Performer of The Month
Performer of the Month or POTM was something I came up with together with the Ladrang Liaisons. It is to encourage and reward my full-time students (non-liaisons) who work in the Ladrang, who are doing their work well and who are also progressing internally by their attitude which translates into actions that lead to results.
POTM allows them to evaluate themselves and others through a democratic voting process. They will see how they are performing and viewed amongst their peers. In this way, there is no way they can justify their incorrect actions. Because they are being evaluated by everyone else, and if everyone is saying the same thing, they cannot all be wrong. It’s illogical.
The monthly POTM prize presentation
It is important for my Ladrang staff to know how their team mates find them, and what impression they are projecting towards each other. It is one way to push those who are not doing so well to improve, transform and to be better to WIN! And those who are doing well, to be consistent! This is a healthy competition and it helps to create awareness of ourselves, our attitude, how we carry ourselves and how we can control and ultimately change our attitudes. The most important thing about POTM is the transformation. And like any other competition, there is always a reward to acknowledge, encourage and recognized the winner!
The POTM has a few sections where each team member will score one another from 1-5 (1 being the lowest to 5 being the highest). They rate themselves weekly on the following:
- Is personal grooming clean, neat, presentable?
- Are jobs delivered in a timely manner?
- How well was the job done the first time?
- How high is the quality of final jobs delivered?
- How much does the person think and operate beyond their division and job scope.
- How accurately is information communicated?
- How well does the person communicate?
- How resourceful is this person?
- How much initiative does this person possess?
- How much care is shown for others?
- How well does the person work in a team?
- How would you rate this person’s integrity?
- Has the person shown improvement in skills to enhance job performance?
- How would you rate this person’s moods?
- Any instances of giving up?
I am proud and pleased to know that Ms. Khong Jean Ai has been the top scorer and winning the POTM for three months in a row!!! The reward is a Fixed Deposit and the kind Ladrang Liaisons will help her to open this account. There will also be an annual increment in her FD from today onwards. I wanted the reward to be a FD because I want to make sure that my students will have something when they grow old, so that they will have some savings and that they will be OK when I am gone.
I’ve known Jean Ai since she was 10 years old, she is now 24 and has come a long way. This girl definitely has the ingredients for success. Her team mates were asked what qualities they saw in her that made them score her highly… and they said she is very organised, has initiative, is responsible, completes her work, is aware and alert, takes ownership,… the list goes on. Well, these are definitely some of the ingredients for success.
Jean Ai joined the Ladrang’s E-Division full-time in 2009 under the wing of Liaison Ooi Beng Kooi, following the footsteps of her mother, Dato’ Ruby Khong, President of Kechara Soup Kitchen, in doing Dharma work full-time to benefit others.
What can I say except I see a great leader like her mother in the making! More and more young people are stepping up, joining Dharma full-time because they realise that Dharma work is for WINNERS! It is fulfilling because the work has is meaningful, it has purpose, and it can benefit someone or change someone’s life. So it makes more sense to do Dharma work, gain some merits and dedicate it to our parents, loved ones and their future.
The work load in Dharma and on the outside is the same but at the end of the day, outside you only get a pay cheque. But in Dharma, you never know who you might benefit. And when someone or some stranger says “thank you” for helping them change their life positively, how would you feel? The satisfaction of helping someone gives a sense of self-worth and purpose in life, and that is something money cannot buy. In Dharma you get genuine care and support amongst Dharma brothers and sisters the right way, and you will rarely find that working outside.
I wonder who will be the next employee of the month… how exciting!!! Congratulations Jean Ai, and keep up the good work!
Tsem Rinpoche
Liaisons JP Thong, POTM winner Khong Jean Ai, Liaison Datuk May, Liaison Chuah Su Ming and Liaison Ooi Beng Kooi of Tsem Ladrang
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It’s not an alien concept of having the Best Employee award in a company. It’s one of the best methods to identify and reward staff for their outstanding performances and an inspiration for many.
However, it’s rare to see this being practiced in a Dharma organisation. Rinpoche showed us how we can practice Dharma in a seemingly impossible environment. Thank you Rinpoche.
Rejoice, Pastor Jean Ai. The list of criteria does not only apply in Dharma work but also in secular work. Anyone who wishes to be successful must endeavor to do so in the day-to-day operations and beyond. Thank you for sharing, Rinpoche.