From humble beginnings in Kuala Lipis, Pahang, Lee Ah Nga’s decades-long career in engineering took him from Telekom Malaysia to Siemens Components, to then becoming the first local MD at Infineon Technologies (a spin-off from Siemens) before he eventually retired in 2015. VS Pandian and I sat with him at a refurbished café right off bustling Jonker Street in Malacca, as he shared his leadership insights with us over tea – earl grey for him, peppermint for me.
Our readers would like to learn a bit about you. Tell us about your background – where did you grow up and what did you study?
I was born in Lipis, and my parents were rubber tappers. They eventually moved to Kuala Lumpur where they started a coffee stall business. I was helping them in the stall when I was about 6 years old. Life was a struggle for the family, so I am very fortunate to be given the opportunity to even attend school. I studied telecommunications under a government scholarship at the then Technical College in Jalan Gurney – back then I received a princely sum of RM100 a month!
When I completed my Diploma, I joined the Telecoms Department (later Telekom) and served there for the contractual 5 years. Then I left for Cardiff in Wales where I pursued my Masters in Physics and Electronics at the University of Wales Institute of Science and Technology (UWIST) followed by a Post Graduate Diploma in Management Studies at the Polytechnic of Wales. When I was a young kid, probably around 10, I had the ambition to have a technical background and then go into management. I don’t know if it was destiny or divine guidance that led me to do this.
How did you step into your first leadership role?
After completing my studies in Wales, I came back to Malaysia and joined Siemens Components (later Infineon) as a Process Engineer in 1977. I was fortunate to have German colleagues who were very caring and nurturing in my early years, and I was given the opportunity to spend time in Germany for a short study and work period. I moved from the Process Engineering role into Production where I had the responsibility to manage a component assembly section of about 50 people. My responsibilities gradually expanded, and I eventually grew into Manufacturing – basically Operations. Here I had the responsibility for the entire assembly process and with that comes a team of around 300 people over a few levels via 4-5 direct reports.
What were your first few years as a leader like?
That time for me was still a learning experience. When you start off with no basic knowledge of management as we know of now, you just lead following what targets have been set, and try to reach those targets. Over time, I found that what makes the company click is really people, nothing else. Whether you like it or not, it’s people that make the difference. I enjoy working with people, and to have the opportunity to inspire and motivate them to achieve goals can be a very fulfilling and satisfying endeavour.
I remember in ‘94 or ‘95 you attended Stephen Covey’s event in KL, and then you decided to bring The 7 Habits to Infineon. What was the motivating factor for that?
The first time I read The 7 Habits book, I found the concepts very profound. The process behind The 7 Habits is very realistic and it gives me what I can really do to make personal changes. At that time there were a lot of things I was not very aware of until I read the book, and I found there are certain ideas which can be so useful in our life both personally and professionally. When I became a General Manager at Siemens Melaka I was given the responsibility of Global Operations of a segment. At that time, all the MDs were expatriates and I had very good interactions with them. Most of the foreign leaders are also here to learn, as the Asian culture was still something unfamiliar to them, so when I introduced them to The 7 Habits they embarked on it.
I’ve always been very keen to look into what makes people tick, what drives people, what inspires people, what motivates people. I used to ask myself, looking at people coming in – what makes them come in to work? Why are they sometimes so eager to leave? Why do they come for overtime? Is it purely for the money? Now, what difference are you going to make as a leader, to make people come to work in your organisation, knowing that it is not for the money? I would like to provide meaning for people to come to work. Not only for those engineers and supervisors, but for everyone. What makes them come to work? Because if you touch on that, then people will sacrifice for you and the company. That’s something that a lot of the time drives me. I find that very very inspiring and meaningful for me.
The 7 Habits was rolled out at Siemens and later to Infineon right up to senior leadership-level when you were there. What changes of behaviour did you observe after that?
