Global Leadership Summit 2008

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JING HUI! :D
Hope u had a great time at the summit! :)

Juz finished an E-Lecture... Complex numbers are reli complex, dunno y muz study them, lolx... The highlight of this week has been GLS'08, in which there was much to learn and be reminded abt... It was also a most rejuvenating break from sch I muz say :D I shall focus on some of the things that are more dear to my heart :) In particular here are 3 of the sessions...


Session 1: The High Drama Of Decision Making (Bill Hybels)

4 basic steps of decision making was mentioned:
- What does the bible say?
- What would smart advisors advise me to do?
- What have I learnt from the pain of past decisions, the gain of past decisions, and the experience I have that would inform this decision?
- Is the Spirit prompting me?

Bill also mentioned "axioms" which are the results of combining the 4 above steps...

Some of the cooler ones are:

"The best way to destroy my enemy is to turn him into my friend."
"Create a clash of ideas."
"Take a flyer." (calculated risk)


Session 2: Just Courage: Charging The Darkness (Gary Haugen)

"If you want your leadership to matter, lead in the things that matter to God."

That quote was one of my personal favorites :)
Just because we are leading and people are following, that doesn't mean we're leading in the issues and endeavors that matter to God...

Gary mentioned how we should lead when
1. the task seems hopeless,
2. the task seems scary and
3. the task is difficult

1. When the task seems hopeless, we have to lead by re-centering the basis of our hope, which is to focus on who God is instead of on what we have... I suppose many of us know this already but it really served as a good reminder to me :)

2. "Jesus did not come to make us safe; He came to make us BRAVE!"
This one was really enlightening... Many times we serve God in our comfort zones, thinking that that's all we will do for the rest of our lives... In fact, God wants to call us to an exciting adventure with Him! Of course there will be obstacles but that's why He came to make us brave! Sometimes we value safety too much and we feel stuck or even miss the adventure... Are we prepared to follow Jesus beyond what we can control?

3. Leading when the task is difficult
Here are 4 choices that leaders must make to lead effectively when the task is difficult...
- Choose not to be safe
- Choose to pursue deep spiritual health
- Choose to pursue excellence
- Choose to seize the joy that comes along the way


Session 6: Finding Your True North (Bill George)

This session talks about the purpose of our leadership... For a start, everyone of us is a leader in our own way, whether we like it or not...

It talks about a new definition for 21st Century Leadership:

ALIGN people around the vision and mission
EMPOWER the next generation to step up and lead
SERVE (Servant leadership)
COLLABORATE between and not just within organizations

Keys to Developing Into An Authentic Leader:

1. Understand the purpose of your leadership (follow your life compass)

2.Gain self-awareness (get feedback from others)

3. Be true to your values (stick to your principles)

4. Follow your motivated capabilities (develop what you are good at)

5. Build a support team around you (there is no such thing as a one-man show)

6. Lead an integrated life (be the same person in all environments)


All of the above are what I would like to share, esp. with those who did not have to chance to go for the GLS... I will be picking out some of the points to learn and use... Hopefully it will help me in my leadership :)

Is It Possible?

*WARNING:THE FOLLOWING MAY INDUCE NEGATIVITY!
READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!*

I wonder if its possible to experience mixed emotions at the same time... Apparently empirical evidence tells me tat it is indeed possible... It was wad I experienced this past week =/ There were mixed feelings of anxiety, resignation, joy and sadness... Sometimes I reli wonder if I made the right choice in choosing this course... Even thought of quitting sch b4... Did I slap myself in the face when I decided to take up Econs as well?

N the question is not whether u are struggling but how well are u struggling? On the day b4 my Linguistics Quiz, Calculus Midterm results were released... I got 89%, and the cohort avg. was 75%! It was a reli unexpected and pleasant surprise, which spurred me on to study for the next day's test... 30 MCQs, think I tik kam abt 10, lolx... But overall still not tat bad I suppose... Then on Wed C++ Midterm results were released... I got 3.5/10, which was somewhat the best possible score considering tat I didnt do more than half the paper... My first so-called failure, but somehow I knew tat I shdnt juz gif up like tat... Then today got back my Foundations of Math Quiz 1... 65%... Reality is harsh and competition is tough... There can be crazy ppl out there who get 100% for the above 3 tests tat I mentioned, and to them its juz a piece of cake... Sometimes I juz wonder what I'm getting myself into...

