THE CORNERSTONE EAGLE

JULY 2020

‘A House is not a Home’ is a well-known

saying. A house is made of bricks and

mortar, nothing more. It is the people,

and also love, harmony and warmth that

transform a house into a home. ‘Home’ is

where the heart is, is also true. To share

thoughts on the concept of a Happy

Home, the Eagle in this edition is taking

the example of a younger family unit. It is

just an example, and is not to say that

people who are living on their own, or

‘grown-up children’ living with parents do

not have Happy Homes as well.

On the subject of ‘Home’, ‘Home Office’ is now part of the ‘New Normal’ due to the Covid-19 pandemic

situation across the globe. Some workers having gone on track prefer working from home. Some may

experience challenges as a lot also depends on the home situation. The Eagle will be offering a few words

of encouragement to our Home Office readers.

Cornerstone International Group’s vision is to be the best Global Talent Consultancy Group worldwide, and our mission is to accelerate the success of our clients by providing top-quality consulting services in the field of executive search, coaching, talent & workforce management solutions that are faster, better and at a value that serves our clients locally and globally.

The Cornerstone Eagle newsletter is not a sales letter to promote activities of our 60 offices globally, but a tool to inspire you to maximize your personal and professional potential to be a Better Leader and a Better Person both at home and at business. We shall be your Faithful Companion / Coach / Mentor on your life and career journey, supporting you to discover yourself and offering good advice for ‘Healthier Business and Life’.

Best Wishes,

Simon Wan Chief Executive Cornerstone International Group Phone No.: +86 21 6474 7064 |Email: simon-wan@cornerstone-group.com

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A HAPPY HOME – an example

Our home is an extension of who we are. What we

do within the walls of our Home shapes our mood,

affects our productivity, and influences our outlook

on life. Therefore, a HAPPY HOME is one of the

key elements to help us Stay Encouraged and get

through the coronavirus crisis/lockdown.

To create and preserve the happiness of the home

requires certain qualities and attitudes, in which 4

Key Elements have been identified.

1. LOVE

Ideally it is an unselfish love that brings a man and woman together to build a home. More often than not,

it is the addition of children who are able to increase the happiness of the home and the love within.

Unfortunately, love between a man and woman can come and go, wither and die. To keep the love alive

and warm requires continuous close association, attention and care between the man and woman. The

same ought to be applied to children by the parents, especially when the parents both work, and they run

the risk of becoming strangers to their children due to the lack of time spent together.

2. TRUST

Trust, encompassing faith, confidence, and reliance bring happiness. If a home is to be happy, parents must

conduct themselves in such a way that they can have implicit trust in each other and inspire such trust also

in their children.

For example, in parents with Christian faith, they show their loyalty to GOD by how they live their life. As

such, they instinctively win the confidence of their children. They believe in one another.

3. SELF-DISCIPLINE

Self-discipline is acquired only gradually and sometimes painfully through external discipline. We’ve

entered the age of permissiveness (great or

excessive freedom of behavior), when children are

allowed to make their own decisions and do their

own thing at too young an age.

Today psychiatrists almost universally agree that

instead of making children happier, this

permissiveness has been a tragedy for both

children and parents. It has led to drinking, drug

abuse, crime, broken homes and an alarming

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increase in teen-age suicides. Until children reach enough maturity in judgement and character to

administer self-discipline, they must be guided by their parents.

4. RESPONSIBILITY

Responsibility grows naturally out of the above first three items. If a home is filled with love, mutual

confidence and trust, and has guidance and correction

necessary to develop self-discipline, the natural result

is a recognition of Responsibility.

Each member of the family possesses a responsibility

toward another. A responsibility to merit confidence

and trust, keep one’s promises, and carry out duties

and assignments. When this sense of responsibility

becomes a habit, it carries over to those outside the

family, to employers, associates and friends.

WHEN HOME BECOMES HOME OFFICE

The Home has always been a Haven. It is where one feels loved, safe and secure, and is able to escape

from the challenges of the outside world. More often than not, Home is the escape from the office, where

much of the stress and strains originate. However, with the Covid-19 pandemic, where Home Office &

Work-From-Home (WFH) has become a common-place, even the Home can no longer become a refuge and

provide an escape from the demands and pressures of life and work.

SUCCESSFULLY ADAPTING TO THE HOME OFFICE

Reflection

First of all, grab a pen and paper and take a moment to reflect and answer these questions:

How does your job help you to look after the people and things you care about in life?

What relationships at home and work are important to you?

How do these people rely on you and what would be the impact on them if you weren’t there for

them?

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It may feel challenging at first but don’t be afraid

to take this list and put it somewhere visible in

your workspace as a reminder when you find

yourself asking ‘what’s the point’?

Keep a Routine

For many, this may be the hardest part of working

from home. With no office to go to, and no boss

to tap his watch and look irritated if you're late,

there can often be little motivation to get up at a

reasonable hour and start work.

Train yourself to get up on time like you do have a more traditional job, it will get you into a routine that

encourages productivity. Studies have shown that getting up in the morning turns you into a more

proactive person.

Dress up

It's incredibly tempting when working from home to wear the most comfortable set of clothes you own

whenever possible, especially since most of the

time you're rolling out of bed and starting work

soon after.

However, when we put on an item of clothing it

is common for the wearer to adopt the

characteristics associated with that garment. A

lot of clothing has symbolic meaning for us,

whether it’s 'professional work attire' or

'relaxing weekend wear,' so when we put it on

we prime the brain to behave in ways consistent

with that meaning.

In other words, if you are content to wear lazy clothing all day when working from home, you are probably

more likely to act lazy, and therefore get less done.

Stop Thinking and Start Doing

At the moment we’re being bombarded with an enormous amount of information that’s making us feel

under threat. This may be work related, updates on the pandemic, new rules and regulations being

introduced to curb the spread of the virus and so on. This can quickly overwhelm us, triggering our freeze

response and paralyzing decision-making. So ‘stop thinking and start doing’ can be a good mantra to

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remember if you find yourself paralyzed in front of your screen.

Just jumping in and working on even the simplest of tasks helps to activate the brain’s drive system and

curb our stress response.

Food for Thought

BIBLE (Proverbs 3:33) about home

The Lord’s curse is on the house of the wicked, but he blesses the home of the righteous.

BIBLE (Proverbs 24:3-4)

By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established. Through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures.

Our Editor, Kuang Fu at kuang-fu@cornerstone-group.com would love to hear from you if you have special thoughts to share.

About Cornerstone International Group

Cornerstone International Group is a global executive search & workforce enhancement group. Founded in 1989 and a global member of the Association of Executive Search and Leadership Consultants (AESC), Cornerstone was also named by Forbes and HuntScanlon as a global brand that has one of the highest quality level in the industry. With some 60 offices worldwide, our global reach plus local experience & ownership mindset helps our clients to do well around the world.