Game Over...in the Tunnel!

Can anybody tell me how much money is going to exchange hands now that the US has finally decided to reform its health care system? Did you say about a trillion dollars? You are right I think. Can you tell me how much of this Malaysia is going to benefit from? Wait a minute you say. What does this first significant 'win' of the Obama presidency got anything to do with us? Plenty I say. In fact its going to be in the hundreds of millions of dollars and its not us who will get to enjoy that but Indian and Philippine outsourcing firms.

Think about it! Who is going to do the paperwork and data management that will be the first tangible result of this overhaul in the American health care? Not the Americans themselves that's for sure. They have gotten used to Indian doctors reading their x-ray images and I am sure they don't mind giving a little bit more paper work for Bangalore. And imagine all that financial transaction that needs processing. Dont forget too the demand for the whole range of medical professionals and its supporting industries.

So, there you go. We had lost the game in the locker room. We had lost before the race even began. Oh, we might get some of course. Maybe. A little as what we have gotten used since the BRIIC babes came along and carted away all our suitors of the past (the additional I is for Indonesia...read the financial papers, you will see).

Its funny how most countries and organisations look at 'competition' in terms of competing with other organisations and other countries for market space. They never consider that the real competition today is not in the market or in the R&D laboratories. The real competition is actually in the talent-space. Its in the
schools,colleges and universities. The most dire need for many organisations today is not about culture change, change management or team building. All these will come to nothing if you don't hire the right people. The most critical need now is to empower the hiring ecosystem of an organisation so that it is able to identify, attract, select, develop and retain the best and most talented.

Its sad really if you think that by just copying Google style 'campus' environment, you can produce the right people. You need the right people to benefit from Google style environment. Google, Infosys, 3M, IDEO, AirAsia,the Ritz know exactly the kind of talents they need. They then hire these talents after an exhaustive identification and selection process and along the way also provide whatever it takes to retain these talents. These companies start winning the game way back in the tunnel while their competitors are vigorously warming up on the pitch waiting for the game to begin. Its game over by then really.

I think it was last year or late in 2008 that I wrote about how Africa will rise soon. I have changed my mind since. Its not Africa that will rise but rather Africans who will rise and compete aggressively. Africans who are now forming a significant diaspora community in many parts of the world will form a critical mass in the next 5 years and will displace newly minted talents from the developing world. As a continent, Africa may take some time to threaten others but as a People, Africans will rise much sooner. The war talent will go up a notch.

So where does all these leave us; both as a nation and as corporate leaders. Well, lets not worry where it leaves us but rather think about where it will take us if we ride the wave smartly. We should now start thinking about competition as a far more overarching thing than just competing for market share. We should have Chief Hiring Officers or Chief Recruitment Officers who does nothing but develop and execute strategies to attract the best and brightest.

Plan Once...Review Constantly

Whether you are leading a multi million dollar business or managing a group of 5 front desk operators whose work quality will impact directly on your own deliverables, you should remember to Plan your Plan and Review that Plan.

The mistake that we often make is that we get excited about how fool-proof our plans are and how well thought out they are to the extent that we actually believe that it will work it self out. But a plan will not work it self out. A plan will only work when you work the plan. The most effective way to ensure that you are working your plan is to constantly review it.

Once again, it doesn't matter what your role is or what your business is as the habit of reviewing plans will provide you with the following:

1. Tell you how far you have come (or not come) since you put the plan in place
2. Allow you to modify and alter your approach as although your plan may be water-tight the environment in which you function is always in a flux
3. Enables you to decide whether your resources are adequate and used efficiently
4. Helps you to stop doing the 'interesting' stuff and start doing the 'meaningful' stuff. Or at the least, with a proper balance of both. The meaningful stuff are essentially those things that give you a revenue while the interesting stuff are 'the nice to dos'.
5. Ensure a sense of urgency is maintained. Notice how the board-room air is thick with energy and enthusiasm while the plan is being debated and how it slowly ebbs away as the days go by. Well, that's natural. It is bound to happen. Frequent reviews will pump in that energy and sense of urgency
6. Creates space for team members to provide their own inputs to make the plan work better
7. A sense of direction that you are heading the right way towards your annual goal or budget.

A review doesn't have to be all formal and serious in the sense that you don't have to drag your team into the board room all the time. Quarterly reviews could be done formally but your mid-quarter or even monthly sales reviews could be done (in fact I strongly suggest this) over a cup of coffee or lunch. If you are going to do this over drinks at the pub, then I suggest you do the review first before you view the drinks! For obvious reasons of course.

I have an interesting experience with conducting a business review at a pub. This happened many years ago at a pub in the city of Sandakan, east Malaysia. My boss and I had just delivered a workshop for the first time for a particular client and wanted to discuss on whether we had pitched the first-day of the workshop at the right level. We discussed this over coffee at the pub and did in fact work-out some critical changes for the next day. Once that was out of the way, we ordered our favourite beers and soon enough, we had our ideas flowing freely but all within the parameters that we had already decided just an hour earlier. I am not proposing that you run off to the pub every time you do a review. But a relaxing environment does indeed help.

Now, I am emphasizing on the nature of review setting is because of the following reasons. For any review to be effective, it must be:

1. Free of threat and pressure
2. Free of blame game
3. Full of respect and ownership
4. Full of goal focus
5. Always friendly and motivating
6. Always inquiring and advocating

So, a relaxed and friendly environment will help with the above.

Remember. A plan is only as good as how effectively you review it.
Go review!

The New Economic Model - Old Wine?

One of the things that I will certainly remember come December 31st 2010 is the fact that to the best of my knowledge my organisation was the first to talk about the New Economic model. I did this in a radio interview in early January on BFM 89.9 fm. To date, except for one or two other consulting companies, nobody has really spoken about the NEM nor provided any thought leadership on this matter. I am proud that I had done my part through my organisation. I remember telling my team that "the NEM is the thing for 2010"!

Since then I have been waiting eagerly for the NEM to be unveiled. It was supposed to be end February but now I am told that it will be in April. Why the eagerness? Well, I wil be 40 this year and I am very sure that the NEM will in one way or another determine my life for the next 40 years as a professional, as a Malaysian and as a world citizen. In fact it will largely influence me on whom I am going to vote against in the next general election. It will also, more importantly, determine the type of country, society and polity that my children will live in. For these reasons, the NEM is very important for me. So, they had better not mess this one up.

And here is my wish list that I hope the NEM will reflect:

1. It must be a workable and realistic plan to achieve tangible economic goals. It must be worded in objective and clear language and not in opaque politically expedient rhetoric
2. It has to be an economic model not a political model though I believe if it is well conceptualised, articulated and executed, it will also become a successful political model which will once again place Malaysia as model democratically Islamic country
3. It must be an economic paradigm that is aimed at quantum changes and not incremental changes. The world is too fast now for incremental changes. The NEM must take this strong sturdy ship that we know as Malaysia into the high seas instead of staying pitifully close to safe harbour
4. It must be a model that gives rise to real meritocracy
5. It must be an economic model that finally interprets the federal constitution both in letter and its spirit
6. It must be an economic model that hammers in the final nails on the coffin of downstream manufacturing as the life-line of the country
7. It must be (oh God!) it must be a Malaysian NEM and not a Peninsular NEM.
8. It must be the catalyst for a radical and revolutionary change in our education, employment and immigration laws.
9. It must be the catalysis for a a true managed-free market system and not a manipulated-free market system.
10. AND it has to be an economic model that rides on ASEAN, India and China. In fact, there must be a supporting and documented strategy for this last point. I have no doubt that the future of this country will be closely tied to the future of ASEAN,India and China.

My biggest fear is that the NEM is the new NEP!...old wine in a new fancy face-book laced bottle!
God forbid for the sake of Ahmad, Chong, Raju, Jack, Mojuntin and Pinto.

Pillars of Confusion

I love ‘pillars’. I love them for the images that they create in my mind’s eye. I love them for the potentiality that they promise. A potentiality for continuity, stability and familiarity. Somebody once said that each ‘door’ is the pathway to a new universe…a new dimension. For me, ‘pillars’ gives me hope that things will be alright; that all will be well. When everything crumbles, there will still be some things still standing...thanks to the pillars. Strangely enough I often reflect on this as I drive on the MRR2.

Pillars are quite amazing really. You see, some of the world's most renowned buildings have awe inspiring pillars. From the temples of ancient Greek gods, to the buildings of mighty Rome to the magnificent Indian temples to the majestic Japanese imperial buildings – they all have pillars. In fact their pillars are what that strikes you the most.

