See, Observe, and Learn

In Memoriam - Johan

2008-03-03T12:44:00.000+07:00

Cross post from Wordpress
http://duckling.wordpress.com/2008/03/01/in-memoriam-johan/

Good bye my beloved nephew. You’re so close to our hearts, just like a son to us…

May you rest in the Heavenly Father’s hand. No longer in pain. No more sorrows. No more struggles. No more operations. Safe. Peace. Rest. In eternity.

Thank you, Lord for letting us know him. Young. Brave. A fighter… Take him in Your hands.

Thank you, Lord, for through such a small child, Johan, we experience the miracle of Your love, power, and sovereignty. We learned to accept and trust Your Great Plan, a plan You have designed for us since eternity, a plan of peace, and nothing but peace.

And Lord, please console the grieving parents. Let them, with Your Strengths, to weather the storm, to experience Your true love and compassion…

In Memoriam: Johan Imanuel Kirdjo (19 Sep 2005 - 1 Mar 2008)

Too many blogs...

2007-08-24T11:01:00.000+07:00

Di era seperti ini, memang orang sah-sah saja untuk punya 100 blog. Sampai bingung deh...

Saya punya lebih dari sepuluh (masih jauh dari seratus). Tapi untuk memilih gimana? Mana yang akhirnya lebih sering diupdate, mana yg tidak. Blog (dan social network) yg aku punya:

Blogspot
Wordpress
LiveJournal
Vox
Friendster
Multiply
Jaiku
MOSH
Twango
LinkedIn
cooldesak
Flickr
Photobucket
Yahoo! 360

1. Bisa diakses dari kantor:
LiveJournal, Yahoo! 360 dan Multiply dengan berat hati dicoret.
(Dua kandidat kuat: MySpace dan Facebook juga harus dicoret!)

2. Mudah diakses dari mobile phones:
Wordpress, Vox, Jaiku, Blogger, dan Flickr top the list.
Friendster dan cooldesak out.

(Lewat Shozu, sebenarnya jadi banyak yg bisa sih.)

3. Komunitas
Sebenarnya Multiply dan Friendster pilihannya.
LinkedIn? Menarik, tapi perlu terlalu banyak effort untuk mengembangkannya.

4. Reliable: wah yang mana ya?
cooldesak kaya'nya out, karena pernah down nggak jelas dan terlalu banyak Flash

Pusing kan?
Ingat waktu jamannya free email dan free website. Tiap orang punya banyak banget email address (sampai sekarang juga?).

Summary!

Blogs: Wordpress, Blogger dan Vox (for its mobile blogging)
Social Net: Friendster, Multiply (harus dari rumah) dan LinkedIn; and of course Flickr.

Who Moved My Blog

2006-04-30T23:59:00.000+07:00

I decided to try a new site for my blog.... They offer tagging, multiple pages, and easier customisation. So I'll give it a try.

Anyway, here's the site:
http://duckling.wordpress.com

So, for the time being, this blog is frozen...

Bali!!!

2006-04-28T11:43:00.000+07:00

OK, enough with all self-pitying and criticism.
Let's put on the positive head and blog.

Last week I spent a couple of days in Bali..... (sadly) working.
It's a sin to work in paradise!

Arrived at Tuesday night (my flight got delayed for almost one hour).
Missed the spectacular welcome dinner.
Spent the Wednesday in an exhibition and giving a presentation.
Attended the fun, interesting, entertaining dinner.
Flew back on Thursday.
See how "efficient" I am... It's indeed a sin to work in paradise!

Albeit the short trip, I did gain a couple of insights.

1. Bali is definitely beautiful.

Still beautiful.
The beaches, palm trees, ocean, ...
the houses, pura's, paintings, ...
the rivers, creeks, forests, ...

So magnificent, yet there's an aura of peace when you're there.

One of my favourite is when I sidetracked.
Walking along the mainroad of Kuta, Seminyak, Ubud, you name it, ..., and make an unplanned turn in a small alley. Admiring the atmosphere of artistic and natural beauty.
(A good thing to do also in Venice).

Sadly, I read in the newspaper that day, that Indonesia lacks behind Thailand, Malaysia in tourism. They attract more tourists nowadays than Bali / Indonesia does.... due to security issues. There were two suicide bombings within past few years. And although we're recovering, somehow it's not enough. That has a serious impact on the Balinese tourism industry. As Indonesian, I'm a bit dissapointed, and on the other hand challenged.

Why don't you plan your vacation in Bali?
Let's go to Bali, the land of the gods, paradise on earth.

2. Take control of the whole customer experience.... and apologize when neccessary.

The second insight I learnt from the CEO of a particular Indonesian cellular operator.

Remember about the delayed flights?

Is it your fault when the airline delayed the flight of your guests?
No. But... it would be a pleasure to hear you apologize, sincerely.

That's what he did.
He apologized that his guests experienced an annoying delays. And he promised to give more attention to avoid the same problem again.

Taking control of the whole customer experience.
Not just things that fall under your direct influence, but also things under other's control. At least you should talk to the others, check and double check. And when things go wrong, apologize.

For you locus of control extremist, anyway, there's no such thing as "not under my control." But please pay attention that things can go wrong...

3. Nice, memorable event.

O, ya.
The main event that I attended was actually an entertainment event. They managed to create such a fun, entertaining, and memorable atmosphere. Well, there's this serious "learning" part - seminars, exhibitions, but the fun "experience" part was more dominant, such as:

Welcome dinner -- traditional, sacred @ Taman Ayun, imagine your arrive at Taman Ayun, which is completely transformed and welcome by 150 of tradionally dressed Balinese ladies. (The number of guests are around 200).

Followed by the next evening's Dinner + Entertainment -- modern, cozy, a standard buffet dinner actually, plus a standard band. But in addition to that, they added a nice suprise elements: two booths for relaxing foot massage, free of course; tattoo artists; and one booth giving away bead bracelets and necklaces. And the main entertainment event that night was Rommy Raphael - the hipnotist artists.

Relaxing Activities, golf (standard), spa, ATV race, ...

And finally, Farewell Dinner (I missed it actually) -- spectacular & wild. It was held in Garuda Wisnu Kencana park. A very large park -- GWK it was a gunung kapur cut into statues and panggung and temples. Very impressive work. I can imagine that the event will be indeed spectacular.

Talking about event organizing...

4. Tattoo.

To pin down the event in my memory, I decided to get a temporary tattoo on my left hand! My first actually. Just out of curiosity. The artist was great, done it in less than 10 minutes... the queue was longer, though... have to wait for 30 mins. Let me share you the picture when I can upload it. (It's a dragon picture, by the way...)

Those who know me hardly believe that I did.
But I did, man!

5. Lost and Found: another pleasant memory

Last but not least, I accidentally left my shorts and t-shirt at the hotel!! Aargh. Must be the effect of staying up late and early morning rush to the airport.

Called the hotel when I got back to Jakarta.
After two transfers, they confirmed that they will send the clothes back to me. Of course on my charge... They are helpful and responsive. Handled the incident in a very good manner.
It was a five-star hotel in Seminyak, Sofitel. I guess, I (my company, I mean) didn't pay close to $100 for nothing...

There's one interesting stuff, though.
When I received the package a two of days later, (yes, they shipped it using express delivery, exceeding my expectation, actually), there's a tag on my clothes... which says "throw away" Guess that's what they're going to do with my poor shorts... (grin).

I really enjoyed the experience...
and I find it still a sin to work in Bali... :-)

Rp 300,-

2006-04-17T16:43:00.000+07:00

Sekali lagi: uang kembalian!

Kemarin makan es krim di salah satu kedai es krim mahal... suasana enak, es krimnya asyik, tapi... kembalian gue kurang tiga ratus perak (well Rp 297,- to be exact). Seharusnya 7.797, hanya dikembalikan Rp 7.500,-. I spent Rp 62.203,- anyway.

