Author: mohd.farihin.bin.anuar

Gender Discrimination in Tech

Post author By mohd.farihin.bin.anuar
Post date September 12, 2021

I wanted to understand why she would leave the Tech/Digital industry. Her main reason was because of Gender inequality and discrimination she had to wake up to each day.

I got curious and decided to probe a little further. And here is what I learned.

She sounded like a proficient project consultant. She talked about the works — the UAT phase, the development lifecycle, the people related skills, etc. I knew immediately that she had to at least be mid management.

It all began when she was telling me about her stocks. She was justifying and insistent that Tech stocks are the way to go. Obviously, I knew this too but wanted to know her reasons for upselling them. Everybody has a story.

I knew that I had to open up about myself first before she would open up to me. It’s basic psychology. The “I’ll share mine, if you share yours” mentality.

She told me that she used to be a developer years ago. Her Tech stacks were, SQL, PHP and Java. Aside from having a kid that made her decide to change her line of work, and because it offered her the flexibility of managing her own time, she uttered the words, “Gender Discrimination and Inequality”.

I told her that I’ve seen movements such as “Women in Tech” these days that hopes to address and change the mindset of people. But the reality is that, the Tech space is still predominantly a “men’s domain”. I knew this is still the case, and I hope, given more time this mindset would change.

Remembering My Past

Back in the day, when I was a developer, my mentors were mostly ladies. I admire them as they invested time and effort to train me to become a decent developer. I will never forget their kind gestures.

The men, on the other hand, mostly offered me advice. But it was the ladies who got down and dirty to train me. I have nothing but respect for them.

I remembered asking a bunch of guys from the development team on something I was stuck on for a while. But none of them, really offered to look at my codes. Instead, they asked me if I had checked this and that. They had this air of arrogance and I felt like they were looking down on a rookie like me.

I did not seek help from the ladies initially, as they were seated further away from me. But upon hearing the commotion and because it was rather small office, they pushed their swivel chairs over to my seating area, sat down beside me, and started looking at my codes.

They analysed my codes, add watches (a .net IDE thing) and showed me where my mistakes were.

From that small gesture, I’ve learned that:

Support is important — the willingness to get down and dirty with your peers or juniors
The right support can groom people to be the best they can be
People can be generally shy to ask for help because they do not want to be seen as incompetent or disturb their other busy peers

They did not fix my problem but pointed out to where my problems were and got me to fix it myself. This builds my confidence over time and I became a System Analyst thanks to them.

Till today, I still look at the developer’s codes at times to understand their logic and functions. I do not fix their problem but highlight where the problem might be.

Her Story

“A”, started her career as a developer with the Tech stacks mentioned in above. She is familiar with the full SDLC and was doing your typical Requirements Definition, Technical Documentation, User Acceptance Testing and User Training.

She was at the prime of her career but soon realised that she could not climb any higher than her current position because of gender. Most would look at her with judgmental eyes — not knowing that she started out as a developer.

She could not become a Project Manager despite meeting all the criteria in my book.

I’ll admit to having a soft spot for them because it was the same for me. I was a Developer turned Project Manager too.

Both of us shared the same viewpoint that we simply were unable to compete with foreign talents that are much more talented and cost effective for companies to hire, compared to us — locals. I would assume that the journey she would have to struggle to go through would be even tougher than someone like me because of her gender.

And it’s really tough.. for me. I got my fair share of rejections and it hurts just thinking about it. Imagining her going through worse, is just awful.

Based on my talks with her, I could tell that she has the experience and capability of becoming a Project Manager.

What she lacked was the certification to prove that she is capable of a Project Manager role during that day, because back then, it was true that you do need certificates to prove your competency. I personally do not agree with how some organisations would base their potential employee’s competencies on certificates but that’s just how it was in the past and to some degree, the present too.

Her motivation and role model was her aunt who worked at a huge corporation (starting with “P”) as a Project Director.