But as grand, majestic and beautiful they may be, pillars are merely there to play a utilitarian function. They may look big and intimidating but with closer scrutiny (and maybe some reflection) we can see that they are nothing compared to the super structure they are supporting. They are puny in comparison to the foundation on which they are standing on. They are meant to do nothing other than support the structure of the building. Within that building there are wonders that need to be kept safe from man and nature and the pillars are an important component of the total ‘security system’. They are tasked to maintain and secure. They are given the responsibility to hold and protect. Everything within these structures owe their safety, security, and continuity to these pillars.

Pillars are never meat to achieve something new. They are there to protect what has already been created. Pillars also do not take us somewhere new by themselves. They don’t and can't give directions. They can't drive us to do anything new. They are majestically passive in just maintaining. Never attempting to change. That's what they are really good at and meant to be.

Pillars are static…lifeless…dead. But they look grand nevertheless for the uninitiated.

So now the question is : if pillars are not meant to take us anywhere, then does it matter that we have pillars be it 8 pillars, 600 pillars or 6000 pillars? Well, of course it does. It matters to those who want to keep things as they are. It matters indeed to those who want to protect and preserve the existing foundation and the roof on which it stands.

It will not and should not matter to those who hunger for change. For them, it isn’t the pillar that is the problem but it is the foundation that needs to be looked at. They want to have a new foundation. In fact they want to dig out the old foundation, break down the old roof and build a new structure : with even newer pillars to support this new creation because some of the existing pillars have become weak by neglect and corrupted by man and time. For them, pillars are just a hindrance towards what is possible. They never focus on the pillars as its the foundation that needs attention.

Things can get more confusing of course as you will find that one pillar sometimes looks exactly the same as the next. I leave it to you to make senseof it all.

Or maybe you are like me...more interested in the foundation and keenly aware that the roof is leaking.

Oh the glory of creation!

Oh what glory it is
To create.
A song, a tale, an art.

Oh what glory it is
to be lost in the ecstasy
of it all
where time is of no essence
when the universe stills down
to a trod.

Oh what blessed souls
those who create.
Beauty and pureness
that lifts the spirit.
Through the rhythms and prose
for mortals who seek
a moment of oneness.
Always sailing around
Never into.

Oh what glory it is
to create.

Shame..shame..
scratching the surface
of it all.
Never feeling the throbbing flow
of what is could be.
Oh! What wretchedness!
Not to create
we those made by Gods to be Gods!

Oh! Where are you thou
Don’t forsake me now
I seek thou all my life
And I saw behind the stars
Fleetingly
Oh! Don’t forsake me now Goddess.
I beseech thou
open that window
let me soar.

To create.

Connect. Communicate. Collaborate.

I saw a billboard recently with the following words : Connect. Communicate. Collaborate. Not sure whether I have got the exact sequence but the message is clear. The product being advertised (by a Malaysian telco)is meant to make it easier for us (the users) to communicate, connect and collaborate. Or maybe to make it easier for us to collaborate by connecting and communicating. Whatever. It got me thinking nevertheless.

I was in Jakarta recently to conduct a workshop for a fantastic group of regional managers of a client. Fantastic because they were on the pulse of things even though I pushed them from 8am to 8pm and also because I was amazed by the feedback that they gave about the program. It showed clearly that they were listening and digesting and figuring it out how to apply whatever that I was proposing to their workplace challenges.

That's not all. As much as they had learnt from me, I think they had learnt much more from each other. They came from different markets with different experiences and challenges. Each one of them came with a field of knowledge and perspectives that were fresh in the eyes of the others. As one explained about a particular people challenge, another quickly suggested an approach that had worked at her workplace. When one talked about a product related challenge, yet another shared his own experiences. In the end, I ended up playing my intended role : as a facilitator of discovery. Although that's how I often introduce my self in my workshops, I usually end as the 'teacher' instead. I guess some cultures are more comfortable to learn from teaching while others by discovery. I love to do both.

But imagine for a second here how much inherent knowledge already existing in your organisation. Then imagine how powerful your teams will be if each knows what the other is doing and is capable of doing. Also, imagine how much more effective your organisation will be if there is a seamless transfer of knowledge and skills from one to another; locally, regionally and geographically.

Now, I know what you are thinking! Knowledge Management right? Bah. That's a fancy word for something so simple : Sharing. Its an expensive word too. KM has its place. My own organisation has its KM system which I love BUT it is so effective precisely because there is genuine sharing between all members of my organisation. The KM system helps us to Connect. But, we are the ones who Communicate and Collaborate. The system can't do the latter; only the former. Let me give an illustration. Just a couple of hours before I began writing this piece, I was on the office communicator with my colleague. I didn't ask for any support. I was just updating her on a particular project. Before I ended our 'communisation' she had emailed me some stuff that may be useful to me later for this project. And, this happens even when I am talking to my colleagues who are hundreds and thousands of miles away. Interestingly, although even those I have not met before seem to share willingly, I do find that those with whom I have shaken hands or had a drink during our regional meetings or programs, seem to share much more and far more speedily. There seems to be more than just connection...there is also communication and collaboration too.

The thing is, I feel many organisations have forgotten that some of the most high return strategy are sometimes unbelievably simple. You want your regional teams to work more efficiently cross-border? Don't just invest in a fancy conference call system. Make them meet! Eye-to-eye. Body-to-body. Let them go for a dinner or two. Trust me, you will get better returns from your conference call hardware after that.

Then just this week, I was conducting a workshop for a group of Gen Ys. We were discussing a particularly difficult personal career management issue. Of course, I said everything that I had to say. I pleaded and cajoled them not to feel helpless. Nevertheless, I could see that they were not convinced. Who could blame them. A 40 year old (Yes! yours truly is 40 this year. I had trouble accepting that in January but I am over it now!)telling them that they are just worrying themselves silly for nothing. What would I know! Then, I remembered talking to one of them just an hour earlier during lunch and he was sharing with me how he had personally overcome that very particular problem we were discussing about! As I turned my head instinctively towards him, I saw his eyes shining with anticipation. He knew I was going to call him out to share his experiences. He came over to the front (I moved to the back) and he spoke a good 20 minutes on his experiences. And wallah...believers were in the flock.

Amazing...this connecting, communicating and collaborating. Go try it with your teams. Ask your CEO to invest some money into this.

Can You Be The Biggest AND The Best?

I had just sent my Toyota in for its scheduled service at a local Toyota service centre; which I am told is the biggest in South East Asia. The people of Toyota have always been professional when dealing with me. So far, I have no complaints with the service I have received or with my car. In appreciation, I have taken the time to complete the relatively extensive customer service surveys that they have sent out. I have responded to two surveys so far. And, for each survey I am given an e-voucher valued at RM20.00, redeemable at the next service. In both occasions, I had also written some suggestions for service improvements.

As I was waiting for my service technician to take over my car for the next 1 hour or so....it felt like letting go off my baby. But, I digress.

As I looked around the service centre, I could not help but wonder what is going through the hearts and minds of these excellent employees of Toyota. With all the bad publicity surrounding Toyota these days, it must be difficult for those on the ground who have been thought and imbued with the DNA of Toyota : Quality.

The crisis of confidence engulfing Toyota stemming from a steady stream of vehicle recall must be heart-wrenching for this proud and storied Japanese giant and its well trained and loyal employees. My colleague in Japan wrote to me to say that it is suffering from a crisis of confidence even in Japan. Can’t be a nice feeling when your own homeland doubts your quality. I also read that Japanese newspapers, both from the left and right, are united in raising concerns that the Toyota debacle will seriously undermine Japan’s painstakingly built status as a high technology, high quality country. I suppose, if you can’t trust Toyota, you can’t trust much of Japan! And, you definitely can't trust Japanese made airline seats!

Now, let’s attempt to answer the question. I think the answer is NO.
Being the biggest car maker requires a set of behavior which may not necessarily prepare an automotive company to also be the best. You don't necessarily use the same mind-set that made you the biggest to become the best too. It seems that many in Toyota had already been voicing their concerns since the 1990s as Toyota set its eyes on loftier goals. In fact there is a conspiracy theory swirling around that, this is an engineered crisis by Toyota to NOT be labeled as the No. 1 car maker. According to this theory, Toyota executives have realized that being number one in this industry is not a joyful experience. Hence, an engineered crisis to knock it self off from the perch.