Of cos everyone knows tat results r not everything, and shdnt define your self-worth, but I guess in Singapore it has juz become so practical... No paper no job... Oh God help me to learn to look at the bigger picture and not to lose hope... I reli need better time management... Somehow the pressure is on to do well in this first sem... Who doesnt wanna do well? But the sad truth is tat in Uni sometimes the amt of effort u put in juz isnt proportional to the number of marks u get... I can totally understand all the students out there in which this kinda thing happens... U seriously and truly study hard, but at the end of the day the results u get seem to tell u tat u might as well not study, cos u'll prob get the same results... Some ppl say its a matter of studying hard but not studying smart... In any case, the feeling's juz not gd...

20 more days to Doomsday :(((

32 more days to Freedom :)))

Still, in the midst of all this gloom, there's still stuff to look forward to =)

Got an appt with Kai Lun this Sunday; its been a long time since we last met up and I wonder how he's doing in NUS :D

Mon and Tues's GLS!! Last yr was a gd exp and I'm certainly looking forward to it this yr! That shall be my break b4 I reli mug all the way :D

Actually there's so many stuff tat I wanna post but have been uber busy the past week... Do expect less frequent updates from now till 25^th Nov, which is exactly one month from now where it'll be my last paper! :)

Oh ya b4 I end this post juz wanna show off some pics I took in sch when Dad came down on Wed to sign my Study Loan Agreement... When you take time off to appreciate stuff, sometimes u see things tat u dont usually see :)

Give blood! =)

I gave blood for the first time in my life today! Waited for almost 2 hrs b4 I finally got to donate blood... So many admin matters, from filling in the registration form to letting the doctor check ur temperature, weight, blood pressure... Then still got poke my finger to draw out some blood to dip in some blue liquid see got chemical reaction ornot, lolx... After tat was basically queuing and more queuing... The actual process was surprisingly quite painless... Apply alcohol, then inject local anaesthetic, and b4 u noe it, the needle's in! Looked at my bag of blood slowly filling up while occasionally clenching the pumpkin ball that they gave :D The whole thing was over in less than half an hour, including the resting time and bandaging time... Quite a positive first exp. in donating blood! My next eligible donation date is 7th Jan 2009 :)

Stocking up...

With exactly one more month to judgement day I decided to stock up my rm with some fd, so tat I dont faint with hunger late at night... Went to tm to get my stuff after going for K at Katong ytd... We reli 自-highed and went crazy sia, lolx... Its been a long time since I ever did anything like that liao :D

Oh ya, I managed to take a few pics of our new main hall, by special request of Gab :) Paiseh didnt manage to take the sub-hall and 3rd floor yet, but I promise they'll be up soon...





And this is my nice little souvenir from Han En who juz came back from HK! :)


Thanks sis!! :D

Do you agree?

Your Personality Style Description:
A team player, Samuel readily relinquishes personal interests and goals to accommodate those close to him. He is loyal to a fault; but others may sometimes question his unwavering dedication to current relationships and methods. Samuel values security, and usually does his best to avoid sudden changes in his environment or situation.

Neat and orderly, others usually see Samuel as practical. He needs adequate information to make decisions, and he will consider the pros and cons. He may be sensitive to criticism, and will tend to internalize his emotions. Samuel likes to clarify expectations before undertaking new projects, and he will follow a logical process to gain successful results.

A warm, outgoing person, Samuel enjoys having a high level of interaction with others. He usually finds the "silver lining" in a difficult situation, and typically enjoys the thrill of trying new things. He has a gift for influencing those around him and is viewed as an instinctive communicator. Others find Samuel easy to approach and enjoy his easy, open rapport.

Because he values relationships, Samuel prefers to withdraw from conflict and avoid issues that may be confrontational. He may have a tendency to question his own ability to take charge, so he will tend to join in with a team or submit to strong authority. Samuel is a "team player", and typically is excellent in a supporting role.

*Btw, Happy Birthday to Shuqi and Joelle! :D