t: iskandar malaysia - leaderonomics.com · iskandar malaysia in johor. there, one can find great...

Saturday 23 March 2013

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Do what you love

YOUR ULTIMATE CAREER& TALENT RESOURCE

GAINING THE TRUSTAND RESPECTof others ensures effectiveand influential leadership

Pg 12

Leadership& the brainDeveloping a strong,healthy brain is thesecret to soundleadership. Find outmore in Be A Leader. HOW DO YOU

RETAINprofessional and talentedwomen in the workforce?

Pg 6

A COFFEEBARISTA’S TALEabout his delectable journeybehind the coffee machine

Pg 3

OfferS a PlethOra Ofcareer OPPOrtunitieS

PaGeS 8-1O

iSKandarMalaySia

Leadership & the brainDeveloping a strong, healthy brain is the secret to sound leadership. Find out more in Be A Leader.

Pg 5

mystarjob.com, saturday 23 March 2013�

roshan says

l Editorial | [email protected] l Advertising | [email protected] , [email protected] - 016-974 7087

EDITORIALEditorRoshan ThiRan

Contributing EditorsLiLy CheahevaChRisTodouLouPRemaJayaBaLan

Sub EditorLee KaR yeanLayout, Art & DesignTung eng hwa

mohd izudin ismaiLzuLhaimi BahaRuddinahmad fadzuLadznam saBRi

mohd KhaiRuLmuhd hafeezRazziahshawn ng

Lisanne yeohWriters & Contributorsanna Tanhyma PiLLai

James LeeLai TaK mingang hui mingRiCK ngu

TeRRy smaLLSales ManagerimRan hashimian Lee

WHEN I first started my career, I worked with a largemultinational company called General Electric (GE).While at GE, I was initially based at its exclusive finan-cial services business in a very nice town close to NewYork City. It was very comfortable living there and

rather glamorous too. In fact, many of my other friends had been post-ed to the non-glamorous parts including manufacturing plants in sometowns and in parts of the United States where no one wanted to go.

One day, whilst talking to my mentor, he looked at me and told meabout the importance of taking on difficult jobs that would stretchme. In fact, as he shared about how he progressed in the company, heshared many stories of him having to work in small, unglamorous loca-tions and having to do extremely hard, uncomfortable work. He thenchallenged me to take on roles in manufacturing and in a plant. Heassured me that they would help me grow into a better leader.

For some apparent reason, I actually took his advice and took on arole that no one wanted in a small manufacturing plant. Surprisingly, itwas an amazing experience where I learnt so much. Since that experi-ence, I have been a big advocate of people taking on hard, challengingroles in tough conditions. It truly helps a person grow. In fact, whenone relocates and experiences new surroundings, his or her brain getsample opportunity to grow and build new neurons.

When I returned to Malaysia and started interviewing our talent onjobs outside of the Klang Valley, I was surprised that not many peo-ple were jumping on the great jobs in places like Kulim, Penang andIskandar Malaysia in Johor. There, one can find great roles where thereis significant learning. Imagine being in a new area as it develops intoa world-class location. You get the full benefits of seeing growth andbeing part of the amazing story.

I remember taking the bold step of being in China in 1999 and thenspending a significant amount of time there as China grew from 1999to 2007. It was great to be learning in the midst of such developmentand watching it unfold. Many growth lessons were solidified in mymind as I watched and took part in China’s amazing development.

The same is happening in many parts of our country. Iskandar is agreat growth story as we see companies like Legoland and others buildtheir organisations in Johor. This week in the career guide, in partner-ship with TalentCorp, we take a walk down to Iskandar and examinethe development there. There are some fantastic roles available andsignificant learning opportunities.

I encourage you, if you are mobile and want to learn and grow yourcareer, to look at places like Iskandar and Penang as great opportunitiesto develop yourself and also challenge yourself as you have to learn tolive and make new social connections in these new areas. And we hopethis issue will help you in learning a bit more about what is happeningin Iskandar.

So, have fun reading this week’s edition and we do hope you enjoyour career guide. There are many other special articles on various othertopics that we hope will inspire you to keep learning and growing everyday of your life. Don’t forget to keep leveraging our amazing videos andother resources which can be accessed online at www.leaderonomics.tvor at our main home site www.leaderonomics.com.

We wish you all the best in your career journey! I have also started asite on facebook where I share daily leadership wisdom. If you are keen,go to http://www.facebook.com/roshanthiran.leaderonnomics and sub-scribe. If you do have any feedback on the pullout, feel free to email usat [email protected].

Have a wonderful work week ahead and don’t forget to be on thelookout for fresh, new experiences!

consider iskandar for your

Coping with reloCation

know your benefits Before you relocate, make sure you find out what the benefits are. Mostcompanies offer accommodation, moving and travel expenses, financial support and other benefits foryou and your family.

Get started early You don’t have to wait until your first day of work to get to know yourcolleagues. Contact your new colleagues before you move and introduce yourself to the people you aregoing to be working with and ask them questions about the working environment and culture there. Thisway you will be well-prepared for what you are getting into.