Conspiracy theories aside, there are many lessons to be learned from the Toyota Experience….there you go…the title of the next hit book to replace the Toyota Way. Once again, you read it here first though I am sure somebody else will write it!

Toyota is a company that relies on quality improvements. To be precise, incremental quality improvements. Toyota, for many years behaved like a gifted child embarrassed by her own abilities. She progressed by leaps and bounds but always incrementally; a slow and steady evolution if you like. Or at least that's what they believed they were doing. But somewhere along this incremental improvement approach they managed to introduce the Prius to the world which today commands a premium for its category.Then, its Lexus was spoken in the same breath as BMW and Merc. Then, it became the biggest car company in the world. Wait a minute! You did all that by being 'incremental'?

I don't think so. Something had to give. In this case it was the inability to manage the quality of its vendors and parts makers. So far, this is where I will put my money on if you ask me where exactly Toyota had messed up.

While we wait for more details to distill our learning, I hope our very own Proton and Perodua and to a certain extent Naza will take notice of this. You can screw up in the domestic market and somehow get back to your feet. After all we Malaysians have a short memory. But if you mess up in the international market; you have very little chance for a come back. And PLEASE don't ever think that since even Toyota can make such mistakes, it is therefore forgivable for you to do so!

On the sidelines, I am also wondering how the problems facing Toyota and lately Honda too will benefit the Tata's and Hyundai's of the world.

Wishing all of you a Happy Chinese New Year. Remember : We have only one natural resource and that is Unity. Spread the cheer of unity in this festive period. Be careful of what you say about others in front of the young ones.

Investor-Employees

Your employees are your investors. I am not referring to those who have share options and other type of ‘ownership’ of the company. Even if your employees are like my self – those who work for a salary and has no real ownership of the company they are still your investors. You will be in trouble if they realize that and behave as such while you go about treating them like...well...workers.

I am an investor in my company and I behave like one. So, I bet the serious ‘investors’ among your employees will do the same and expect the same.

How do your employees qualify to be called your investors. Well, its pretty obvious isn’t it? While your share holders pay money to own a piece of your company, your employees pay with their Time, Energy (physical, mental and emotional) and their Knowledge (which includes such payments like creativity, innovation and loyalty). In return they expect hefty profits in the form of equitable salary, increments, bonuses, and other benefits. Their investment is usually with the intention of long term staying aspiration unlike your other type of investors.

An investor-employees in this context, they will exhibit the characteristics of your typical share-holding investors. They watch your stock price, they keep a look out for good news and bad news especially if you are a global company, they keep pushing to get that one bit of extra value more before they finally give up, throw in and sell out. They are also increasingly concerned whether you are doing your business ethically and possess genuine awareness of your social and environmental responsibilities. In fact, you may hoodwink your share-owning investors with glib PR driven ‘social campaigns’ but not your investor-employees who knows exactly who you are. Are you green enough? Are you promoting equal opportunity? Are you diversity friendly?

Now, I suppose not many organizations would really want their employees to be walking around like investors. Smug with their knowledge of power and authority. That would not be very palatable for many CEOs I guess. But, imagine for a second that your employees do indeed behave like investors. Let me share an example here. A hilarious one, at least to me, but one that should get the point across. Many years ago, I was a consultant for a 3- man boutique consulting company. I worked for this company as a consultant and got paid handsomely with car and housing allowances thrown in as the business grew and in between many other benefits and support. Years later, when I called my clients and friends to tell them that I will be leaving this company but that I will still be doing work for it on an independent basis, on more than one occasion during this calls; I was asked how much I was making by cashing out. It was only after the first two explanations, did it dawn on me that these people actually thought that I did in fact own part of the company. Now, how did they get that impression? Simple – from the way I behaved when I was representing it to them. Yes. I must have walked and talked as if I owned it. I must have done work for them as if it was my business. In fact, I did. And that was entirely because, my employer knew the power of ‘ownership’. How much return did I get from that company for my investment; which was substantial in terms of my output, I must say that it was very good. How much value did that company derive from me? I must say that it was many fold as I left behind quite a huge amount of intellectual property.

I am now with another company and one, through enlightened leadership, allows me the space to strut my ownership stuff. My breakfast shop guy asked me today why is that I am always doing work during my breakfast ( I am usually drafting important emails or proposals while I am having my First Coffee!)? I wanted to tell him – Why not? After all, I just opened for business. Although the official opening time for my company is 9 am, I am more than happy to get going an hour or more earlier. But I just smiled to him and said – banyak kerja lah! Well, I have invested in my company and I want to make sure every minute of the market opening hours count. As all investors, I want a guaranteed return for this month and for many more months. And some more.

Sounds too idealistic to strive for in your 30-employee or 3000 or 30,0000 employee company? It may be.

But imagine all these investors waiting to invest in you more?
What have you done today to attract their investing sentiments as they clocked in today?

The weekend is here and I will be working through it for my business as I need to get a proposal out by Monday. You want your employees to do the same? Make them your investors.

Fears and Aspirations

It never fails to amaze me to hear how even the most seemingly beneficial and well intended plans in an organisation can be read with mistrust, trepidations and even anger. Take for example, Coaching.

We, in the world of talent development will swear by how impactful a well designed and thought-out organisation-wide coaching initiative can be. We know that it is a win-win proposition for managers, their team members and ultimately the organisation. But hey, wait a minute! Not everyone may see it that way. Rightly or wrongly, some may actually feel that "...this new thing called coaching in my organisation is nothing but a new way to make me work more for less pay"! They may sit around over cups of coffee and justify their 'argument'. In the end, the well intentioned OD team or the HR team will be flabbergasted and just scrap the whole idea in disgust.

Sounds familiar? I bet it does. But, here is the thing : It doesn't have to be that way.

A colleague of mine told me recently that when someone resists change, you can take it that this resistance is not merely in some nebulous mental capacity or at some subjective attitudinal level. Such resistance may actually be physical in the sense that there are physical parts of their brain that just cant assimilate this new information. It is almost like there is a physical clash of some parts of the brain which refuses to work or think in new, un-familiar ways.

So, don't take things for granted. Accept the fact that good intentions are not self explanatory. They still need to be :

A. Communicated,
B. Debated,
C. Deliberated, before being
D. Executed.

The time taken to transit from one stage to the next as I had proposed above, will be determined by how important the new initiative is and how much 'the way we do things here' need to change. The more change is needed, the longer the first 3 stages will take before you can finally execute your plans. Similarly, the more importance is given to the plan by the stake-holders, the longer it will take.

In this respect, it is absolutely exciting days for me now because a distinguished client organisation is taking a very deliberately planned approach to begin stage one of my 4-stage process above. I have faith that with this approach, the plans in place will be well received by all the stake holders.

The Chair by Any Other Name.

I saw this message at a quaint little cafe called the Haroo Cafe and Bar on Langkawi island last year and copied into my hand set and forgot all about it until last night when I was reflecting on what Malaysia's New Economic Model is going to look like. It read " A comfortable chair isnt revolutionary. But it gave people a place to sit, read or strike up a conversation. Something as simple as a chair changed the way people drank coffee...".

I was thinking about the new darling phrase of Malaysian policy makers : Creativity and Innovation. The New Economic Model is supposed to take us out of the middle income trap and move us up unto the stratosphere of high earning developed nations. And, the engine that will drive this transformation is the services industry with creativity and innovation as it's fuel. That's as much as I can understand from the little pieces of information that are availbale on the NEM so far.

My colleague told me that there was already a forum held to discuss this issue. The meaning of what exactly 'creativity' and 'innovation' are were apparently discussed. I am no expert on this and I will leave the semantics out and just focus on what I do know .ie. the workplace ecosystem and by extension, the business ecosystem.

For me, innovation is the ability to find new uses to existing creation (a result of creativity). It is the knack for fnding new uses for established processes. It is the capacity to look at things (already existent)inside out. It is not about constantly inventing new chairs but finding new uses for them.

It is easy to rattle of examples of innovation (and creativity). It is also quite nice to hear these examples as it gives us a warm feeling to know what unimaginable power exsits among our employees. Stories of how 3M came up with the post-it, anecdotes of how Google'ians develop new ideas, the feats of engineers building structures at locations not 'designed' for such structures and others are testimony to the inherent innovative ability of people. If you go to the jungles of the Amazon and the villages of India or to the remote hamlets in central China, you will see how indigenous innovation have long been a hallmark of the people's ability to live in and with their natural environment. Everything from cheap flood mitigation, pest control to traditional medicine are in essence a result of innovation The things needed for these efforts were already there. Somebody just found a new use for them.

