to a close with you smashing the rear fender on the side of the gate and taking the gate down with you. We end up with more or less a hundred years of being grounded and sentenced to clean the toilet twice a week for the next fifty years. Very similar we suppose to the Monopoly game move were we are told not to pass go, not to collect 200 and head directly to jail. (more…)

Some of us can still hear it – our mother’s voice, reminding us to please remember to close the refrigerator door.  Every once in a while, not rarely, would we be told by our elders to commit to memory this simple house rule, “If you open it; close it.” When we were young this straightforward order meant that we were to the best of our abilities close any container, door, locker, cabinet or drawer that we opened. What was the principle behind this rule? Surely it was not about learning to be a specialist in closing refrigerator doors. It was definitely not about your mother wanting to simply practice her shouting voice. What we were being taught way back when we were kids was to learn how to end things well. We were being educated in the fine art of finishing things that we start. (more…)

How many times have we attempted to do something only to find out the hard way that the consequences would not have been as bad if we had asked for help in the first place? (more…)

Courage – Where does it come from? Are we born with it? Does it come packaged with our genes? Is it an array of medals kept behind glass cases depicting actions that required heroism? What are the things we do that take courage? (more…)

Which is more important in your company: that you deal honestly with each other, or that you get along with each other? Which one is valued more, honesty or harmony? (more…)

Today it is the world of the “creator’s economy”! How you lead your people to freely exist in this type of economy will determine where your company will be in the future. (more…)