Share something meaningful to other people

I got a bouquet of tulip from one of former student when I arrived in Amsterdam last February.

That was a very nice gesture because of two things:
First, to receive a bouquet of tulip buds from Netherland, a country which is famous with tulip, was totally impressive!
Second, to honor me as a former lecturer and my arrival in Netherland, which was really meaningful. 

So, I brought that bouquet back to Indonesia. In the next few days, the flowers have been blooming, until they look like in this photo:

It was really difficult to keep them cheerful and beautiful in this hot-humid tropical country for a very long time. 

I kept them in an a-con room, but it wouldn't be long before they have started to shrink and decay. 

I cannot imagine how I could make it more meaningful now. 

To honor this beautiful memory, I got an idea. 

I gave some stems to current students, who were cheerfully kept the flowers for another few days. 

Some of them even kept the flowers in the fridge. This was very thoughtful. 

But, the original idea was not to extend the age of those flowers to make it more meaningful. 

I just simply wanted them to touch the tulip! To make them feel the tulip is real... the tulip does exist!

It become more meaningful now if this could be a motivation for them to work hard on their projects so they could finish them with a flying colors... 

or, to start planning to study in Netherlands or everywhere in the world.

Insya Allah,

Pekanbaru.

Time Management Skill

I always try to improve my time management skill.

As we suspected before, this is the most important skill to get things done or to produce quality works.

It is also the essence of life as a muslim, i.e. using the allocated time effectively, 
as the time that passes will never return and the time also that will bring us closer to death.

The Prophet said: ”Take advantage of five matters before five other matters: your youth before you become old; your health, before you fall sick; your wealth, before you become poor; your free time before you become preoccupied, and your life, before your death.” (Narrated by Ibn Abbas in the Mustadrak of Hakim & Musnad Imam Ahmad. Sahih)

Click to read more: http://productivemuslim.com/concept-of-time-in-quran-part2/#ixzz3cbLcGTFj

A good time management skill depends on plan, routine, focus and priority.

These are our weaknesses, because we don't have measurable plan, don't establish routine, fail to focus and difficult to prioritize the most important task.

In my search, I've found that at least we could use two methods of improving all elements for our time management skill. I try to work with limited principles to avoid overrated confusion. 

The first is Pareto analysis. 

Many experts use this concept in Project Management to help them to organize time for the most important tasks. 

Pareto Analysis is a statistical technique in decision-making used for the selection of a limited number of tasks that produce significant overall effect. It uses the Pareto Principle (also known as the 80/20 rule) the idea that by doing 20% of the work you can generate 80% of the benefit of doing the entire job.

(https://www.google.com/search?q=Pareto+analysis&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8)

We just decide on pursue the task/work package that has a greater impact on our project. By prioritizing the task, we hope for a great benefit of doing the job. 

For example, we do need a Project Action Plan for every big project. It consists of background, objectives, timeline, risk assessment, stakeholder assessment, etc. We make a plan to save us on wasting time on trying to find our direction towards the goals.

If we cannot do this project this year, we must plan to do this next year. Don't rush to finish and acquire everything, just do the task at different stage of our life (this reminds me of Prof Pellert in Berlin).

The second useful method is Podomoro Technique. 

The aim is to have a plan, routine and focus on our work in some increments of time. 

To do it, we need to break our plan into several short sessions, then take a short and scheduled break.  

How to do it:
Set 25 minutes to work on our task, then have a 5 minutes break. 

Use a timer to remind us for the set time. 

Use 3-4 x 25 minutes for each big task without distraction (no wifi, etc), and give 15-20 minutes break. 

(https://www.focusboosterapp.com/the-pomodoro-technique)

This method is really awesome. 

For someone who always find it is difficult to focus and keep myself present in doing a big task, I've found it effective to reduce my to do list very quickly. 

Pekanbaru,

Being Ethical

Occasionally, we forget about this issue, especially when we face moral dilemmas. 

The temptation to do something unethical or cross over the line started when:

we're too enthusiastic to reach our goals,

we might be too afraid of being different from everyone else's,

we really want to speed up the process,

we trap on our marginal thinking (purpose: to evaluate whether something has a greater benefit than its original cost)

and many more reasons. 

However, my lecturer, the guru of Project Management in Germany, Prof Frank Fischer, has reminded us to remain ethical at work despite uncertainty, ambiguity, and instability. 


The people who sacrifice their integrity by breaking rules "softly" will also end up paying a high price in the end. 


