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.

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.

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.

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.

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. 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 remains a permanent priority.

It slowly drove people to be more people-oriented, not just 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.

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. 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 more fruitful.

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, it’s a reflection on us.

I couldn’t speak Mandarin but they ensured that this was not a blocking point. When I saw the team in China, I observed that they are very hungry for knowledge, absorbing every piece of information like a sponge and improvising when necessary to achieve better solutions. We transferred technical talent to Wuxi to develop the team there for 2-3 years, some even for 8 years. Today, Wuxi is still doing very well and has become an important back-end site for Infineon.

All the habits in a way stuck with me, from 1 to 7. I remember Habit 1: Be Proactive, which helped me in leading the company to think ahead about what I want the organisation to be. That links directly to Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind – setting a clear target to build a people-oriented organisation where employees drive results on their own.

The one habit which is deeply rooted in me now is Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw. For me, life is a continuous learning process. Knowledge is essential to remain relevant, but knowledge for knowledge’s sake is useless unless you apply it. In looking at the 4 dimensions of wellbeing – physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual – I now dedicate deliberate time to spiritual wellbeing for balance, even enrolling in a theology course to keep learning.

Another vital habit is Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood. Very often leaders interrupt before others finish speaking. You are given two ears and only one mouth, so we must learn to be swift to hear and slow to speak!

1. You work for the people: When you take over as a leader, you actually work for the people; they don’t work for you. When you do things for them, they will willingly perform for you.
2. Have humility: Surround yourself with people who are better than you. If you hire weaker people just to control them, you and the company lose. Make sure you learn from them (Habit 7).
3. Don’t step on people on the way up: Because you may meet them on the way down. Treat people with respect at all times.
4. Don’t try to win every argument: You may win the battle but lose the war, especially in disagreements with bosses.
5. Be forgiving: Don’t keep grudges in your heart. Practise Habit 4: Think Win-Win to move past conflict collaboratively.

Effective leaders need to practice the ABCDEs:

1. Attitude, Aptitude & Altitude: Attitude is character, Aptitude is skill, and Altitude is where you want to reach. Hire for character, train for skill. You can train technical skills, but you cannot train character.
2. Building: A leader is a builder. You build the organisation, you build people, and you build the culture.
3. Consistency: Walk the talk. Do what you say, say what you do, and mean what you say.
4. Direction-setting: Set a clear vision for where the company and people should be in terms of character, performance, and attitude.
5. Excel: Drive a culture of personal and organizational excellence in everything you undertake.

I always tell aspiring leaders to adopt the 3 L’s:

1. Learn: Life is a continuous learning process. In whatever you do, continue to seek knowledge.
2. Listen: Listen to people, even those you disagree with. Listen to body language and read between the lines to sense emotional state.
3. Love: Love what you do, and do what you love. When you love your work, it becomes a fulfilling hobby, and career rewards will naturally follow.