關於 soft skills example ，我們在網路上蒐集到這些相關的討論、資訊與評價

[Paris pastry shop / 巴黎甜點店] Philippe Conticini 主廚的 Gâteaux d’émotions 新店開幕與簡短訪問 / Opening of Gâteaux d’émotions in Paris 16e & short interview with the chef Philippe Conticini (English below)

Philippe Conticini 主廚的麵包甜點店 Gâteaux d’émotions 在 16 區開幕，這是他巴黎三家、東京兩家店中第一家販賣麵包與維也納麵包類商品的店鋪、也是巴黎唯一一家在店內就有廚房能生產製作的店家（其他商店由中央廚房生產商品後供應）。去年已經在〈高貴的日常—麵包成為巴黎時尚新寵〉一文中，與大家分享過 #麵包在巴黎重新受到注目的趨勢，現在越來越多甜點主廚們也加入戰局，想必未來會相當精彩，一般的街坊麵包店可能也會開始感覺到一些壓力。

Philippe Conticini 主廚與過去曾自行開業、也曾在上海藍帶學院擔任講師的 Sébastien Crouzat 主廚合作，推出一系列的麵包，包括長棍麵包、鄉村麵包、黑麥麵包與各種維也納麵包等。這家位於 16 區的店面處於一條繁華的商店街上（42 Rue de l’Annonciation, 75016 Paris），平日人潮熙來攘往，未來也即將推出適合午餐時間的三明治等商品。

本次重點除了品嚐麵包之外，還有 Conticini 主廚歷經兩年時間研發出的蛋糕捲。雖然是受到日本蛋糕捲的啟發，但主廚特別強調這和日本蛋糕捲完全不同。他觀察到日本人喜歡的蛋糕質地非常柔軟濕潤、像海綿一般，但「這不是歐洲人的口味」，他的蛋糕捲用了比較少的蛋與蛋黃、多了一些水分，質地較日本蛋糕捲酥鬆、更易融於口（fondant）。

Philippe Conticini 主廚是巴黎甜點界非常重要的人物，輩份和 Pierre Hermé 主廚相當，是知名的「Pâtisserie des Rêves」（夢幻甜點店）創始人之一，我也曾經在〈法國甜點大師群像〉專欄中介紹過他。當天他人在現場，我抓緊機會請教了一些我一直很關注、目前飲食界也很感興趣的問題。雖然有些問題和開幕主題無關，但主廚仍然很親切地為我解說：

Q：您曾經出版過一本《無糖甜點》食譜書（原文書名為《Gâteaux et gourmandises sans sucre》），請問您 #怎麼看待現今甜點減糖的潮流呢？您是不是也認為目前消費者越來越追求「健康的甜點」？

A：我認為大家被誤導了。的確現代消費者越來越希望品嚐到更為健康的甜點、減糖也是趨勢，但是 #我不認為甜點應該要不甜或無糖。我們為什麼要吃甜點，就是因為甜味帶來的愉悅感，凡事都應該講求平衡。重點並不是「糖是不好的東西」，而在於「#我們該如何攝取糖」。

Q：您怎麼看待 #純素（#vegan）的甜點呢？

A：我曾經品嚐過 Michaël Bartocetti 主廚（現任 Four Seasons Hotel George V, Paris）的純素甜點，真的非常了不起，好吃得不得了，不論技術、外型還是口味都無懈可擊。但每個人有自己風格，#製作純素甜點不是我個人想做的。

Q：對您來說，甜點最重要的是味道，那您是否不關心外型呢？

A：外型也是重要的，#美味跟美麗的外表都是對製作甜點來說重要的考量因素。但是我不會刻意雕琢外型，（指著桌上的蛋糕捲）你看這個蛋糕捲，完全沒有裝飾，但是味道完完全全是我想要的樣子，我花了兩年的時間研究。它很好吃，大家都會忍不住再來一塊（又拿了一塊，並示意我也再吃一塊）。

Q：您的甜點是不是也沒有使用任何色素呢？

A：對，我的作品幾乎都沒有使用任何色素，像這個蛋糕捲甚至完全是裸露的。我們要思考「#為什麼要使用色素」。

雖然主廚的回答很簡短，但卻非常切中核心，許多觀點都值得大家思考。接下來就請點開照片一ㄧ欣賞該店商品！

*****
The chef Philippe Conticini opened his 3rd “Gâteaux d’émotions" boutique in the 16th arrondissement in Paris. This is the first boutique among all his boutiques (in Paris & Tokyo) that offers a full bread & viennoiserie product line and the first one in Paris with a kitchen behind so that on-spot fabrication is available. I have talked about in my previous article “Bread is a Rising Star in Paris” that bread is now under the spotlight and the boom of new style bakeries. Many pastry chefs have apparently noticed the trend and are now trying to catch up, take Cédric Grolet for example. As the line separating a boulangerie and a pâtisserie gets blurred even with regard to high end brands, I’m very looking forward to future innovations and cross-disciplinary collaborations.