The professor said that, as good leaders, we must not be influenced by the unethical attempts of those around us. 

If we have to choose, just take an ethical but slow and lonely path, because... gradually, the efforts will build into a masterpiece. 

The truth will reveal that the winner is always the person with high integrity. 

Pekanbaru,

Book: A Traveller's Alphabet of Essential Places

I'm in the middle of reading a book by David Dale.


This book is about a collection of his journeys in many landscapes of ideas. 

He pointed few places where he experienced political journey, religious pilgrimage, artistic journey, scientific investigation, psychoanalytic journey, scent exploration, musical progression in various countries and cities from Europe to Asia and Australia. 

He talked about talented and influential people, such as van Gogh, Vivaldi, Karl Marx, or Archimedes even Frank Llyod Wright and their background and interaction with the world. 

David Dale tried to lock the topic in one single key word: 'darshana'. 
It means 'the mysterious ecstasy generated in the presence of a holy place'. 

He was just want to find the darshana at those places he has visited. 

And, he wrote the experiences to help readers to understand the modern world from the history point of view.

It made me think about my own terminology during traveling. 

Landscape? Building? Bridge? Wisdom? Lowly people? Flowers (as usual)? or any other thing?

Pekanbaru,

Crocus

I missed the time when I saw the early spring bloomers: e.g. crocus for the first time.

It was late winter, @UMIST, Manchester about 15 years ago. 

Spring has nearly there, with strong winds, rain and sunny days in between. It was such an unpleasant transition time.










But, hey look, I saw many green grass-like leaves at the campus lawn one day. Then, some blooms. Yellow, purple, white, even pink flowers were blooming...

 
...even this stripes crocus looked amazingly stunning.

















They become such a wonderful carpet at many botanical gardens. 

Actually, there is also 'autumn' crocus that blooms in every late summer/early autumn. I saw this type @Oldenburg Botanical Garden last summer.

The stigma of autumn crocus, called saffron, is an expensive spice to make aromatic/fragrant dishes. The spice saffron is from genus Crocus sativus.

I was so blessed... being able to enjoy crocus once more in Europe last March.  

Such a fresh welcome from the land for the spring season...



Pekanbaru,

With every privilege, comes responsibility and challenges

I realized the meaning of the title a few years ago, when I finished some service/business trips for the University. 

It means, for every single thing I've done using the university money or public money, means, 

I have to give it back to the people and uni by sharing knowledge, changing mind-set or improving system.  (responsibility)

and,
it's not easy, because what I've learned at the training/meeting/seminar, mostly something relatively new or not applicable at some level at my workplace. (challenge)

So, then we need to socialize the ideas by doing presentation, discussion, persuasion, and even lobbying some senior colleague to help communicating the knowledge to other colleague.

It is difficult for me to accept the notion that the scholarships, service/business trips, grants, or other type of funding are merely an access to use public money without any responsible product return to the public. 

We must do the best and remind us always that:

"the consequences come with the authorized privilege shouldn't let us forget that we have responsibility to use the opportunity wisely. 

We must return the favor to the public, by providing, working and servicing them through our profession, since they are most eligible party who supposed to get a maximum benefit from our privilege."

And now, I'm wondering the same things, for everything that I've got from Allah...

Pekanbaru,

Deciduous Trees

It was winter when I visited Amsterdam early this year.

The city is more beautiful, with so many deciduous trees around. 

The deciduous trees have shed their foliage in fall annually. 

It is called deciduous, because it is associated with dropping some parts when it is no longer needed.  

Or in a romantic way can be said: the leaves are falling away after their purpose are finished. *super romantic*

The leaves have left the trees because couldn't do any photosynthesis when the temperature drops.

Some aged trees give stellar effect to the sky, especially when we look above the ground. 

The trees such as black skeletons that stretch their fingers to the atmosphere. 

The branches show their complicated pattern, but they are still trying to create a balance for the whole structure. 

The unique pattern depends on the trees fractal nature, i.e. the pattern of the large structures are repeated by the smaller structures.

During that time, I think sometimes city has been transformed into something magical. 

You probably would like to see the transformation in this video.

Pekanbaru,

Make the Most of the Process: a PhD Journey

My experience of doing a PhD is quite remarkable.

I'd like to review it, as I recently attended a Professional Development Activity session organised by Australia Awards Indonesia in Jakarta. 