I am wondering... this is becoming a common "disease" in Jakarta. But... apakah saya yg terlalu "pelit" atau orang lain yg permisif. (Nggak mau ribut).

If you: have a very healthy of margin, spend a heap on promo, advertising, discounts, etc.
why can't you give an exact change to me, or round it down... please... (sigh).

Susah yah, punya restoran.
Jualannya 'kan total experience.
Masalahnya karena nila setitik rusak susu sebelanga.

Does small things matter in ... creating advocate customers ... creating memorable customer's experience ... creating a superior customer value ... giving an edge against the competition?
[I may be jumping to other topics ... If competition matches your offering, what benefits will you use to differentiate yourself: functional, emotional, experience?]

PS:
Dulu, setiap makan es krim, gue selalu dapat air putih as a compliment. Untuk menghilangkan rasa manis. Kemarin: tidak ada complimentary fresh water to accompany my order.

How to Wow 'Em Like Steve Jobs

2006-04-06T17:41:00.000+07:00

At the end of each presentation Jobs adds to the drama by saying, "and one more thing." He then adds a new product, new feature, or sometimes introduces a band. He approaches each presentation as an event, a production with a strong opening, product demonstrations in the middle, a strong conclusion, and an encore -- that "one more thing!"

(Business Week Online, this article)

Belum pernah dengar dia presentasi, sih, tapi kelihatannya meyakinkan.

Rp 70,-

2006-04-06T09:45:00.000+07:00

Makan.
Kemarin malam maem Horfun Bebek ala Tio Ciu. Horfun itu mirip-mirip kwe tiau, tapi lebih tipis-tipis. Kuahnya coklat, mirip bakut teh, dengan bawang yg banyak... nyam... nyam...

Rp 22.000 + Rp 4.000 buat es teh tawar (!!) total Rp 26.000.
Plus service charge 5%, terus plus lagi PPN 10%. Total gue dicharge lagi 15.5%
Angkanya? Rp 30.030 ... tiga puluh ribu, tiga puluh rupiah.

Uangku? Rp 50.000.

Kembalinya?
Pasti bukan Rp 19.970, karena tidak ada pecahan uang logam untuk Rp 70,-
Tebak: Rp 20.000 atau Rp 19.900?

Rp 19.900!
Kurang!

Rp 70,-

Marah.
(Kebangetan juga, sih)
Kenapa customer yg harus mengalah, di-rounding ke bawah?
Rp 70,- bisa buat perbedaan yg besar ke attitude customer terhadap brand kita.

Ini praktek yg sering terjadi di Indonesia.
Kembalian di supermarket, restoran, hypermart, food court, you name it, sering kurang. Diganti permen. Atau hilang begitu saja.... dengan alasan "tidak ada uang kecil" ... Kadang orang protes, kadang tidak karena cuek.

Kenapa bikin harga yg "aneh" sehingga tidak bisa memberikan exact change? (Udah tahu uang pecahan Rp 50,- apalagi Rp 25,- sudah hampir hilang dari peredaran).
Di beberapa negara lain, 1 sen pun pasti dikembalikan.

Ada satu supermarket yg cukup bagus, total belanjaan kita selalu dirounding ke bawah, ke-50-an terdekat. Maksimum rugi Rp 49,- yah... lumayan lah, tapi 49 perak tersebut means a lot bagi customernya: "kami berpihak kepada Anda."

Komplain (& Puas).
"Mas, kembaliannya kurang ... tujuh puluh rupiah."

Bagusnya mereka punya response yg baik.
"Maaf, ya, Pak, saya periksa dulu dengan kasir."

Dan aku dapat Rp 20.000,-
Tips Rp 2.000,- melayang, aku tinggalkan di meja.

Jangan menyusahkan customer lah...
Perhatikan juga hal-hal kecil, sehingga experience mereka dengan brand kita nyaman, memorable.

Lihat ke bawah!

2006-04-05T18:49:00.000+07:00

Ironi...

Di belakang kantorku, tepat di belakang gedung kantin ternyata perumahan kumuh.

Sementara di sini kami duduk ber-AC dan dengan asyiknya blogging.
Jangan lupa untuk melihat ke bawah.

Perhatikanlah dengan seksama hari-harimu,
dan lihatlah bahwa banyak hal yg kita take for granted.
Hiduplah dengan penuh rasa syukur setiap hari.

For old time's sake

2006-04-05T18:30:00.000+07:00

Beberapa minggu yang lalu makan di restoran di Pasar Baru. Bareng teman-teman sesama karnivora. (I'm definitely not a vegetarian). Makanannya enak, tapi yg menggelitik adalah pemandangan yang kami temui.

Empat orang, sudah tua, ngobrol seru, makan bareng-bareng, ketawa-tawa, cerita-cerita. Seems to be enjoying life. Very much.

What would happen when you reach that age?
Health deteriorating.
Familiar places and faces dissapearing.
Facing change during your old age...
Regretting past decisions.

Atau bisa look at the brighter side.
Makan asam garam kehidupan, menjadi wise.
Watching your children grow, and grandchild born.
Observing how times have changed.
Celebrating life.
Been there, done that.

Adalah pilihan apakah akan menjadi tua dan menyesal.
Atau...
Menjadi tua, sambil memilih untuk bijaksana dan bahagia.

Still a long way to go.
But why not be prepared from now?
Karena bertambahnya usia adalah sesuatu yang pasti...

Lembur & Pizza Hut @ 1 AM

2006-04-04T23:00:00.000+07:00

Minggu lalu was a very tough week!!
Five (or six, or was it seven?) straight days (and nights) of working late... accompanied by a lot of coffee, pizza, and caesar salad (Hey, I'm trying to control my weight here...).

Demi sebuah ungkapan "profesionalisme."
Must get the things done! Profesional.
You are paid to get things done.
(Mercenaries are professional too....)

Nggak hanya itu, sih.
What motivates you? What really drives you to work?
Uang? Status & Fame? Kekuasaan?

Panggilan? Pelayanan?

Work is a calling = Beruf [Deutsch].
Ya. Itu dia.
Pekerjaan apa saja yang diberikan kepadamu, hendaklah kalian mengerjakannya dengan sepenuh hati, seolah-olah Tuhanlah yang kalian layani, dan bukan hanya manusia.

Hmmpfff...
Kerja memang harus sungguh-sungguh.
On the bright side, kerja itu jelas punya makna, lebih dari cari duit, lebih dari sekedar status. Kerja itu bagian dari "The Big Plan." Bagian dari why I am here on earth... Tidak perlu mengeluh. Nikmati dan kerjakan.

Profesional.
Memberi buah.
Memberi kontribusi.

OK, the lighter side of this post...
Hari Jumat, malam. Kopi kayaknya enak, deh... Jadilah pergi ke Starbucks Thamrin dengan seorang teman - pelembur juga. Puter-puter dikit karena jarang ke sono dari arah kantor. 12:00 midnight sampai. Parkir penuh. Starbucks penuh. Cafe Oh Lala penuh. Pizza Hut (midnight pizza, anyone...) juga penuh. But we managed to get a seat at Starbucks and had a sip of ~~expensive~~ delicious coffee.

Let's call it a day.

Squidoo: Citizen Publishing & Learning (?)

2006-03-29T23:36:00.000+07:00

Quoted from Squidoo:
"Everyone's an expert at something. Spread your ideas, make yourself known, and earn a royalty. What's your topic?"

Another interesting phenomenon of the Web.
The Web is becoming more and more two-way (or many-way) communication or information medium -- participative, or should I say rather democratic: the Web -- from the people, by the people, for the people.

