Most of the day last week poured by the heavy rain when it comes to a late evening. During those times, I’d manage to captured the glowing clouds around KLCC from my living hall. Surprisingly, I also have a clear picture of KLCC during the sunset, making a gold and an orange colour reflection to the buildings and surrounding.

Using the basic digital camera, I just snap both of the view from my window. This camera does not have the capabilities of extra zooming, so that’s the best scene I can get. After a while, I do realize that we are just a small tiny person in this world where the God has created long before the human existence. This world keep on changing.. so does the people.

Practicing personal courage is necessary if you want to really resolve conflicts at work. It is much easier and much safer to ignore the necessary conflict and play ostrich. Unfortunately, unresolved conflict tends to escalate. It never really disappears because it simmers just below the surface. Think of water that is coming to a boil. It burbles up in the pot sporadically and then finally reaches the boiling temperature. At that point, a full blown rolling, constant boiling is seen on the surface of the water.

Conflict behaves similarly. The water may seem calm, but every once in awhile, usually at the worst possible times, the conflict burbles up to the surface once again. Unresolved conflict does not go away; unresolved conflict can turn into a full boil at any time.

They feel threatened by conflict resolution because they may not get what they want if the other party gets what they want. Even in the best circumstances, conflict resolution is uncomfortable because people are usually unskilled at conflict resolution. Finally, people can get hurt in a conflict and, at work, they are still expected to work together effectively every day.

The Benefits of Conflict Resolution

This century’s workplace makes conflict resolution more important, but also, more difficult. Team or work cell environments create more conflict as people with different opinions must choose to work together, often in close quarters.

Empowering work environments, in which the traditional reliance on a manager to solve conflicts and make decisions, bring coworkers into more frequent conflict, as they must work issues out for themselves. Conflict resolution also:

• Causes people to listen to and consider different ideas.
• Enables people to increase their alternatives and potential paths.
• Results in increased participation and more ownership of and commitment to the decisions and goals of the group or person.

The goal of the people or the team is not to eliminate conflict but to learn how to manage conflict constructively.

These conflict resolution steps will help you reach this goal.

Conflict Resolution Steps

You’ve decided resolving the conflict is more important than all of the reasons why people avoid conflict. Here are tips to help you practice less scary, less intimidating, more effective and successful conflict resolution, with an individual or a team.

• Create an environment that is conducive to successful conflict resolution. Quiet, private settings work the best. Agree prior to sitting down together that the purpose of the meeting is to resolve the conflict. When you make this agreement, all parties arrive prepared.

• Determine what outcomes you’d like to see as a result of the discussion. A better working relationship? A better solution to the problem? Increased alternatives for successful projects? A broadened understanding of each person’s needs and wants? Thoughtful solutions and outcomes are infinite if you are creative.

• Begin by allowing each party to express their point of view.

• The purpose of the exchange is to make sure both parties clearly understand the viewpoint of the other. Make sure each party ties their opinions to real performance data and other facts, where possible. This is not the time to discuss; it is the time to ask questions, clarify points for better understanding and truly hear the other’s viewpoint.

• Agree on the difference in the points of view. You must agree on the problem together to begin to search for a solution. Often problems are simply misunderstandings. Clarification can end the need for conflict resolution. Try to focus on the issues, not the personalities of the participants. Don’t “you” each other as in, “You always …”

• Explore and discuss potential solutions and alternatives. Try to focus on both your individual needs and wants and those of the other party. After all, if one party “wins,” that means the other party “loses.” People who feel as if they have lost, are not effective coworkers. They harbor resentment and may even sabotage your project or relationship. Make sure you discuss the positive and negative possibilities of each suggestion, before you reject any suggested solutions. Build a discussion that is positive and powerful for all parties.

• Agree on a plan that meets the needs of all parties and the organization. Agree on followup steps, as necessary, to make the plan work. Agree on what each person will do to solve the conflict. Set clear goals and know how you will measure success.

• Do what you agreed to do.

With more experience in conflict resolution, you will grow more comfortable with conflict resolution. That’s a positive outcome for the workplace. It will foster idea generation, help people get along, minimize negative behaviors and promote the success of all in placing their attention where it belongs – on the customer.

Many people are afraid of conflict resolution.

Today, I’ve successfully migrate to a new domain, megablox.net!

My previous blog at RS having a technical problem (not technical actually, but the name of it), so I decided to go for a new registration. At first place, I kept thinking what’s the best name is still available on the net. Me and friends have come across a few names, but most of it had been taken. After having a super with them at Pasar Kg Pandan, I drove back to my home and my mind still searching the best word to choose. Suddenly, I remembered my son’s favourite movie at this moment, Transformers. He like to be the Megatron and choosed his father (which is me) as the Optimus Prime. That’s it, how about MegaBlog? I immediately search at internet the availability of that names, but the result is not on my side. It’s already taken by some one. After a few tries, finally I end up with this domain, megablox.net and I’m happy for it.

