Saturday, March 12, 2016

Are we ready?



This afternoon, a customer came to the place where I work (a Computer/gadget shop) and buy an Iphone 6 one of the newest gadget in town. He was buying this smartphone as a gift for some one else.
However a problem arise when the one who are going to use the smartphone asked my customer to set the phone for her (It is a "her"), obviously the "her" is someone who take it for granted that everything was prepared and done for her and never cares to do things for herself especially if it is something to do with technology.
Naturally my customer asked me for help, but I explained to him that Iphones are a special kind of gadget which requires the user to set it themselves because there are lots of private data involved which was supposed not to be shared with other people. But the "her" insist that we set up the phone for her and since the "her' is very special my customer very reluctantly  try to set it up for her.
During the setting up process there were lots of phone conversations done and one who have set an Iphone will know what the questions are to be answered.
Even though at last my customer succeed to set up the phone, he make a small note on all of the answers, password etc. needed to operate the phone but his comment is he feel guilty that he accidentally was exposed to very private data on which bad people can use to abuse the user.
Morale of the story is many of us were actually not ready to use today's gadget and in many occasion don't need the features of the gadget..... what a waste of resources just for the sake of self pride without knowing that we are fooling ourselves, because people will notice that we never use the gadget features and only use the phone and or Text feature which can be found in many simple mobile phones...
Even though we have the capability to buy such things are we ready to humble ourselves to read the manual and learn how to use it correctly?? And by that not embarrassing ourselves.

Friday, March 11, 2016

Loyalty Vs Commitment

Loyalty Vs Commitment

Recently a friend came to me and share his struggles.
He told me that he has been working for more than 10 years for a small private owned company. The company is run by a single person, the owner, and through all of those years he has been loyal and faithful doing his job. He even met his wife at that company.
After listening to his story, I found out that his boss has a communication problem. The boss also tend not to trust people (maybe due to traumatic past history) and withhold things only to himself. On the other side, My friend is a guy aside of his own weakness (we all do have our own weaknesses don't we?) is a very capable guy in doing his job, but a bit introvert and tend to keep things for himself.
Therefore I find that both of them were not open to each other and no wonder they cannot communicate well. Both of them tend to think that the other side must know what is inside their mind without expressing it.
One day my friend's wife fell very sick and has to be hospitalized and on the other hand they have a son who is still a small kid depending on his parents to take care of him. Since my friend have nobody to help him to take care of his son while his wife is hospitalized he has no choice than to ask his boss for a dispensation to come late to the office (please not it is not a leave but coming late) because my friend is the only technician at the company (the company sells and service computers) and if he did not show up there will be work left undone.
My friend told me it was on Sunday when he called his boss and tell him the whole story and according to my friend he got his boss approval for his request.
However things did not go as predicted, technical work demand is high and customers are asking for immediate service which is quite impossible. Panicking, the boss seems to find no option rather than blame his technician to the customers, probably he has not told my friend what he really expect from my friend by giving the dispensation. My friend told me when he arrived at the office he was greeted by sour face and there were lack of communication and instructions are given via other employees not directly.
Eventually my friend find out the his boss has put the blame on him to the customers and feel very hurt.
Oh yes I forgot to mention that the boss is actually a school mate of my friend at high school and they should actually know each other quite well.
In his cries my friend told me that it will be the end of his loyalty to the company, from that onward he will just give want is standard in his job description not more that is his commitment.He even think of resigning from the company.
I think, what a loss the company will have if that person actually leave the company, because despite being an employee for more than 10 years he actually did not get a high salary....
Yes nobody is indispensable but at what cost?
Too many things has gone wrong just for the sake of pride and ego, could not we be humble to each other or are we too stubborn to learn that we are not perfect ourselves? Wise man says "No man is an island" therefore I am of the opinion that we should learn to trust and humble to others use our ears to listen what others says not to what is in our mind only. Loyalty is not easy earned and on the other hand loyalty can be destroyed in seconds.......