How to Be a Ballsy Middle Manager

The secret: knowing what NOT to say. Tjin Lee, managing director of Mercury Marketing & Communications, tells Davelle Lee that avoiding the following remarks will make your subordinates fall in line, and your bosses recognise your victories.

Nov 2017

The secret: knowing what NOT to say. Tjin Lee, managing director of Mercury Marketing & Communications, tells Davelle Lee that avoiding the following remarks will make your subordinates fall in line, and your bosses recognise your victories.

<b/>PHOTO</b> WEAR OH WHERE

1“I CAN’T WORK WITH YOU.”

Don’t call out aggressive or disagreeable team members in front of colleagues. It’ll embarrass them and make things worse. Talk to them in private instead – acknowledge their strengths and build mutual trust before you tackle their aggression head-on. Do this, and they could end up being your best leaders or salespeople. “If they value their job, they will want to improve. Sometimes these people just don’t get enough feedback because others are afraid of them,” says Tjin.

2“NO, THIS WON’T WORK.”

If you’re going to say this to your team, you’d better have a solution. Simply shutting an idea down without discussing alternative options makes you look lazy and unsupportive.

3“ THE CLIENT IS ALWAYS RIGHT.”

Nobody wants to hear this from a boss – especially if the client isn’t right. Stick up for your team when you have to, and if they messed up, take responsibility for the mistake as a manager. They’ll respect you more. “I once had a big retainer client that made a lot of very difficult, unreasonable requests,” Tjin says, adding that the account manager handling the client wanted to quit because she couldn’t deal with the stress. “I decided to terminate the client and retain this employee, because good team members are much harder to replace than clients. That generated a lot of goodwill within the team because it shows that we really value our people.”

4“ SUCK IT UP.”

Never dismiss a team member’s dissatisfaction. “One unhappy employee can bring down the entire team because negativity is much more contagious than joy,” Tjin says. It’s down to you to create a positive space. Praise or reward more optimistic team members, or use appraisals as opportunities to dole out encouragement.

5“IT’S YOUR FAULT.”

If there’s a problem between team members, don’t assign blame. Sit them down and talk it out. Your role is to stay impartial. Moderate the conversation and get them to analyse the situation – it’ll help them recognise their faults and come to a resolution.

6“IT WASN’T ME, IT WAS A TEAM EFFORT.”

Many women don’t claim credit where it’s due. Never minimise your role when your boss compliments your work – you want him or her to know you’re capable enough to lead a team to success. Say thank you first, then acknowledge the team’s contributions.

7“I THINK” OR “I FEEL”

Don’t be hesitant. Choose words that show you’re confident. Your team members need to know they can count on you to make decisions. If you’re asking your boss for a promotion or raise, say “Based on my results, I deserve…”, and let your work speak for itself.

THE TCM WAY TO SLIM DOWN

Acupuncture, cupping, Chinese herbal medicine and even abdominal massages can help you achieve a more shapely body in a safer, gentler way.

Crash diets, over-exercising (weekend warriors, that’s you) and being hooked up to dubious machines – these are the kind of negative issues that come to mind whenever the word “slimming” is mentioned.

And even when you manage to shed some inches with these methods, it’s usually a loss of excess water and for the short-term, or you injure yourself from strenuous exercises and then never set foot in a gym again.

To get a more svelte body with long-lasting results, start off with a healthy body first. This is why leading traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) clinic chain Ma Kuang Healthcare Group, which has been in Singapore for 18 years, believes in using TCM to strengthen your body’s natural constitution and improve your health so that those extra kilos stay off for longer.

In fact, Ma Kuang even set up MKB TCM Wellness Centre – there are two in Singapore – to help customers with weight issues and body wellness. MKB offers consultations with a Singapore-registered TCM physician who can advise you on the most ideal customised slimming treatment or a combination of a few types, such as cupping, massotherapy (tui na), acupuncture, scraping (gua sha) and prescription of Chinese medicine.

These are said to rebalance your qi (your body’s energy flow), improve circulation, and regulate your body’s natural ability to get rid of excess water, waste and toxins. When these are done, you can lose weight safely and effectively.

In particular, when acupuncture is used for slimming purposes, it can also target other health concerns you may have. The bonus: You’re free of the side effects that medicinal drugs could cause, including palpitations and dizziness. Plus, stimulating certain acupoints reportedly suppresses your appetite so you won’t have to resort to crazy, tortuous diets. (Ma Kuang physician can also dish out dietary advice when necessary.)

Other highly recommended speciality treatments at Ma Kuang MKB TCM Wellness Centre include Abdominal Detox Massage, which doesn’t cause any discomfort, as well as Therapeutic Lymphatic Bust Massage, which is said to enhance circulation and drainage in breast tissue.