To enhance/sustain your bottomline by changing your method of staff performance evaluation

(photo by Daphne)

... I'm proud, grateful, and happy to be a Canadian .. especially a Chinese Canadian ! :) .. I view this R&D proposal as a vehicle to allow me to pay back some of what I owe Canada ..

Summary:

• This is a research-&-development proposal to address a common major corporate issue - the inability to adequately unleash the creativity of their employees. The primary issue stems from the employees' fear of failure and the fear of being misjudged (see "How Failure Breeds Success", BusinessWeek July 10th, 2006).
  

Purpose:

• I'm seeking multiple business and academic groups probably working together in pairs to conduct this proposed research to assess the effectiveness of unleashing the creativity of their employees. If interested, please contact rochcheng@gmail.com.

Hypothesis:

• The root cause of the fear of failure stems from the fact that we (i.e., the employer or ourselves) judge our performance mainly by the result/outcome of what we do. The author hypothesizes that by focusing directly on one’s intent and effort, and using the result/outcome to analyze these two attributes, we would be able to significantly minimize individuals’ fear of failure and fear of being misjudged. As a result, the corporate atmosphere would be such that the creativity of employees would come forth naturally. The gateway to achieve this is through adopting a new way of doing performance measurement of the employees.
  

Implementation Strategy:

This is achieved via the formal performance appraisal process of an employee.

• An employee's performance is a function of his/her intent and effort.
• The achieved result/outcome of a previously set objective is used to assess the employee's intent and effort.
  
• Performance Measurement Formula (examples shown below):
• Performance Index = Intent x (W1) + (Quality of Effort) x (W2) + (Quantity of Effort) x (W3)

Where W_x is a weighting factor which is to be arbitrarily set by each organization.

How to enhance and integrate the existing Performance Appraisal process with this proposed approach:

Weighting Assignment for a functional group

Human Resource department, working in conjunction with senior management of a corporation, will set the weighting assignment range for each category for a particular group of the organization. In the following example, the manager of the group can arbitrarily set any weighting value from 0 to 5 for the “intent” category or a weighting value of 0 to 10 for the “outcome” category. However, the sum of the weighting values of the four categories must be equal to 10.

Example a): With primary emphasis on using “outcome” as the ultimate criterion.

Intent [0 – 5]	Effort (quality) [0-5]	Effort (quantity) [0-5]	Outcome [0-10]	Overall [must be 10]
0.5	1	0.5	8	10

Example b): With primary emphasis on using “outcome” to qualify one’s “intent” and “effort” as the ultimate criterion.

Intent [0 – 5]	Effort (quality) [0-5]	Effort (quantity) [0-5]	Outcome [0-10]	Overall [must be 10]
4	4	2	0	10

About assigning a performance value to a particular category for an employee

The actual value assigned to each evaluation category for an employee is always of the range from 0 to 10. Encourage each manager to trust that the intent of most employees is good when they are doing a particular task. So, assign a default value of 5 to the “intent” category – unless you’ve concrete evidence (say, based on the outcome), do not change it to a higher or lower value. Consider an assigned value of 5 is fully satisfactory.

Example:

	Intent [0 – 5]	Effort (quality) [0-5]	Effort (quantity) [0-5]	Outcome [0-10]	Total
Weighting [W]	0.5	1	0.5	8	10
Manager’s view* of John Smith’s performance of a particular task [P]	5	5	8	4
W x P	2.5	5	4	32	43.5

* For the purpose of simplifying the illustration, an employee’s self assessment of his/her own performance in each category is not shown here.

Comments:

• Try not to let your concern about the practicality of the implementation to deter you from focusing on what should be done. I'll address your concern separately :)
• The overriding purpose of this blog is to eventually actualize the ideas as described in the "What If" section (at the very end of this blog). This end section presents that, to significantly enhance the quality of living for this human race, we and our children should learn a way of thinking and values that complement/amplify their core cultural and religious values.
  
• The very first step in mapping a key component of the "What If" ideas in the field of psychology or philosophy to an implementable level is through this R&D proposal.

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The Secrets of a Very Happy Old Man !

A Story for Children: The secrets of a very happy old man

The following story was submitted to “Writing for Children Competition” in Spring 2009.

They came from all over the world to learn from him

Once upon a time, there lived a very happy old man in the slums of Mumbai, a city in India formerly known as Bombay. His beard was long and white – nobody knew how old he was. His skin was wrinkled, his back bent. In spite of his old age, he could still move around agilely without the help of a cane. He lived in a small weather-beaten shed. The roof leaked when rain fell. It felt like an oven during a hot day in summer, and the coldness in winter readily found its way in. The man slept, cooked, ate and worked all in that one-room shed. He was a shoe repairer. He was very proud that he could turn tired, worn shoes into almost like new, and that the poor owners needed not go bare feet. As he worked, he would burst into song. When he got tired, he would stand up, stretch himself and do a little dance. He was poor, but he was very happy with where he was, what he had, and who he was.