My first encounter with the Australia Development Scholarship (ADS) recipients was in Denpasar, Bali, in 1999. As a recipient of other scholarships, I was mesmerised by the colleagues from ADS. They impressed me with their intelligence, articulation, thoughtfulness, and confidence, and I was determined to be one of them.

Alhamdulillah, I was granted the ADS in 2007.

There was also a strong reason to study in Australia: the rapid development of geopolymer research in some significant Australian universities and industries. Geopolymer was still developing as a viable construction material. More gaps need to be filled, and more cases for specific environmental implementation need to be studied. I would like to be a part of the development and contribute to concrete knowledge.

Again, as I mentioned before, doing a PhD requires tremendous determination. 
After some minor and significant, even very considerable, roadblocks during the process, I finished it. 

However, there are some things I'd like to share with everyone.

Despite all the mess and the terrible things that I've experienced related to materials, methods, relationships, budgets, knowledge challenges, travels, part-time jobs, and many more, 

I just want to say, "Make the most of the process."

It means taking every opportunity to make this journey as meaningful as possible...

Work on it, don't dwell on the roadblocks, and try to make the most of this journey. 

I've learned from many things and people around me. 
about intercultural friendships, multicultural lifestyles, ethics, discipline, conformity, collegiality, moral values, communication, good standards, project management, research skills, and, most importantly, managing skills.

I developed a support system across many aspects of my study. The goal is to have a backup system from the lab managers, technicians, PhD colleagues, faculty staff, lecturers from Student Learning Support, international friends, and family:
to assist me with lab work, 
to proofread my English papers, 
to exchange views about my research development, 
to encourage the research and writing process, 
to emulate their routine in my research, 
to have international friendships outside my PhD peers with some undergrads and locals, and 
to get eternal support from family in many different ways.

I also pushed myself to establish a routine, maintain discipline in my experimental work and work pattern, and stay enthusiastic about my research.

I also constantly create a vision of how the thesis would look, including the color of the graphs, the number of pages, and the list of references. 

And suddenly, I finished my PhD in 2011.

I tried to emulate this notion in everything I do at work now to help me achieve the best results.

As a positive sign that you are using something well...
"You are very positive about many things, 
you have a positive attitude towards people around you, and 
you want to give back to the society that supports you; all you know about it...

And... you even look younger than your exact physical age."

Pekanbaru,

Not everyone needs to follow the same path

I learned about this fact 'not everyone needs to follow the same path' from 'Whisper of the Heart' movie.

 

Shizuku, a smart, book-worm, cheeky, creative and friendly girl, had an ambition to start writing a novel while she was still studying at the Junior High School. 

She's been motivated to do something meaningful at the final year of her Junior High School that can lead to her future career. However, rather than having such a smooth process on pursuing her dream, she has created a big mess at home and school that deteriorate her relationship with friends, teachers and family gradually. She has poured so much time and energy to work on her story without listening to other people advices. Shizuku's other motivation was just as good as her talented beau, Seiji Amasawa. 

Her mom and sister were furious, but her dad has learned that Shizuku's different intention could be something positive. She just need a chance to prove it. Her dad convinced Suzuku's mom that 'not everyone needs to follow the same path'...

This is enlightening. 

As an educator, I got this point, that everybody is special. He/she doesn't need to follow other people's career path. 

Instead of asking students to do something generic, I must learn that every personality has their own plan for the future. However, I feel, sometimes they could do more, so that's why I want them to prepare their future well. This will add more options to their future plan. 

An educator could only introduce them to many different options and opportunities, but they future really depends on their own personal capability and preference, eventually.

Pekanbaru,

My Different Cultural and Climate Experiences

Had a chance to visit Amsterdam from Germany.

After few years of living and traveling in some places, including abroad, just realized that my personality has been colored and shaped by many positive aspects from different cultures and climates. Here, I will review my experiences living in some places.

Pekanbaru The first place to call home is Pekanbaru, because I have to spend my senior high school time here. The city is quiet, and it has a nice-peaceful environment. One particular thing I remember about Pekanbaru, is always the place where I socialize and stay with my extended family. I consider Pekanbaru has the best collection of food with authentic taste. 

Yogyakarta Then I moved to Yogyakarta, specifically in a small village near Mount Merapi to continue my Undergraduate study. Here I learned about living in a culturally dense and traditional society. It really shaped my personality in such a way, until many people thought I'm a Javanese and not, a Minangnese. I've found the Jogjanese's attitude was completely similar to British. It is understandable, because they are using the same type of government: monarch. The people respect their Sultan and family, and think of them as their role models. Yogya is really memorable in many ways, for example because I came to term of 'hard work and resourcefulness' during the undergrad study. I've learned to be calm and thoughtful due to mindfulness approach in many aspects of life. We allow to be creative and independent, but at the same time to be respectful and compassionate to other people. 

