Dancing knees

The culture of an organisation depicts how and why people do things and being in SIFE and SAS (Sunway Accounting Society) I've managed to experience two distinct cultural beliefs.

It has been 6 months since SIFE Sunway has started off and things have been going great. Not smooth but great :) We first had 90 members collectively from last year October to this year February but this week's recruitment drive had shot us up with a total 210 members. It was really shocking to our eyes and ears to see the growth rate of our movement but we are holding our hopes from believing all 210 members would be active.

Backdrop done by Michelle Tan, Project Manager :)

Nevertheless I'm so proud of my recruitment team out there. To be able to recruit 140 members is just crazy! Sometimes we get shot down real bad. Sometimes we're not even given a chance to explain, like how I wouldn't let a salesman explain when he tries to sell me something in the supermarket. Karma has come back crawling to me and this time it's not enough to just harm me, they want my team's spirit too :O But we didn't go down easy did we? ;)

Another quality I see in our SIFE organisation is teamwork. No man can lead alone. This I stand by forevermore. And in SIFE I never feel like I'm in it alone. Nabilah never fails to send me thank you notes every time we accomplish a job and Siew Ming's always there to help whenever and wherever. It's a good team but not solely because of our core committee but because of our members as well.

Ms.Tee and I on second shift of the day :P

Like just this week our recruitment drive on the last day was on a slower pace than the first and our IT head, Huei Wen and a few of our members came up with a brilliant idea to boost it. Since SIFE is open to everyone, they decided to call the ACCA lecturer to let us come in during class to promote SIFE. Brilliant idea because one ACCA class holds about 200+ students. It would expand our market hugely. So they initiated the strategy quickly and fortunately the lecturer agreed *YAY!!!!* but they needed me to speak *WHAT!??!?!*

"yea we need you to promote SIFE in 10 minutes"

What happen to letting me at least attend one Toastmasters meeting first??? It was a panicky situation in the pit of my stomach but I couldn't show. After all a vice president isn't suppose to be afraid of the crowd, right? >< I was shaken to my knees. Communication skills may have prepped me for a speech but not an impromptu one and definitely not one that is in front of 200+ people. But I had to. For 3 days I have been preaching to every man and woman that passed by the SIFE booth that we can only show you the door, whether you want to take a chance and stand up above the crowd that is you and you alone. I would be a total fake if I didn't believe in what I say.

So I went. And it was crazy. But I had my team with me. The ACCA SIFE members stood behind me. My Recruitment committee stood beside me. With the mic in my hand, I stood there staring at their anticipating faces.. waiting and waiting... waiting and waiting...

Then I began. A practice I have done for the 3 days only this time I had to look left and right and up and down to make sure I had all their attention. Analyse the crowd and speak with confidence because if you don't believe it they can see it. It was scary, no doubt. SUPER shitty SCARY. The front row would have definitely caught my dancing knees but nevertheless I won't not let my enthusiasm shake. I finished off with a louder voice, vowing them to listen to my final words, urging them that SIFE is not a game we play, it's a game plan to a higher business platform.

It was a good crowd and even the lecturer said it was well-spoken *blushing in and out* but the most important thing was the fact that I made myself proud that day :) It's been such awhile since I have but it feels good competing with myself once in awhile. Especially when I win ;)