The chef Philippe Conticini has invited Sébastien Crouzat, former owner of his own bakery and chef boulanger at Le Cordon Bleu Shanghai, to create a complete range of bread for this Gâteaux d’émotions boutique (now Pain d’émotions as well), such as baguettes, country breads, rye bread, viennoiseries, etc. Situated on 42 rue de l’Annonciation, a busy street full of shops and restaurants, this bakery will soon offer sandwiches and other savoury goods for lunch time.

Besides the bread, the chef Conticini has also launched a Japan-inspired rolled cake. The chef has spent 2 years to create a recipe that is much more “fondant” (easy to melt in the mouth) than its Japanese cousin, which is extremely soft, moist and spongy. Less eggs, yolks and more liquid are used. The chef has emphasised that “it is exactly how I want it”.

Internationally renowned and respected just as Pierre Hermé, Philippe Conticini is a great French pastry chef that has co-founded Pâtisseries des Rêves (closed permanently). I’ve introduced him in my “French pastry chef portraits” column several years ago but had not had chance talking to him personally until that day. I asked several questions related to topics that I’m really interested in and the chef was very kind to share with me his ideas:

Q: You’ve published a book "Gâteaux et gourmandises sans sucre” ("Sugar-free Cakes and Delicacies”) before, I wonder how you think about the current trend of pastries with “less sugar”? Have you also found that consumers nowadays are looking for “healthier” pastries?

A: I think people are misled (with regard to the sugar-free concept). It’s true that consumers are looking for healthier pastries, and less sugar is the trend, but I don’t think we should promote sugar-free pastries. The reason why people are having pastries or desserts is because we’re looking for “pleasure”. Sugar is not a bad thing, what’s important is the way we consume it and how we have a balance on everything in life.

Q: What’s your opinions on vegan pastries?

A: I’ve tasted the vegan pastries made by the chef Michael Bartocetti (head pastry chef of Four Seasons Hotel George V Paris and I really loved them. They were fantastic in terms of skills, appearance and taste. But everyone’s got his way and style. Vegan pastries are not my thing.

Q: “Taste” is the most important thing for you when making pastries, what do you think about the visual appearance of pastries? Is it less important?

A: Visual appearance is important as well! Both good taste and beautiful look matter when it comes to make pastries, but I don’t focus on making things beautiful. You see this rolled cake? There’s no decoration at all, but the taste is just how I want it. I spent two years on achieving this status. It’s really delicious and no one can resist having another slice.

Q: Do you not use colorants on your pastries?

A: That’s right. I hardly use any colorants on my pastries. Take this cake for example, it’s plain and naked. We should reflect on the question “why we need to use colorants”.

These are short answers, they’re very much to the point. Hopefully they’re as inspiring for you! Don’t forget to click on the photos and have a closer look on what the chef has to offer!

🔖 You might also be interested:

My pastries tell who I am: Philippe Conticini: https://tinyurl.com/trh23u2

Bread is a rising star: https://tinyurl.com/t8bn8cj

🔖 延伸閱讀：

我的甜點說明我是誰 － Philippe Conticini：https://tinyurl.com/trh23u2

高貴的日常 － 麵包成為巴黎時尚新寵：https://tinyurl.com/t8bn8cj

#yingspastryguide #pastrychef #philippeconticini #gateauxdemotions

[10 Leadership traits that we could learned from the 7th Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad]

9th May 2018, the day Malaysians witnessed unbelievable radical change for the first time in the political history of this country.

And how did this all happen? It took one MAN with a VISION on a MISSION to help REFORM MALAYSIA and of course with the vote from the people.

Reflecting on the recent scenario that has impacted every individual in this thriving nation, both rivals and supporters are impressed by the leadership of one man to bring about change in the next 5 years.

Now what makes this man so remarkable and to be the talk of the town and the world is his compelling LEADERSHIP.

That’s one reason why I love observing leaders. I enjoy reading and following their journey. Being able to reflect on the reasons I admire countless leaders opens my eyes to the qualities of Great Leadership.

What makes a Great Leader?

As far as I can recall, my childhood years till I was a young adult were during the 22 years reign of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad as the 4th Prime Minister back then.

