Naja Faysal | Digital Advertising & eMarketing Specialist

On the Door-Way… My final note at Leo Burnett

najafaysal — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 14:32:28 +0000

Deep in our hearts we know that the best things said come last. People will talk for hours, saying nothing much, and then linger at the door with words that come with a rush from the heart.

I am at the doorway today. It’s the end of something and the beginning of something else.

Yesterday I joined this place as a child thinking that I was the best in the world, only this morning I was a teenager so fragile, and suddenly the adrenaline of adventure tempts me to seek and discover what is out there in the jungle.

I am scared. But as I am feeling the fear, I am doing it anyway. I am trying to teach my fear a lesson. I wanted him to get of my back and never visit me again.

In fact, I am feeling alone. I will soon be separated from the people I was raised by. The people, who supported me, taught me, tolerate me and loved me.

I thought I am feeling all this because it was my first employment or because it’s away from home, but no, there is something about you that makes a difference in my life. You, the people of this place, are the difference. Your energy, your passion, your spirit, your support, your care, your love, your knowledge, your understanding, your faith, your good heart is the difference.

My final message to each and every one of you is to seek meaning to your lives. Life is truly meaningless unless we bring meaning to it. It’s up to us to create our existence. Unless we do something, unless we create something, it is as though we aren’t here. Do you wonder if you are strong enough? Sure you are. Get a little perspective. Look up at the stars and see how tiny they look. They are gigantic explosions, but from where we are, they are just these insignificant little dots. If you step back from things far enough, you realize how important and powerful you are.

Be bold. Let the strength of your desire give force and movement to your every step. When you embark strange places, don’t leave any of yourself safely on shore. Have the nerve to go into unexplored territory. Be brave to live your life more creatively. The creative is the place where no one else has ever been. You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition. You can’t get there by bus, only by hard work and risk and by quite knowing what you are doing, but what you will discover will be wonderful. What you will discover will be yourself.

Fight for what you believe in and serve a higher purpose than yourself, a purpose bigger than life… It’s never too late and may the force of nature be at your side, hoping that one day our paths collide again…

My best wishes to you always. Don’t be surprised to get some telephone calls from me, asking for advice and perhaps a sympathetic broad shoulder. If I can return any of the many favors you gave me, all you have to do is pick up the phone, call me or send me an email…

(Don’t forget to subscribe your email to receive my updates)

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Fire your Web Developer!

najafaysal — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 10:11:09 +0000

Its the time ladies and gentlemen to Fire Your Web Developers! you don’t need them anymore.

If you have noticed, this decade the internet has been changing dramatically. Web Developers who used to show off as smarter than we are, telling us jargon than we don’t understand and trying to owe us and fascinate us are out of business today. Thanks to the Content Management Systems within the reach of each one of us, ordinary people can log in, design and develop astonishing websites without the need of you Mr. Developer.

Of course, I am not talking here about sophisticated eCommerce websites with high-tech functions (even those websites can be purchased of-the-shelf), but I am talking about the majority of websites you stumble upon over an ordinary internet browsing session. The thing is, you don’t only need those web developers anymore, but also it is better not to need them. The websites that are done using Joomla, wordpress and other CMSs are much better than those who are totally customized by an individual person or company. They integrate better with Search Engines, Social Media and Portals all over the continent.

What would the developers do, you might ask?

Well this is gonna be interesting. Developers today have a big opportunity to re-invent themselves to fit the new web 2.0 and 3.0. They shouldn’t be resisting the change, instead they should embrace it. Clients do not buy what they say anymore. Famous websites like MTV are done by Joomla. So their argument is getting weaker day after day. However, their chance is now to think differently and to ride the horse of web & mobile applications. Those internet geeks should drop their previous education and study the platforms of Facebook, Twitter, iPhone and others. Only then they would be able to respond to the global needs of clients in this era. Standing still and complaining about lack of business isn’t going to work anymore. Clients today need innovation in terms of technology, they don’t need a website that stays there and do nothing. They need widgets that provides beneficial services. They need Facebook applications that engages their people in their networks and entertain them. They need those iPhone cool applications that shake and shuffle. This is the future.

If you are a web developer who is still trying to sell ordinary customized websites, think twice. If you are a marketeer or a businessman, the doors are open to you today to do everything yourself. The website you are going to make for your company is going to be under your control between your hands and most importantly within the reach of your best customers.

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My Voice on EARTH FM – on the margin of the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference -

najafaysal — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 14:39:00 +0000

On the margin of the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference, a great initiative from Leo Burnett Australia who already started the Earth Hour campaign are now launching the EarthFM, where people from around the world are asked to cast their voice to the World Leaders to take bold action and stop the dilution of our environment.

Al though it was kinda weird to record my voice then upload it, but the desire to really have a voice pushed me to do it.

Here what I said:
“This is the time where being in difference is acting against the movement. Unless we all shout and scream, no one will listen to us. We want to make it clear that the world leaders has to take ultimate measures towards our planet. If it wasn’t for our lifetime, its for our children’s.
For those who are selfish enough not to care about whats going on, what if each of us will come back to this planet after we die. I am not trying to freak you out, but there is some people who believe that human beings can actually re-incarnate and their soul might come back wearing a new human body. If this is just an assumption, wouldn’t be enough to raise your voice and vote for earth’s sustainability, so that when you come back, you don’t have to suffer and go through all the mess we are are creating today.”

If you feel you have something to say or you simply like to see what other people are saying about the topic, just visit this website: http://www.earthhour.org/EarthFM

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How to praise your people’s performance?

najafaysal — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 15:07:00 +0000

Praise has always been part of effective leadership. You can’t be an effective manager without recognizing the efforts of the good performers on your team, but praise can be also a two-edge sword if you abuse it. Check out below the five basic rules for praising your team:

Praise EVERY good job and ignore negative ones.
Praise immediately.
Praise specifically.
Praise in public.
Praise continuously to develop a habit and then praise selectively for the habit to continue.

People not only go to work with their physical body, they go with their spirits, hearts, and minds. Effective leadership realizes the importance of treating people as full human beings by providing a culture soothing their physical, mental, spiritual and emotional needs. Praise and recognition are at the heart of this culture and can sometimes be more important than bonuses and salary raises.

Praise is powerful, utilize it.

Posted in Leadership, manager, praise, team

Negotiation Essentials

najafaysal — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 13:22:00 +0000

People might think negotiation is all about winning and crashing the opponent. This is very wrong. Negotiation should aim for one thing: win-win. I am not gonna spend long time on this topic, cos there are better people to learn from on this matter like Gerard Nierenberg for example. But what I can do is pass to you the negotiation essentials described below:

Prepare
Argue
Signal
Propose
Package
Bargain
Close
Agree

It is also important to know that each negotiation session should have a leader, summarizer and observer. The leader is the chief speaker and head of the negotiation. The summarizer recap what the leader says and gives a gab for the leader to take a breath and gather his/her thoughts. The observer takes notes and register any signal or piece of information he/she finds important.

Negotiation is an instinct in human beings. Children are expert in negotiation. They tend to get what they want on their means. Mature negotiation on the other side is a science that is worth extensive knowledge and practice.

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