Banyak yg sering bicara ke aku (ibuku contohnya) bahwa orang harus sering menulis. Hanya dengan cara tersebut, dia bisa lebih dikenal serta maju. Masalahnya adalah komitmen untuk menulis dan media untuk publish tulisan tersebut.

Komitmen adalah masalah pribadi.
Media untuk publishing, dengan Web 2.0, bukan masalah lagi.

Ada blog, untuk tulisan-tulisan lebih unstructured, journalism like.
Ada Squidoo (lenses), untuk tulisan yang ditujukan sebagai "expert" opinion, learning.
Ada wiki, untuk open encyclopedia, tulisan-tulisan yang bersifat reference.

Ada banyak lagi. Pasti.

Nah, komitmen, anyone?

on meetings....

2006-03-28T13:45:00.000+07:00

MORE SHIRT-SLEEVE THAN PIN-STRIPE

In a meeting you don't have to worry about how you are coming across to collagues, because they are busy worrying about how they are coming across to you.

Meetings are for those with not enough to do.

A meeting is a performance, an act to convince people of their own importance.

The real players don't need to act out the meeting game.

They roll up their sleeves and get on with the job.

From the book Whatever You Think, Think the Opposite
(from 800-CEO-READ... link)

Innovators & Laggards

2006-03-23T19:13:00.000+07:00

Pernah dengar technology adoption cycle? (or innovation diffusion)
Geoffrey A. Moore pernah mempopulerkannya juga dengan istilah "Crossing the Chasm"

Basically, this is membicarakan bagaimana suatu produk baru diadopsi oleh public. Pertama-tama technology enthusiasts (innovators) dulu, lalu visionaries (early adopters), pragmatists (early majority), conservatives (late majority), dan skeptics (laggards).

Nah, what do you think?
Siapa itu innovators, siapa itu laggards?
SES A vs. SES C?
Geek vs. Ordinary Man?

Let me give you two examples.

1)
Driver di kantor adalah pengguna Ring Back Tone, sejak layanan tsb diluncurkan.
Kolegaku, baru saja pakai, krn terinspirasi Pak Driver tsb.
Boss gue, tidak berniat pakai... :-)

2)
Satpam di kantor, HP-nya Nokia 6680 (more than 3.5jt).
Yang punya warung di belakang kantor pakai Nokia 6600.
Aku? Siemens M75. Itupun dikasih kantor... kalau nggak juga nggak beli...

(OK, there will be other cases where the innovation difusion follows "common sense." But those two are quite intriguing examples.)

What do you think?

Experience Economy

2006-03-23T18:12:00.000+07:00

Businesses must orchestrate memorable events for their customers and that memory itself becomes the product - the "experience". (Pine, J. and Gilmore, J. (1999) The Experience Economy, Harvard Business School Press, Boston, 1999)

Era Informasi ... (Information Flood)

2006-03-21T14:45:00.000+07:00

Apakah sudah kebanjiran informasi?

Isi dari Bloglines subscription-ku sudah banyak banget... bisa-bisa dua ratus artikel baru per hari yang bisa dilihat. Langganan RSS tadinya untuk mengurangi mailing list... ternyata akhirnya information update per hari sama banyaknya juga :-)
(Anyway, tapi RSS is much-much more helpful).

Informasi bisa didapat di mana-mana. (Baca: google)
Barusan teman ada yg googling: "evaluate market research company" dan dapat result yg cukup helpful.

What else?
TV, videoblog/videocast, SMS updates, radio, podcast, a flood of magazines, newspapers (if you still read them). Informasi. Di mana-mana.

What do you think?
How do you manage information that flows in?

Tapi aku rasa golden rules dalam management (termasuk time and information management) masih berlaku, 'kan? Prioritize. Focus. Important but not urgent.

Google Idol

2006-03-21T14:31:00.000+07:00

Stumbled upon this.
http://googleidol.com/index.htm

Kalau orang bilang bahwa Internet akan menjadi virtual world, apakah memang begitu, ya? Semua (well, almost all) aspek kehidupan kita akan di-Internet-kan...

Japanese Food

2006-02-28T11:06:00.000+07:00

Minggu lalu ketemu dg teman-teman lama. Makan di sushi bar. Ada satu teman yg belum pernah - or jarang - makan seafood (alergic!). Apalagi japanese food, sushi & sashimi pula! Jadi itu pengalaman pertama yg agak tidak terlupakan...

Anyway, kawanku yg lain sering berurusan dg rekan-rekan dari Jepang.
Menurut dia -- dining is an art in Japan.
Selain rasa, mata dan panca indera yg lainnya harus dimanjakan.

After a short googling... found this (and a bunch of other links):

Before actually eating the food, you must enjoy it with the "eyes" first. Eyes are as large as the stomach. That, is the Japanese way of dining.

In Japan, food and dishes are considered to be a type of art. Although there are no marveling sessions held before the eating, the Japanese people really enjoy the artistic sense and beauty of the displayand arrangement of the food and the choice of receptacles for serving it. Sometimes, even the rooms or the place where the eating is occured are considered as part of the art. More beautiful the food looks, more delicous, it is thought to be.

Quoted from this link.

Bakpao

2006-02-27T21:08:00.000+07:00

Sekotak bakpao, masih hangat, baru keluar dari kukusan.
Ada delapan macam rasa...

Ketika ingin kuambil, baru bingung...
Dari luar semuanya kelihatan sama. Putih. Walaupun beda-beda bentuk. Tak tahu mana yg BK, mana yg BM, mana yg kacang, mana yg BC. Hiks... bingung, masa' harus dicobain satu per satu.

Sampai kusadari ada selembar kertas seperti terlampir (well.. belum bisa posting, besok coba lagi).
Baru, nih, bulan lalu belum ada.
He... he... si penjual menyadari banget apa kesulitan pembelinya.

Don't confuse your customer.
Make their consumption experience enjoyable, memorable.

Obsession... (for iPod)

2006-02-26T03:51:00.000+07:00

Just bought an 30-GB iPod two weeks ago... absolutely satisfied with the "experience." I've postpone writing about this particular obsession and experience for several times, until a recent article in Business Week (iPod Takes Japan by Storm) gets my attention and here you go...

1. iPod is not (another) MP3 player.
Hey... I'm not buying an MP3 player... I bought iPod.
(Are there any differences?)

Cult brand!

Quoted from Business Week:
Consumers are changing how they view and even relate to brands... through the power of the Internet ... many larger communities around their favorite brands. Creating this new sense of belonging is what the most successful marketers are striving for.... They have become "cult brands."

How? By forging distinct, attractive identities, creating bonds beyond the point of purchase, and reinforcing those bonds through constant contact. More important, they beget proselytizers who will chat up the company to their buddies, set up Web sites, attend events, and proudly identify themselves as users.
---

End-to-end experience!
From marketing campaign, buying experience (look at those sleek Apple Stores), ease-of-use of iPod and iTunes software, and not to forget iTunes Music Store experience -- songs priced below pain-level (99 cents!), buy only the songs that you like (!).
All is well-designed.

Besides that, of course, iPod offers the best value for me: it has a really sleek and hip design, good sound quality, excellent software, good battery life, and a reasonable price. (Hey, that's why you buy a product).

2. Will iPod success lasts?
On one hand: healthy margin, 51.3% market share, cult brand... cool innovations, Steve-Job-factors, great marketing execution, and the end-to-end experience.

On the other hand: a bunch of competitors - from cheap MP3 players to big names like Sony, Panasonic, and Microsoft (so I heard)... and don't forget the multimedia phones.

We'll wait and see.

3. Does their recipe work in Indonesia, anyway?
I was a bit dissapointed that I can't get the iTunes Music Store account... only because I live in Indonesia!!! (Why?? Credit card fraud and piracy stuffs??).
One piece of the end-to-end experience is missing.