I asked her if she would want to come back to the industry if the opportunity presented itself to her. She sounded happy and wanted to give it another go. So, I’ll be on the lookout for her.

Conclusion

I sincerely hope that the idea and mindset of Tech, being a male dominated industry that only males would be proficient in it, would change. It is definitely not true.

I’m glad that more and more women are in Tech right now and I hope that mindset would change sooner than later.

For someone who took an IT Diploma, an IT Degree and worked as a Developer like “A”, it clearly shows that she has a passion and interest for that industry. Even when she changed her job to become an Insurance Consultant, she is still fascinated by the Tech space. Hence, why I like this phrase so much — Sometimes the truth isn’t good enough, sometimes people deserve more. Sometimes people deserve to have their faith rewarded.

We should all do better as human beings and restore faith to people like “A” in a system we have created.

Data

Data, Information, Knowledge & Wisdom

Post author By mohd.farihin.bin.anuar
Post date September 11, 2021

So, what’s the difference between all of them?

It’s actually really simple. Information, knowledge and wisdom are the promoted state of data.

The illustration below summarises the promotion of data.

In summary, you collect data from all your data sources. Data exists in a raw format — binary, numbers, etc.

From the Data you have extracted, you make sense of the data and turn them into Information or Insights.

These Insights are untested and unproven and are based on Observations and calculated Analysis work. So you formulate various Hypothesis and, conduct Tests and Experiments, to validate the Insights and Analysis work that you have gathered/analysed.

If your Hypothesis is correct, that becomes a Theory. If the theory is able to withstand the test of time and various unbiased experiments conducted by others, it becomes Wisdom.

In other words, Knowledge is the highest level of Information.

With Knowledge, you can stand to gain Wisdom which would assist you in making accurate predictions.

Einstein’s theory of General Relativity and Darwin’s theory of Human Evolution are some examples of theories that are still tested and used till today to make predictions. These theories are generally accepted in Science but scientists are testing the limit of these theories.

For example, we now know that Einstein’s theory of General Relativity does not apply to the world of the small a.k.a sub-atomic particles world.

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Journal

Inspirational People on Social

Post author By mohd.farihin.bin.anuar
Post date September 10, 2021

Wish I knew these guys personally and professionally

Jon Kolko – Design Strategist, Product Manager, Educator & Author

Peter Kent – SEO Consultant, Trainer & Author

Joe Natoli – UX Consultant, Author & Speaker

Elon Musk – Founder, CEO & Chief Engineer

Neil deGrasse Tyson – Astrophysicist, Planetary Scientist, Author & Science Communicator

Jack Ma – Business Magnate, Investor, Philanthropist & Educator

Barack Obama – 44th President of the United States

US Navy Admiral William H. McRaven – United States Navy 4-star Admiral

Simon Sinek – Author & Inspirational Speaker

Sadhguru – Indian Yoga Guru & Author

Jim Rohn – American Entrepreneur, Author & Motivational Speaker

Will Smith – American Actor, Rapper & Film Producer

Steve Jobs – American Business Magnate, Industrial Designer, Investor & Media Proprietor

Denzel Washington – American Actor, Director & Producer

Bill Gates – American Business Magnate, Software Developer, Investor, Author & Philanthropist

Dave Chappelle – American Stand-up Comedian, Actor, Writer & Producer

Chris Do – CEO & Founder

Journal

Regret #1 – Working With Talents

Post author By mohd.farihin.bin.anuar
Post date September 10, 2021

Journal

Putting Your Eggs in One Basket

Post author By mohd.farihin.bin.anuar
Post date September 6, 2021

We always hear the phrase “Putting your eggs in one basket”. The outcome could sometimes be beneficial or risky if you do or do not do it.

My Opinion

Personally, I think that it is okay if you’re putting your investments, focus, or business, in any shape or form into one basket provided you’re constantly looking and paying attention to it.

This hypothesis applies to anything and everything we do.