I think immediately after the first 7 Habits sessions, I could see the language used by the people regarding behavioural topics. We began to speak the same language. A lot of people would cite “Are you thinking of the end in mind?” and “Have you heard me before you shared your perspective?” I saw changes come in. We rolled the program out to supervisor-level to do facilitation. It was quite some people who were trained, including to Operators and in Bahasa too. The first-level managers, all of them went through it. Certifying supervisors as internal 7 Habits facilitators was a good move, because if you want to change the people you change the leaders. If you change the attitude of the supervisor, then the people will follow suit. I still think the first batch of people we got as facilitators was very good. It was really important to show that The 7 Habits was important at the very top levels. As leaders you must make sure that the direction you set is still there. It must remain a priority.
When you look back, what do you think was the biggest impact The 7 Habits had on the organisation at that time?
It slowly drove people to be more people-oriented, not just be profits and performance-oriented. After the 7 Habits we found that those at the management and supervisor levels cared more for the people, and looked at changes that needed to be done in order to contribute well to the organisation. In general, leadership nowadays tends to focus too much on results without really looking at the relevant enablers. Developing people’s character is an important aspect of [enabling] an organisation. That’s why more emphasis must be put on the people and working on enabling them – because after a while the results you get will stagnate, and you need that kind of energy from people to give it a new push.
What was your defining moment as a leader?
My defining moment was when I grew from Independence to Interdependence – when I realized that I depend so much on others for mutual success. As my responsibilities expanded from production to manufacturing to general management, the span of control grew correspondingly. No matter how independent or capable I assume myself to be I am not an island operating on my own. I need the cooperation of and collaboration with others to flourish. I found the immense importance of working together, and how what I do or my organization does affects others. And the other way round too. There is always the vital interdependence factor that makes things really work meaningfully. That’s why interdependence is linked closely to synergy in the 7 Habits – together you become much much more fruitful.
Were there any particular projects at Infineon where you really saw this synergy happen?
Yes. From 2009-2011 I was given the task to transfer and set up the first production to Wuxi, China. It was easy to think that because we are going there, they are depending on us. But in the longer run, the success of Infineon as a whole and in particular the division I’m working in will depend also on the success of the people in Wuxi. Once we have transferred it, it’s them doing the work, and that’s where the Interdependence comes in. If they do well, we do well. If they fail, we fail. If they fail it’s a reflection on us. So whether we like it or not, we are also dependent on them.
I couldn’t speak mandarin but they ensured that this was not a blocking point. In fact, they warmly welcomed me there. When I see the people in China, I observed that they are very hungry for knowledge. They are like a sponge absorbing every piece of information we give them and more. They make use of their creativity and improvised when necessary to achieve better solutions. We transferred some technical people to Wuxi to develop the team there. Some went for 2-3 years, some even for 8 years. And Wuxi now is still doing very well and has become an important BE site for Infineon.
For you personally what is the biggest takeaway that you have taken from The 7 Habits that still sticks with you today?
All the habits in a way stuck with me, from 1-7. I remember Be Proactive, and that’s where it helped me in leading the company, to think ahead about what I want the company to be. That links of course to Begin with the End in Mind. So I ask, how do I want my organisation to be? My target is a long-term thing of course. What I had my mind was to really build my organisation into a people-organisation with people driving results on their own.
The one habit which is really in me now, is Habit 7 – Sharpen the Saw. For me, life is a continuous learning process. I will continue to pursue knowledge. I think knowledge is important for anyone to remain relevant. But knowledge for knowledge’s sake is no use unless you apply it. In looking at the 4 aspects of wellbeing – physical, emotional, mental, spiritual, I spend a bit of time now also on spiritual wellbeing to give this better balance. As part of my sharpening the saw, I have enrolled for a part-time course to study basic theology. Not to become a religious nut, but hopefully to bear more spiritual fruit!
A habit I find really good to develop is Habit 5. Very often I interrupt people. Sometimes people haven’t finished and I tell them what they need to do. That’s something I have to learn and inculcate in me. I think it’s a very profound habit to understand people first. They say you are given two ears, but you only have one mouth so I must learn to be swift to hear and slow to speak!
Effective leaders need to have the right attitude, the right aptitude, and bring people to the right altitude. Attitude is character, aptitude is skill, and altitude is where you want to be.
How about for those who are aspiring to be leaders someday?
I always tell people who are aspiring to grow – adopt these 3 L’s: Listen, Learn, and Love.
Thank you for giving us your time and wisdom, Mr. Lee. We wish you continued growth, learning and success!