Make friends! As the Sherman Brothers say “it’s a small world after all”. These days it seemslike everyone is connected to each other in some way or another. Get your friends and acquaintances toconnect you to people they know who are located at the area you are moving to.

research the local econoMy Find out more about the place you are moving to, get toknow the role players in the local economy there, and build your network. You never know, your relocationmay actually be a door for you to access greater career opportunities.

find the riGht coMMunity It is advantageous if you do your research and find a communitywhich you will be comfortable with, such as an area with people who share the same values, especially ifyou are going to be living there for a long period of time.

career tips..............

Growth and learninG

Warm regards,Warm regards,Roshan ThiRanRoshan ThiRanEditor, Editor, myStarjob.commyStarjob.com& CEO, Leaderonomics& CEO, Leaderonomics

a barista’s storyWhisk Cafe’s Azlanshares his passion forcoffee. Pg 3

Grow your brainOur brain thrives on change andchallenges but most people resistchange, says Roshan Thiran. Pg 5

Retaining womenin the workforce

Why do Malaysianwomen leave the

workforce and how canthis be prevented? Pg 6

Career visionAre you pursuingyour dream job orfulfilling someoneelse’s dream? Pg 7

Principles andadvice

Investor and author JimRogers speaks on his life

mantras that have ledhim to success. Pg 13

success in schoolThe secret to raisingsmart children is to nottell them how smartthey are. Pg 14

TheShow

mystarjob.com, saturday 23 March 2013 �

By PREMA [email protected]

MENTION WhiskCafé and everyonethinks of freshlybrewed deliciouscoffee and authentic

home-made cakes. Having startedat Empire Shopping Gallery in 2010,this café branched out to anotheroutlet in 1Utama Shopping Centrein 2011 and now services a loyalcrowd in both locations. Now, a cafédoes not thrive unless its deliciousconcoction is prepared to perfection,and the coffee barista has a largerole to play.

Whisk Café is fortunate that

decided to go into the business withhis sisters and their mother to openthis community based café.

“Being a coffee barista was neveron my agenda, I would say. Uponcompleting my secondary educa-tion, I headed off to the UK to pur-sue a degree in law. However, I real-ised that law was not my cup of tea.Nevertheless, I attempted to give ita shot but to no avail. Eventually, Icame back home,” says Azlan.

Back home, he literally wokeup and smelled the coffee onemorning. He made his way to thekitchen and found his mother andsister busy baking. His sister hadmade some coffee using the familyespresso machine. They made himtry their creations and they were

trial and error. He also read a lot anddid his research on the internet. Hekept on practising as he realised hebecame better the more he prac-tised.

Azlan’s typical day starts at about1pm at the café. He is usually atthe 1 Utama outlet. Besides beingbehind the coffee machine, Azlantakes care of operational issues aswell. He looks into the quality of thecoffee, other products as well as thequality of customer service providedby his employees. The cakes andpastries served at Whisk Café are allhomemade and prepared by Azlan’smother and sisters.

“There are a lot of things to betaken into consideration when itcomes to preparing a good cup ofcoffee. It is not just about how youmix it. It starts with high qualitybeans. Using high quality beansmakes a lot of difference when itcomes to the final brew. Good beansensure rich aroma, taste and flavour.After all, these are the aspects cus-tomers look for in a cup of coffee.”

Azlan is an expert when it comesto preparing lattes, espressos andcappuccinos, black coffee, coffeewith milk, strong coffee and mildones. He can even recommendcustomers on the types of coffee totry if they are not sure of what theywant.

“While preparing the coffee, Ialways engage my customers inconversations by asking them abouttheir well-being. I also ensure myworkers serve with warmth and asmile on their faces. It is very impor-tant to connect with the customersand to create a friendly ambience inthe café,” explains Azlan.

Whisk Café closes at about 10pmon weekdays and 10.30pm on week-ends. After a long day, Azlan checkson the final cleaning up and othermatters before leaving for home atabout 11.30 pm.

When asked about the challeng-es, Azlan says that if one does nothave a passion, then it will indeedbe a challenge. Why? Coffee makingis somewhat like a math equation.It is factual in terms of ingredientsand the methods to brew it.

“It is quite technical and you willbe doing the same thing day-in andday-out, so if you don’t like whatyou are doing, then it is going to bevery stressful. I remember the firstcup of espresso that I served to acustomer. He had a sip and askedme if I had any qualification. I wasappalled and upset. But I had totake things in stride as every cus-tomer is entitled to his or her ownopinion. That was a memorablemoment for me. I decided then thatI was going to be one of the best

coffee makers in town and startedworking on it through practice. So,if you do not have the passion forwhat you do, then you will not beable to handle the various obstaclesthat come your way.”

Azlan’s future plan for WhiskCafé is very simple. For a personwho takes meticulous care when itcomes to quality, his main aim is tosustain the quality and atmosphereof Whisk Café. As a communitybased coffee house, Azlan wants tomaintain the ambience of WhiskCafé.