Reflection

However, I know myself too well that I’ll get bored very easily. So I prefer diversifying but keep myself in-tune with the market trends and needs. This means that you will have to constantly evolve, unlearn and relearn each and every time. The benefit of this is, I get to align my personal character with the everchanging demands and needs required. I can make tweaks to certain attributes of myself (rather than one attribute) based on the current demands.

I know I do not have it in me to focus entirely on one task/item. I will simply get bored. I do admire those who can, cause I know that’s just not my trait. They are dedicated to their art and I really admire that.

This came to me when I saw my future brother-in-law telling me that he had spent 2 days trying to wrap a motor bike. He showed me a video of the process. I simply know that I do not possess that kind of patience. Don’t me wrong, I know I can also do it too but it takes precision work, attention and dedication that’s beyond belief and I get bored very easily once I know how it’s done.

But for him, I think what he is doing is really admirable. Just focusing on one area, and becoming a master/specialist of that craft. I mean, there are experimental things that could still be done such as exploring experimental paints and materials but ultimately it is still one domain.

Read about the different types of employees here.

My Conclusion

Hence, the very reason why I am in IT and Digital. The vast domain knowledge that you would require such as Creative, Frontend, Backend, User Experience, Cybersecurity, Marketing, Psychology, Operations and Business, all converge together. It’s a fast moving environment that requires you to change and evolve to make it to the top. Otherwise, you will just be stagnant. Surviving — but stagnant.

My Advice

In a nutshell, put your eggs in one basket and pay attention to it if it fits your character and you’re driven to it by passion. Otherwise, if you’re like me, do not put your eggs in one basket. Diversify and explore new challenges and trends that will keep your passion and interests tingling.

Project Management

How to Write Better Emails

Post author By mohd.farihin.bin.anuar
Post date September 6, 2021

Knowing how to write your emails would be beneficial in conveying the meaning behind your email as well as getting the other party to respond appropriately.

Let’s take a look at some tips provided by Harvard Business Review.

In summary,

Include estimated time in Email Subject
Include CTA in Email Subject
Stick to the same thread for the same Topic
Add (+ and -) the recipients
Start with Main Points first followed by Context
Summarise emails for people
Hyperlink emails
Update Undo send email to send 30 seconds later

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Leadership & Management

The Various Leadership Styles

Post author By mohd.farihin.bin.anuar
Post date August 29, 2021

History has shown us many great leaders — Martin Luther King Junior, Julius Caesar, Nelson Mandela, Adolf Hitler, etc. Some are notorious but yet, manage to command and lead a nation. Others, inspire and brought about significant changes to the world. In my pursuit of leadership knowledge, I have learned that there are generally 6 different types of leadership styles. This article aims to share and elaborate more on the six. In general, the 6 types of leadership styles are:

Authoritarian Leadership
Participative Leadership
Delegative Leadership
Transactional Leadership
Transformational Leadership
Servant Leadership

Authoritarian Leadership

Authoritarian leadership styles, also known as Autocratic leadership styles, is when a leader impose their expectations and define the outcomes.

A one-man show can might be favourable in situations when a leader is the most knowledgeable in the team.

It is an efficient leadership style in time-constrained periods. Creativity and participation is normally sacrificed because inputs from the team is kept to a minimal.

The authoritarian leadership style is also used when team members need clear guidelines.

Advantages:

Less time wastage.
Chain of command is clearly defined and established.
If the leader is competent and has substantial knowledge in that area, mistakes can be reduced or even avoided.
Results and outcome will be consistent.
The pressure is placed greatly on the leader rather than the team.
Productivity may increase.

Disadvantages:

Employees will be demoralised or unhappy which may result in high turnover rate for staffs.
Less creativity and barely any innovation outcome.
Group synergy and collaboration is greatly reduced.
Heavily reliant on the experience of the leader.
Creates lack of feedback as the chain of command and hierarchy is evident.

