Leadership by example

Salam dear readers..

(Eh kejap, ada lagi ke readers lurking around?)

It's been ages, I know. It feels like since I started working, my life only revolves around work, home, family and work again. Even FB is something that I don't find the luxury to spend time on and sometimes its sad because the more you become silent on FB, it feels like the more out-of-touch you feel with your friends.

Fortunately, there is whatsapp.

Nowadays, whatsapp has become a norm to keep in contact. We can have one to one messaging complete with pictures, videos and locations to share or we can have groups that connects our friends (and family, and colleagues, and old schoolmates, and scholarship alumnus, the list keeps going on and on...) together.

Even at work we rely on whatsapp, with groups of colleagues, some include the boss and some secretly omitted the boss for more NSFW talks (although to be fair, my best friend at work, F, did mention her boss being the one who always forwarded gossipy and funny things in their group, so to each their own, I guess..). The most I appreciate this is when my team is working outstation. We went to Manjung a lot for our pilot plant project and as my team is quite small (actually, 'quite' is an understatement! Really! I kid you not) with 3 researchers and one technician. So usually we are split  into half with 2 person at Manjung while the other two stays at the office. That is, if the work is only routine. If it requires all of us to be there, of course we'll all go.

So getting back to the whatsapp feature, its a blessing when our team are split as we are kept up to date with on-goings at both sides. We can have life feeds from site, complete with pictures and videos to accompany it. So discussions become easier to do, and decisions are made faster.

Oh well, I really felt like I've grown a lot through my experience at work. And my boss has been a blessing in so many ways; his treatment of his subordinates is friendly yet assertive, he keep his open-mindedness so that my colleagues and I could always speak our mind and discuss anything, anytime; he pulls his own weight even while doing physical work at site (as I've mentioned our group size, and we are handling 1m x 2m (width x height) columns that sometimes involve lifting, washing, and there is the water - I remember a time when we were transporting about 100 to 150 litres of distilled water from lab to site - not easy even with 2 ladies and 2 gents. There was also one time we were transporting gas tanks on foot and going uphill - its not pretty, my friend. Not pretty at all. Fortunately we used a trolley, but going uphill? *sigh* Those were the days..) But above all others, his leadership shines through in the way that despite our small number, our group is one of the best performing group at work. His penmanship becomes the reference for other researchers at work. He is not stingy with his knowledge and he's not shy to ask his subordinates on the things he doesn't know. Working almost impossible tasks becomes bearable due to the atmosphere at work, and I've always felt secure to share my opinions and be myself.

I do hope that in the future, if I may be in any position as a leader, I will do so with yours as an example. Thank you Mr N for all you have done, and for restoring my faith in a boss that I can admire and relate to.

And, readers, thank you for reading.

ps: This is not a post to hint for a promotion okayh :p After all, my work colleagues does not even know this blog exists :) Its just that I feel like I've gone through another stage of my life, and I am truly grateful for the experience and challenges I have faced. Now I'm ready for the next. In sya Allah. Wish me luck!

Take care people! :)