Denpasar If I could include Denpasar, Bali as my next cultural and climate experience during learning English for few months, I would say Bali is totally a different atmosphere for me who came from Riau. It is culturally exotic and impressive with so many rules, ornaments and traditions related to Hinduism lifestyle. Balinese is blessed with many beauty mountains, beaches, lakes, cities tradition, culture, and international touches in one island. However, they were trying to hardly cope with the external influences, since it is totally different from their original lifestyle. They use a quarter of a year just to worship and do things related to religion. I remember Balinese as unique, creative, independent and open minded to a new change around them. 

Manchester Hopped on to Europe, then I picked Manchester as my first option to continue MSc. Life in a big city such as Manchester was always interesting with lots to see and experience. However, since I had a very hectic schedule, I didn't get much chances to enjoy the city. I took few important learning and adapting moments like to appreciate museums and art galleries, to experience a beauty of nature in four seasons, to enjoy the vintage and heritage architecture, to learn about the royal family and British monarch, to appreciate pedestrian bridges, and to learn about cultural differences with several friends from various countries. My best friends come from South America and nearby, and Germany. They told me a lot about their cultures, so I know what to expect when I live in a multicultural setting. The good thing I learned was to be more industrious, self-motivated, assertive, and mind my manners/attitude.

Jakarta I also had experience to live in Jakarta for several weeks to study English before hopped on to Australia. I didn't think it was a memorable one, except my visit to Museum Gadjah and Monas with friends. The big city is too big and unmanageable. The traffic jam is unbearable. I do like the shopping center and mall, but commuting from one place to another is a real challenge. I just could pick how we must be adaptable to the crowded environment and learn to enjoy whatever it takes during the traffic jam. As one OZ fellow said, we must be very organized with time and transportation, or otherwise it completely disaster to use 'macet' as an excuse in Jakarta!

Perth Took a while to return to Europe again, so I went to Australia for few years for my PhD. It was a different dream, since Perth, Western Australia, offers a nice-quiet-peaceful environment with a challenging Mediterranian climate. It is too hot in summer and very mild in winter. All shrubs, flowers, trees have distinctive scents and shapes. Animals are exotic, too, most of them are marsupial. I enjoyed the half-half culture or multicultural lifestyle in Australia, where I could say easily like this: I was eating fish and chips for lunch, while my fellow OZ next to me was opting the nasi-rendang. We, the international students, keep exchanging interesting views about how we observed and blend our existing personality with Australian lifestyle and daily routine. I start to enjoy beach, river and a picnic in public holiday, including our regular visit to a botanical garden every spring to enjoy tulip and other native plants from Australian regions. I learned how to appreciate family time and me-time rather than being very discipline, strict, and determined like Brits do. Australia is definitely one of my favorite place to be in the world.

Oldenburg Like a dream come true, I went to Europe again (Germany) for a six months blended training. It is definitely experiencing a different culture again. I learned my hard and easy ways to accept German's lifestyles. They are rigid and strict to the time, so we must follow their rules. Everywhere, all I could see the legacy of my previous Germans friends: systematic, hard work, detail, analytical, clean, neat, calm, uncertainty avoidance, and confident. I enjoyed German cities and histories, although there is a real sadness in their history. They have tried to compensate it to the world by giving more chances for other nations in term of financial aid, technology, knowledge and internationalization of Higher Education aspect. As one of the wealthy country in the world with vast innovations in many areas, we'll be able to indulge our experience of the latest technology like smart building and automatic-sensor devices in some big cities in Germany. The weather? It feels so much healthier than at home (now: Pekanbaru).

I'm looking forward to enjoy more countries for a particular time, and can't wait for different experiences in culture and climate again!

Pekanbaru,

How to deal with a competitive female colleague at work

Under the constant pressure of the workplace, I have observed some female colleagues who act deliberately competitively with other co-workers. Just recently, I’ve been annoyed by one of my senior colleagues who always constantly wants to highlight her achievements, perhaps to give the impression that her job and life are fantastic. It feels peculiar if we have this thing at the office; I miss my other offices (suddenly)... This type of behaviour is quite annoying and depressing. Though her intention is perhaps to motivate her junior colleagues, she made me think she is such a competitive person. So, I’d like to teach myself to understand this behaviour, its impact on another colleague, and how to cope with constant exposure to super competitive colleagues at work.