“We see a lot of eateries wherethe quality of their products dimin-ishes once they open more outlets. Idon’t want that to happen to WhiskCafé. I am happy with the two out-lets we have as long as our qualityand atmosphere is always sustainedand made even better.”

For those aspiring to venture intothis line, Azlan says that it is notgoing to be easy. Azlan believes thatthis line of work requires much ded-ication, patience and perseverance.One should only do it if one has thepassion and liking for it.

“Another thing is, you cannot bepassionate about coffee if you arenot passionate about people.If youdon’t like people, then you won’tfeel like making coffee for them.”Spoken like a true barista.

aroma oFa Whisk oF Delectable coFFeesUccess

Whisk Café is fortunate thatone of the café’s partners himself

is a coffee barista. Syed NorAzlan Syed Ahmad Khalid, or

better known as Azlan,

try their creations and they werescrumptious.

“The whole idea for Whisk tookoff from there basically. My

mother has always beenbaking and she was

quite good at it.We talked about

how everythingtasted so good

and about thelack of cafésin KL and thenext thingwe knew, the

idea for Whiskwas born. Once

we went aboutwith the preparations

of setting up the café, Ivolunteered myself to be the

coffee barista. I was quite intriguedby it, I guess. Even as a kid, I

always wanted to try working atStarbucks. The idea of work-

ing in a café where you getto meet people from all

walks of life appealedto me.”

Azlan got sometraining on how to

prepare gourmetcoffee from his

second sister,Nora. His

trainingbasically

wasfrom

“YoU cannot be passionate aboUt coFFeeiF YoU are not passionate aboUt people.”

To view this video, visit www.leaderonomics.com/adil

iSnap me for a video > http://thestar.com.my/isnap

BaristaAzlan at the

WhiskOutpost,1Utama

ShoppingCentre.

myStarjob.com, Saturday 23 March 20134

FREE LEADERSHIPWORKSHOPS

ForYouths

! Age 11 – 13 : 30 March, 2pm, Dropzone*! Age 14 – 16 : 30 March, 11am, Dropzone*! (%' &6 - &32 4 April, 7pm, Wisma HELP*Dropzone, 92A 1st Floor, Jalan Othman, PJ Old Town (Above King's Confectionery)

For AdultsThese leadership workshops will be conducted by a highly trained group ofMasters in Psychology students from HELP University, in collaboration with theleadership experts from Leaderonomics. To register, please [email protected]. For more information, you may contactLeaderonomics at +6012 613 1228.

! For current University Students: 3 (/+"4. 6/1. $"*1, 5#0)! For recent University Grads: 2 April, 7pm, Wisma HELP! For NGO & Community Leaders: 11 April, 7.30pm, Menara STAR

This workshop will help employees and leaders at community organisations learnand develop their leadership skills specifically to be successful in leading socialorganisations.

3 leadership workshops specifically for youths by HELP students. DropZone isa youth inspirational centre and a Leaderonomics initiative to engage andenable youths to build ties with the community. The workshops will help youthsgain perspective of leadership and help them in their growth. To register,please email [email protected]. It will be limited to 40 youthsonly for each workshop, so it will be on a first come-first register basis.

Roshan ThiranDr. Goh Chee Leong

Leaderonomics, a social enterprisededicated to building leaders indeveloping countries, is partneringtogether with HELP University’sPsychology division to provide freeleadership workshops for youthsaged 11 to university students andalso to NGO leaders. Roshan Thiran,Dr. Goh Chee Leong, university dean,together with the highly talentedMasters in Psychology students atHELP University, are designing anddelivering FREE workshops atvarious locations in the Klang Valleyto help people grow and developtheir leadership potential. Comeattend these free leadershipworkshops conducted by thesetalented HELP students.


By ROSHAN [email protected]

Afew years ago, whilst Iwas teaching leadershipin Switzerland, I met brainresearcher Terry Small andhe posed a very interesting

question: What is the most importantpart of your body with regards toleadership?

I immediately answered “the brain.”Our emotions, intellect, knowledgeand expertise all reside in the brain.And he answered “Absolutely” andposed a second question: “So if yourbrain is critical to leadership success,how many books on the brain haveyou read?”

I had to pause for a second as Iknew he was right. If the brain is soimportant to leadership, why aren’tleaders more interested in knowinghow to develop and grow a healthybrain? Thus began my exploration onthe brain and leadership.

The brain is involved in everythingwe do. In Primal Leadership: Realisingthe Power of Emotional Intelligence,Goleman, Boyatzis and McKee dem-onstrate that leaders selected solelyon the basis of IQ and technical abilitylack the necessary emotional compe-tencies to lead effectively. They arguethat high performing leaders haveboth high EQ and IQ levels. Both aredirectly connected and controlled bythe brain. The limbic system in thebrain controls your emotions, impulsesand drives whilst your neocortex is thepart in your brain that IQ, knowledgeand learning is managed.