Recommendations when to use it:

When there is little time for advanced planning and timing is key.
When individuals need/seek guidance to complete the task with structure and clarity. Normally, they are lacking in the skills required to get the job done.
When the situation is grave with unfavourable rules and conditions. In order to keep the team members safe.
When the situation requires the margin for errors to be very low.

Participative Leadership

Participative leadership styles at it’s core is a democratic style of leadership.

In short, it requires the team members to be involved in the decision making process.

This creates an atmosphere where team members feel inclusive, engaged and motivated to contribute.

The leaders will usually have the final say. The best approach for this style of leadership is to practice being the last to speak like how Nelson Mandela does it — which is actually very difficult.

However, if disagreements exist amongst the team members, it could result in a time-consuming process to reach a conclusion.

Advantages:

Boosts employee motivation and job satisfaction.
Promotes creativity. Free-flow exchange of ideas that could lead to innovative solutions.
Encourages collaboration and creates a strong team.
A high level of productivity can be achieved.
Team will be more confident of the solution because it was a collective effort.
Improves the quality of the output.

Disadvantages:

Increases the likelihood of conflict between team members.
Specialists within the team will have their voices drowned by the opinion of others.
Decision making process can be a lengthy process.
Requires employee participation to work — otherwise, it might not be effective.
Can pose as a security issue if the information is sensitive as it could get leaked out.
Communication breakdown can happen.
Poor decisions could be made if the team members are unskilled.
Leaders tend to be apologetic to employees.

Recommendations when to use it:

When the company culture is strong and solid.
When you’re not in a hurry to make a decision.
When you want to listen in to the various perspectives.
When there are multiple possible solutions / approach to the problem.
When discussions do not contain sensitive information.

Delegative Leadership

Delegative leadership style is also known as “laissez-faire leadership”.

This style of leadership is characterised by pure delegation to the team members.

It may be a great style, provided the team members are competent, take responsibility and prefer engaging in individual solitude work.

If disagreements among team members occur, the team would be further divided and eventually split up.

This in-turn, will lead to poor motivation and low morale.

Advantages:

Leaders can lean on the experienced employees’ competence and experience as they know when to back away.
Innovation and creativity is valued highly.
Creates a positive work environment and employee satisfaction if done correctly.
Applies their own knowledge and skills in a strategic way. They look for situations and opportunities where their expertise would help the team move forward without stepping anyone’s space. They make themselves available whenever advice might be wanted.
Encourages personal growth.
Fast decision making process as there is no micro-management

Disadvantages:

Command and responsibility is not defined and blurred.
Creates difficulty in adapting to change.
The feeling of unconcerned for cohesiveness. Leaders would appear as withdrawn, weak, or incompetent from the outside. Over time, this view can influence team members who report to the delegative leader, which can lead to discontent and unhappiness. Instead of focusing on the team environment, these leaders want their direct reports to focus on themselves and their skills. That is good for independent work, but not team-based work.
Low accountability — this style of leadership is a way to avoid responsibility for the group’s failures. When goals are not met, the leader can then blame members of the team for not completing tasks or living up to expectations.
Shifts responsibility outcomes — Team members are allowed to make decisions for themselves without suffering the consequences of their choices. However, the team leader also gets credit for the decisions that were made by the team member. For the independent worker looking for recognition, that can be a disheartening experience.
Hide from their responsibilities — A delegative leader can hand off enough work that they can avoid their responsibilities altogether. They stop trying to motivate their own workers and stay focused on personal motivations instead. Instead of being involved with their teams, these leaders may refuse to interact with them which reduces team harmony and can affect production levels.
Can be taken advantage of — If the team member recognizes that their manager isn’t paying close attention to their work duties, they may try to take advantage of the situation. Workers might try to inflate their hours, AWOL, or pretend to be working.

Recommendations when to use it:

When the team is highly motivated, with plenty of expertise, this leadership style can bring out the best in them.
During the early stages of a project.
When efficiency and high productivity are not the main concerns.
When you do not require great oversight, precision, and attention to detail.
When you do not have a hard deadline.