As a result of working in a male-dominated domain, i.e. Engineering, I’m facing a strange competition with other female colleagues. We are not more than 10 people in our office, but the pressure to be recognised in our teaching/research and trusted for specific top jobs makes us more competitive. Some female colleagues have relatively low profiles at work. However, they tend to be more aggressive, competitive, and narcissistic when in a top position. This is understandable because the woman in the top job position has different characteristics, strategies and skills to climb the professional ladder. However, their competitive behaviour could disturb the teamwork performance and create anxiety in our work circle.

Some competitive people could be openly ambitious (superstars) who want to shine and be admired for doing high-profile work. They could inspire others and need constant praise for their efforts. On the one hand, a weightlifter likes to take on extra workloads at work. They hope to be a source of morale-boosting at work but have problems with deadlines and territorial. The other type is the speeder who wants it done yesterday or being precise. They could lift up the morale and motivation of others. The other type covers a person who is a saboteur, competitive, or sneaky person. They see another colleague as a potential threat by keeping the information from others and trying to get all credit for the work that the teamwork has done.

How do we deal with them? Take these tips: 

A) Encourage cooperation rather than competition. 

B) Treat them as equals and avoid responding to their competitive behaviour with arrogance or jealousy. 

C) Remind ourselves that we are capable, competent, exceptional and extraordinary as we are. We don’t need external approval or validation from others by telling them about our achievements.

D) Harness their competitive energy and get motivated from it. 

E) Learn to listen; we could learn valuable things to improve our abilities. 

F) Let the competitive colleagues work on their projects as long as they are beneficial for the workplace.

G) Find a particular goal that we could use to get them to work with us rather than against us.

H) Don’t take it personally or attempt to change it. It is their own inner insecurities and not about the people around them.

I) Sometimes, you need to surprise them with your confidence, high status, accomplishments, and appearance because they tend to be narcissistic and status-conscious.

J) Be selective about female colleagues you let into your inner circle. Pick the one that earns your trust and treats you as an equal.

Pekanbaru,
Sources:
http://www.wikihow.com/Deal-With-Overly-Competitive-Colleagues
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-mindful-self-express/201109/how-keep-your-cool-competitive-people
http://www.amanet.org/training/articles/Caution-Women-Competing-at-Work.aspx
http://www.news.com.au/finance/work/the-eight-types-of-workplace-bitch-and-how-to-deal-with-them/story-e6frfm9r-1226600625232

Cultural Sensitivity

Hopping on and hopping off at quite many different cultural settings has taught me several important things:

a) We must be open-minded to new ideas, notions, and practical ways of life on different continents.

b) Every person is unique and special and must be treated equally, whether subordinate or minority.

c) Allow people to introduce themselves as they are, and don't prejudge their actions/habits as weird. They are just taking a different approach to thinking and communicating ideas.

d) Avoid saying words that lead to discrimination, racism or culturally unacceptable behaviours.

e) Listen to others until they finish their sentences, then respond appropriately. 

f) Use polite English to show that we're educated and from an educated atmosphere.

g) Don't accept all of their statements, but don't show that you don't trust them. Trust is the most potent thing in establishing a sound and sustainable relationship.

h) Try not to express dissatisfaction with any aspect of their country, climate, culture, nation, or lifestyle. I appreciate their background, and it is better to swallow those complaints before telling them. Learn to be grateful when facing a new situation.

i) Don't force them to try something they probably don't enjoy or want to do. Test the water by saying a nice introduction, then let them decide to try or do it.

j) Always show courtesy and hospitality because Indonesian/Asian is known as a polite nation. 

k) Find something in common (common ground) with our new foreign friends/colleagues by comparing our views about a certain general issue.

l) It is better to start using 'May I ask a very personal question' for something related to religion, age, personality or political preference before asking them directly about those issues. 

m) Ignore people who try to undermine or underestimate you and do not consider your presence. Keep a neutral facial expression.

n) Pretend that you're not the minority. Just keep talking, asking questions, being cheerful, and introducing yourself to other people. Who knows, among the hundreds of attendees, there must be people who are interested in getting to know you and your views.

o) Don't put a distance because we feel different; always try to build a conversation about something general first. If they respond well, continue to be specific but not intervene in their private life.

p) Stop thinking that you're special because you're different. You're not that special; others deserve to be treated special, too. 