Human emotions are brain-con-trolled and spread charismaticallywhenever people are near each other,even with no verbal contact. Whenemotionally engaging leaders wereobserved, their followers harmonisedmost readily with the leader’s ideas,and ultimately “caught” the leader’s

mood. High-energy and positive lead-ers like Sir Richard Branson, effort-lessly transfer their optimism to theirfollowers whilst the negative oneswear down their employees.

On the other hand, when leadersperceive a threat or are under stress,

their brain acts differently and an“Amygdala” hijack happens

where they act on impulseinstead of reason. A

person with high emo-tional intelligence

vetoes this hijackbut an “untrained”brain will resultin an “Amygdala

hijack” and areactionaryresponse.

Wang Laboratories, a top tech-nology company in the 80s wasdestroyed by a bad decision that washighly emotional by its then leader,An Wang. A leader’s ability to man-age emotions is critical as emotionscan compromise, or sabotage yourability to make effective decisions.

Previously, I wrote about “gutfeeling” and how our life’s wisdomand experiences are stored by thebrain and retrieved when we facean emergency complex situation.World-class leaders learn to developtheir “gut feel” by managing anemotional brain part called the basalganglia.

Interestingly, our brain actuallygets better the more we use it. Thesame with our bodies – the moreyou use it, the longer it lasts. Since1986, scientist David Snowdonstudied 678 nuns of Mankato,many of whom lived past 100 years– painstakingly collecting data, test-ing them and dissecting their brainsafter death. Among the findings ofthis nun study are:

n An active intellectual life pro-longs your brain’s lifespan andprotects you from the effects ofAlzheimer’s disease.

n Those who express the most pos-itive emotions in their languagelive the longest.

n The brain retains the capacity tochange and grow stronger evenin elderly people.

n Those who teach and are con-stantly challenging their mindslive longer than folks who don’t.

n Strong bonding develops positiveemotional intelligence whichleads to a sharper mind.

After their deaths, scientists wereshocked to see that parts of the brainsthat generally wither with age didnot become so in the brains of theseMankato nuns. How did these nunsmanage to remain sharp and produc-tive even after 100 years?

Researchers have found that intel-lectual stimulation of only 20 minutesa day can spur new neuron growth.Brain exercises were the norm forthese nuns, who lived by the principlethat “an idle mind is the devil’s play-ground”. They wrote spiritual medita-tions in their journals, letters to theirpoliticians and doggedly challengedthemselves with quizzes, puzzles, anddebates on current events.

Your brain has the capacity to con-tinue to develop and grow. A growingbrain keeps mastering the competen-cies of leadership - everything fromself-confidence and decision-makingto empathy and persuasion to runningeffective meetings – till it gets it right.

Our brain thrives on change andchallenges. But in most cases, peopleresist change because of the pain ofchange. The brain’s main functionis to keep you alive and resist pain.Generally, the brain pushes back wheninstructed what to do. This is attrib-uted to homeostasis, the movementof organisms towards equilibrium andaway from instructed change. On theother hand, your brain will release anadrenaline-like rush of neurotransmit-ters when you figure out how to solvea problem yourself rather than beingtold how to solve it by others.

When I returned to Malaysia yearsago and helped in the turnaround ofan organisation, one of the methodswe deployed was to conduct mini-action labs where employees were

given the opportunity to solve a prob-lem, recommend and implement thesolutions. Within a short period, therewas high engagement and the turna-round was swift and effortless, drivenby the employees. Compare that withnumerous attempted turnaroundswhen a commanding CEO comes inand dictates the terms of the change.There is usually huge resistance to thechange and failure. Leaders who lever-age on brain-power will understandthe need for engagement and employ-ee participation in any change effort.

Our emotional brain has neuralpathways that pump out streams ofgood feelings when a goal is accom-plished and reduces feelings of worryor frustration in achieving the target.Great leaders use this in their changeefforts too.

Many leaders still hold on to the oldadage of leadership by command-and-control. Instead, empathy and socialintelligence is the way forward. Anewly-discovered brain neuron, calledthe mirror neuron, enables leaders tolearn empathy.

Mirror neurons, discovered acciden-tally by Italian neuroscientists moni-toring a monkey’s brain, show that thebrain has neurons that mirror whatothers do. “When we consciously orunconsciously detect someone else’semotions through their actions, ourmirror neurons reproduce those emo-tions. Collectively, these neurons cre-ate an instant sense of shared experi-ence.” (Goleman/Boyatzis)

Additionally, mirror neurons enableleaders’ emotions and actions to bemirrored by their followers. This role-modelling was never truly understooduntil the mirror neuron discovery. So, aleader’s action is more important thanhis words. The brain thinks in pictures;not words.

