Leaders vs Managers

Kannnnn.....? Difference between a "Manager" and a "Leader"

It's that time of the year again.. APPRAISALS lah, apa lagi. I sooooo dread doing appraisals. I mean, while I don't mind fighting for (and defending) my staff, I hate the idea of trying to run another person down.

But that's expected, since the Company implements "force ranking". In "force ranking", someone is bound to be the sacrificial lamb. And as bosses, you want to "save" your staff kan.. so you "attack" other people's staff so that they will be ranked in the bottom place, and your staff terselamat.

And that is why I dread this stupid exercise. Stupid because, what if everyone does really well? Sigh. I guess, in the Company that I work for ni, it's not just about doing well kot. It's about doing EXCEPTIONALLY well.

A positive way to look at it is that you compete with other people to be a better employee. You go the extra mile, so to speak.

But the downside to that is.. what if your extra mile doesn't count because you pissed someone off and he (or she) run you down during the appraisal meeting?

Which reminds me of the responsibility of a leader. Bukan senang nak jadi pemimpin. Like my former Boss selalu pesan (and incidentally, she's one of my favorite bosses in the Company): "A good leader inspires."

An indication of a good leader (to me) is when all his / her staff performs well.. willing to go the extra mile for the boss and is inspired to work harder. Like parents jugak. Bila ada anak yang baik, orang akan kata: "Pandai mak bapak dia didik anak." But when the child turns out to be a drug addict or a nuisance to the society, the parents will be blamed.

Likewise di tempat kerja. A good leader will produce a string of good staff, because he or she will inspire..  Staff who are highly demanded by other departments.

But yes, it's not easy to be a good leader. Even in Islam, pemimpin lah yang akan teruk disoal. If I don't give my staff due recognition (for his or her effort) and he (or she) is denied the appropriate bonus, I will be questioned di akhirat nanti.

If I don't coach and develop the staff properly, although he (or she) has a lot of potential, I will be questioned too, for not imparting my knowledge and experience accordingly. Like a mum to her child, I couldn't just ignore the staff kan? I have to continuously give feedback, so that he or she will improve.

Orang selalu ingat pangkat (and power) itu senang dan hebat. I, on the other hand, see it as an amanah. You are responsible for your staff. If anak itu anugerah Tuhan untuk ibu dan ayah, staff adalah anugerah untuk bosses. (And so there's more responsibility lah..)

So yeah.. having said all that, I think I have fought hard enough for my staff (because I feel that they truly deserve it). But I still feel sucky cuz I had to point out mistakes done by other people so that at least someone will be ranked at the bottom. (Although in all honesty, I don't think they deserve to be ranked at the bottom at all. I mean, they made a few mistakes.. but overall, they have their strengths too..)

Yes. Appraisal time is definitely the worst time of the year for me.If you ask me, I think everyone in this office is smart and capable. EVERYONE. After all, it's not easy to be employed by this Company pun -- there are so many tests and interviews that one has got to go through before they are employed.

So to me, if you are employed by this Company, you are already good enough.

It's just a matter of how the Company uses the staff's strength to its advantage.

Oh well.

Someone just texted me to tell me about someone else's achievements. In other words, he is comparing me with this other person and I have obviously failed, as my work wasn't as impressive (in this person's eyes).

Kinda disheartening kan? Sometimes, you know you can do more.. if only someone listens to you (and your ideas).

That's why I kata bukan mudah nak jadi "boss". You have to listen. You not only have to give feedback but you also need to share ideas and except criticism. Work as a team kinda thing.

Hmm.. takpe lah. When I am sad, I would usually wear some of my favorite things. Sometimes, it's the green emerald earrings that I so like... sometimes, its my favorite watch which I bought in Rome.. heh.. :)

Malaysian time...? :)

Okay. Will continue rambling later. Ni pun tak citer pasal Paris.... oohhh la la... (later lah ye..)

Au revoir...