An authentic look at the power of using Management 3.0’s practices
by Liew Hon Min
Editor’s Note: This is a letter written by Liew Hon Min about how Management 3.0 practices have positively benefited his company, Liew Hon Min & Co., a group of advocates and solicitors in Malaysia. We asked Liew if we could share his words in our blog and he agreed. The blog has been edited for clarity and length.
Dear Management 3.0,
I am delighted to share with you how Kudo Cards has turned a negative work environment into something extremely positive. We introduced it three months ago, as soon as our law firm was allowed to operate again after a two-month lockdown due to the pandemic.
My staff was hesitant and skeptical when the Kudo Box was introduced in October, but the session went well. There was laughter and a feeling of appreciation throughout the office. Last month, we did it for the second time and I was surprised to hear how some of our quieter staff were able to write such beautiful notes of appreciation to their colleagues. The horizontal and vertical appreciation in the organization has worked wonderfully.
As a boss, I too was encouraged by the words of appreciation from my staff. This year has been particularly tough for most employers, as no one is spared from the pandemic’s challenge. The two new staff who joined us after September were elated by our firm’s positive culture. In fact, all of us are.
It is exciting to see a positive culture sprouting in the firm, despite a negative and challenging time
I also introduced Delegation Poker, and although I am not very familiar with it yet, the team opened up during meetings when it was used. Now I am trying to continue fortifying our firm’s culture and hopefully, we will have something exciting to share with you again in the future.
Thanks,
Liew Hon Min
From our side, at Management 3.0, we’re always thrilled to hear this type of feedback because one of our core values is believing that being grateful and giving thanks is the key to creating thriving and successful companies.
When we tell people that we’re grateful, we step outside of ourselves and focus on the other, which is important especially during hard times. It might feel counterintuitive to focus on someone else when you’re struggling to stay afloat, but in fact it’s the best medicine when things get tough.
Check out these articles about the power of giving thanks and gratefulness.
- Ways to practice gratitude
- Power of gratitude
- 14 ways to show people you’re grateful for their work
- The value of Kudo cards
Liew mentioned that his team started to embark on Delegation Poker and we wanted to touch on that a bit as well. Leaders can fall into bad habits when they micromanage too much (or at all), which is why Delegation Poker is a great way to decide who does what and when the team needs to seek permission or not to do something.
Delegating is important to gain trust, build relationships and be more productive. The more managers delegate things they don’t need to be doing, they empower teammates and also push people to build new skills. Plus, playing Delegation Poker is a lot of fun!
Check out how to play the game in some of these articles and also learn more about why delegation is key.
