The Star Online: Lifestyle: Bookshelf
The Star Online: Lifestyle: Bookshelf |
| Posted: 25 Jun 2011 01:22 AM PDT Tribal Leadership: Leveraging natural groups to build a thriving organization Authors: Dave Logan, John King and Halee Fischer-Wright Publishers: Harper Business Every organisation composes tribes. These are naturally occurring groups of between 20 and 150 people. Until today, only a few leaders could identify and develop their tribes, and those rare individuals were rewarded with loyalty, productivity and innovation. This book shows leaders how to assess, identify and upgrade their tribes' cultures one stage at a time. The result is an organisation that can thrive in any economy. Chinnovation: How Chinese innovators are changing the world Author: Yinglan Tan Publisher: John Wiley & Sons Drawing on a wealth of on-the-ground stories and thorough research, this book shows how Chinese companies have dispelled the myth that China's entrepreneur class has grown due to their knowledge of the domestic market and their adaptation to change. The author is of the view that it is innovation that has helped the Chinese entrepreneurs, although a knowledge of the domestic market is also important. Drucker's Lost Art of Management Authors: Joseph A. Maciariello and Karen E. Linkletter Publisher:McGraw Hill A much-needed blueprint to make corporate America management more functional and redeeming. Management guru Peter Drucker made clear connections between the liberal arts and effective management but he passed away before providing a detailed exposition of his ideas. Maciariello and Linkletter integrate their Drucker expertise in management and the arts to redefine the corporate world. Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price. |
| Posted: 24 Jun 2011 06:20 PM PDT STARBIZWEEK caught up with Datuk Wong Sulong, who recently launched his first book, Notes to the Prime Minister, in which the senior journalist told the story of how Malaysia got through the Asian financial crisis. Wong relates how reading, writing and his friendship with a long-time friend paves the way for him to write the book. StarBizWeek: How and when did this assignment to write "Notes to the Prime Minister" come about? Wong: Sometime in October 2010, shortly after I had returned from a pilgrimage to Eastern Europe, I received a call from my friend Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, in charge of the Economic Planning Unit. He had met up with Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and sounded the former Prime Minister about the idea of publishing the extensive notes that he (Nor Mohamed) had written to Dr Mahathir when the latter was battling the currency speculators during the Asian financial crisis of 1997-98. Mahathir was positive about the idea, saying those notes were of historical and public interest. He volunteered to write the foreword. Nor Mohamed asked me whether I could edit those notes and put them in context. It took me a couple of days to go through the notes and I realised that to put them in perspective, it was important to write about the origins of the Asian financial crisis, but also the work of the Government – post crisis – to revive the battered economy. Here too, Nor Mohamed played a critical role in the Malaysian economic transformation; that phase dubbed as "Malaysia Inc. v2.0" in his role as Economic Advisor and later as Minister. Having been a journalist for over 40 years, mainly in the business and economics section, would you consider "Notes to the Prime Minister" as the epitome of your journalistic career and why? Being group chief editor of The Star (January 2004 to December 2006) was the epitome of my journalistic career. Writing "Notes to the Prime Minister" is another high point. As you know, every journalist dreams of writing a book. But please remember, this is a joint effort as this is a book about Nor Mohamed's notes and his role in helping Dr Mahathir beat the currency speculators. Having worked in Malaysia, Hong Kong and Australia as a journalist and having been a correspondent with the Australian Broadcasting Corp and Britain's Financial Times, in what way did your work in the foreign media help you in your book? My experience as a journalist with the foreign media was very useful. It greatly broadens my perspective and that's reflected in the book. The Asian financial crisis was a regional, even an international, phenomenon, and my work as a foreign journalist helped me appreciate the global forces at work. What gems of inspiration did you derive from James Joyce? James Joyce is my favourite author. To me, he was the most influential author of the 20th century. He taught me to realise that even the most insignificant object or event can be interesting if you know how to approach it. Who are your other favourite authors? I enjoy reading the works of Mikhail Bulgakov and Gabriel Garcia Marquez. For history and biography, Plutarch's "Lives" and Sima Qian's "Records of the Historian" are great classics. Which part of the writing process of "Notes to the Prime Minister" did you find most challenging and why? There were two main challenges: (1) How to devise the structure of the book so that Nor Mohamed's original notes to Dr Mahathir, which are quite technical, form the central core of the book, yet capturing the drama of the Asian financial crisis in a manner that is interesting and meaningful to the reader; and (2) How to maintain a balance between my friendship with Nor Mohamed, and an objective assessment of his role and that of others during and after the crisis. The notes to Dr Mahathir are of historical and academic interest. Not only have these notes never seen daylight, they also throw new light on Malaysia's almost hopeless battle against the currency speculators. Nor Mohamed's role in finding a way for Dr Mahathir to beat the currency speculators was pivotal. By then, they had already brought the Thai, Indonesian and South Korean governments to their knees, forcing them to seek financial rescue packages from the International Monetary Fund. Therefore, when Nor Mohamed asked me to do this book, I felt a sense of excitement and responsibility. What made you use different styles for "Notes" from the straight reporting approach, to the question-and-answer format, to interviews, commentary and other styles? That's true. Usually, a writer uses one style in a book. I used different styles in the book as I felt this would make it more interesting. Here, I am influenced by James Joyce. Also, when one of your subjects is telling his or her story in such an interesting manner, why not let it be, instead of trying to edit it to your style. It's good to respect and acknowledge another person's originality. Of course, you still have to verify the facts and ensure balance. Since Nor Mohamed gave you this opportunity to write "Notes to the Prime Minister" you must have a special relationship with him. Would you like to tell readers about this friendship and what it means to you as a person, as a journalist, and now as an author? My friendship with Nor Mohamed goes back a long way. We were classmates in St Xavier's Institution in Penang. We have remained friends through thick and thin. And that's the challenge I mentioned earlier: maintaining the friendship and my responsibility to be fair and objective. But in the end, it was not that difficult because we had always respected each other's professionalism. Did you know that after weeks of tough negotiations, he and his team finally succeeded in getting the Government to take over the Renong/UEM group? That night, he invited me for teh tarik but he never told me about the deal. Neither did I ask. It was during teh tarik that the Twin Towers in New York were attacked on September 11, 2011. We collaborated very well in the book. There were many who played a role in helping Malaysia overcome the currency crisis and in the economic recovery and I have tried my best to acknowledge them in the book. Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price. |
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