Transactional Leadership

Transactional leadership style leverages on transactions between a leader and their followers.

The leader offers an incentive for achieving the goals and complying while administering punishment for non-compliance, all in order to get the job done.

This give and take leadership style is rooted towards the establishment of routines and procedures in an efficient manner as compared to making transformational changes to the organisation.

Advantages:

Leaders specify SMART goals for employees
Creates a sense of fairness and equality
Motivation and productivity may increase if done correctly.
Reduces confusion in the chain of command.
Attempts to create a system that is easy to implement for leaders and easy to follow for employees.
Employees can choose their rewards or incentives.

Disadvantages:

Minimal innovation and creativity.
Empathy is not valued.
Lack of focus in relationship building.
Teamwork is often underappreciated or nonexistent
Normally reactive as they tend to be status quo within the business — only making changes within the department or organization when their hand is forced.
No long term vision as the nature of transactional leadership is focus on short term goals, quick wins and immediate outcomes.
Poor leadership development —creates followers and not leaders amongst employees.
Poor reward system — Employees may suffer from low morale and or only perform enough to not get punished or fired. This ineffectiveness can manifest itself in the growth of the company, as it may only meet but not exceed its expectations.
If you’re an employee that puts a premium on emotional and social factors and values, transactional leadership doesn’t often motivate you.

Recommendations when to use it:

Most effective in situations where problems are simple and clearly defined.
A well-established company not searching for change within the organization
During crisis situations where the focus needs to be on accomplishing certain tasks.
Maintenance of the structure of the group
Middle and upper management levels in large organisations
An organization with fixed operations that must be performed in a specific manner each time, such as a manufacturing company, will benefit from transactional leadership style, while companies or departments that need creativity from their staff may be less suited to this method.

Transformational Leadership

In transformational leadership styles, the leader inspires his or her followers with a vision and then encourages and empowers them to achieve it. This style of leadership requires strong self-actualisation and self-esteem to inspire others to change. They re-iterate the vision to their team members to keep the purpose fresh in their minds by connecting it to goals, talking about it often and finding ways everyone can meaningfully contribute to it. To the leader, it is vital to intellectually challenge those they lead, consider each of their individual ideas carefully and motivate them. The leader is willing to do whatever is required of their team and also serves as a role model for the vision.

Advantages:

Leads to lower employee turnover rate.
Transformational leadership place strong emphasis on corporate vision — united in a common cause.
High morale of employees are often observed.
Uses motivation and inspiration to gain support of employees.
Coercive approach towards leadership.
Value relationships greatly.
Embraces evolution and change.
Keeps the company open and ethical.
Promotes morale through better communication.
Gives freedom to the employees.
Strong emphasis on ethics.
Mutual respect, organisational skills, creativity, responsibility and integrity.

Disadvantages:

Leaders can deceive employees if they are not truthful or honest.
Consistent motivation and constant feedback is required.
Tasks cannot be pushed through without the agreement of employees.
May lead to deviation of protocols and regulations.
May lead to employee burnout.
Can be risky and disruptive.
Requires continuous feedback loops.
Leaders lose power if disagreements happen.
Too big-pictured.

Recommendations when to use it:

When corporate vision is established and resonates strongly within the team.
Company and leaders are invested in building the skillsets of their employees to achieve the vision.
Extremely successful for outdated businesses that must change to grow.
On teams who are struggling to collaborate and identify with the mission of the organisation.

Servant Leadership

Servant leadership can be summed up as empowering your team members and keeping them happy.

The outcome ensures greater commitment of the team member to the company.

Another outcome is more enthusiasm and energy for keeping customers happy is observed.

This selfless approach requires leaders to let go parts of their authority and benefits that they typically accrue in a leadership position.

Instead of following specific set of policies, servant leadership deeply rooted in attitude with which you approach your role and team members.