Finally, if you really have no time todevelop and grow your brain, the leastyou can do is keep your brain healthy.Small’s research concludes that by justeating a few prunes a day you “reducethe chances of Alzheimer’s disease by92%”. The brain is 80% water so drink-ing lots of water keeps it hydrated andlistening to Baroque music increasesyour ability to learn by 25% to 400%(and I hope you are reading Small’sweekly Brain Bulletin in the pullout– he provides great ‘brain tips’ to helpyou have a great ‘leadership’ brainweekly!).

Like you, I am on this new journey ofdiscovering the power of the brain inleadership. For starters, why not invest20 minutes daily of doing somethingoutside your comfort zone? At leastyou will grow some new neurons!

n Roshan Thiran is CEO ofLeaderonomics, an amazing socialenterprise providing leadership devel-opment in the hope of ‘transformingthe nation’. To follow Roshan’s dailyleadership advice, visit http://www.facebook.com/roshanthiran.leaderon-nomics or follow him on Twitter athttps://twitter.com/lepaker

how

togr

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ur

Brain

the BestLeadershaveheaLthyBrains

“in essence, everyorganisation is aproduct of how itsmemBers think andinteract.”– peter senge

mystarjob.com, saturday 23 March 2013�


THERE is constant competitionfor the best skills and talent tomanage organisations. Women,who make up approximatelyhalf of the global population,

are looked upon as assets that can helpaccelerate the value chain for aspiringeconomies.

A challenge faced by organisationsacross the world today is to retainqualified and professional women in theworkforce. Whilst there is a large poolof women entering the workforce upongraduation, only a handful remain to takeup positions in the higher level manage-ment of organisations.

This scenario seems to be prevalent inMalaysia. According to the World Bank– Malaysian Economic Monitor; November2012 Report, the labour force participa-tion rate among women remained low at46% compared with Asean countries likeSingapore (60%) and Thailand (70%).

The report also revealed that “thenumber of working women who areemployed or looking for employment islower in Malaysia compared with othercountries with similar income levels”.

“Malaysia has the opportunity toaccelerate its transformation into a high-income economy if more women were inthe labour force.

Closing gender gaps and encourag-ing women to bring their skills to thelabour market could leapfrog Malaysiato high income status,” says AnnetteDixon, World Bank country director forMalaysia.

Why is Malaysia faced with a shortageof women in the workforce? What are theobstacles and burdens they faced thattook them out of the workforce? How canemployers address this issue?

To get better insight on these matters,TalentCorp (Talent Corp Malaysia Bhd)and ACCA (The Association of Chartered

WHY do WoMEN LEAVE?According to the survey, there are

three main reasons as to why womenleave the working world:

n To RAisE A FAMiLYThe number one reason why women

leave their jobs is to raise a family.Many resign once they get married butthe majority leave their job upon havinga baby, according to this survey. Why isthis happening?

Well, with the arrival of a baby andno one to look after the child, mostwomen opt to resign and take on thetask themselves. This is because theyare reluctant to leave their newbornwith child minders. Even if there arequalified and very good childcare cen-tres around, the fee is high and someof these women can’t afford the extraexpenditure with the arrival of theirlittle one.

n LAck oF WoRk-LiFE BALANcELack of work-life balance is also seen

as a major reason. Long hours at workthat takes up their whole day mayseem normal when they are single butis not appropriate once they are mar-ried or if they have a child. There is nobalance between family life and work.Some even continue working once theyreach home until the wee hours of themorning. This can be hazardous to one’shealth, let alone family relations.

n To cARE FoR A

look after a family member. When itbecomes unaffordable to hire a caregiver for an elderly or sick family mem-ber, the women of the family are usu-ally the ones who sacrifice their careerin order to care for these members.

Most of the time, when womenresign from their jobs due to thesereasons, their initial plan is to comeback to the workforce after a certainduration. They take this as a shorttime-off to settle their issues. However,out of the 93% of women on a career-break who considered re-entering theworkforce, 63% of them find it difficultto come back. Only 30% make it backto work.

HoW To RETAIN WoMENIN THE WoRKFoRCE

Key recommendations for employerson how to retain women in the work-force have been drawn up based onthis survey. These are:

n AdoPTiNg FLExiBLEWoRkiNg ARRANgEMENTs

The survey shows that women areattracted to flexible working arrange-ments. These arrangements compriseflexi-working hours where it enablesan employee to adjust the time shestarts work and the time she finishesaround the set core hours. Besidesthat, it can also involve telecommut-ing/working from home. This gives anemployee the chance to work fromhome and helps in reducing the cost,time and stress of commuting. Flexibleworking arrangements have beenknown to increase productivity in anorganisation as a happy employeealways performs best.