Herein lies the enigma : Why is that some companies (and socities) seem to be more innovative than others? What makes them so?

This is my attempt to answer these questions. I believe the following must be present before a company or for a group of employees can become innovative:

1. Freedom of thought AND action
2. Generosity with knowldge sharing
3. Free flow of information
4. Dedicated experts within the organisation (something like Chief Innovation Officer)
5. A reward system that recognizes creativity and innovation regardless whether it has immediate returns for the organisation
6. Dedicated experts within the organisation who are trained to bring together the various generations in the workplace. Say, a Chief Inclusivity Officer! Her job is to facilitate the interaction between the Gen Ys with the rest in the organisation. I believe there are critical untapped competitive edge in our Gen Ys at the workplace. Unfortunately these are drowned out by the noise from the 'this is how we do it here' generation.
7. Leverage on technology. When Gary Kasparov was defeated by the Deep Blue in 1996, we thought it was only a fluke. A machine can never be superior to the human intellect and intuition. Then, the machine beat the grandmaster again. It has been doing so since then and today we play chess with AI for fun. The ability of some of the more advanced chess AI is mind-boggling. So, technology is a tool for innovation.
8. Innovation culture requires a Leadership that is 'innovation-friendly'.


On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being the best, I will give Malaysian organisations in general as score of 4 when it comes to having a suitable workplace evironment that can foster innovation.

There is much work to do to realize the promises of the NEM and I hope I can play a role in making it a reality.


NOTE : A few postings ago, I questioned whether I am keeping true to the essence of this blog. After much thought, I have come to realize that I have been. As I reflected back on my previous postings, I realized that I have not been as 'blinkered' as I thought I have been. I have indeed commented on the social and political set up of this nation and how it helps or hinders our business ecosystem. After days of observing, reading and listening from others I have made this conclusion : Prosperity begets peace. Poverty begets bigotry. I am on the side of prosperity. So, for me the NEM has a far deeper importance to the future of this nation. As a consultant, I will do my part: Thinking Fresh, Being Real, Doing Right.

Surprise…Surprise!

Not all Indians are Hindus
Not all Hindus are Indians
Not all Christians are whites
Not all whites are Christians
Not all Muslims are terrorists
Not all terrorists are Muslims

Not all Indians are poor
Not all poor, are Indians
Not all Chinese are busineness men
Not all businesness men, Chinese
Not all Malays are emotional
Not all emotional,Malays

Not all who shout are pious
Not all who are pious shout
Not all who preach are godly
Not all who are godly, preach

Not all reasons universal
Not all universal reasons, reasons
Not all truths are self evident
Not all evidence, truths
Not all honour, victory
Not all victory, honourable

Not all kings wise
Not all wise, kings
Not all fair, good
Not all good, fair

Not all history, true
Not all truths, history
Not all laws, just
Not all just, judge

Not all patriots, kill
Not all who kill, patriots
Not all loyalties, endure
Not all that endures, loyalty

But…
All that we are…
All that we were
All that we will become
Are but a lump of earth!

Till then though…
We are brothers.

Malaysian 9/11

Twice since yesterday evening, I wrote something and deleted it.Twice I could not decide whether I should publish it. Twice I grappled with a simple question : what is the essence of my blog? Why do I write this pieces. The answer to the latter is quite a straight forward one. I write to release the multitude of ideas,thoughts and strategies that swirl through my mind every waking moment. I write to release my creative energy. The question of what is the essence of this blog is becoming a little more difficult these days though. My ideas and thoughts are almost exclusively related to my passion for leading, managing,business and commerce in general. I view everything else in this light. So, you can almost call me a communist ( I did read Marx when I was 15 much to the displeasure of my English teacher!). I view everything that happens to man on this planet from the perspective of supply and demand. I interpret everything from the fact that man needs work and fulfillment from the work he does. I have very few other passion in life. I am not a passionately religious person. I know my relationship with the Universe and I know for a FACT that there is a power greater than mine. That is all I need to know and I am not interested in convincing others. I am not a passionately nationalistic person. I am in essence a global citizen and for me a human being is meant to be borderless both in action and spirit. For me, the idea of nation states are no longer applicable. I function on gratitude and loyalty to what is fair and just regardless of where, who or what. So, anything other than the world of supply and demand (in all is forms and functions) does not interest me much.

This is the reason that I have always kept my postings as close as possible to business and management. In the few instances when I did write on other matters, I viewed them as 'events'.

In my previous posting, I wrote about the dangers of this country heading the way of Myanmar. Yesterday, we effectively took the first steps on that journey. But, when I wrote that 'Myanmar' piece my hypothesis, if you can call that, was very much based on our failures or potential failures in economic and business strategies. Yes, I did consider the fact that the continuous functioning of our relatively harmonious social structure will be critical too but I didn't really think that that will become a serious problem. Despite all we are not a nation that are militant. We don't burn each others places of worship. We should be fine in that respect. So, I figured that the only reason we may end up like Myanmar is if we mess up our economic and fiscal policies.

I may be wrong.

Maybe, far more important than getting our economic strategies correct, we need to get our social structure correct. Maybe, before we begin a New Economic Model we need to have a New People Model. A new model where the people of this nation are re-oriented to who we are and what is the REAL and TRUE relationship we have with each other. We need to understand, all over again, who our neighbors are. We need to fall in love with each other all over gain. Then maybe after that, we can begin the New Economic Model.

But, that is day dreaming I know. It will be nice but next to impossible. In reality, the New Economic Model and the New People Model need to happen simultaneously as each will influence and play a critical role on each other's success or failure. They must happen con-currently. They must be dissected and debated and strategised together; not in different and separated pieces.

If that is true, what then should the essence of this blog be. Can I, as a consultant and trainer, continue to think and behave exclusively on management and business terms. Or, should I now also become a New People Model strategist (activist?). If the latter is one that will bring the best results to my clients and this country, then I will have to delve into much more than the safe and sanitized world of management and corporate business. I will need to look out of my window of corporate mind-set and comment on the repugnant landscape of the bigotry and social breakdown. If previously I can comment that the past failure of Proton was due to its poor leadership quality, now I will have to say that the many things left unsaid; many of which had nothing to do with the management per se. I may also have to say that Proton was almost a mono-culture company and hence did not enjoy the full benefit of a creative citizenry. If previously I can talk about the brain drain as the cause for our lack of young talents and do it in an almost clinical manner, now I will have to say that the reason why the brain drain is occurring is because of the unfairness inherent and embedded in the very fabric of our systems.

Do I want to do this? There can be a separation of the church from the state (it feels strange using this phrase under the circumstances!). But, can there be a separation of the social ecosystem from business and management?

I am not sure. I am taking a break to ponder this. Whatever it is, the only question that I will ask of my self is : How best I can add value...REAL and TRUE value? And, stay true to the motto of this blog : Thinking Fresh, Being Real, Doing Right!

The Myanmar Effect

10 years from now, Malaysia will go the way of Myanmar economically and socially. We will become a poor nation. This will be the worst case scenario. At best, we will be prodding along aimlessly amidst a region of up and coming super-powers and secondary-powers. We will survive and that will be just about it. If we are that lucky.

In this age and time, it will not take a generation for a nation to be reduced to economic and political insignificance. Even with the best intentioned government of the day, it only needs less than 10 years for a country to go the way of Myanmar or Brazil in the 1980s. I fear that this nation of ours is also on this perilous path.

Not such a nice thing to say especially in this season of festivities and merry making but it needs to be said. We are in deep trouble and the government and us the people need to sit up and take stock of what we are up against. Forget whatever you have been fed with in terms of how advanced we are in this or that. Forget about what the official media tells you about how attractive we are for the investors. We are no longer the shining star we used to be. Of course we are still surrounded by the relics of our golden age, just as the Italians are probably constantly reminded of their glorious past; but that doesn't mean a thing. So, forget too that our relics are a sign of our greatness. It was past greatness (if at all it was one). By next year, China will be the 2nd largest economy in the world. By 2050, India will rival China. Between these two powers, there will emerge a form of modern day tribute states whose sole function will be to manufacture goods and provide energy and resources to these two countries. By 2050, today’s developed countries will be at an economic plane that is higher and more advanced and they would have, by then, entirely divorced themselves from the 3D jobs (dirty, dangerous and difficult). I think it is not science fiction to say that the day will soon come where the western countries (and Japan, Korea) will be managing the ‘knowledge of the world’ while countries like China, India, Brazil, Russia, South Africa, Nigeria and Indonesia will be so well positioned that they will do everything else.