But marketing a product to Indonesians is always different: you can find unique value of iPod in Indonesia -- and exploit it.

Update on iPod bashing
http://gigaom.com/2006/03/23/another-day-another-ipod-obit/
The fact of the matter is that iPod is more than a device or an MP3 player. It is a cultural phenomenon, and that just is something neither you can predict, or bury with mere words. The bar has been set so high, that Nokia (or anyone else) will have to make phones which are not just equal but far superior to iPod to beat Apple.

Long live iPod!!!

Nice Invitation

2006-02-16T10:00:00.000+07:00

Wedding invitation from a friend...

---
Dear all,

Please spent some times; let's say 3 minutes to read my email. ok? :) The reason why I'm bugging you with this email is because I want to share my joy and happiness: I've got a new Job!

I went a lot of interviews, assessments and tests which were really tough, but I never want to give up on this one. I am telling you, I have never gone through anything like this before but finally I took this challenge and it proved to be well worth it.

I will manage and lead a small group of team in the beginning, only 2 personnel but in the progress this team will grow into 3-4 personnel as the project evolves. Basically I'll be in charge in developing a long term financial soundness and run the operation of this team. Also in the beginning, I will be more involved in the strategic planning and starting up the team. I believe the next following years will be more challenging and fun. Oh yes, the job title is: Husband. :) :) :D

Friends, I am getting married on this xx yyy, abcd. I will put an end to my bachelorship and start a new life.. if you ask my feeling how is it? I would say it feels damn great! New challenges are ahead.

Please accept this email as my wedding invitation. Another invitation card will come to you soon! my apologizes if you don’t received my invitation card, as you know, snail mail is no longer popular as we have E-MAIL! Please book your calendar on xx yy, abcd. :)

Please join us for a simple buffet dinner at:

For those who would like to come to the church wedding, the holy matrimony mass will be held in:

Thank you for reading my email and again please accept this email as my wedding invitation and wish to see you all on my wedding day. Have a good day!

BA & FS
---

Very original.
If you're reading this... congrats & wishing you a good marriage man!

Focus

2006-01-30T10:15:00.000+07:00

So what is Jobs' secret? There are many, but it starts with focus and a near-religious faith in his strategy... one of his first moves was to take an ax to Apple's product line, lopping off dozens of products to focus on just four.

"I'm as proud of what we don't do as I am of what we do," Jobs often says.

(Steve Jobs' Magic Kingdom, Business Week, 6 Feb '06)

The year of the digital citizen

2006-01-02T10:50:00.000+07:00

2005 was arguably the year citizens really started to do it for themselves. Raising mobiles aloft, they did not just talk and text, they snapped, shared and reported the world around them.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4566712.stm

New Year: Journey to the Unknowns

2006-01-01T01:00:00.000+07:00

O Lord God, who has called us, Your servants,
To ventures of which we cannot see the ending,
By paths as yet untrodden,
And through perils unknown,
Give us faith to go out with good courage,
Not knowing where we go
But only that Your hand is leading us
And Your love is supporting us. Amen.

—David McCasland

(ODB, 1 Jan '06)

Mom's job description

2005-12-13T14:22:00.000+07:00

POSITION:
Mother, Mom, Mama, Mommy

JOB DESCRIPTION:
Long term, team players needed for challenging permanent work in an often chaotic environment. Candidates must possess excellent communication and organizational skills and be willing to work variable hours, which will include evenings and weekends and frequent 24 hour shifts on call. Some overnight travel required, including trips to primitive camping sites on rainy weekends, and endless sports tournaments in far away cities. Travel expenses not reimbursed. Extensive courier duties also required.

RESPONSIBILITIES:
The rest of your life. Must be willing to be hated, at least temporarily, until someone needs $5. Must be willing to bite tongue repeatedly. Also, must possess the physical stamina of a pack mule and be able to go from zero to 60 mph in three seconds flat in case, this time, the screams from the backyard are not someone just crying wolf. Must be willing to face stimulating technical challenges, such as small gadget repair, mysteriously sluggish toilets and stuck zippers. Must screen phone calls, maintain calendars and coordinate production of multiple homework projects. Must have ability to plan and organize social gatherings for clients of all ages and mental outlooks. Must be willing to be indispensable one minute, an embarrassment the next. Must handle assembly and product safety testing of a half million cheap, plastic toys, and battery operated devices. Must always hope for the best but be prepared for the worst. Must assume final, complete accountability for the quality of the end product. Responsibilities also include floor maintenance and janitorial work throughout the facility.

POSSIBILITY FOR ADVANCEMENT & PROMOTION:
Virtually none. Your job is to remain in the same position for years, without complaining, constantly retraining and updating your skills, so that those in your charge can ultimately surpass you.

PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE:
None required unfortunately. On-the-job training offered on a continually exhausting basis.

WAGES AND COMPENSATION:
Get this! You pay them! Offering frequent raises and bonuses. A balloon payment is due when they turn 18 because of the assumption that college will help them become financially independent. When you die, you give them whatever is left. The oddest thing about this reverse-salary scheme is that you actually enjoy it and then wish you could only do more.

BENEFITS:
While no health or dental insurance, no pension, no tuition reimbursement, no paid holidays and no stock options are offered; this job supplies limitless opportunities for personal growth and free hugs for life if you play your cards right.

Forward this on to all the Moms you know, in appreciation for everything they do on a daily basis, and let them know they are treasured.

(For my beloved wife...)

Quote: Authentic Leader

2005-12-13T08:52:00.000+07:00

If a leader is playing a role that isn’t a true expression of his authentic self, followers will sooner or later feel like they’ve been tricked.
(Managing Authenticity: The Paradox of Great Leadership, Harvard Business Review, Dec 2005)

Quote: Success

2005-12-12T14:14:00.000+07:00

For me, success is knowing my purpose in life, growing to my maximum potential and sowing seeds that benefit others. That's where I want to go.
(John C. Maxwell, Leadership Wired Volume 8, Issue 22)

Bupati Dilempar Sandal

2005-11-29T08:47:00.000+07:00

Pemimpin yang beruntung adalah dia yang bisa mendapatkan luapan hati yang jujur dari rakyatnya. [Lemparan sandal adalah luapan hati yangjujur...]

(Cak Nun, Ramako Breakfast, 29 Nov 2005 08:18 WIB)

CEO juga sekali-kali butuh lemparan sandal.
Karena sering mereka lepas dari reality, tidak mendapatkan laporan yang akurat (baca: pahit) tentang apa yang sesungguhnya terjadi di organisasi mereka.

The First 90 Days: Diagnosing a New Organization

2005-11-28T13:47:00.000+07:00

When diagnosing a new organization, start by meeting with your direct reports one-on-one and ask them these five questions:

What are the biggest challenges the organization is facing (or will face) in the near future?
Why is the organization facing (or going to face) these challenges?
What are the most promising unexploited opportunities for growth?
What would need to happen for the organization to exploit the potential of these opportunities?
If you were me, what would you focus on?

(The First 90 Days, Michael Watkins)

Reluctant Sales Person

2005-11-25T09:05:00.000+07:00

That's a new term that I came across recently.

It is describing a type of salesman who tends to do his job by mainly cultivating long term relationships and acting like an advisor. The danger that he must watch out is that he must learn when to close the deal, rather than play the approaching game.

Is it bad?
Not necessarily, this is a unique strenght.
And the book "Now Discover Your Sales Strength" discovered that any strength when put into a proper use can maximize its potential.

Proper: right company/system, right boss, right industry.

Sailboat vs Airline Carrier

2005-11-23T20:42:00.002+07:00

Met a friend recently, who also worked in a MNC. He had been employed in both large MNC and smaller MNC. We are comparing notes of what we observedduring our tenure.