The old man had many neighbours around him. These people saw him working away in his shed everyday, heard his cheerful songs and watched him dance in total bliss. They were utterly amazed that he always looked so happy. He broke into laughter easily when spoken to, but what stood out most in him were his ever smiling eyes - his eyes glittered with the shine that happiness brings. When he talked to a person, that person could feel that he was the only one in the whole universe that this happy old man focused on, and wanted to be with.

Over time, his reputation traveled afar, as more people saw and spoke about him and soon he became well-known outside his neighbourhood, outside Mumbai, outside his province, outside his country, until people from all over the world knew about this unusual happy man in Mumbai. People started to come from all over the world to meet him to learn the secret of his happiness because they want to be happy in their own lives too. Parents came to learn how to teach their children to be happy. Individuals came to learn how to live a happier and more fulfilling life for themselves. Couples came to learn how to improve their relationship. Government officials and company executives came to learn how to get the best out of their employees.

He charged each of them only a few rupees for his service. “I’m a pencil in God’s hands. People come here to learn the words of God. I didn’t create those words. So I can only charge people for the price of using this pencil”, said he.

The advice he gave was basically the same for each of them.

[Now, can you figure out what his advice was?]

For the parents, he said, “For your children to be truly happy, they need to learn to love themselves so that they do not overly depend on the love shown by you towards them – they need to learn to judge their own behavior from moment to moment primarily based on their own intent and their effort only.”

For the individuals, he said, “For you to live a happier and more fulfilling life, you need to learn to love yourselves so that you do not overly depend on the love shown by others towards you – you need to learn to judge your own behavior from moment to moment primarily based on your intent and your effort only.”

For the couples, he said, “To improve your relationship, you need to learn to love yourselves so that you do not overly depend on the love shown by your spouse towards you – you need to learn to judge your own behavior from moment to moment primarily based on your intent and your effort only.”

For the government officials and company executives, he said, “To get the best out of your employees, they need to be truly happy. For them to be truly happy, they need to learn to love themselves so that they do not overly depend on the approval shown by their co-workers and their management towards them – they need to learn to judge their own behavior from moment to moment primarily based on their own intent and effort only.”

Parents, individuals, couples, government officials and company executives all left happily because each of them got what they came for.

Some of them returned for more

Among those who left, some of them returned to meet him to learn more about the secret of his happiness. Some parents came to learn more on how to teach their children to be happy. Individuals came to learn more on how to live a happier and more fulfilling life for themselves. Couples came to learn more on how to improve their relationship. Government officials and company executives came to learn more on how to get the best out of their employees.

He still charged each of them only a few rupees for his service.

Like last time, the advice he gave was basically the same for each of them. However, this time, he felt that the timing was right for him to raise their awareness about the overriding importance and usefulness of the clarity of one's purpose of existence.

[Now, can you figure out what his advice was this time?]

For the parents, he said, “For your children to be truly happy, besides learning to judge their own behavior from moment to moment primarily based on their own intent and their effort only, they need to live to fulfill their purpose of existence - they need to live to do or become what they believe they are meant to do or become.”

For the individuals, he said, “For you to live a happier and more fulfilling life, besides learning to judge your own behavior from moment to moment primarily based on your own intent and their effort only, you need to live to fulfill your purpose of existence – you need to live to do or become what you believe you are meant to do or become.”

For the couples, he said, “To further improve your relationship, besides learning to judge your own behavior from moment to moment primarily based on your own intent and your effort only, you need to live to fulfill your purpose of existence - you need to live to do or become what you believe you are meant to do or become.”

For the government officials and company executives, he said, “To get the best out of your employees, they need to be truly happy. For them to be truly happy, besides learning to judge their own behavior from moment to moment primarily based on their own intent and their effort only, they need to live to fulfill their purpose of existence - they need to live to do or become what they believe they are meant to do or become.”

When asked about how to find one’s purpose of existence, he said, “If you’ve problem finding the purpose of your existence, imagine that you’ve finally reached the end of your life. How would you want the world to remember you? … Start with the word ‘he’ or ‘she’. For examples, ‘She was a good mother’ or ‘He was a great firefighter’ or ‘He used well what he was given’.”

Parents, individuals, couples, government officials and company executives all left happily because each of them got what they came for.

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A quiz ...

Can you be open and forget your biases for a moment? ... allow me to have the privilege to walk with you for the next moment of your life ... take a deep breath to ground yourself .. now read on ..

Pick one of the following quizzes that suits you ...

Quiz A:

• If you were God, and you're going to judge every action of a person in terms of his/her intent, effort, and the outcome, where would you put your primary emphasis on (i.e., intent, effort, or outcome)?