In general, life for Malaysians were rather peaceful with a sense of growth and progress for the country though there may be differing opinions on this subject.

Since then, I have always admired Tun as a great leader to this country. I was so inspired by him so much so that I even adapted my signature similar to his.

Today, in my private circle business coaching and mentoring session, I laid down 10 things that Tun has done right in “leading” the changes in the government together with all the parties that were once his foe and opponents.

How could this be possible?

It wouldn’t have materialized unless it’s being done by a person who has great leadership traits. And this brings my point to how you could apply these traits at work and in leading your businesses, organizations and team.

1. The Power of Alignment - Setting a clear Vision.

A great leader possesses a clear vision. He is courageous to lead that vision and has a clear focus of what needs to be done to attain that vision.

In many circumstances in the past few weeks leading to the elections, we saw one very clear role that Tun and his team of leaders had. They all led the role of articulating a clear vision for the future of Malaysia with a 100-day manifesto and this short-term vision gave hope to Malaysians of what Malaysia could be in the next 5 years to come if they are the governing administration.

Tun not only united the parties for a common goal but he was able to influence and unite the hearts of the rakyat to achieve this one similar vision – to REFORM MALAYSIA.

Likewise, in business, the power of alignment between a leader and the team plays a significant role in ensuring the vision, goals and objectives are met.

2. Identifying the same purpose - The Big Why and the common frustrations.

What are the main drivers of frustration for your team at the work place? What are the frustrations of your clients? In this context, what are the common frustrations of the rakyat. What are the common identifiable struggles? What's the future frustration if the problem is not resolved now?

Identifying the root problem is the foundation of addressing the common frustration as the livelihood of the rakyat depends on this. Likewise, if you don’t know what the critical issues and problems are faced by your team and clients within your organization, they will resort to other leaders, other products and brands or to any other available options to help them solve their frustrations.

That's why understanding, identifying, and eliminating the causes of frustration is critical for success.

Being a leader requires a lot of soft skills as you need to make sure that your team is comfortable with the goals that you are setting for the team. What is the Big Why for your team? Your organization? Why do you do what you do?

Leaders need to have a better working strategy and make sure that each and every one on the team is focused on achieving the same Big Why and results. This is what separates a high performing team from failing or underachieving.

Common goals are important not only because it gives your team focus on the big picture but because it brings people together and encourage them to communicate problems and results. This allows for a much earlier and faster recognition of problems to address as you progress to achieve your goals.

An obvious thing we have witnessed is the common goals and frustrations addressed by Tun and the party leaders. If that connection wasn’t clear, they would have been on shaky grounds. And by addressing the frustrations of the rakyat, they have minimized and eliminated fear, doubts and uncertainty about the rakyat’s future.

As such, it is critical to identify the common values of your team members. Goals need to be aligned with common values or you definitely won’t get people buying in.

3. Harnessing teamwork by negotiating for one coalition on an agreed and acceptable win-win formula for all parties involved.

Being a strategic planner, Tun first garnered teamwork by uniting the 4 parties to be represented as 1 united coalition for the 14th General Elections. By doing this, he had reduced confusion among the voters and lessened the dispersion of votes. So, voters did not have to decide among the 4, they just had to choose 1 unified party.

Imagine if Tun had not done so, the voters would have been undecided to elect their representatives as there are about 9-10 parties including the independent candidates.

It was definitely not an easy feat to unite the 4 parties as one, and this leads me to my next point – the negotiation skills of a leader, his ability to influence without authority and his proposed winning formula for one coalition.

4. Negotiate with the decision makers, the right people with influence over others.

A key skill relevant to leaders at all levels is the ability to positively influence people in such a way that others follow and act willingly, as opposed to complying because of the authority factor. This is the power to influence others without imposing your authority.

It’s a great skill that you could develop over time and with experience but it’s definite a powerful skill to have when you are able to influence others to voluntarily and willing act out of their own will just by sharing your vision or negotiating for common values and benefits.

Enemies. Rivals. Adversaries. Foes. Competitors. Haters. Critics. Skeptics. Sadly, in politics and business, we all have them.

They make our lives more difficult and less pleasant. And regrettably, enemies will always exist in your life. But they are just an additional obstacle on the way towards your goal. If you look for solutions, you can defeat them or make them your allies. We all have the ability to win over our enemies.

Let me explain. Here’s how. Win them over with cooperation.

Sometimes you can’t ignore them. If so, it is better to enlist the help of these people, rather than oppose them. Tell them that you understand their concerns. But tell them too that their help and support is very important to you. This is where the power to negotiate comes to play.