He made one interesting analogy -- comparing large and small MNC is like comparing people in cruise ship and sailors in a race sailboat.

In cruise ship, it took a lot of people to accomplish something. A lot of coordination between department and functions. And consequently, you oftendon't see the direct impact of your actions toward the business.

Large ship is also more stable, it took several people to screw up together in order to crash the ship. (Although in some cases, if one big person screwed up big, the effect will also be disastrous). There's some sort of balance of power and check-and-countercheck mechanism built-in -- thingslike the four-eye principle that I have in my current employer.

On the other hand.
A smaller MNC (and company) is like a sailboat.
In one sailboat, your action will directly impact the life-and-death of that boat. Direct visibility. You can tell directly who screws up and who performs -- almost immediately. You are in charge of your own actions.

It still needs a close coordination between the sailors, but things a bit easier.

A good analogy I would say.
And some sort of a good compass if want to survive in both.

One-year Old Wonder -- Responsibility

2005-11-23T20:42:00.001+07:00

Teaching a child to be responsible for his actions is a must.
Just recently my daughter hit her auntie's nose with a handphone (she loves
to play with handphones). Hit it quite hard, anyway. But you can not really
blame her, for she knew nothing (yet) about responsibility.

What did I do to her?
I told her, hopefully she understood, that it's not right to hurt people,
by doing so she caused a great pain to someone else and it is not nice. I
also asked her to apologize to her auntie.

The next day, something interesting happened. She seemed to try to make
peace with her particular auntie. Hugging, kissing, bermanja-manja dg
auntienya yang satu itu...

Lucu juga anak-anak, ya...

Reminds me to the responsibility of being a parent.
My pastor used to say, "Anak-anak tidak minta dilahirkan. Orang tuanyalah
yang ingin punya anak. Dan Tuhan tahu benar hal itu... Dia menganugerahkan
anak, bukan sebagai milik orang tuanya, tetapi sebagai milik Allah yang
harus dipelihara."

Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his
reward.
(Ps 127:3, KJV)

One-year Old Wonder

2005-11-23T20:42:00.000+07:00

My daughter is one year old now.
Amazing it may be, but she's one great wonder!

I watched her progressing...
from a helpless crying baby, into a more independent child - toddling around;
from crying for food - or sleep - or diaper change --- I can't tell the
difference of cries, into a little girl who can ask and express what she wants;
from helpless bundle of joy - lying in her crib, into someone who can smile
at you, laugh with you, play with you.

How much she learnt during this year!
And how much she's going to learn in the upcoming, 2, 3, 4, 10, 20, 50, 70,
..., who-knows years to come.

One thing for sure is that life is an everlasting growing process. We grow
physically, emotionally, spiritually. We grow in our responsibilities. We
grow in knowledge. In character. And in wisdom.

Oh, how beautiful life is!

Web 2.0

2005-11-22T14:39:00.000+07:00

... the hot topic is Web 2.0 ... speculation on how the Internet will transform from an information resource to a user-centric platform for wide-ranging new services and products centered around the needs of users.

For example, Web 2.0 is all about applications that run on the network ... (think Flickr's photo collecting, tagging, and distribution service), user-created content (think the Wikipedia encyclopedia), and products that are written and improved by users and developers rather than software companies (think the open source movement versus Microsoft).

(HBS Working Knowledge, 21 Nov 2005, article.)

O'Reilly's Web 2.0 Manifesto.

Microsoft is somewhat acknowledging that, and launching their on-demand platform for software development and delivery. I don't recall the product name, but there's a recent article in Business Week.

Friends' blog

2005-11-22T14:27:00.000+07:00

Here's the list of my friends' blogs, that I regularly read via RSS.
(updated 20-Feb-2006)

Bloggers, keep up the good work ...

3 jam x 2 malam (and counting...)

2005-11-17T15:36:00.000+07:00

PC-ku finally arrived last Tuesday.
Malamnya langsung dirakit, berjuang dengan:

obeng dan mur/baut (untungnya motherboard spacer sudah included di casing, kalau tidak susah juga krn ukuran ulir spacer & lubang di casingnya belum tentu cocok...)
thermal compound (nggak gampang ternyata untuk apply pasta ini ke processor... perlu keahlian sendiri agar bisa rata dan rapi... berhubung gak punya barang itu --- nggak tahu namanya, tapi sejenis dg yg dipakai tukang semen utk meratakan aci-an/semen --- trik lama yg aku pelajari dari Freddi adalah menggunakan obeng utk meratakannya)
HSF (masangnya alot banget!)
routing cable (banyak juga cable yang ada di dalam, plus ngerouting kabel IDE & floppy -- untungnya HDD sekarang pake SATA, jadi nggak banyak-banyak ribbon cable)

Selesai dalam almost 2 jam. Maklum bukan teknisi komputer.
Eh, waktu mau dipower-on, kabel power untuk monitor kagak ada... yah.... :-(
Jadi dicoba dulu monitornya (LCD 17") dg notebook. Terasa sekali beda ukurannya.

Well, time to call it a day.

The following day, dilanjutkan dengan install WinXP dan drivers dan software dan ... argh... ini juga lama. WinXP sendiri hampir satu jam. BTW, untuk HDD di atas 128 GB, perlu SP2 (or SP1 will do?).

This time, everything seems smooth. Yesterday's installation seems OK too. Processor is running at a nice temperature -- 'round 35-38 degree. Even I can already burn few DVDs.

Jam 12 malam berhenti lagi. Dilanjutkan hari berikutnya install software-software untuk Palm dan migrasi data.

Whew... 3 jam, 2 malam, and counting.
Hopefully, hari ini yg terakhir.

Honest Feedback

2005-11-17T15:17:00.000+07:00

Ada teman yg baru saja ngirim form kosong, minta honest feedback. Simple it may seem (cuman strengths and weaknesses)... tapi susah ngisinya, kaya' bikin essay man... bullet points sebenarnya will do juga sih.

Aku lebih suka kalo dapat multiple choice :-) lebih gampang...

Anyway, kenapa ya, susah mendapat dan memberikan honest feedback? Padahal penting banget buat self-improvement.

Do you give an honest feedback?
How difficult is it? How to overcome the difficulties?

Do you seek honest feedback most of the time?
What mental attitude must we have when receiving feedbacks?

Best of the Web

2005-11-10T00:37:00.000+07:00

Business Week, September 2005
http://businessweek.com/magazine/toc/05_39/B39520539web.htm

Web is no longer a static, one-way communication.
The new era is where Internet users can contribute to the Web.
Being part of it.

Blogs (done that: first one and second take -- empty one),
Listen & Create Podcasts (not yet... still savings for iPod and don't really talk that much),
Tagging (got my Technorati and del.icio.us login),
Flickr (got one already).

Am I part of the new Internet?
Should I be part of the new Internet?

The Standard Measures of Success

2005-11-10T00:26:00.000+07:00

Kompas, 30 October 2005 ("Jujur pada Diri Sendiri") wrote about several persons who after achieving generally-accepted "successful" life, decided to abandon those conventional wisdom and pursued a different way of life.

They went from "survival" mode -- satisfying deficit needs (physical, love, esteem, dignity needs -- the bottom part of Maslows' Hierarchy of Needs?) -- into "beyond survival" mode -- satisfying being needs. Often this sacrificed the glamour of high salary, top position in a company, or just simple fame.

Money, career, fame ... those have became of the least importance for them, lost their meaning. What they did at the end was being honest to themselves, doing what's important for them and not being afraid of public's view of their way of life.

There's definitely a fear that when they left these "success" and hence the abundance of money -- living in unsecured path.

My take.