OR

Quiz B:

• If you've the power to decide how the world should judge you and to judge you in terms of your intent, effort, and the outcome of your every action, where would you put your primary emphasis on (i.e., intent, effort, or outcome)?

Comments:

• If your answer is different from what the world is, does it make sense to continue judging yourself based what others think, instead of basing on what your heart tells you?
• Many times in our life, things simply did not turn out as expected no matter how hard we tried. So .. have we failed? or simply that the outcomes did not turn out as expected ..
  
• The notion of failure can be crippling - at the very best, it can be used as a stick to drive one or others towards a goal. It stifles creativity .. it insidiously keeps one from moving forward in a way that is life enriching .. it robs joy from our lives .. it brings one down to a state of helplessness and hopelessness. Do you wonder if there is a practical way to mitigate the detrimental impact of the notion of failure?.. Yes, there is - the secret lies in your answer to this quiz!
  

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A quiz for Christians!

Quiz:

• Many times in the Gospels of the New Testament, Jesus (he, besides being HIM, was a human being like you and me) judged/evaluated the action of a person and subsequently handed out his compliment or reprimand. Now, can you recall a single incident described in the Gospels that his judging/evaluating was primarily based on the outcome of a person's action/inaction instead of basing on that person's intent and effort?

Comment:

• If your answer is "No" which is incidentally the same as mine (i.e., HIS way of judging was always based only on the intent and effort of one's action), and if you choose to model after HIM to judge yourself and others, what would that mean to you and to those around you?

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May this bring you a smile ... :)

Hey! This is for you! :)
(source unknown)
[Posted Dec. 2007]

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The central tenet of all major religions

Treat others as you would like to be treated.

To research and create this list was on my to-do list. Then I found what I wanted (and possibly better than I would have done myself) on page 68-69 of "Me to We: Turning Self-Help On Its Head" (by Craig Kielburger & Marc Kielburger, 2004) - highlighting with bold was done by me:

"In fact, the duality of caring for both the self and others is present in virtually all religions, and despite their differences, all come together in one central tenet: Do unto others as you wish them to do unto you. The following is a list of world religions and their interpretations of this Ethic of Reciprocity.

• Hinduism: "This is the sum of duty: do not to others what would cause pain if done to you." (Mahabaratha 5:1517)
• Taoism: "Regard your neighbor's gain as your own gain, and your neighbor's loss as your own loss." (T'ai Shang Kan Ying P'ien, 213-218)
• Native spirituality: "We are as much alive as we keep the earth alive." (Chief Dan George)
• Buddhism: "Treat not others in ways that you yourself would find hurtful." (Udana-Varga 5.18)
• Islam: "Not one of you truly believes until you wish for others what you wish for yourself." (The Prophet Muhammad, Hadith)
• Judaism: "What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor. This is the whole Torah; all the rest is commentary." (Hillel, Talmud, Shabbat 31a)
• Christianity: "In everything, do to others as you would have them do to you; for this is the law and the prophets." (Jesus, Matthew 7:12)
• Sikhism: "I am a stranger to no one; and no one is a stranger to me. Indeed, I am a friend to all." (Guru Granth Sahib, p.1299)
• Baha'i Faith: "Lay not on any soul a load that you would not wish to be laid upon you, and desire not for anyone the things you would not desire for yourself." (Baha'u'liah, Gleanings)
• Janism: "One should treat all creatures in the world aas one would like to be treated." (Mahavira, Sutravitanga)
• Unitarianism: "We affirm and promote respect for the interdependence of all existence of which we are a part." (Unitarian principle)
• Zoroastrianism: "Do not unto others what is injurious to yourself." (Shayast-na-Shayast 13.29)"

Added to this list is the very gist of Confucius' teaching: "Do not do to others what you don't want others to do to you."

What listed above, I believe, is likely the central tenet of all major religions. In particular, see the above quote about Judaism, " .. This is the whole Torah; all the rest is commentary." - Wow! My dear Hillel! What clarity you brought forth! This very similar sentiment/emphasis was echoed by Confucius. When probed by his pupil (about 2500 years ago) to come up with one word to summarize the spirit of his teaching, Confucius answered: "恕" which means "consideration". He further expanded this word into a phrase as described above.

[posted Dec. 2007]

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A Father's Prayer

To: CSC & DSC,

I was inspired by Hodding Carter’s quote, "There are only two lasting bequests we can give our children. One is roots. The other is wings."

Appreciate your roots - get well grounded, take off and fly ..
My dear child, fly with the gifts you're given so that the world would become a better one because of you ..
Let your love and passion be manifested into actions ..
Let your warmth melt away the misery of this world ..
Let the world light up with your laughter and joy ..
And of course, if I may ask, share with me your adventure and joy (and pain) ..
For I'll feel that I've done my part as your dad if I know that my child is happy and contributing to the best he can ..

[Posted Jan 26th, 2008]

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