You must first understand your rivals. Who are they? What are they goals? Why do they oppose you? It’s the same scenario in the work place. Your rivals could be your colleague, your boss, a customer or anyone related to your work and business. Study them, their strengths and weaknesses and propose your winning formula for cooperation that benefits both you and your rival.

With great humility, Tun met his opponents requesting for cooperation. As we know, the opponents and Tun himself have had a painful past and unpleasant experiences, but for a common goal, they are willing to be professionally united though with differences in opinions. They are willing to let go of the past to achieve a higher goal that mutually benefits everyone for the future.

5. Lead from the front. Be the example.

The key factor to any leader is connection to the people they are leading. Who are the people that you are leading and do they believe in you? To be a great leader, first and foremost, mutual trust between you and your team is essential.

Nobody is going to give their all for a leader who can’t be forthright with the information or fails to keep up their end of a deal. Responsibility and dependability are critical traits of a great leader, and it earns respect from those who are working with you to achieve your vision.

At the end of the day, the key to effective leadership is commitment to the cause, being the first on and the last off the battlefield.

Did Tun and the party leaders portray this? Definitely they have led by example. They did their homework, they met the rakyat at grass-root level, they addressed their concerns, they communicated clearly with everyone and they shared with clarity how they plan to resolve the problems of the rakyat.

Is that a winning formula? I would say yes.

6. Declaring the winning manifesto which reflected the key frustrations of the people. Understanding what people want.

Why is it important to understand what people want? What do your clients or customers want? What do your employees want?

Basically, the social perception involves you as a leader being able to identify the mental states of others, their thoughts by putting yourself in someone else's shoes. This helps us understand their beliefs, feelings, experiences and intentions.

By understanding someone means you have the ability to empathize with that person. You are able to think along the lines of what the other person is thinking. You are able to reason out what transpired in someone’s mind before doing what they have done.

For example, understanding why did the rakyat protest the previous government? Or why did your customer buy from a competitor? Why did your employees leave?

Understanding with empathy is important because it helps us understand how others are feeling so we can respond appropriately to the situation. When you are able to empathize with others, you can build and sustain meaningful relationships, hold a job, or client effectively.

And the winning formula with the rakyat was creating a manifesto that understands and empathizes the rakyat’s frustrations.

7. Tun has been consistent in “advising” and “demanding for changes” up to the point that he is even willing to do whatever it takes to create the change.

Tun had always been outspoken in his views with regards to the progress of the country and the direction that the nation was heading to even long after his retirement 15 years ago.

He was always consistent in championing causes for the rakyat’s future. He wrote on his blogs, he spoke in public, he addressed the media, he collaborated with people, he met his opponents with humility, he admitted and apologized for his past mistakes, he adapted technology, he embraced young people, he in fact did everything possible to ensure he achieved his goal. And that every effort he built consistently over 15 years gave him his biggest victory.

Similarly, growing and running a business takes a tremendous amount of roll-up-your-sleeves and hard work. The long hours and "do whatever it takes to get the job done" work ethic is important to achieve success especially in the early phase of your business.

And as leaders and entrepreneurs, if you're going to do it, do it well, do it right. Be a role model for others to follow. You have to push yourself to be the best in what you do and stay laser-focused till you achieve success.

8. Push till the last mile. Never give up.

Sometimes, there comes times in the lives of all great leaders when they are pushed to their physical, emotional, mental or spiritual limits. Fatigued, exhausted and drained by their experiences, they still relentlessly pursue their journey. They never give up. It is their attitude and mindset to hold on to their hopes, dreams, determination and life’s purpose.

When the rakyat was rather uncertain on the victory rate of Tun and his party due to various known and unknown factors, Tun and his team still pursued relentlessly to campaign till the last mile. They exhausted every single medium, resources and people to reach out to the rakyat to champion for a common goal.

We`ve seen the content on social media, the virality of the news, the uprising of the rakyat and the gathering by thousands of people all over the country in very medium and platform.

The leaders were willing to sacrifice their time, resources, energy and effort to be that servant leader of love, caring and hope for the rakyat.

Would you do the same for your people, your team or your customers?

9. Constantly updating and communicating the progress. To build trust, confidence and to gain more support.

Communication is at the core of every political campaign. Certainly, issues like the economy, GST, unemployment, money laundering and policies matter, but the way Tun and the leaders conveyed their ideas to the voters hinges their success and ability to communicate messages effectively to the people.

Today, political parties no longer determine the election. The leaders and candidates must appeal to the voters directly and with greater frequency. They have to sell themselves to grab people's attention. And we’ve seen in the recent elections how social media has aided these leaders in their quest to effectively engage voters.