Where will we be in this scenario? A tribute state or a leading knowledge driven economy given due respect and recognition by the ‘knowledge super powers’?

As alarmists as my statement may sound, it is nevertheless not something that has missed the more discerning Malaysians. Take Datuk Seri Mohd Effendi Norwawi. On Dec 20, he wrote a piece of enlightening and bold piece of opinion that I hope will be translated into the Malay, Tamil and Mandarin languages and published in the respective papers. For one, this may kick them into sobriety and realization that while they are busy condemning each other, this motherland of ours is going deeper into oblivion. Next, it may jolt the man on the street to demand more than just temples, suraus and churches from their elected representatives and ask what on earth they are doing to prepare us for the next 10 years.

The respected Datuk Seri says that The New Economy Model (something I will touch on later here) will not succeed unless it is supported by a new implementation model.

Then on 24th December, the shining star of Malaysian intellectual and principled discussion, Tan Sri Ramon Navaratnam (one of the original drafters of the NEP in 1970, the year of my birth) wrote in the same paper that not only do we need an implementation model for the New Economic Model, we also need to ensure that the model is not flawed to begin with.

The statistics that are being churned out are not pretty. Vietnam for example had overtaken us in many areas especially in terms of attracting FDI. We are also loosing out in the knowledge economy as we didn’t continue the initial push and investments in this area. Our biotechnology and our multimedia are doing a great job despite the odds stacked against them. It's a wonder how they are doing as well as they do considering that they have to answer to a bunch of bickering and obnoxious politicians who for some strange and peculiar reason inevitably become the masters of these areas of utmost importance to our survival as a nation.

Come February, we will know what our New Economic Model is all about. The fact that we need a new economic model and the fact that the current administration had seen it prudent to develop one is a testimony to the fact that our Vision 2020 is not achievable under the current circumstances. Of course we can always point our fingers at the sudden and unexpected economic downturn for this but if we look carefully, we could see that right from the beginning, Vision 2020 was doomed to fail as it so entirely depended on external factors i.e. the global economy staying bullish AND it was based upon the fact that the failures of the NEP could be whitewashed by the sheer prosperity of the economy (read the size of the economic pie). Very little of Vision 2020 was dedicated to develop a framework for organic growth and innovation to sustain us regardless of how the global economy was performing. Although it’s true that, as Bill Clinton says, this is an interdependent age where there is no way we can on our own ensure our growth and prosperity. We will have to and must depend on the wider global scheme of things. Yet, we must also surely have some gumption to do things that gives us some form of insurance against being totally dependent on the ebb and flow of world economy.

Hence, it seems to me that finally our policy makers have come upon the one thing that we have been paying only lip service all these while: Innovation. So, the new economic model will apparently drive us towards an innovative economy. It also seems that we are going to become an innovative economy and we will be capable of emulating the innovativeness of the Americans and the Europeans.

So far, from the little snippets that are being leaked out on the new economic model, I must say that all the right things are being said. However, whatever the final look and feel of the new economic paradigm is going to be, I anticipate the following 7 factors will play a critical role in determining its eventual success or failure:

1. All stakeholders in nation building MUST accept that this will be a long term drive. All political parties, racial champions, NGOs and the intelligentsia must acknowledge the fact that a new economic model is not a quick fix but rather a slow and potentially painful recovery process. It's a total re-alignment of what we need to do to our economic engine.
2. Everybody….absolutely everybody needs to realize that American innovation in the past was a direct result of her willingness to allow for differences of opinion and respect for differences. She welcomed all. She embraced all. Malaysia needs to do that. Let’s begin by tapping into the creativity and innovation latent in the hearts and minds of our minority groups whose talents are being wasted due to the stifling social infrastructure which has long lost its usefulness. The time is now to revolutionize our thinking and this revolution should begin with the idea that “Malaysian innovation lies in its people…all her people”. We can’t say that we will have an innovation driven new economic model by merely inviting global companies to set up shop in Iskandar. Even if Steve Jobs takes up our ‘Malaysia, my second home’ offer, we will still not become an innovative economy. The reason for this…my next point…
3. Go for the jugular of our education system. Kill it. Allow for a rebirth. Anything less will not work. The killer of innovation today is our education system. As it is now, not only does it block true and meaningful integration, it also stifles innovation at the most fertile ground: our children. As long as our education does not produce a generation of people who can ask the right questions, we will not become an innovative nation in any meaningful way.
4. The BEST minds should get the job and do the job. Regardless in what skin colour that mind may be wrapped in.
5. All new economic initiatives must be designed to take us out of the middle –income trap which means that by merely attracting manufacturing related FDI will not be sufficient.
6. The Iskandar region must be de-politicized and made into a model for the implementation of the New Economic Model.
7. Our institutions of higher education must be governed by a fully empowered board of governors who must have the power to hire and fire. This board must be comprised by people of the highest social standing and achievements; regardless of their racial and cultural background.


The future of our country lies in what exactly the New Economic Model is. Will it be a true and honest policy with equally honest and robust implementation focus? Or, will it be another ‘flavor of the administration’ and as vague as the 1Malaysia concept?

I have hopes that our current Prime Minister (if he can keep the humbugs of our political landscape at bay), will do things right and do the right things. He has that pedigree. But maybe, he needs more than just his political power. He may end up needing a referendum of our collective support to ensure that we don't go the way of Myanmar.

The World of Work - On the Ground Level

As I sit here at the spanking clean departure lounge of the Senai Airport (officially its Sultan Ismail Airport but my security-check label says its Senai Aiport and I too prefer the latter), I am observing a cleaning lady going about her work. For the past 35 minutes or so she has been going up and down the aisle where I am facing, cleaning it to a shine. First, she cleaned it from dust, then it was a wet mop and finally (I thought) a dry mop. No. She was not finished. She came back again one more time to make sure she had not missed a spot.

This morning, I was served my first coffee of the day by a young man at the Crystal Crown hotel. He was smiling and courteous. As I was one of the few there so early in the morning, he greeted me and asked whether I was heading back to the airport. I said no and that I was actually getting ready for work at a client’s place (without telling what exactly I do). I then asked him what time he will go off and he replied “In about 30 minutes”. Which meant, it will be 7 am then. Then it dawned on me that he had been working the night shift which typically in a hotel means : 7pm – 7am. Yet, he was smiling and having a friendly chat with me. Doing things that were not probably expected or required of a 3-star hotel waiter in Malaysia.

My taxi driver, whom I used for all my running about the last 2 days was a jovial and cheeky guy. He had something cute to say to all the toll booth girls and they responded with a smile or laugh. He had scars on his face and looked like a possible ‘gangster turned good” type. Even after driving around the madly crowded JB city, he still had that cheerfulness about him. He made me relax on the way back to the airport a little while ago although I was drained after an excuriuatingly difficult session with a group of people who took me on (unofficially) as their therapists!

Coming back to the cleaning lady; I don’t see her anymore. Probably cleaning another spot somewhere else in this building.

What I am thinking is : how many times had her supervisors said ‘thank-you’ or ‘good job’ to her this past one week? How many ‘pats on the back’ did that young man get or how many thank you’s did my taxi driver get?

What is it about us humans and our world of work? What is it that absorbs us into it?. It takes our life. We want to work. We want to contribute. We want to envelope ourselves with meaning and we use our work to provide that meaning. Without work, life has no meaning. Yet, we have not mastered this magic and use it to lead our people. We hardly understand the meaning of work in our own lives. Its amazing that we understand so little of something that takes up our entire lives.

On my study table at home, I have a little post-it-note with the words “ Every little act of work can become creation – beautiful and holy. Worship through work”. Krishna told Arjuna to act. When Arjuna sat in despair and threw his armour and weapons to the ground, Krishna had basically said “ Get up you fool…do your job. You are a soldier. So, fight you lazy potato”. And so Arjuna fought.

There is magic in work. But, there is miracle in those who work for passion. Its a tragedy when they are not recognised.

2009 : The Year That Was

The following was what I had predicted for 2009. Lets see how I had done this time (in italics)!