Advantages:

Boost morale.
Employees feel valued and know you’re looking out for them and their needs.
Inspires team to work with more enthusiasm and serve the customers.
Emphasis on collaborative decision-making in the workplace.
Encourages listening to team members and being the last to speak.
Servant leadership is hard to fake and requires authenticity.
Genuine leaders will stand out from the pack.
Facilitate mutual respect
Do not take credit for team members’ contributions.
Commitment to your team member’s personal and professional growth.
Encourage people to think for themselves and try their own ideas.
Informs team members on “why” instead of scripting the “how”.
Asking team members “How can I help you?”
Creates a positive work environment.
Nurtures employee commitment, trust, and loyalty.
Creates a sense of belonging amongst the team members.
Accelerates learning and development of team members.
The accessibility of the leader makes it easier for individuals to model off their behavior.
Leaders develop better foresight and effectively communicate it.

Disadvantages:

Leaders can deceive employees if they are not truthful or honest.
Requires serious commitment, and insincere servant leaders will have a hard time fooling employees for long.
May not be welcomed in some companies that prefer managers to follow a different model.
Decision-making in the workplace is a lot slower when you have to collaborate.
Unless leaders have built servant leadership into the organisation from the get go, it takes real work to set it up.
Learning to connect with and understand employees, and persuading them to participate in decision-making, requires serious commitment.
Difficult to implement as it is a demanding style of serving your team members and their needs.

Recommendations when to use it:

Company and leaders are invested in building the skillsets of their employees to achieve the vision.
Extremely successful for outdated businesses that must change to grow.
On teams who are struggling with collaboration issues.

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Technology

Cache Explained Simply

Post author By mohd.farihin.bin.anuar
Post date August 28, 2021

Cache Explained Simply

What are Cache?

Before deep diving to the details of cache, it’s best to understand what a Cache is. Cache in a nutshell, is information stored for a fixed period of time on a computer/server.

What is the purpose of Cache?

The purpose of using cache is to improve the performance of any website and application. How? By reducing the time it takes to access data on a website since the data is stored locally on your own computer. Think about it — accessing your hard drive is definitely way faster than retrieving your files online.

So each time you surf on a website, your computer is actually downloading the files to display on your computer every time you make a request (e.g. click on a link, etc.).

Rather than making multiple requests for the same file over and over again, wouldn’t it be better to do it once? That’s where cache comes in.

What are the types of Cache out there?

There are generally categorised into 2 kinds of caching:

client-side caching (stored in your own computer) and
server-side caching (stored in the server where the website/application is hosted)

Client-side Caching

As mentioned above, client-side caching is used for storing data files on the user’s personal computer. There are many different types but we will explore more on the common ones — the Browser cache and Service Workers.

Browser Cache

All of us have a preference on the browser we love to use — Firefox, Chrome, Safari, etc. And they all have one thing in common — They all use browser cache.

Browser caching improves the user experience by improving the time required to access that information. Again, this is achieved through storing the data on your computer as opposed to transmitting the data over the internet to display on your browser. Website loading times are shorter and information from the site is accessible almost instantly.

Service Workers

Service worker is a newer kind of client-side caching popularised by Google. Google Chrome is one of the earlier adopters of this technology.

A service worker is a script that your browser runs in the background which is independent from a web site. This led to features that do not require a web page or any user interaction. Have you ever visited a site that asks you if you’re interested to subscribe to their news without the need to register? Chances are, they are using service workers and you will get to see notifications at the sides of your browser.

The application of service workers is evident in features such as push notifications and background synchronisation. With service workers, you no longer require an internet connection to use an application (though you will need it if you want to fetch new content — but at least it doesn’t hinder your usage of the site and you do not need to see the “page is offline message”).

The service worker checks if the resource (files, text, image, etc.) exists in its cache (your PC) and decides whether to display it to you based on the caching strategies that was set.

Another example, consider Google Docs for a moment. With service workers implementation, Google Docs could work offline more effectively by caching changes to your local PC. When the internet connection is restored, those changes will be sent back to Googles’ servers.

At present, more research and further developments are currently being worked on to extend the capabilities of service workers.

