Goodreads 2: The 3 Types of People in our Working World (Part 2)

This is a continuation of Part 1 to this article, where I am featuring Christopher Ng's very thought-provoking article. In Part 1 we came to be acquainted with the three types of people we see in our working world: 1) the Grinders (people who slog and do real work), 2) the Minders (people who manage) and 3) the Finders (people who find business), and ended off with the million dollar question: How do you get from a Minder to a Finder?

Someone found the Finder ladder!

Building on what Christopher has said, there are three key ingredients to be a Finder:

1) Likeability. You cannot be a Finder without having mastered the art of likeability. Is this a skill that can be learnt? Even if someone is not naturally charismatic, are there things we can do to make people like us more? Just thinking out loud, the following should help somewhat:

• appearing confident and at ease with yourself, yet not cocky. Usually, the way to appear confident is to become more confident, but otherwise you fake it till you make it. People generally like being around people who are at ease with themselves rather than Mr and Ms Panic. Cockiness does have its uses at times but tends to attract "aggro" from insecure people - play a safer game and cut it out when you are with people you are not so close to (an exception is members of the opposite sex that you are not looking to do business with).

• being positive. Or perhaps, simply don't be negative, for a start? An easy way to do this: if anything you are thinking of saying is negative, zip your mouth. I'm not saying to turn into Mr "Hear Only the Good Stuff" like that Gold 90 FM advertisement last time, by all means stay honest, frank and raw with your closer friends and loved ones. But don't start criticising someone you just met ten seconds ago. Bonus points to you if you are a 开心果 bubbly person who oozes positivity and can turn rain into sunshine.

• making others feel good about themselves. I'm not asking you to suck up or praise the world out of someone. Just listening to what the person you are conversing with tells you, rephrase what they tell you in your own words to show you understand them, take the queue number before rushing to air your thoughts, make it about them and not you in your conversations.

• Christopher talks about cultural sophistication in his article. That's an interesting thought that I will go into detail more later in point 3 below.

• being generous. I love this quote which I recall being attributed to Li Ka-shing: "When you are poor, don't be calculating. When you are rich, let others pamper you." What a lot of truth about how society works in those few words! I do believe that what goes around comes around, when you have a bit of a reputation as someone who helps others, things do go round and come back to you. Here, I'm not talking just about money but also being generous with your time - taking the time to listen to people's issues and helping them out.

"When you are filthy rich, you can start spouting words of wisdom."

• maintaining a reputation for integrity, reliability and for being a (wo)man of your word. People like to deal with people whom they feel they can trust - people who say something and you know they will make good their word and act on what they promise. A reputation for integrity is like a vase that, once dropped, can never truly be restored to its previous pristine state. Never get caught lying, stabbing, trying to "smoke" someone or doing anything that would cast aspersions on your integrity (or at least weigh the risks carefully before you proceed), because the dirty word will get around faster than you know it and will come back and bite you in the ass. The not-so-simple folks out there would have noticed I said "a reputation for integrity" and not "integrity".

When all fails, there is always How to Win Friends and Influence People. A classic starting point for geeks whose inclination is to read their way to success.

2) Network. To be a successful Finder, you need a network of friends who can be your eyes and ears for opportunities, and grant you favours when you really need them. It's ugly but it's true. When you need a specialist's letter to siam something, an MC on the fly, a place in the top firm in whatever industry/school for your son, an introduction to a bigwig in the industry you work in, or simply when you need some recommendations, advice or some help with your work - you turn to your network.

A network can be built if one were to work on his Likeability. In order to have an affective network, you need to love people and have a genuine concern for people, and turn meeting new people into a habit if possible. Or failing which, make an effort to talk to people who appear right in front of your face. E.g. bumped into this colleague in the lift whom you've seen around a lot but never spoken to before? Why not just make the effort to say hi and see what happens? That's not something that will take up any of your time right? What, you would you rather play Hay Day on your phone?

Also, never network with someone with the aim of getting something from that person. Most people can smell your intentions from a distance. The way this should be done is to befriend people for its own sake, and think of things you can do for them (and not just what they can do for you). You never know when they can help you in return. It's too little too late when you only try to build your network when you need help imminently.

Christopher points out very astutely that being part of a large and powerful alumni gives someone a great ready-made network to conquer the world with. This is very true because you do see plenty of guys from alumni of ACS, RI and Hwa Chong in high places. And between helping out a fellow old boy versus a complete stranger, most of them would help the old boy. I am not from any of the three (and neither is Christopher who is doing well in life) so it is not to say that one is doomed if you don't come from any of the three. It's just that you don't have the tide on your side as you swim so you have to work a bit harder. Ultimately it's a head start that helps, but not having this is not going to be a showstopper.