MATERNiTY BENEFiTsThe needs of a new mother must be

given importance in an organisation.Companies are now asked to look intoincreasing maternity leave from 60 to90 days which can actually increasethe retention rates. The extendedmaternity break enables a womanto recover well from her childbirthordeal and post-delivery stress. It also

gives her ample time to bond with hernewborn and make sound childcarearrangements. Working mothers whoare given this benefit look up to theirorganisations as being more under-standing of their needs. Thus, their loy-alty increases and they are geared upto go back to work after their hiatus.

n AFFoRdABLE, HigHQuALiTY cHiLdcARE

Working mothers constantly worryabout the well-being of their littleones and are always looking for reli-able and reputable childcare centres.Ideally, organisations can start theirown childcare centre to cater for theirfemale employees. Having the knowl-edge that their children are beinglooked after well, will put their mindsat ease and focus better on their work.

nsExuAL HARAssMENT ANdsEcuRiTY

Organisations should be more sensi-tive towards the safety and security oftheir women employees. Best practicesin this area would include establishingand enforcing a broad sexual harass-ment policy and providing securityguard escort or transport services forwomen that work late at night to theirchosen mode of transport - be it theircar in a parking lot or the nearest LRTstation.

n skiLL TRAiNiNgWomen in organisations have to be

provided with skills to take on higherpositions. Intensive and remedial train-ing must be given for women and thequalified ones must be accelerated tohigher positions to encourage morewomen to step up and take on biggerresponsibilities in the organisation.

Employers are urged to look intoand implement ways that will benefittheir women employees and retainthem at work in order to reach successin productivity. Employers must opentheir eyes and look beyond gender andacross all realms of diversity in order toachieve their full potential.

GettinG womenemployers needto be flexibleto stay on

REASONSWOMENLEAVE THEWORKFORCE

To raisea family

65

Lack ofSUPPORTFACILITIES fromemployer

34%

Lackof WORK-LIFEBALANCE

43%

To CARE for aFAMILY member

38%

CHILDCARE istoo EXPENSIVE

35%

%

To start theirown business

26%

To pursueother interests

Lack of careerprogression

32%

17%

17%

Health reasons13%

11%

Inflexible work arrangements

Inequality in the workforce

3% Harassment at work

9% Others

To continuestudies

10%

then

umbe

rone

reas

onwh

ywom

enle

avet

heir

jobs

isto

raise

afam

ily.

and ACCA (The Association of CharteredCertified Accountants) conducted ajoint survey on female employmentand retention in Malaysia entitledRetaining Women in the Workforce.

n To cARE FoR AFAMiLY MEMBER

Caring for an eld-erly or a sick fam-ily member alsoprompts womento resign. As aman is seen asthe main bread-winner, womenbecome the firstoption when thereis a necessity to

home and helps in reducing the cost,time and stress of commuting. Flexibleworking arrangements have beenknown to increase productivity in anorganisation as a happy employeealways performs best.

n MATERNiTY BENEFiTsThe needs of a new mother must be

given importance in an organisation.Companies are now asked to look intoincreasing maternity leave from 60 to90 days which can actually increasethe retention rates. The extendedmaternity break enables a womanto recover well from her childbirthordeal and post-delivery stress. It also

Inflexible work arrangements

“Corporate malaysianeeds to do more to retainwomen in the workforCe.not for welfare reasonsbut beCause it’s Good forbusiness and it’s the riGhtthinG to do.”– Johan Mahmood Merican,chief executive officer, TalentCorp.

Source: “Retaining Women in the Workforce” survey by TalentCorp and ACCA. Figures based on responses of 824 participants.


Are You in Your DreAm Job

By ANNA [email protected]

Envision thE FuturEWrite an essay of 200 words about yourambition – what do you want to be whenyou grow up? The nun’s soothing voice gen-tly nudged me to see beyond the lessons forthe day. With my eyes peeled to the clockwaiting for the alarm bell to signal lunchbreak, I broke my gaze and turned my atten-tion to Sister Teresa. My first lesson in envi-sioning the future! Wide-eyed and in awe ofthe nobility of the teaching nuns to imparttheir knowledge and educate us, I quicklydecided that my essay would be about myaspiration to become a teacher.

How many of you are in careers as a resultof your admiration for someone, that youjust wanted to be like them? If your answer is“yes”, you are not alone. Now and again, wehave the luck or opportunity to meet leaderswho become our mentors and role models.

Whilst my admiration for the teach-ing nuns remained intact, I switched gearand abandoned my ambition to becomea teacher. At my parents’ behest, I studiedaccountancy. Coming back from university, Igot myself a job as a bean counter fulfillingmy parents’ wish for a practical and safe lineof work. My mother’s contention was “as aqualified accountant, you will always be ableto get a job; after all everyone needs some-one to count their money, right?” Peopletalk about “helicopter” parents in the GenY context; I guess I already had a helicoptermother growing up in the 60s. I later foundout that becoming an accountant wasn’tmy dream job, and instead I was living myparents’ dream! Once the realisation struck, Iblazed the trails in search of my dream job.