The idealist part of me said: YES!
You are not measured by what others have said.
It is OK to live a life of your own, a measure of your own, a success of your own!! Whoever you are, at whatever condition you are currently -- regardless of what your "success" degree is!

You can live at a standard of living that you choose -- not a standard that others set for you. Living a life that does not idolise common "success" is not an unsecured path...

The realist part of me said: come on....?!
You have the responsibility to yourself and your family. The Maslow's basic needs must be satisfied and secured foremost. That is the "success" that you must pursue.

Those who are able to do these kind of "turnaroun" are those who have achieved "success".
For the rest: tough luck. Run the rat race! Forget your dream!

My final take.

I tend to go for the idealist.
I have decided long time ago to live with the correct priority in life.
I am fully aware that what we experience in this world -- needs for money, to be exact -- will cloud the priority, if I do not have the correct compass to guide me.

Fil 4: 11
Kukatakan ini bukanlah karena kekurangan, sebab aku telah belajar mencukupkan diri dalam segala keadaan.

I believe I do what I must do -- live in the current world, but with a view to eternity.
The rest I will leave it to my Lord. I will learn to trust in Him.

Ibr 13:5
Janganlah kamu menjadi hamba uang dan cukupkanlah dirimu dengan apa yang ada padamu. Karena Allah telah berfirman: "Aku sekali-kali tidak akan membiarkan engkau dan Aku sekali-kali tidak akan meninggalkan engkau."

Arvale & New PC

2005-10-31T00:36:00.000+07:00

Been playing this RPG for a while... how technology has evolved (sigh...) I recalled playing Ultima 4 (or was it 5?) whose graphics can not compare to Arvale. Best yet, Arvale runs on Palm handheld -- whose processor is more powerful then my PC back then...

Speaking of which... I've decided to buy a new PC! (Hey... a computer engineer without a PC?) The first PC that I ever bought using my hard-earned wage. Komputer yg sebelumnya, ya entah dibeliin my parents atau dari kantor.

I admit, bagian paling susah adalah nentuin motherboard mana yg mesti dipakai.
AMD Athlon 64 3000+ (Venice core) sih is an easy choice. 64-bit processor yg paling cost effective, dan salah satu yang mudah untuk dio/c. Nah, motherboardnya... yg ini begitu, yg itu begini... kompromi di sini dan di sana. (Masalahnya bukan di budget, tapi masalah prinsip ekonomi: getting the best from the least effort).

Tapi finally udah settled.
Waiting to have her soon...

Employee Turnover

2005-10-26T18:14:00.000+07:00

Hey... how do you keep good people on board?

What does losing one person mean?
... means more than just losing a workforce, a staff who does things.
We lost his talent, his tacit knowledge, his network ... all the investment we ever made, a lot...

Not to mention the effect on the other colleagues.
Especially, when a lot of people is leaving -- reaching a certain critical mass -- the attitude of staying colleagues will be severly affected....
as I myself see in one organisation.

Try this attrition calculator: link.

Is it always money and compensation that make people stay?
No.

Classic argument: "no budget for retention"
I believe that there are 100's of creative (low-cost) way of doing employee retention.

But, it is not the short-term, temporary measures (be that low-cost or budget-eating means) that satisfies people. It is the comprehensive human resources strategy and system that must be reviewed:

- Strategize&Plan
- Recruit
- Training & Development
- Performance Appraisal
- Compensation & Benefit
- Separation

Quote!

2005-10-25T23:13:00.000+07:00

These days, people know the price of things but not their value...
(Oscar Wilde, Irish Author)

This is taken from a BMW ad, about the value of original spare parts.

Internet Trends / Web 2.0 - Morgan Stanley

2005-10-21T17:57:00.000+07:00

Link to their page

Mary Meeker presented at the Web 2.0 conference taking place October 5-7 in San Francisco. Below, we have provided a link to the updated presentation delivered at the event.

Great is Thy Faithfulness

2005-10-06T11:51:00.000+07:00

Great Is Thy Faithfulness
Words by Thomas O. Chisholm (1866-1960) & William Runyan

1/
Great is thy faithfulness, O God my father,
There is no shadow of turning with thee:
Thou changest not, thy compassions, they fail not,
As thou hast been, thou for ever wilt be.

2/
Summer and winter, and springtime and harvest,
Sun, moon and stars in their courses above,
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.

3/
Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth;
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
Strength for to-day and bright hope for to-morrow:
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!

Ref/
Great is thy faithfulness, O God my father,
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
All I have needed thy hand hath provided,
Great is thy faithfulness, Lord unto me.

Gallup Q-12

2005-10-04T16:58:00.000+07:00

[Gallup] researchers pinpointed 12 key employee expectations that, when satisfied, form the foundation of strong feelings of engagement.

These are Gallup's 12 questions (Q¹²):

Do you know what is expected of you at work?
Do you have the materials and equipment you need to do your work right?
At work, do you have the opportunity to do what you do best every day?
In the last seven days, have you received recognition or praise for doing good work?
Does your supervisor, or someone at work, seem to care about you as a person?
Is there someone at work who encourages your development?
At work, do your opinions seem to count?
Does the mission/purpose of your company make you feel your job is important?
Are your associates (fellow employees) committed to doing quality work?
Do you have a best friend at work?
In the last six months, has someone at work talked to you about your progress?
In the last year, have you had opportunities at work to learn and grow?

Results have shown a strong link between high survey scores and worker performance.

GMJ: Feedback for Real

BW: Entrepreneur Quiz

2005-10-04T12:57:00.000+07:00

BusinessWeek Online Entrepreneur Quiz
http://images.businessweek.com/ss/05/10/entrepreneur_quiz/index_01.htm

Eight Questions:

Are you confident that you will still enjoy your passion when it's your full-time job, and not just a personal pastime?
Have you selected a direction that will make your business distinct from others in the same category or industry?
Do you have a competitive advantage other than price?
Is there a strong demand for your good or services, and can you produce it at a price people are willing to pay?
Have you done the necessary market research and had the results reviewed by an independent third party?
Are you committed in making sure the business becomes profitable within 2-3 years time?
Do you enjoy the daily flow of business, meeting customers, and keeping track of finances? If not do you have a partner who does?
Have you answered question 1-7 honestly, without the optimism of someone who's simply passionate about their passion?

Quote!!

2005-10-04T11:22:00.000+07:00

“Chance favors the prepared mind”

(Louis Pasteur)

100 Global Brands

2005-09-28T19:57:00.000+07:00

Business Week/Interbrand (September 5&12, 2005 Ed.) on the Top 100 Global Brands

Several things that catch my mind -- completely agree are:

There is this man equipped with every marketers nightmare gizmos: CallerID, pop-up & spam blockers, commercial satellite radio, TiVo ... he told BW that "The real beauty is that if we choose to shut advertising out, we can..."

All traditional rules of media ad are broken.
How do you build a brand in a world in which customers are increasingly in control of the media?

The best brands ... were able to unleash different campaigns for different customers in varied media almost simultaneously.
They blurred the lines between ads and entertainment... to make their brand messages so enjoyable ... customers see them as entertainment instead of an intrusion.

New venues: the Web, live events, cell phones, handheld compiuters.
Some concrete example: BWM features short movies and recently makes it available on TiVo start page (!), Apple with U2 iPod, Toyota with The Contender reality show, AmEx with Internet films starring Seinfeld.

"Brands are not being built on [traditional] marketing"

Engineering Feat

2005-09-12T12:25:00.000+07:00

"Engkau menciptakan setiap bagian badanku, dan membentuk aku dalam rahim ibuku."
(BIS, Maz 139:13)

Have a friend, whose baby is being diagnosed of a certain metabolism disorder.
Studying the mechanism of the disorder, I realised how complex our body is.