Leaders are communicators. Their key responsibilities are to “communicate, communicate and communicate even more.” Why? Because communication is fundamental to building trust.

It creates an environment of trust around leaders that enables them to lead effectively, engage employees and ultimately deliver results. And building trust in an organization requires a personal effort on the part of the leaders themselves besides a team effort.

10. Committed to Leadership

What does it mean to be a committed leader?

First of all, making a commitment involves dedicating yourself to a person, to something or to a cause. A commitment obligates you to do something. And leadership is a decision and obligation that you have towards others.

Are you prepared to lead the way to whatever you believe is right? We've all worked with leaders who show up every day with such determination, and others who are just there. Real leaders accept responsibility as the heads of their teams, and they're always working to do things better.

And once you've made that deliberate decision to be a leader, you must accept that the expectations are higher for you than for everyone else in your organization. You have a duty to your team, your customers, and your community.
To make a vision stick, you have to be committed to a set of core values that will bring the vision to life.

You need to understand that the values that you uphold as a leader will determine the behaviors, the culture and the success of your organization.

And when you do all that, your customers, your team and your people can see the difference.

As leaders and entrepreneurs, you must remember that you are not here merely to make a living or achieve your own success. You are here in order to enable the world to live more abundantly, with greater vision, with a greater spirit of hope and achievement. You are here to enrich the world with your presence.

And that is what we see in Tun’s leadership. “Tun walk the talk.”

A wise quote from Ronald Reagan, the 40th U.S. President, “The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things. He is the one that gets the people to do the greatest things."

Didn’t we all witness this on 9th May 2018? This day will be a day in the history of our country and the world for generations to come, and it is all because of one remarkable man and a great leader, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.


Azizan Osman
Founder, Richworks International
Entrepreneur & SME Business Training & Coaching Consultant Firm
——————————————————-
The writer is a renowned world class Business & Marketing Growth Strategist & Accredited International Master Coach for Entrepreneurs & Small & Medium Businesses

Any opinions, findings, and conclusion or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author for the purpose of education on leadership.

Forbes Asia Astro AWANI The Economist The Star Online New Straits Times Online Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamad Mukhriz Mahathir

And the work must go on... Thank you to my School of Charisma team for their dedication and for continuously making things happen while I'm temporary away. Yes, there'll be another showcase for our 365 Days Charisma Workshop this month. Come join us for this COMPLIMENTARY 2-hour session (worth RM49) where we will share some insider tips on how you can use soft skills for success!

Register for your preferred session now at http://365charismashowcase.eventbrite.com/ or call 017 315 2748 or e-mail yauweng@schoolofcharisma.com

4 November (Wed): 7:30pm – 9:30pm
7 November 2015 (Sat): 10am – 12pm
7 November 2015 (Sat): 2pm – 4pm
Venue: Block A-06-08, Plaza Mont Kiara

#schoolofcharisma

A student that came to our class recently asked us, “How can soft skills help me to excel in my life and career?”

Honestly, we think that’s a very good question.

Personally, our mind immediately went to our trainings, and how they have helped to transform the lives of the graduates – personally and professionally.

To get and keep a job, you typically need technical skills. For example, the accountants need to be certified. Beyond the technical skills, we believe the one with great work ethic and encourages his colleagues is the one who will, most likely, excel in his position and organization.

In such situation, it’s the soft skills that matter.

While your technical skills may land you a good job, it’s your people skills that open most of the doors to come. With these soft skills you can excel as a leader. Knowing how to get along with people and displaying a positive attitude are crucial for success.

Over the years, we have witnessed how our graduates’ lives changed by mastering the soft skills. Today, we’d love to share the secrets with you in this 2-hour showcase. You might be surprised how much your life changes when you gain greater soft skills to accelerate your success.

Come and join us for this COMPLIMENTARY showcase (worth RM49). In this 2-hour sharing, you will be enlightened with insider tips on soft skills and how you can make your first move towards your journey to success!

The details of the showcase as follows:

4 November (Wed) l 7:30pm – 9:30pm
7 November 2015 (Sat) l 10am – 12pm
7 November 2015 (Sat) l 2pm – 4pm
Venue: Block A-06-08, Plaza Mont Kiara

The good news is this showcase is 100% absolutely FREE!

You may reserve your seat NOW at http://365charismashowcase.eventbrite.com/

Alternatively, you can also call 017 315 2748 or e-mail yauweng@schoolofcharisma.com

We look forward in seeing you at our showcase soon!

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#brandyourself
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