Know thysElFOf particular importance in finding your

dream job is to do some soul searching. First,are you aware of your strengths and weak-nesses? Second, do you know your personal-ity type, your preferences, what makes youtick, what does not motivate you? Finally, isyour work utilising your strengths or are youin a role that requires you to regularly fix

sation, enjoys a variety of workand prefers a strategic planningrole. What do you do now? Well,if your profile is at odds with yourwork requirements, the conflictbetween your identity and youroutputs may cause high levels ofanxiety and frustration. But makeno mistake; even if your personalityand strengths do not match yourjob, it doesn’t mean you cannot per-form; it just requires more effort.

how do i Knowthis is right For mE?

Ki, an accounting degree holder, wasnot looking forward to becoming anaccountant although she was targetingonly roles that required her numeri-cal skills. As I listened to her concerns, Isensed that beneath the poised, confidentexterior there was a mass of doubts aboutwhat was right for her and uncertaintyabout what her dream job really is.

She was articulate and analytical in herthought process, striking me as someonewho would enjoy front line work. With a gre-garious personality, she would be a strongambassador promoting products or ideas forthe company she ultimately chooses. To helpher and many others like Ki narrow downtheir choices, I had a dream job conversationwith her. Amongst the questions I askedwere:

relationship management role in an inter-national bank – a job she enjoys, one whichshe did not initially think was possible.

In the course of my human resourcescareer, I have had the opportunity to meetmany talented folks. I am particularly inter-ested in those who pursue successful careersdifferent from their education background.Their talent profile usually exhibits a highlevel of learning agility, risk taking andadaptability to step out of the norm andexplore the right fit that can sometimes befar removed from their earlier choice of stud-ies. One such case remains vivid in my mind.I was headhunting for a senior director intalent management and whilst the calibreof most candidates was high, one CV stood

Trained as a food technologist, Imranstarted his career as a quality assuranceco-coordinator for a food company. Initiallyhis job was in the technical realm wherehe performed routine lab testing, materi-

als handling and supply chain tasks.His “technical” boss ensured that hewas well indoctrinated in the five Ms ofmanufacturing – Man, Method, Machine,Measurement, Materials. Then came theopportunity to lead a union negotiationwhich resulted in a successful conclusionof a new collective agreement. Needlessto say, his finesse in handling the unionmembers and ability to defuse the tensenegotiation did not go unnoticed. Imranadded another feather to his cap whenhe was appointed change champion tolead a new project. His accomplishmentswere recognised when he was offered alead role in employee relations.

path oF lEast rEsistancEAs we chatted on what was the tipping

point for his career change, Imran sharedhis “AHA” moment. “Choosing the pathof least resistance! I realised I have a flairfor influencing and leading people so Imaximised these capabilities to get thingsdone through others. By focusing on mystrengths, I was able to reach my goal fast-er and with less stress! His answers to thefollowing questions assured me of his fitboth for the role and organisation culture.

n What do you love most about yourwork?n What do you dislike or want to avoid?n What do you value? What is importantto you?n What is your preferred working envi-ronment?n What are your strengths? What areyour interests?n What are some examples of how these(value, strengths, interest...) play out in

your work?

Alas! Imran’s journey voyaged from a loveof science to a passion in “Man” (as in thefive Ms). His self awareness enabled him tomake a career switch which optimised hisinnate talent. The rest, as we say, is historyas he has continued to become a very suc-cessful HR professional.

carpE diEm -sEizE thE momEnt!

A career is a long-term journey, morea marathon than a sprint. I have learnt alot about my “dream job” since my schooldays when I would pencil in teacher as acareer choice. Looking back at one’s dreamsthroughout the years provides insightfulclues on the motivating factors, inspirationand career choices to date. The most tal-ented may not always be living their dreamjobs. If you are fortunate to be in a perfectrole for you, you are truly blessed and youknow exactly what works for you!

If, however, your dream job is not yet areality, take some time to learn more aboutyourself. Take a psychometric assessment,solicit feedback from others or if you have amentor, have a career conversation with himor her. Ultimately, bagging the dream jobinvolves knowing yourself better, sharpeningyour professional capability and stepping upyour learning agility on areas which you havea natural flair for. Seek out opportunities andexperiences. Broaden your relationships andnetworking with colleagues and mentors.When the opportunity presents itself – seizethe moment, grab your dream job!

n Anna Tan is a bean counter who found hercalling in HR. Her journey in corporate HR hasled to her to pen ‘STRETCHED! UnleashingYour Team’s Potential by Coaching the RubberBand way where she likened human potentialas flexible and agile as the rubber band.

in a role that requires you to regularly fixyour weaknesses?

what happEns whEnthErE is a disconnEct?

In the organisational context,imagine you are in a job whichrequires you to be steadfast– carrying out repetitivetasks day in and out witha high attention to detail.You have just completeda psychometric assess-ment and your profiledescribed you as some-one who craves sociali-

Her response demonstrateda drive for success, customer

service orientation and a needfor active engagement andinteraction. We ruled outresearch, operations and back

office work and shortlistedroles which she wouldenjoy such as sales, clientservice, marketing and

product development. Iknow for a fact Ki

has nowmoved

on to a

relationship management role in an inter-national bank – a job she enjoys, one whichshe did not initially think was possible.

dEspEratElysEEKing BEst talEnt

In the course of my human resourcescareer, I have had the opportunity to meetmany talented folks. I am particularly inter-ested in those who pursue successful careersdifferent from their education background.Their talent profile usually exhibits a highlevel of learning agility, risk taking andadaptability to step out of the norm andexplore the right fit that can sometimes befar removed from their earlier choice of stud-ies. One such case remains vivid in my mind.I was headhunting for a senior director intalent management and whilst the calibreof most candidates was high, one CV stoodout as exceptional.