I thought migrating from previous blog to this new domain could be easy as I can import the SQL database thru PhpMyAdmin. But when I’d imported it, the new blogs keep on referring to the old domain. I’m not going to spent a long period on this migration with a headache, so I just use the normal import/export to XML and configured my new blog one by one again.

Hope this blog could stay on a long period…

Kuala Lumpur is such a beautiful cities and it is where Malaysia’s capital stand. Like other mega cities in the world, massicve traffic jams is a normal problems occured at the place like this. There are time when the traffic jams can be predicted, but often it is out of control. Eventhough the government try to persuade us using the public transports, not many of us prefer that way. Lack of network, poor services and conflict management contributes to the low respond from the public. In the end, people are more comfortable to travel by their own vehicles.

But, wait, if you choose to travel by your own, then please check out traffic surveillance around KL first before you start your journey. Kudos to DBKL for offering such services inside their web. Now people can have a better plan before they start their engine. I’m the regular web surfers who used to check the traffic status before going back after work. You can have a live traffic images at:

• Integrated Traffic Information System
• Jabatan Pengangkutan Bandar DBKL

Both of the web provide CCTV view at different places and angles. (Pictures on the right side shows live image at Bulatan Kampung Pandan, KL – if the pictures doesn’t appear, then the server goes offline again..) However, I’m quite dissappointed with their servers infrastructure where it always offline during the peak hours. It looks like they didn’t pay much attention on their IT infrastructure. There’s no point you spend millions of ringgit to place the cameras and traffic systems, but in the end failed to deliver to public what you should have delivered. I can say that 2 or 3 times the server will go offline from 5:00 pm to 6:30 pm in a weekdays. Maybe they can give a reason saying that ther server is overload by public accessing the info, but in the real manner, they should prepare for it and have a solution to overcome it.

What can I say? Typical local IT vendor is always like that…

Due to the long Adsense check clearing time, international Adsense publishers from countries such as Malaysia and Philippines had wished Google Adsense payment to be conducted via Paypal before. While that seems impossible with Google having their own Google Checkout system which is also a competitor for the Paypal service, a very good alternative has been provided to them.

On September 28, 2007, Google has made some regions to be eligible the Western Union Quick Cash Adsense payment option. Countries that are available for the method of payment are China, Malaysia, Pakistan, Romania, Philippines, Argentina, Chile. Peru, and Colombia. During the testing period last year, only certain publishers from those countries were selected to use the service but now it’s open to every publishers residing there.

Tell me what is Western Union Quick Cash?

Western Union Quick Cash is a payment method that allows you to receive your Adsense payment in cash using the worldwide Western Union money transfer service. Payments will be available for pick up at your local Western Union Agent the day after they are sent according to Google Adsense’s normal payment schedule.

This means that you won’t have to wait for a check to arrive in the mail. Choosing to receive your payments by Western Union can also cut down on the bank fees and long clearing times associated with depositing checks. Depending on your WU agent, you can opt for the cash to be in your own country currency. Users in Malaysia can find the agent at Pos Malaysia, Bank Simpanan Nasional, RHB Bank, CIMB Bank and Bank Rakyat. Google officially announced that there are no services charges to withdraw person. All services charges will be absorbing by Google.

How to receive Adsense payment using Western Union Quick Cash?

Bring the following information with you:

• Malaysian Identification Card (IC)
• sender’s information: Google Inc. 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, California 94043, USA. Phone Number: 650-253-4000
• amount of your payment, which you can find on your Payment History page
• your unique MTCN (Money Transfer Control Number) which you can find by clicking on the ‘details’ link next to the Payment Issued line on your Payment History page

When you go to the Western Union agent, please let them know that you would like to pick up a Quick Cash payment and fill up the yellow form (to receive) and not the green one (to send). Sender will be, First Name: Google Inc. Last name: empty. Additionally, please remember to pick up your Western Union payment within 35 days of the payment date, or the amount will be credited back to your AdSense account.

To learn more on how to utilize this payment method, you can check out some Google’s guides on their website.

My points: This is a great news because like some other Malaysian Adsense publishers before, I was irritated by the long check clearing time and eventually paid $24.00 processing fee to Google for Secured Express Delivery just for the sake of faster check delivery. Now with Western Union, time & money is saved. However, the maximum amount Google can send through Western Union at this moment is USD 2,800.00