Server-side Caching

Server-side caching, as the name suggests is data that is cached on the server. Data can be cached at any point or time on the server where applicable. This allows your users to access the information faster thus improving the user experience.

The list below represents some of the common server-side caching techniques for server-side caching.

Database Cache

This process can be included in the design of a web application that generates data on websites with databases. This is used to achieve better performance and scalability.

Database caching provides advantages for web developers and ultimately your users. Some of these advantages are:

reduces the disk accesses required
reduces CPU utilisation of your database server
speeds up the time it takes to access data

Object Cache

Object cache revolves around the storing of objects (Word Documents, Videos, Images, etc.) locally on your computer so that it does not have to be constantly retrieved based on the number of times you’ve requested for it. It saves your bandwidth and data.

An example would be an attachment that you’ve received in your email. You’ve downloaded the mail and naturally the attachment too. Instead of request the file from the mail server, each time you open it, it is stored in your computer’s temp folder.

Now think about YouTube: Think of how many times you go to Youtube, and how much it would have to serve you if it had to build that webpage from the ground up each time — multiply that by the 2 billion people who uses Youtube daily. Without object caching, this would definitely be an impossible feat, requiring time and energy wasted.

Page Cache

Page cache is similar to the other caches except that this cache stores the full web pages to be served later to the user. This data is stored in an unused section of the user’s RAM memory. The computer memory would still display the section as available or free. If the data is read again later, it will be read from this cache within memory — which is extremely fast and a provides a great user experience.

Content Delivery Network (CDN) Caching / Services

CDN services work by ensuring your static website content is added to proxy servers (called Edge Servers) that are globally distributed. This allow your users from all over the world to download your site content faster through the use of Edge servers.

For example, if your server is situated in Singapore but your users/visitors are located in Germany, they (users in Germany) might experience some network latency. But with an Edge server situated in Germany (and around the world if you purchase the CDN service), they (users in Germany) would not experience this latency issue despite having the Origin server located in Singapore.

Using a CDN caching service would also help to reduce costs by alleviating the pressure off the original server — low utilisation = lesser fees (especially if you’re on cloud-based), and puts the focus on the smaller Edge servers located globally where your visitors can access data locally.

Closing Statement

I hope the information above has shed some light on caching, how it works and the various types of caching that exists. I also hope you find the information above informative and got to learn something new.

If you are an advocate for user experience, understanding cache and knowing how to harness it’s strengths and weaknesses would ensure a better user experience for your website/product.

Please share this content with others if you think it might help them or just for the fun of it. 🙂

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Journal

Transformational Servant Leadership

Post author By mohd.farihin.bin.anuar
Post date August 28, 2021

I’ve asked a few colleagues, ex-colleagues, friends and family to seek an alignment with the kind of leadership style and my personal deduction of what my style really is.

And here’s what I found out.

To be honest, I was surprised that the Authoritarian was higher than the Participative. I thought I was more Participative. I guess I am getting impatient these days. But many have agreed that my default leadership style is Transformational and Servant based. No surprises there.

If you’re unsure about what the above means, then you might want to consider reading this article that I wrote previously — The Various Leadership Styles.

Why am I a mix of Transformational and Servant?

For the simple fact that I need a purpose or vision that resonates with the company’s vision. Without it, my motivation falls. And because my pride doesn’t allow me to give up, I’ll be dragging myself.

I’ve always been Customer focused as thinking for and behalf of my clients so that I can deliver my best. In short, over-deliver without eating much into the profit margin. The question that I always ask myself is — if I was the product owner, what do I want this product to do and then switch hats and ask — how to I deliver this efficiently with the budget I have, but yet deliver more value.