Global Trends and Changes (Business)

1.Mega mergers of financial institutions. Probably involving North American and European banks. American law makers will pass a slew of new acts to allow the Feds to keep all forms of financial institutions under close scrutiny. Been there and done that.
2. Chinese manufacturing may not recover from the current slump and this vacuum could be filled by India, Mexico and the former Soviet block countries. In India especially, manufacturing will loose it’s ‘dirty’ tag and become a profession of choice just as IT and services related jobs. I know Chinese manufacturing had lost some of its luster and the millions of workers who were forced to return to the villages were partly blamed for the sporadic violence against government officials and institutions. Indian automotive players made some news (local and foreign) but not much else. I have blogged on what the Nano is going to do for India and by default for the rest of the world.
3. Chinese and Indian firms will aggressively buy into ailing companies at fire-sale prices. Possibility of Indian, Chinese and Middle Eastern investors gaining a foot-hold in Detroit’s automotive industry is quite high. The talk is that Chinese players like Shanghai Automobile Company are getting into Detroit. We all know that Land Rover and Jaguar is part of the Tata brands now.
4. More mergers in the airline industry with Asian flag carriers being the target this time. Asian airline have decided on status quo but British Airways had bought Spain's Iberia
5. The birth and widespread use of extremely affordable note-books which will change the industry inside-out. This will most possibly be spearheaded by giants like IBM and Microsoft with India, China and Latin America as the target markets. Not sure about this. Over the last two years I have been noticing a steady announcements on companies developing affordable computers including laptops. I was hoping that 2009 will be the year for this.
6. Mega mergers of auto manufacturers. Yup. Fiat had a field day in Detroit.
7. Reconfiguration of air-line industry. As above. Though I have forgotten why I have two inputs on the airline industry?!
8. Hostile take-over of Yahoo by Microsoft! They tried. God knows they tried!
9. Mergers involving the world’s three biggest pharma companies with GSK leading the way. Some happened. Pfizer and Wyeth for example.



Global Trends (Politics and Social)

1. 2009 will be defined by Barrack Obama. He will have to manage the unbridled expectations placed on him and the payback that the various interest groups will be clamoring for. The world will begin to see more and more of America’s soft power. As of this week, Obama’s approval rating was hovering around 47%. The honeymoon is over. But, he did indeed make news. From his ‘bow or not to bow’ to his so called multi-tasking are becoming ‘Oprah’ish stuff.
2. Russia will flex its muscles further much to the chagrin of the hawks in Washington. A proxy war of sorts is in the cards. Russia’s dominance in gas supply to Europe will once again become the point of contention. Remember Ukraine?
3. Japan will edge closer to end its pacifist constitution which will anger China. A new schism is quite possible in East Asia. Nope. Japan is as insular and as boring ever.
4. Chinese social revolt will finally come onto international radar screen. The Uighurs were in the news! Amazingly, as I followed the unfolding of this tragedy, I realized how new technologies have enable us to conceptualize, launch and manage an uprising (for whatever reasons)…remotely. I suppose today you can ban someone from staying on your soil but that doesn't mean you can stop her from holding the heart-strings of her followers. Thanks to the internet.
5. India’s relation with Pakistan will worsen and a war between these nuclear powers should not be ruled out. Unless of course, America and the international community decides to avoid an all-out war between these two countries by waging a managed war on Pakistan’s terrorist sheltering regions with UN blessings. As always and as what many believe, Pakistan’s semblance of governance exists only because it is anti India. Take that away and we have a full-fledged rogue nuclear nation. However, things may not be rosy for India with its national elections looming. A hung parliament is likely with the Congress and BJP loosing ground to regional parties. Economic and business wise, things should be quite predictable with the Indian Century continuing its progress. Well, I was way off on the hung parliament stuff as the Congress against all odds consolidated its powers and wiped out many of the regional pests. I know you are laughing….who can ever go wrong by predicting that Indian-Pakistani tensions will rise?!
6. Israel will strike Iran’s nuclear facilities while the Palestinians will look away from America as their peace brokers. Barrack Obama and his team will not have the same kind of self-proclaimed importance for the Arab-Israeli peace process. Hasn’t happened yet but the talk was serious last month and is still a possibility. Maybe a little Christmas present from the Israelis and plunge the rest of the world into despair perhaps?
7. The consolidation of institutions of higher education in the form of branding and marketing. Nope. Proud ivory towerians they are!
8. Protectionist policies and rhetoric will trump free market and liberalization. China will do all it can to protect its economy for anything less will create an unprecedented social calamity. This shift back to ‘hermit economy’ will put the Chinese and the Americans on a loggerhead. Europe will gravitate to more conservative policies spearheaded by France. All over the world, proponents of globalization and free market economy will find themselves hard pressed to explain that globalization is the way forward. Well….just read the news and you will know I was bulls eye on this! When the US announced its almost 800 billion dollars stimulus package, it also made sure that construction projects only used American made steel and iron. This blocked out China, Brazil and Russian made materials. Similarly a recent row broke out over Chinese made automobile tyres.
9.A major military conflict in Africa with Mugabe playing a key role. Nope…but who is keeping track of conflicts in Africa?
10.China will be less tolerant of North Korea. We may see some real breakthrough with the Hermit Kingdom but not before a huge nuclear scare in the Korean peninsular. Yes. China was less than thrilled with the North Koreans hurling spare missiles over Japan.




Malaysia (Business)

1. Datuk Tony Fernandez will sell down his interests in Air Asia. More active participation from Middle East players and Bumiputera centred institutional fund managers in Air Asia. Nope. Not yet!
2. Labu LCCT project will not take off. Oh yes!
3. The merger of two or more banks to form a mega bank positioned to compete at regional levels. Nope.
4. Major changes in the railway industry beginning with KTMB and a possible second operator finally taking shape. Sad. Nothing.
5. The establishment of unit trust funds specifically for Sabah and Sarawak in the likes of the current ASB. Nope.
6. Proton will move beyond Mitsubishi to form a business partnership with a European car maker most notably VW or Peugeot. Talks of merger with Perodua may also surface and be taken seriously. Both are in the news. Something is simmering.
7. Malaysia Airlines will form a ‘partnership’ with SIA. Nope.
8. AK will make some major moves in the market with probably institutional investor support. ASTRO may be taken private. He did make a move…by bringing back Maxis into the public domain.




Malaysia (Politics and Social)

1. Will be a defining year for Malaysia. What Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak says and does immediately after taking over the reigns of the administration will define Malaysia for the next 50 years. He has 2 options : Go back to Mahathirism OR push forward with the reforms set in place by the Abdullah administration. The BN convention slated for early next year will be a watershed in Malaysian politics. The aftermath of this convention may see some BN component parties striking out on their own. Well...Najib has not done anything earth shattering but neither has he reverted to Mahathir style leadership; except perhaps in Perak.
2. The Pakatan Rakyat will be severely tested. But, Perak Penang & Selangor will go further away from BN’s grip. Yes on all counts. At least to me except for Perak. That was a rabbit out of BN’s hat.
3.Radical Indian activism will take root. Yes. The struggle has gone underground. Again. I have said it many times before : the Indian dilemma needs solving. Otherwise, a huge, violent underclass will bring our urban areas to its knees. Lets not forget that the Indians have a collective history of resistance and ‘nationalism’ towards a cause that they can draw lessons from. Besides, the latest round of protests are lead by the Indian intelligentsia which knows how to use all modern political and avenues open to them. I was going through some of my old letters to editors and I came across a letter that I wrote to the NST almost 10 years ago. I wrote then that if the MIC did not change, it will be one of the major cause for BN’s decline.
4. Samy Vellu will not last the year as MIC president. This was a close one. But, who knows. But then, the man had always beaten all predictions.
5. MCA will face its most serious leadership struggle in decades. Amazing right? I just felt it in my coffee fueled guts then.
6. The return to active politics of certain questionable people. The man they call Isa is back by popular demand! Sad.


In summary, I anticipate 2009 to be an exciting year which will define how future generations look at this generation. The world of business will witness a total reengineering with substance finally getting its deserved due over form.

All in all not too bad for some predictions done at the Starbucks at Borders, Curve. The wonders of an Americano grande and some quite time!

Got to do that again soon for 2010.

The Middle Eastern Korean

It has been a very busy 2 weeks. I was so busy that I did something that is extremely uncharacteristic of me : I forgot to inform somebody I respect that I will not be able to make it for a conference call. It may sound like something small but not for me. If you can’t make it for a meeting or a call; you HAVE to tell the other party/parties. I apologized and this person graciously accepted it and brushed it aside as a non-issue. It is to me.

I have been itching to write of course. And, I was actually planning to write something on how employees will be viewing the state of affairs in 2010 and what business leaders should do to manage, what I suspect will be, very high expectations. But that will have to wait because I heard something from somebody recently which I just had to put in writing. I am being vague here…with all these ‘something’ and ‘somebody’, I know. But, you know the reasons for that. And, this IS a true story albeit all the names and characters changed.