Pekanbaru,

Blogging as a productive way of procrastination

I guess my habit of writing a post in this blog has been replaced by another routine. I really miss my old routine of sharing things here to procrastinate writing process of a scientific paper. It is just a back and forth habit to ease my flow of thinking. Sometimes we need to be logic to put data in their own 'story', and on the other hand we allow our creative thinking on blogging. It works well with me on that way.

Instead of putting emotional effort such as guilty of not making any significant progress, we need to be more tactical from returning to the procrastination stage. I used my blog as a source of freedom in writing everything. It is true that I would be more productive on producing posts here when I'm working on my papers, because there is always a reason to procrastinate on the scientific writing process. Perhaps, it's just the way I accommodate my creative attempt or just want to give a reward after such a long and tiring writing process.

However, there are some benefits of doing this:

a) Helping me to organize my thoughts. As a creative person, I used to have many ideas. I make a list of them in my writing ideas book, just focus on some, and pour them in my blogs.

b) Developing my writing skills. This is the way I learn to write, by working on my ideas in a blog. It takes a while for me to learn to summarize thing and give my personal thought in a writing. With time, I could manage to summarize many papers into a nice set of literature review paragraphs, just by doing it as the way I do it in blogging.

c) Increasing my productivity. Since I've given some of my time to write in this blog, I did compensate some time to work on the paper. It is always a balance and not over-prioritized on blogging, which is easier to be finished. Once I finish one post, I feel very motivated to continue another paragraph in the scientific paper. 

Pekanbaru,
Inspired by this post: How to procrastinate efficiently (if you cannot stop)

She and Her Bench for Dreaming

Once upon a time,

there was a little mrs who loves to learn, get ideas and work on her dreams.

 

She spent most days to read, to write and to browse information. She shared most of her thought in her blog and papers. She could spend sometime starred at new ideas and thought about the best way to implement them. She used the inspirations in her teaching, taking research and motivating students. 

One day, she got a chance to visit a campus in Northern Germany. The place was extremely quiet, beautiful and manageable. She spent times with her colleague to study of most important lessons in life such as leadership, managing people, productivity, and how to manage finance and human resources. She felt blessed for the opportunity and wished could spread and apply those bubbles of ideas she had in mind. 

Then she found this beautiful bench outdoor. She sat under chilly autumn breeze in a garden that was surrounded by wild flowers and shrubs. She had things in her mind to work with in the next few years. Ideas and dreams shouldn't be stopped, and should be spread for whom might need them, so they could be implemented by other people and be useful.

Pekanbaru,

IQ to understand, EQ to manage

I read about this interesting summary "IQ to understand, EQ to manage" a few days ago under this post. 

It's been a serious debate between two gurus (Adam Grant vs Daniel Goleman) about the importance of having IQ (Intelligence Quotient) or EQ (Emotional Quotient). You could read about the debate in the link. 

After I have been working for several years as an educator, I have learned that I cannot rely solely on IQ. It is not about being talented only, but everyone needs this EQ to have a sustainable career. Some of my bosses with high EQ were successful in managing people and limited resources at the university to reach the university goals. However, some other talented line managers with numerous achievements were rarely remembered for their accomplishments but more likely from their particular behaviour to peer colleagues, staffs and students. They were efficient managers, but quite unpleasant to work within the long term.

The post has also pointed out a research on how EQ works as a strong predictor of success or performance at work. The managers with high IQ and experience but low EQ had a failure rate of as high as 25% on their projects, on the other hand, the managers with high EQ but high IQ or experience showed a less failure rate of 3-4%. It seems that a combination of high IQ and EQ is potent to get a high standard of success in any project. 

When I took a survey about my current project (internationalization), which is involving several line managers at different levels (university, Faculty, Department and Study Program), I've found that most of the managers were friendly and intelligent people. Most of them had pleasant countenances and friendly gestures to other people from different background. They like to help and collaborate, providing useful answers to my list of questions. 

I noticed that most of them were successful in other areas, such as research, management, or community empowerment, but don't like to talk about those achievements, unless they were related with my project. The managers were enthusiastic about this area (internationalization) and showed their point of views independently based on their excellent understanding of our workplace management style. They shared their best strategies and practices on how to handle a problematic situation or resentment from academic and administrative staffs regarding the introduction of new policies. I've found most of their advice was logical and adaptable to our current university situation.

All in all, now I could see why IQ is essential to understand the current situation (and provide a solution), but EQ is needed to manage a complex situation in the workplace. 

Pekanbaru,