So how do you build your network? Well you go back to the Systems of Success I blogged about, and apply the basic principles to the networking context. First, acquire knowledge on how to network. This post would serve as a starting point. The rest is Google-able. Second, you must want it badly enough - without initial motivation and drive, you will not succeed. Third, use that knowledge and motivation to create habits that will help to build your network, e.g. invite one new contact to lunch every week, challenge yourself to speak to a stranger once a week, reflect and work on your likeability. Make sure they are habits that can stick and are built to last. Finally, action those habits regularly, and you move slowly but surely towards having a decent network.

3) Cultural sophistication. This is an interesting one, which I mentioned above because it is essentially a subset of Likeability and Networking. Christopher's view is that someone who has cultural sophistication (e.g. a taste for fine wine and art) will be a better Finder. I love, love, love his hard hitting comment below:

"This level of ease and cultural sophistication is not cultivated within our school system although SMU's career office tries hard to instil this in its graduates. There is no PSLE subject called Charisma, English Literature may help as an O level subject but it's largely incidental and based on how much you apply yourself. An ACS kid can exude this cultural sophistication even if he gets 25 point for his O levels. A Bukit Batok Secondary school student who has hawker parents will not even know what a Cabernet Savignon even if he gets 6 points."

Absolutely golden.

My view is that this largely depends on the social strata of the people you operate with. If your business involves hobnobbing with the upper strata of society, that is something that definitely helps. You can stand your ground and not be intimidated at high-end settings where you are likely to encounter your target audience. Hence, this is definitely knowledge that can be useful in the circumstances. Conversely, if you are a contractor/butcher then obviously this falls away. 

All things being equal, this is still something that is good to have. It never hurts to gain some exposure to culture although I would not prioritise this over working on one's likeability and network. 

What I want to emphasis is that knowledge of culture gives you confidence at high end settings, and that is in fact the crux of it all. You can know of all the best wines in the world, and the intricacies of fine dining etiquette to equip you to behave impeccably at any formal function, but ultimately how you speak and carry yourself is the real deal. No point discussing DOCG wines and your tartare and pate if you keep fumbling over your words or boring the hell out of your contacts. A confident butcher with all the good traits I mentioned may be able to network better in such settings than a connoisseur who cannot speak well for nuts and is unlikeable.

"Hi, this wine good. My name Ah Tan, you?"

Going back to the point Christopher made about schools - if my emphasis is on priming my kid to become a successful Finder in future, I would rather send my kid to a school that places importance in training its students to speak and carry themselves well (ACS and SCGS seem to have a good reputation for this but please correct me if I am wrong - Edit: Mrs RetailTrader disagrees with SCGS!) than a school that is only academically focussed. But I believe that ultimately kids look to their parents and parents will always be the biggest influence on their kids. Look at a kid, then look at the kid's parents. If the kid swears, do the parents swear as well? All cut from the same cloth. Kids are our mirrors.

Somewhat linked to the sophistication point is the importance of dressing well. This is something I feel should be worked on before you start getting cultural vulture. For the guys, stop cutting your hair at your usual place if you still look like Aaron Kwok from the 90s or Ng Man Tat. Make sure your clothes fit you well - go to a tailor if you are not sure what a good fit entails. Don't wear flip flops unless you are at the beach, your void deck or the neighbourhood kopitiam. Stop wearing singlets. Stop wearing square toed shoes. No cargo pants. And lastly please don't ever wear your flashy "H" belts again. For the ladies, erm I dunno what to say, keep it nice and tight!

Nice and tight.

I would end this by discussing how this model fits for a retail trader who has quit the rat race.

A trader who trades for himself has no clients, so he is more of a Grinder-Minder. He has to grind out profits, and mind his trading system. But if his system is a passive one, he doesn't really grind so he's just a Minder. Of course, if he takes on clients then we add in the Finder aspects.

Trading room of a Grinder-Minder trader

It will be interesting to see how flexibly this model can fit for different occupations. Like all good models, hopefully it can be stretched to accommodate various kinds of job situations, instead of falling flat on its face.

Goodreads 2: The 3 Types of People in our Working World (Part 1)

The honour of being featured in the second instalment of the Goodreads series goes to Christopher Ng who frequently churns out thought provoking articles on his blog. His specific article I would like to talk about today is called Some Thoughts on Career Management for the New Year! 

The article explores the idea that there are 3 types of workers in our working world. First, the grinders. They are the ones who take orders and slug it own, like the peons in Warcraft. At their best, grinders are proficient in their work, solve problems and are excellent at taking orders. At their worst, grinders grumble all day and suck at their work. Some clever folks are happy to remain grinders in their career and choose to focus on other aspects of lives.

"More work for me, my lord?" - The Peon-y Grinder

Next, we have the minders. They are one level above the grinders. They mind the grinders, manage them, lead them. Most grinders have to demonstrate some level of proficiency at their work before they can get to become a minder. However, not all technically proficient grinders make good minders. Some grinders who suck at grinding actually have the potential to become great minders, but may never get there if they do not impress the powers-that-be whilst they are grinders. A good minder can inspire and lead his grinders to achieve great things. A poor minder is detested by his subordinates and cannot get things done. For every minder, there are many more grinders and sometimes, a minder has his own minder and is hence partly a grinder at the same time. 