Imagine a Korean couple adopting a middle eastern child when he was only a few months old and this child growing up so oblivious of the fact that he is, by all accounts, not a Korean. He eats, sleeps and plays Korean. He thinks like a Korean and chooses Korea and all that it stands for just as passionately as a ‘genuine’ Korean child. He thinks Korean girls are the most beautiful and he loves Michael Jackson just as all his compatriot Koreans do. The only thing is, he is NOT a Korean. He is of a different stock. He comes from an entirely different civilization and in his veins an entire cultural genome is running freely as that of his ‘people’ in the Middle East. Yet, he is Korean. At least for him and for those who love him, he is.

Being a Buddhist Koraen, he shuns beef. He goes vegetarian on most days. Now that he is a teenager and can understand his unique situation, he goes about his life as if nothing has changed. He still behaves like a Korean. He still avoids beef products and he is still a Buddhist. It seems like the ancient blood of his ancestors just can’t fight a far more superior force in this world. You can be born of any race or religion. You can come from any proud clan or genetic pool. Yet, there is one powerful force in this world that you can’t fight. That is the force of Socialization.

Not too long ago, I posted a poem that I was inspired to write after listening to an extremely myopic, close minded and homophobic individual. It frightened me then that there are so many of us who by all accounts are kind and good hearted but deep within us we fail to see and appreciate that this world was never created to be of one colour. It was always intended to be a tapestry. The message that I wanted to get across in that poem was that “ don’t be so damn sure of your self and your beliefs”. The gods and prophets you worship may not even want you in their presence as your belief was one of self aggrandizement. Not one of Faith. And, what we think to be true and honorable are nothing but the results of mankind’s socialization over the millennia. I am going reproduce that poem here as it brings new meanings to me now after hearing this story that I have just illustrated above. In fact I feel vindicated as I have always believed that what we are is nothing but a chance happening determined by where we are born and brought up.

The following was what I wrote then:

There are as many colours as there are words to describe them
There are as many stars as the numbers can count them
There are as many truths as the hearts that believe them
There are as many Gods as Man can worship them
There as many rhythms as the sounds that make them.

This is a world
nay
a universe of differences
of every imaginable kind.
The colour of your skin.
The language of your ancestors.
The choice of your tastes.
The pleasure of your love.
The height of your intellect.
The 'truth' of your convenience.
The God of your birth.

But
when compressed
all of these is as big as a green pea.

Thats how big we are.
A green pea!

Don't kill for that
Don't hurt for that.

Atoms, protons and bosons maketh us
The God particle forms us
But its us....just us
maketh hate!

We are separate
but we are one

I will wait for you
my brothers and sisters
at the gates of heaven
and I will welcome you
into my home as if we were born of the same womb

But, indeed we are.



What we are right now is not WHO we are. It was nothing but a result of our socialization with the world around us. What we consider to be truth is nothing more than just a ‘truth of our convenience’.

Who are we then?

Nothing. Just dusts of the universe. A very Conscious dust though.


Krishnamoorthy…if you are reading this, remember that you are the Universe's way of reminding us that we are not whom we are so proud to say we are. You and those who have similar histories like you are living labarotaries that constantly reveal the REAL truth of this world.

God bless you.

Note : Krisnamoorthy was somebody I knew when I was doing my undergraduate studies. He will know what I mean though I doubt he will ever read this. But then the world is indeed small and stranger things have happened.
AND....I am loosing my patience with those who can't see further than the courtyards of their temples, churches, mosques and synagogues. I literally feel repulsed by their words and deeds. The only thing that helps me tolerate them is the fact that they are also part of this tapestry that makes up this world.

Farewell Enke

The pain is gone
no need for justification
no clarification required
be happy now
with your little princess.

I know...your kindred souls
weep
for if only you paused.

But then again
You are happy.Now.

Farewell Robert Enke.

The Wall

Tomorrow marks the 20th Anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. Though I would prefer to call it as the ‘dismantling of the Berlin Wall’ lest future generations think that the wall just came tumbling down by it self due to poor construction materials used – Malaysia style. No. It was dismantled by the Germans who years earlier plunged the world into a war and then with this single act brought it together again; of sort.

Thomas Friedman identifies the fall of the wall as one of the 10 or so global movements that brought about the flattening of the world. It was indeed a momentous event. At the very least it removed a monstrosity from the heart of Berlin and at its very best, it heralded the end of the cold war and the demise of the Soviet empire and with it its Communist apparatus. The world was indeed a different place then.

I remember words like ‘glasnost’ and ‘perestroika’ which were probably the most loved and used words coming out of the old Soviet Union. The other was probably the Red Army and of course for the wrong reasons. The fall of the wall not only reunited Germany, ended the cold war and unleashed a new economic dynamism, it also brought forth a new Russia. I can only imagine what the Russians would have felt as they watched their empire crumbling before their eyes. Suddenly the Kremlin was not that imposing nor the communist menace that dangerous – if at all it was a menace. I remember reading some years back where, this was one of the busiest and exciting time for the world’s secret services. Every intelligence organization in the world was on tenterhooks as they just did not know what was going to happen to Russia. Nobody could say with any level of certainty what will the fall of the Soviet Empire bring about. One thing was sure though : The architect of this amazing change – Mr. Mikhail Gorbachev was well protected and the governments of the free world headed by the United States had probably readied a small army and armada to whisk him away from the Kremlin if things had gone out of control. Such was the man’s importance to what Americans had been dreaming for decades. To see the end of the ‘evil empire’ of the Soviet Union. Interestingly, there are also reports saying that Margaret Thatcher and Francois Mitterrand were not that happy about the re-unification of Germany. I suppose it brought some bad memories to them. They can be forgiven because Germany has a habit of getting the world into disorder. But then again, Margaret Thatcher could also have found her match in the towering figure of Helmut Kohl. Strange names indeed in the era of Obama-mania. But these were the ones ruling the world at one time. With Bush the senior of course.

As the world celebrates this event tomorrow, I am hoping that we are also conscious that as leaders in our respective organizations, we are tasked to bring down walls too. We need to break down the walls of indifference, apathy, lack of focus, disregard to customer value, meltdown of organizational values, misalignment of vision and mission and a general disregard for good corporate governance, the deadening dearth of innovation, the stupor of complacency and the paralyzing short-sighted and myopic corporate planning and strategy. Indeed, we have these walls to break down by not shovels and metal roads as the Berliners did 20 years ago but through our determined and honest leadership practices. This is the time for courageous leadership and it is the responsibility of every CEO to allow for this type of leadership to emerge at every level of the organization. And, this is the type of CEOs that the corporate boards need to have in place. 2010 will be a defining moment for most of our organizations as we will come head to head with a single choice : Do we change the way we did business or do we do things the way we did? If the answer to this is change than we have multiple walls to break down fast.

And as citizens of this country, lets also remember that over the last 20 years, as the world came together politically; we have grown apart internally. There are invisible walls running through the very fabric of our society. The tapestry that once made us strong is being strained at the seams. All the while divisive walls are being erected by both words and deeds. As one columnist said in a local paper, its hard to imagine that a wall can running through in the heart of our beloved KL. But I think there are many already dividing us.

Remember that one young man died bleeding in no man’s land while trying to escape the former East Germany while the West Germans just stood by and looked helplessly. Such are the consequences of a wall. Whether one in our political landscape or one in our organizations.

The question is : Are we breaking down walls or are we erecting more in our daily interactions with our people and stake holders?

Happy anniversary Germany!

Save the People's Company!

It is ironic that when our national car company was in dire straits and was contemplating a new ‘strategic direction’ by going into partnership with an European manufacturer with an established brand name and R&D capabilities, a hue and cry was raised by certain quarters. They argued that Proton is a national asset and it should not be ‘given up’ so easily. The same people brought forth the argument that Proton is the people’s company and thus it should be protected. It mattered little to them that in business, having a strategic partnership is not the same as selling out. Nevertheless, the din that they raised was loud enough to scuttle those plans. At least temporarily.
Strangely lately, as a behind the scene battle is raging for control of Proton, these very same people have not argued for the ‘independence’ of Proton as a people’s company! One will have to be an avid reader of business publications to put the pieces together but suffice to say that there is an intense jostling by certain individuals and their companies to buy over the government’s stake in Proton which is currently held via Khazanah and the EPF. The asking price by these individuals for this stake is way below the real value of Proton currently; at least that's the impression I get by putting together the bits and pieces that are trickling out. I will not be surprised though that the offered price is obscenely low as such things have happened in corporate Malaysia before.
I have been critical of Proton. In fact, I used to just hate reading every move that Proton used to make. I used to wonder for whom exactly was Proton building its cars for? And what was all that raving about Proton’s export capability? And yes, the Islamic car! That too. But of late, Proton has shown it self to be a savvy company (the pun is intended). Like our national carrier, left alone to decide what is best for its business survival, Proton showed a remarkable ability to be creative, strategic and market savvy. Something that many pundits thought were no longer within Proton’s competencies after years of proxy wars and un-fair protection given to it by those who used its existence for their own political mileage…and empty nationalistic rhetoric and chest thumping.

