“I owe my success to having listened respectfully to the very best advice, and then going away and doing the exact opposite.” - G.K. Chesterton There are many times when you will do the opposite of the advice you get. But if you are seeking “the very best advice,” do not cavalierly run off and...

“I believe more in the scissors than the pencil.” - Truman Capote Bad writing is like a virus: Everyone becomes infected sooner or later. Verbose language, dangling modifiers, and passive voice clutter not only the pages of unfinished novels but also business reports, plans, and presentations. Effectively written communication gets the message across; an essential...

“When we are truly passionate about something, it’s contagious.” - Keith Ferrazzi Passionate people are exciting to be around with, especially in business. Displaying your true passion is like brandishing a lightning rod; others will seek to find out what you offer. By displaying a high level of enthusiasm for subjects that you love, you...

“A meeting moves at the speed of the slowest mind in the room. In other words, all but one participant will be bored, all but one mind underused.” – Dale Dauten Meetings are the classic “necessary evil.” Business book author, Dale Dauten, believes that a team cannot be very effective if they do not work...

“Often, just around the corner is where the solution will happen.” – Sir James Dyson Many inventors’ dreams go unrealised, filling up the grave- yard where old experiments get tossed. Why? Plain and simple, they just gave up. It is too bad they did not share Sir James Dyson’s attitude that failure can be illuminating....

“When rapid or radical change is called for, executives must turn to the networks within their organisation. Key positions in the network mobilise it to flexibly adapt to the exigencies of the moment.” - Karen Stephenson Karen Stephenson, a Harvard-trained corporate anthropolo- gist, theorises that real information does not flow through the official corporate hierarchy,...

“When you have to shoot . . . shoot, don’t talk” - Tuco, The Good, The Bad and The Ugly (1967) Sure-fire techniques for closing deals are not exactly synony- mous with the “shoot first, ask questions later” approach that Tuco (played by Eli Wallach) bluntly advocates in one of the great western films of...

“Interdependence is a choice only independent people can make.” - Stephen R. Covey Management expert, Stephen R. Covey, believes that infus- ing your team with lots of independent team members is of utmost importance. One way to achieve this is by planning ahead for resolving mistakes and bad decisions. How you react to a mistake is...

“What you have to do and the way you have to do it is incredibly simple. Whether you are willing to do it is another matter.” - Peter Drucker It is simple to be presented with a task and find a way to do it. But what if you are not willing to do it?...

“We don’t think of ourselves as do-gooders or altruists. It’s just that somehow we’re trying our best to be run with some sense of moral compass even in a business environment that is growing.” - Craig Newmark Craig Newmark is the founder of the “Craiglist”, a website that brings together people interested in the same...

By Karin Clarke, Regional Director, Randstad (Singapore & Malaysia) With increasing pressure to secure talent as conditions improve from the global financial crisis and the skills shortage deepens, time to hire is getting faster and more urgent. This should not, however, be a reason to expedite the process by skipping critical reference checks and therefore...

“The only way to deliver to the people who are achieving is to not burden them with the people who are not achieving.” - Jim Collins Professional sports teams are particularly cut-throat when it comes to culling bench warmers from their teams. They give every teammate a chance to shine and live up to his...