Follow Ups

Networking is important but it will all go to naught if you don't follow up.

There are many ways to do that. One good way is to set a firm time for a next meeting. Not many people do that though.

I recently had a lunch meeting with someone who practices this diligently. After our meal, he asked, "When is the next meeting? Let's fix a day and time now."

We had our second lunch meeting. It went well. Then he asked, "When is the next one, let's fix the appointment now."

This kind of person follows through. This is effective networking.

Going the extra mile

I write a weekly column for The Edge Malaysia called Internet Time, which is also published in The Edge Singapore.

Normally, the topics I write about are universal, so they are as applicable to Malaysia as they are to Singapore.

But this week, I wrote about a start-up based in Malaysia and there was a lot of Malaysian context to the story.

I asked the Singapore editor if she would prefer for me to take out the Malaysian context and make a more universal story out of it for the Singaporean version. She said yes. And so, I did it.

It didn't take me long to adjust the story. But it was extra work. I didn't mind though. I want to do a good job.

This is a simple example of going the extra mile. Although I didn't have to do it, I did it out of a sense of professionalism. If you make it a habit of always going the extra mile, you will do well in your career.

Taking care in what you do

Here's something I wanted to teach you about achieving excellence in whatever you do.

The secret is to do things with care. To do them meticulously.

Most people do not do things with care and most are not meticulous.

Instead, they do things as a matter of course. That means they just do things mechanically, without giving it much thought.

Very few people bother to think about what it is they are doing, why they are doing it, and whether they can do it better.

If you are one who bothers to step back and think about what it is you are doing, why what you are doing is important and how you can do it better, you are bound to excel.

The very fact that you bother to think about it means you care. And when you care, it shows in the finished work.

It doesn't matter if the finished work is an essay you wrote, a meal you cooked, a podcast you edited, a dance you choreographed, a garden you tended to, a room you decorated or a dog you groomed. If you do these things with care, it's impossible not to do a good job.

A good job naturally ensues whenever you do anything with care.

A few years ago, I taught a class of over 60 students at a private college. Of that lots, only a handful (fewer than five) showed me that they did things with care.

I could tell straight away, after I saw their first assignments, which one cared and which one didn't. The ones which cared made sure their assignments came in on time, that the fonts were all standardized, that their graphics were sized appropriately, that areas they wanted to emphasized were bolded or italicized. They made sure their work was clean and tidy.

Everything about their work oozed with thought and care. And I remember telling myself, these few students who really cared, they will do well. And sure enough they did. They ended up being my top students.

So, never do things as a matter of course, without thinking or caring about the outcome. Instead, do everything with care. This attitude will create an imprint of excellence in your mind and this will help you in other endeavours in life.

Specialization & Personal Branding

While it's quite natural for people to be not sure about what they want to do in life and career, at different stages in their lives, it's important to specialize in some areas.

Take me, for example. There were different points in my career when I wasn't sure whether I wanted to be an entrepreneur, a journalist, an ICT concept developer, a consultant, etc... There so many different things that interested me. But I always kept my writing skills sharp and I kept up with news on ICT and politics. Those were my core.

So, you could say my specializations were i) writing skills ii) knowledge and understanding of ICT and politics.

Right now, I'm back in journalism and doing New Media stuff at The Edge. It's the right thing for me to do at this point in my life. Will I still be doing this three years from now? Not sure. But one thing's for sure, I will still be good at writing and I'll still have a sound understanding of ICT and politics. They are my core and will stand me in good stead whatever I do.

So, you should identify your core. Everybody should. Find out what it is you are naturally good at. It could be writing and ICT/political knowledge (like me) or it could be something else. What's important is that you are able to really good at it.

In the context of Malaysia, which is a small pond, you have to be a big fish. Otherwise, you are mediocre like most people are. So, aim to be the best - or at least amongst the best - in your area of specialization. Anything less would be selling yourself short.

Next up is personal branding. As a minimum, have a Facebook Page, a Twitter account and a blog. Later, you can have podcasts, videocasts and other means to promote your personal brand.

Be strategic about it. You can have fun with your Facebook, Twitter and blog but don't make it too whimsical or self-indulgent. Publish things that will give value to your fans/followers/readers. This will help to build your personal brand.

You can and should do offline things too like publish a book (yes, a physical book) and give talks (you have to build yourself up to the point that people invite you for talks). You must be unabashed and shamelessly plug yourself.

Lastly, don't be a Chinaman and stinge on investing in yourself. If you need to spend money to buy books or software or to take courses and lessons to further your knowledge or improve your personal branding, do it. It's money well spent.