Editor’s Note: S P A C E

While we decided to delve into the topic of our working environment this week, Mitch Ditkoff in our leading article talks about a different kind of space.

Sharing a remarkable story of a time he was backed into a corner and had to decide in milliseconds the right course of action, Ditkoff reminds us how important it is to listen, understand and appropriately engage with the people around us. He emphasises also how important it is to know and stick to our end goals.

So you’ve been tasked to develop a healthy work environment conducive to the type of work done there. It would be essential to know the people and nature of work – even if you are setting up your own home office! Michael Poh walks us through eight helpful hints on how to do just that.

Space. Without risking the ire of philosophers on its exact definition, I would argue that in the context of our current reality of working in cross-functional and often virtual teams, leaders increasingly face the challenge of developing and maintaining a conducive workspace for teams. Thomas Chan asks the question “Why do people follow a good leader through thick and thin?” and addresses the topic of building trust.

In HR Talk, Venkat shares his views on the role of big data for human resources practitioners – the promise it holds and what needs to be put in place so that it doesn’t become the proverbial white elephant.

The guest of The Leaderonomics Show this week is a young man who has apparently checked all the boxes when it comes to perseverance, positive can-do attitude, and simply put, passion. Captain James Anthony Tan who, in 2013, set a new world record as the youngest pilot to fly solo around the world, shares how he overcame personal obstacles to achieve the great heights (pun intended!) he has today.

On a related note, Nadia Radhuan, who went from trying to save lives at the genetic level to saving lives at an organisational level, shares rather humourously the moment she realised that she needed a career change and how, against all odds, she succeeded to.

Circling back to the topic at hand, we consider the economics of ergonomics – how investment in the health, safety and wellbeing of employees has increasingly been acknowledged as integral parts in building employee engagement, as well as the economic sustainability and organisational development of enterprises.

Last but not least, Tara Thiagarajan shares an excellent perspective of the psychology behind office spaces.

Have a fantastic weekend!

KAREN NEOH
Editor

Published in English daily The Star, Malaysia, 28 February 2015