Without mentioning human's ability to adapt, think, feel... which remains a mistery, the bio-chemistry of our body is one amazing engineering feat.

Hundreds of enzymes, glands, cycles, each closely interrelated. One enzyme acts as an inhibitor or a stimulator of another enzyme. All control signals are delivered in real-time accurately, using these bio-chemical reactions.

Does it make me stand in awe in God who designed this?

Is human's existence just another coincidence in space: some meteors hitting our earth that change the climate and giving 'birth' to predecessor of human?

Or is it part of a grand design?
A distinctive, special creation?

Du großer Gott,
Wenn ich die Welt betrachte,
Die du geschaffen
Durch dein Allmachtswort,
Wenn ich auf alle
Jene Wesen achte,
Die du regierst
Und nährest fort und fort.

(How Great Thou Art, German version by Manfred von Glehn, 1867-1924)

Lessons from The Prodigal Son

2005-08-22T09:25:00.000+07:00

Two lessons from a musical that I watched last Saturday:
1) Father's heart always...
accepts his child, whatever he/she is, has done, and will be.
longs to be close with his child.

2) Man just don't get it...
problems, disappointment, bitterness often draw us away
from His presence - the completely opposite thing that we should do.

Wynyard Browne - The Holly and The Ivy
"Pulang, Drama Musikal dari Hosanna Ministry & Friends" (Suara Pembaruan 19 Aug '05)

Indonesia Raya - The Lost Stanzas

2005-08-17T13:08:00.000+07:00

Stanza ke-1
Indonesia tanah airku, tanah tumpah darahku.
Di sanalah aku berdiri jadi pandu ibuku.
Indonesia kebangsaanku, Bangsa dan Tanah Airku.
Marilah kita berseru: Indonesia bersatu.

Hiduplah tanahku, hiduplah negriku,
bangsaku, rakyatku, semuanya.
bangunlah jiwanya, bangunlah badannya
untuk Indonesia Raya.

Stanza ke-2
Indonesia tanah yang mulya, tanah kita yang kaya.
Di sanalah aku berada untuk selama-lamanya.
Indonesia tanah pusaka, pusaka kita semuanya.
Marilah kita berdoa: Indonesia bahagia.

Suburlah tanahnya, suburlah jiwanya,
bangsanya, rakyatnya, semuanya.
Sadarlah hatinya, sadarlah budinya
untuk Indonesia Raya.

Stanza ke-3
Indonesia tanah yang suci, tanah kita yang sakti.
Di sanalah aku berdiri m'jaga Ibu sejati.
Indonesia tanah berseri, tanah yang aku sayangi.
Marilah kita berjanji: Indonesia Abadi.

Slamatlah tanahnya, slamatlah puteranya,
pulaunya, lautnya, semuanya.
Majulah negerinya, majulah pandunya
untuk Indonesia Raya.

Chorus
Indonesia Raya,
Merdeka, Merdeka
Tanahku, negriku yang kucinta.
Indonesia Raya,
Merdeka, Merdeka
Hiduplah Indonesia Raya.

Artikel di Suara Pembaruan.

Facts about Wage Rudolf Supratman:

Quote!

2005-08-12T17:03:00.000+07:00

“Achieving differentiation in the era of convergence is not about assets or even technology, but about understanding and meeting customer needs.”

(Sanjiv Ahuja, CEO, Orange, at Accenture Global Convergence Forum 2005)

Delegate, but do not Abandon

2005-08-04T17:28:00.000+07:00

There's an old saying in management: that a manager is someone who does things by using other people. It implies that a manager delegates work to his subordinate.

However: delegate does not equal abandon.
You can delegate, but make sure the person is able, well equipped, well motivated to do the requested task.

Remember: it is the manager who's fully responsible for the result.

Quote!

2005-08-03T17:16:00.000+07:00

Plan your life,
or somebody else will (plan it for you)...

(Source: I think someone from GE / the management development guys)

Marketing: Brand #2 -- Aaker

2005-07-29T17:27:00.000+07:00

David Aaker.
Father of Brand.

Wrote a trilogy of branding books:
1) Managing Brand Equity, 1991

Here he argues that:

The most important assets of any business are intangible.

its company name, brand, symbols, and slogans, and their underlying associations,
perceived quality,
name awareness,
customer base, and
proprietary resources such as patents, trademarks, and channel relationships.

These assests comprises the brand equity which is a primary source of competitive advantage and future earnings.

2) Building Strong Brand, 1995

3) Brand Leadership, 2000

Marketing: Customer Value

2005-07-28T21:40:00.002+07:00

It's all about perception.
Customer values your product/services/brand with a simple equation:

Customer value = Perceived Quality - Perceived Cost

How to build perception?
How to build brand?

A product that has a unique selling proposition and strong reason to buy. Plus smart [unusual, out-of-the-box], consistent [with other marketing mix elements], integrated marketing communication.

Marketing: Brand #1

2005-07-28T21:40:00.001+07:00

1) Brand is the life and death of a marketing (brand) manager.

Brand outlives products.
Product can be copied. Brand is unique.
Product becomes obsolete. Brand lasts (almost forever, if well-managed).

Brand is the identity that reflects credibility, integrity and value that a company [behind the brand] has. Brand is delivered through company's products and services.
-- Dr. Asto Subroto, quoted from an article in Swa.

2) The concept of "Brand" has several building blocks. Some popular one are:
- brand awareness
- brand image
- brand association
- brand equity
- brand value

Aaker, the father of Brand, combined those concept into what is called
Brand Equity.

3) Simon Jonathan, as quoted in Swa, mentioned about four elements of a strong brand equity. A similar idea to brand-asset valuator concept from Young & Rubicam:
strong awareness
high quality perception
high loyalty
relevant and favorable association

4) Brand Value, as defined by Swa and MARS, in the above article, is derived from 6 aspects
BV =
brand awareness
+ ad awareness
+ perceived quality
+ satisfaction & loyalty index
+ market share
+ gain index (= brand potential to acquire future customers)

Marketing: Marketing Job #1

2005-07-28T21:40:00.000+07:00

One of the job that marketing must perform is to convert people from the stage of:

unawareness into desire,
desire into purchase,
purchase into repeat purchase,
repeat purchase into loyal customers,
loyal customers into brand advocate.

You have plethora of aspects that need to be managed for achieving that. To name a few: your positioning statement and your marketing mix.

But most importantly: your BRAND.

Blue Ocean Strategy

2005-07-28T18:40:00.000+07:00

"Don’t Compete with Rivals—Make Them Irrelevant"

Companies have long engaged in head-to-head competition in search of sustained, profitable growth. They have fought for competitive advantage, battled over market share, and struggled for differentiation.

Yet in today’s overcrowded industries, competing head-on results in nothing but a bloody “red ocean” of rivals fighting over a shrinking profit pool. Kim and Mauborgne contend that while most companies compete within such red oceans, this strategy is increasingly unlikely to create profitable growth in the future.

Kim and Mauborgne argue that tomorrow’s leading companies will succeed not by battling competitors, but by creating “blue oceans” of uncontested market space ripe for growth. Such strategic moves—termed “value innovation”—create powerful leaps in value for both the firm and its buyers, rendering rivals obsolete and unleashing new demand.

Blue Ocean:
Create uncontested market!
Create and capture demand.
Make competition irrelevant!
Break value/cost trade-off --> pursue differentiation AND low-cost strategy

Quote!

2005-07-27T17:59:00.000+07:00

Explaining the problems completely is half of the solutions...

(Source: unknown)

Stars of Asia - Leadership Example

2005-07-14T12:30:00.000+07:00

Be they filmmakers, national leaders, or managerial wizards, our Stars have much in common -- a bit of daring, plenty of drive, and a real commitment to improving the quality of life in their societies. Such concerns matter, especially when a catastrophe like the tsunami strikes.

