RACONTEUR-ESQUE SCRIBBLINGS

Time for the Annual Appraisal again.  It's a cloudy Sunday afternoon, and I had just finished giving scores to my subordinates on their personal KPI performance for the year. It's the task I hate most, even more than figuring out what KPI's to assign in the first place.  Why on a Sunday, though? Because it's supposed to be private and confidential, and despite the physical distancing at the office, there's just way too many distractions. So I dedicate a day on the weekend to review them and compile my results before the dreaded interview sessions.  Now, while I think KPI's help you to focus on things you need to do, I also think they discourage people from doing other jobs that need to be done, but doesn't have impact on their KPI. You also cannot give a person too many KPI's because then nothing will get done. Then there's also adjusting expectations so that everyone in your department falls nicely into the bell curve.  I've read articles before...

  It was Halloween, and although Malaysian culture does not involve trick or treating, we acknowledge that it is fun to enjoy all things scary. The afternoon was warm and sultry and I was heading back home after spending some time with my parents and sister. The radio was tuned to my favourite radio station, and I was just in time to enjoy a special show they had about horror books in which listeners contributed to their favourite horror stories, stories which probably disturbed them the most. This got me thinking about the horror books I read growing up...    Now, while I love horror, I'm what you could call a scaredy-cat. Images of what I just read jump out at me when I'm alone facing the window or looking into the mirror. Sounds which are usually normal seem amplified in their scariness after I've read or watched something scary.  The first horror book I read by myself was one I found in a box in my grandma's house when I was a kid. I wasn't sure whose books ...