For those who do not know the difference between transformational and servant leadership styles, the following table summarises it:

Transformational	Servant
Focused on the goals of the organisation	Focused on service to followers, customers, and the organisation
Influence by modeling	Influence by serving the needs of others
Use persuasion	Promote team problem-solving
Promote individualised influence	Individualised development
Motivate with charisma to attain a common goal	Motivate by providing autonomy and resources

Driven by Goals

Goals, be it personal and organisational, are important to me. If I do not have goal, or if I’m not able to meet them, it will take a huge toll on my morale and motivation. And of course those goals would need to resonate with me too and not a goal that was forced upon. That’s another attributing reason for low morality.

I’ve always feel that goals of a company and personal goals must work hand-in-hand. Employees and employers should discuss them together. This ensure leaders and team mates have plenty of face-time that builds relationships, empathy and mutual understanding.

Modelling and Promote Individual Development

I try my best to influence my junior peers through modelling but still promote their individual development to define and refine their style of project management. It’s tiring but seeing how and what they have grown into based on some of the lessons they learned, makes it worthwhile.

I might nag or sound naggy but the underline reason is because I genuinely care for their well-being and development — no bullshit and no hidden agenda behind it; especially since I come from an educational background. Only parents would nag no matter how many mistakes you’ve made. But it’s never because they hate you. It’s always the opposite.

To show my sincerity, I extend help to other project managers who are not even in the organisation I’m currently working in.

Serving Others

Junior Staffs

For junior peers, I would always ask them at the start, what do they intend to gain from their time working with the company and me. From there, I’ll try my best to tailor or recommend projects that would meet their goals and objectives.

Influence by Modeling

If they do not have a project preference, I will provide them with a variety of projects for them to explore their interest. Ultimately, this will enable them to be the kind of PM they aspire to become and I’ll be the benchmark for them.

Individualised Influence and Development

This would also means elevating their strengths to greater heights, covering and supporting them in their weaknesses — this is where it gets tiring but seeing them blossom, gives me the motivation to continue. Slowly but surely, they will be able to mimic my approach, ways and methods and eventually, cover or even overcome their own weaknesses by themselves. Support here is key. Genuine support is not passive and based on lip service — it’s active; if you’re genuine.

If a person doesn’t scream for help, that doesn’t mean that they are not drowning. It could be because they have no time or means to call for help or simply do not want to trouble others or do not want to seem incompetent or even uncertain as to whom they should ask for help. It’s just human nature. And I feel leaders should understand this. Especially since an organisation is entirely made up of people.

Senior Staffs

For senior peers, I will mostly play an advisor role. Experience will come in handy here. I’ll also take up a supportive role and allow them to run the projects their way. If they need help, I’ll just jump in.

Otherwise, they will continue running the show themselves unless clients/stakeholders approach me personally saying that there is a problem.

Promote team problem-solving & Use Persuasion

If a problem happens, I will take control of the project for a while have internal discussions on the problems and how we should tackle it, resolve the problem and hand it over back to them. This is a crucial move as no matter how bad the screw up is, the contention here is to say, “I still trust you” and persuade them to continue running the project and provide the support they need. Sometime the project vision and objective will be re-interated again.

During this heighten period, I will also monitor the high level progress and look at some of their emails sent. If it still poses a problem with the client after a few tries, I will switch to a mix of Participative and/or Authoritarian style.

Summary

In summary, more Servant leadership for junior team members and Transformational leadership style for senior team members.

If this fails, instead of Transactional (which most Transformational leaders will default to), I would default to a Participative Authoritarian style.

Journal

Why Charging by Man-Hours Doesn’t Work

Post author By mohd.farihin.bin.anuar
Post date August 27, 2021

Watch the video below and see why charging by material cost doesn’t really make sense in the Service industry.

So, charging by the hour punishes someone for being good.

How do we charge then? By value of course. And here’s how.

I’m still trying my best through the use of:

Asking Why
Using a prescriptive approach
Finding out the real problem
Finding the To-Be state with a little imagination
Using myself as a branding
Asking the right questions
Using persuasion psychology

I’m still weak in educating clients the perceived value and I hope to get there one day. But I feel all Account and Sales folks should understand and practice this value based approach.