Some minders can be very special.

Beyond the minders, we have a far rarer breed. The elusive finders. Who are the finders? Finders evolve from grinders to minders who make the step to become folks who bring in business. Finders are magnetic people who can draw people towards them. To some extent they still do some management work but their core business is people: the clients. Finders love their clients and get their clients to love them. Finders get the deals for the company and keep the clients happy. The grinders do the work and act as the core revenue generators. The minders manage the grinders. The finders manage the minders but spend their energies mainly on deal sourcing and networking. It is common for the technical proficiency of finders to lapse somewhat as they focus less on doing the day-to-day grunt work. Such is the trade-off in being a finder. 

Finders - a rare breed

So far the idea of transitioning from grinder to minder seems fairly straightforward. As Christopher also points out (interspersing his thoughts with my own):

• society generally does not value grinders. Perhaps this is because there are too many grinders to go around. Unless you have a special skill, e.g. surgeon, or if you are exceptional at what you do e.g. sportsman, actor, you will get crowded out by the sheer numbers. How many engineers do we have out there?

• some EQ and communication skills are required to become a minder. Minders were once grinders and have to undergo some form of competition and "natural selection" at the grinder level to make it as minders. 

• All things being equal, a minder would generally earn more than a grinder in the same industry and enjoy more prestige. Hence for most working people, they would usually consider becoming a minder in their industry as a sign that they have made it.

But of course, Christopher goes further to look at how a minder can take a further leap to become a finder. That's what it's all about isn't it, as the finders are the folks who make the really big bucks. This is where things get golden and we will look into this in Part 2.

Goodreads: The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck

Every now and then, I will come across an article that gets my heart pumping (that isn't erotic literature), that makes me scream "yes!" silently and pound my fist on the bar in the MRT. This is likely the first time this has occurred in 2015 and "Goodreads" will be a collection of... such good reads I come across. Don't worry, it's not that I have become a philosopher-king overnight. I'm just the thinking man's retail trader.

The article that has the honour of being the first Goodread is The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck by Mark Manson. Let me set out my thoughts below on the article and hopefully your interest is sufficiently piqued to read it.

As we age and advance in life, we start to get a little more comfortable. We also come into possession of more things. We get pay raises. Homes. Kids. Possessions. With more things coming into the picture, we own more but we have more to lose. Some of us may feel that we also lose a certain edge we once had. The feeling that you could drop your things down and leave them behind, with nothing to lose. The feeling that you don't give a fuck about anything. Freedom as a bird.

Mark's article struck a chord in me, and revived that feeling in me. It strikes me that perhaps over time I have grown to be giving a fuck about certain things that I do not need to be giving a fuck about. I want to get some of that back in me. In a healthy way without undoing any progress made in life. You can call it conscious desocialisation.

And here's are my takeaways from his article. 3 points from me.

1. Not giving a fuck is about daring to be different. That's different from aiming to be indifferent to all things. The latter suggests protecting one's emotional state by numbing one's response to stimuli, by disengaging. Is that living? The former involves engaging your passions to do what you feel for. Even if everyone thinks it's quirky or weird or wrong. Which one sounds better to you?

Napoleon Dynamite - Quirky, but happy? Happier than most of us?

Have there been times of late where you have held yourself back from doing something, due to how you think society will view you?

2. We need to find a mission in life. Once we do, the issues that used to bug us, will no longer bug us. Remember the auntie who likes to complain about everything and threaten to write to the ST Forum/CASE/STOMP/hardwarezone just to frighten a vendor into giving a further discount? Remember the bitch in the office who likes to make bitchy remarks about other womens' bags/hair/boyfriend/overseas trips? This is because they have not found anything better to do with their life, and so they occupy their world with such "minuscule" issues. Once you find your mission these people simply disappear from your radar. Or at best, you think of them like a tiny bug pest. You have better things to do. Embarrassment and self-consciousness fade away. Nothing can stop you.

Do you sometimes think that the things you have invested time and effort in are actually quite meaningless?

3. There are only so many things we can care about in life. This is especially so as we get older and our time and energy become limited. So please start to think hard about what are the things worth caring about. Priorities. Pardon my love for football analogies but it's like being a Pirlo, an Alonso or a Gerrard. They get on with age but they can still be very effective footballers because they conserve their energies and focus on doing certain things very well. Every move and step they take is measured and deliberate. There's no need to run around the pitch like a headless chicken if you know how to position yourself to be at the right place at the right time. Time your runs up the pitch. Guide team-mates around you instead of doing all the grunt work. Ration your movements, but make them count. That's what we should be doing as we age too. 

Have there been times where you feel you have too many things to do, and yet when you think about what are the things that are important to you, you realise you have been neglecting those most important things?