Now that this venerable company is rising and recovering from an extremely bad patch in its history, there are those who are jostling for some low hanging fruits at the expense of Proton’s true value. Lets face it, Proton’s true value lies in 3 areas : Its land bank located in the prime area of Shah Alam which I reckon could be close to half a billion ringgit in value, its under utilized manufacturing facility in Tanjung Malim and; its new found sexiness among global automotive players. Also, as was one my wishes at the beginning the year, Proton is making serious inroads into the future of automotive market : India and China. Especially India where the market is less crowded although probably with more entrenched interests; but nothing Proton can’t handle as Malaysian companies are regarded highly in the subcontinent. Add to these, Proton’s successive hit models in the form of Persona and the new Saga (and I suspect the Exora too very soon), Proton has added a couple of hundred millions to its value by showing a strong future value proposition. The market is also enthusiastic with the planned arrival of the Mitsubishi Lancer as a Waja replacement model in 2010. Don’t forget that Proton has Lotus in its stable too. All these are surely mouth watering prospects for wily businessmen, their cohorts and their sons and daughters.
Hands off gentlemen! The Malaysian people suffered with Proton. We bought its cars despite its poor quality and horrible delivery time. We put up with its declining brand name. We stuck with it and now we should have a say in its direction.

Unless the offer being made to the government is something that is totally fair value for Proton’s current and future potential and unless the whole transaction is transparent and above board, the Malaysian people should send a clear message to the government that we will no longer tolerate the corporate musical chair of the past. We may yet see a new champion to be proud of. The current management team of Proton has done a remarkable job doing an almost thankless job. Lets give them time and see where they can take this company. The global automotive market is a largely transformed one today and Proton may yet find a lucrative niche for it self.

After all, those stalking Proton are also loved by the Malaysian people for their respective successes and charisma. Don’t get greedy now and loose that goodwill.

If ever, now is the time for Proton to be saved. It is a people’s company.

Paris of the East

“Where is the soul of this city”?

Someone asked me this of Shanghai recently as we both admired this city that acquired its importance and status since 1297. As the morning mist and pollutants gave up the fight against a brilliant autumn sun, and as the hustle and bustle of the most fashionable city of China began, it is easy to forget that you are in China with her more than 1 billion souls where a huge portion of this are too far away from the modern cities lining its shorelines. China is not one country. There are two. Each feeding on the other. One of peasants and one of merchants. Shanghai is without doubt the lair of the merchants and the bourgeois. In the same breath as the question was asked, this great city was compared to the mega cities of India where despite great leaps into modernity and progress, Indian cities have maintained their ‘Indianess’. For many, India is seen as not having sold its soul for modernization…unlike cities like Shanghai. But then to me, Shanghai is not any other city. It has never been.In fact it is unlike any other city in the middle kingdom. Even the communists could not keep it’s spirits down. The Japanese tried before that but Shanghai survived. Long before the Japanese, the imperial powers of old Europe carved out little plots of the city to themselves. The hotel that I stayed in is in the French concession and I could have bluffed you by saying that I was in France by showing an early morning photo taken from my hotel room’s balcony. There is no city in Asia that embraced western mores as wholeheartedly as Shanghai. There is no city as full of intrigue and romance as Shanghai too. One needs to know a little bit of Far Eastern history to appreciate this. Shanghai is different. Historically, she is incomparable. To appreciate this great city, you need to see beyond the sky scrappers that had mushroomed in the last 15 years or so. Chinese history is far more colourful than what we know by reading western sinologists works and in any narration of Chinese history, Shanghai will always get a special mention. People say that China had become a confident country in the last few decades but they forget that long before the rest of China became comfortable in her own skin, Shanghai had already proclaimed it self as the mother of all cities. The place to be. The place where high fashion lived side by side with third world poverty.

They say that the world that you see is determined by the lenses that you use. In my case, the world that I see is very much influenced by my search for the similarities and the universality of us. Not the differences. Without fail, as I prepare to board the plane home from another strange land, I often think to my self that it was not a strange land after all. In the end, we are indeed the same. Human greatness and its inherent weakness are abound everywhere. A perfect example of this was illustrated by an experience I had in the Old Town of Shanghai. As I waited in line at a designated taxi stand, I noticed that some of those who were in the line became impatient and walked a couple of metres ahead to hail a cab (which means that they are ‘hijacking’ a cab away from whoever was the first in line at that moment). For some strange reason the cab drivers seem to be more than willing to entertain these ‘line breakers’ although they know that there is a lot of would be passengers waiting just a few metres down the road at the designated taxi stand. Things were made worst by those who just pop in and stop a cab from nowhere leaving the 6 or 7 of us lining up looking bewildered. As the evening wore on, I noticed a remarkable thing. Those who lined up were essentially made up of two kinds of people although we were of different colours and nationalities: 1. Those who kept to the principle of waiting for their rightful turn; and 2. Those who took a shortcut to the detriment of others. The former stood their ground and refused to take the shortcut while the latter thought and behaved otherwise.

While I was contemplating this, an African couple came by and stood behind me and moments later a group of street vendors surrounded them with all kinds of wares; from laser pointers, fake LVs to fake Omegas. I heard the man telling one of the vendors that he needs a taxi not a watch. At this, one of them said in broken English that he will get him a taxi for a tip. My fellow African traveler agreed and off the street vendor went. He walked a few steps ahead to highjack a taxi that was approaching the waiting would be passengers! This time it was me who was at the head of the waiting line of people. As the taxi pulled up at the curb this vendor just ran along and asked the taxi to stop at where we were waiting. You get the picture? He is not doing anything. He did not cross the street or go any distance to find a cab. He just took an easy way to make a few bucks. When the taxi stopped in front of me, the street vendor blocked my path with one arm and ushered in the African couple with the other. At that exact moment, I had another reason to believe in my fellow humans. The African guy refused to take the taxi as I was up next. I suppose he had the same idea as the rest of us when the street vendor offered to find a taxi….to actually go out of his way and look for a taxi. Not steal one from those who had already lined up for close to 45 minutes. His refusal was met with English curse words. I looked up at him and thanked him. He just smiled and said “ no problem bro”. As my taxi pulled away, I looked back and saw the street vendor venting his anger with more verbal assault. I thanked that African guy again. This time silently and for his action that once again affirmed my belief that left alone by priests and politicians; we can do what is right. We can make this world a better place. Kinder and perhaps a little bit more happier. We can live harmoniously and keep the extremists and the vulgar among us in check. We can live the middle path and keep the liars and manipulators at bay.

Little did I know that as I was considering these thoughts, the supreme leaders of our very own leading political party, UMNO, were giving inspiring speeches back home to pull this great political party to the middle path. UMNO has the ability to bring the best out of this nation. It has the ability to play the middle ground and do what is right. Left alone by racial zealots, the Malay masses who support this party will allow the middle path to blossom and the non-Malay components of this great land will willingly allow this party to lead. But I digress…

As I boarded my plane I took one last breath of this ancient land of emperors and great teachers and I mentally separated this nation from the Chinese Communist Party and the recent economic prowess it has enjoyed; and what was left behind in my mind’s eye is the Middle Kingdom. A nation that was at peace with it self and one that was self sufficient and willingly thought and learnt from others. After a long, long time this country has awaken to do justice for a gorgeous historical city like Shanghai. China has now earned its right to host this great city! If China is ever to lead the world, that is the past that she has to rely one. Not, her current superiority as measured by western matrices. Rome’s greatness was not in its empire but in it’s legacy of knowledge and honour. China needs to reach out much further into her history of wisdom and balance than the mere 60 years that has been celebrated recently. Paris of the East was what I imagined it would be and maybe we all can learn a thing or two about survival and dogged determination from her.

Her soul is there for all to see. If only we knew where to look.