And they help explain the resilience of a region that continues to fascinate the world.

http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/05_28/b3942401.htm

(Business Week Asian Edition, 11 July 2005)

Project Manager Lunch (2)

2005-07-07T15:50:00.000+07:00

Basics of project management.

Delivered the finished project according to the SoW,
within the given resources constrains, which is
at the given cost
at the given time.

Projects can be considered as a separate business but with a "limited, agreed scope of work". Therefore projects should be managed as businesses - with several aspects: profit/loss & risk management, human resources, operational tasks, and to some extend strategic contribution.

Next: about risks.

SMS from PRESIDEN RI (2)

2005-07-05T10:42:00.000+07:00

Berita di TELKOM tentang post sebelumnya: click here.
In particular, section yang berjudul "Ditanggung Operator"

[quote]
Biaya pengiriman SMS kepada jutaan pengguna tentu tidak murah. Tarif SMS reguler bervariasi antara Rp250 hingga Rp350, dengan perkecualian Rp100 per pesan untuk promosi tertentu. Dengan asumsi biaya pengiriman satu SMS rata-rata Rp250, maka sekali kirim kepada 30 juta pengguna ponsel membutuhkan biaya Rp7,5 miliar.
[/quote]

Biayanya apa benar 7,5 miliar?
Itu tarifnya.

Cost untuk kirim SMS? Mungkin hanya Rp 50 per SMS, atau even less.

Drucker's famous questions

2005-06-28T15:38:00.000+07:00

What business are you in?
How's business?
Who are your customers?

Peter Drucker: http://www.peter-drucker.com/

Project Manager Lunch (Part 1)

2005-06-28T14:01:00.000+07:00

To manage is to get things done.
Be responsible of and deliver a promised, agreed result.
Drive - Focus - Impact - Guide.

How to motivate people to be responsible of something, project in this example?
Hold something so dearly.
Own. Manage. Care.
Speak. Think. Dream of it.

Motivation = ?
What drives you nut? What makes you rant?

Decision... decision...

2005-06-28T13:58:00.000+07:00

Got this from Tom Peters' site.

Fortune on Decision Making.
Be bold but creative,
look right in the eyes of risk!

SMS from PRESIDEN RI

2005-06-28T11:50:00.000+07:00

Stop penyalahgunaan dan kejahatan narkoba sekarang. Mari kita selamatkan dan bangun bangsa kita, menjadi bangsa yang sehat, cerdas dan maju.

PRESIDEN RI.

Childrearing

2005-06-08T11:59:00.000+07:00

What Every Child Needs to Thrive

Show your love
Care for your child's basic needs
Talk to your child
Read to your child
Stimulate all his senses
Encourage new challenges
Take care of yourself
Find good childcare

(An article from Baby Center)

Integrity

2005-06-01T17:25:00.000+07:00

Main Entry: in·teg·ri·ty

Pronunciation: in-'te-gr&-tE
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English integrite, from Middle French & Latin; Middle French integrité, from Latin integritat-, integritas, from integr-, integer entire
1 : firm adherence to a code of especially moral or artistic values : INCORRUPTIBILITY
2 : an unimpaired condition : SOUNDNESS
3 : the quality or state of being complete or undivided : COMPLETENESS

synonym see HONESTY

(Meriam Webster Online Dictionary)

Trust, but Verify

2005-05-25T17:42:00.000+07:00

Trust among team members is good—usually. But with some teams, too much trust can actually depress performance, finds Claus Langfred, a professor of organizational behavior at Washington University in St. Louis.
...
Failing to keep an eye on team members’ activities can be naive, Langfred concludes, regardless of levels of trust. So managers may want to require a modicum of oversight rather than let a team decide for itself. A little skepticism never hurt anyone—or any team.

("Trust, but Verify", by Gardiner Morse, Harvard Business Review, May 2005)

Lunch blog :-)

2005-05-23T12:53:00.000+07:00

Probably, I will name my blog as lunch blog...

It is the time of the day where I enjoy more ... well, besides the meal, usually I can do a lot of contemplation (and hence bloggin')...

PDCAA

2005-05-23T12:31:00.000+07:00

Plan - Do - Check - Action - Anchor

Based on researches and their experiences Akos and Leo synthesised this management concept. We try to apply this PDCAA in boosting training and learning effectiveness. What it brings to the famous PDCA is that anchoring ensures what we learnt really sets in as new mindset and behaviour.

PCDCA

2005-05-23T12:15:00.000+07:00

Plan - Coordinate - Do - Check - Action

Salah satu opsi dalam managing cross-functional team dan matrix structure. Coordinate adalah fungsi tambahan yang diusulkan Andrew Tani. Fungsi ini sebenarnya tersirat dalam "P". Namun menurut beliau sebaiknya karena dibuat explicit, agar dilakukan oleh managers. Coordinate akan mengurangi kemungkinan resource conflict dan menembus hambatan birokrasi.

Paradigma ini mencoba menghilangkan arogansi seorang manager/leader dan arogansi sektoral.

Jadi teringat dengan kepemimpinan Jepang or Jerman. (?)
CEO perusahaan Jerman tidak seperti rekan-rekan mereka di US company. CEO Jerman adalah chairman of management board. Dan di dalam board, diperlukan konsensus bersama dalam decision making. Power dari CEO Jerman akan dibalance oleh CFO - Siemens, sebagai contoh, menekankan bahwa keduanya have a collegial partnership.

Jadi ingat juga dengan pengalaman pribadi.

COORDINATE.

Blue-sky Paradox

2005-05-18T06:46:00.000+07:00

blue-sky paradox – the process of getting people to dream big in order to sell a project but sets them up for disappointment when they have to come to terms with what’s really achievable for the price and in the associated timelines... (link)

A situation that often happens in high-tech/IT project.

Interview with SWA

2005-01-28T21:52:00.000+07:00

<shameless plug>

It was an interesting experience.
Getting interviewed in a leading business magazine in Indonesia. This is categorised as a personal interview, looking at the personal side: ideas, aspirations, longings, of course with some business touch.

I was referred by my alumni, Prasetiya Mulya Business School.

Anyway, they took an interesting angle on my picture and my story.
Read it here.

</shameless plug>

Door-to-Door

2004-09-02T18:14:00.000+07:00

Saw a movie yesterday: "Door To Door"

This is a movie about Bill Porter, a door-to-door salesman. What is remarkable is that Bill suffers from Cerebral Palsy that slurs his speech and makes walking difficult and sometimes painful... yet he refuses to give up at anytime.

Touching, yet taught you something valuable: "Persistance Pays Off."
This is the man that you might at first look judge as incompetent.
But, he proved otherwise.

Jangan pernah meremehkan seseorang!

Some other resources:
Oregon Live: Special Bill Porter's collection.
Ten Things I Learned from Bill Porter.

ROI of Human Capital

2004-07-12T15:20:00.000+07:00

It is often said that human capital is an organisation's precious asset. However, they never show up in any financial reports. I think the problem is: measuring the intangible was never easy... there is no exact measurement system...

I'm trying to help a friend who is really interested in this issue: measuring the human capital. I am doing a short research on how to do that.

I bumped upon one book: The ROI of Human Capital, which I thought intersting.

http://www.amanet.org/books/catalog/0814405746.htm

Downloaded the excerpts... will post something more later.

Start bloggin'...

2004-07-09T17:50:00.000+07:00

I always thought that blogging was just for people with a lot time to burn... I don't know if that's true anymore.

Biarlah aku mencoba untuk blogging.
Besides, I have and always write a journal. So, being able to post some of those thoughts on web, anytime at my convinience is simply great.

This is my first blog.