Trained as a food technologist, Imranstarted his career as a quality assuranceco-coordinator for a food company. Initiallyhis job was in the technical realm wherehe performed routine lab testing, materi-

About your dreAm job

What is important to you in a career?

In your class or project group, what areyou known for? When you go home atthe end of a work day, how do you feel?

What kind of work environmentappeals to you? How do you like yourboss to treat you? What about your col-leagues?

Imagine you are now in your dream job;what does it look like? What would yoube doing?

About you

What do you like to do most? What arethe top three things / tasks in your list?

What do you like to do least? Or whatare the things/tasks which don’t play toyour strengths?

If I were to ask your best friends, howwould they describe you? Are they todescribe “you at your best” and “youwith your ‘warts and all’”?

What has been the theme and consist-ency of feedback you have received?

orpursuingsomeone

When the opportunitY

presents itself -

seize the moment,

grAb YourDreAm Job!

seek out opportunities AnD experiences. broADen YourrelAtionships AnD netWorking With colleAgues AnD mentors.

else’s DreAm?

INDICATOR 2006 2025 RATE OF CHANGE (%)

Population (Mil) 1.6 3.0 4.63GDP per capital (PPP) in USD 14,790 31,100 5.78Labour Force (Mil) 0.62 1.46 7.00Employment (Mil) 0.61 1.43 7.00

mystarjob.com, saturday 23 March 2013� mystarjob.com, saturday 23 March 2013 �

Low inflation rate (less than 3.5%) and unemployment rateof 3%-4%.

High-income jobs available in an affordable livingenvironment.

State-of-the-art telecommunications with efficient andtransparent public institutional framework with betterconnectivity and mobility initiatives being put into place asthe region continues to grow.

Dynamic knowledge-based existing clusters for informationtechnology, biotechnology, tourism, education andhealthcare, Islamic finance, manufacturing, and electricaland electronic industries.

Excellent international tourist destinations and sportsfacilities, including shopping and healthcare.

Ample amount of land spaces for future housing orrecreational institution developments.

Well thought-out framework, where developments are builtfor you and your family in mind.

Affordable quality housing, excellent education andhealthcare infrastructure within safe, liveable communities.

15% tax rate scheme for knowledge workers.

Close proximity with various other global hubs.

Smart City and Green Agenda initiatives for better qualityand standard of living.

Crime prevention efforts to ensure a safe livingenvironment for all.

*Source: WWW.ISKANDARMALAYSIA.COM

ElEctrical & ElEctronics

PEtrol & olEochEmicals

Food & agro ProcEssing

logistics & rElatEd sErvicEs

ict & crEativE industriEs

Educational sErvicEs

Financial sErvicEs

hEalth sErvicEs

tourism

thE JoBoPPortunitiEsthat aWait Youin isKandarSince its inception in 2006, 554,769 jobshave been created in Iskandar Malaysia. Outof that, less than 40% has been filled. Here’sa quick look on what awaits career seekers inspecific sectors.

FOOD AND AGRO PROCESSINGPercentage fromtotal jobs created:

Example of existingemployers in Iskandar:Kulim (M) Bhd, KFC Holdings (M) Bhd

TOURISMPercentage fromtotal jobs created:

Example of existingemployers in Iskandar:Thistle, Grand Bluewave, KSL Resort

ICT & CREATIVEPercentage fromtotal jobs created:

Example of existingemployers in Iskandar:JuniAsia, NTT MSC

FINANCEPercentage fromtotal jobs created:

Example of existingemployers in Iskandar:CIMB, Maybank, CSOS

ELECTRICAL & ELECTRONICS ANDPETRO & OLEOCHEMICALSPercentage fromtotal jobs created:

Example of existingemployers in Iskandar:Celestica, Dyson, Western Digital,Technip, Halliburton

LOGISTICSPercentage fromtotal jobs created:

Example of existingemployers in Iskandar:Evergreen Heavy Industrial Corp( (M)

OTHERSPercentage fromtotal jobs created:

Example of existingemployers in Iskandar:JPO, UEM Land, UDA Land

WhY You shouldconsidEr isKandaras a FuturEEmPloYmEnt hot sPot

n Petronas Refinery and PetrochemicalIntegrated Development (Rapid) is setto create 40,000 direct employment and100,000 indirect employment till 2016.

n Pinewood Iskandar Malaysia Studios willemploy more than 2,000 starting this year.

n Dato’ Onn Specialist Hospital will hire morethan 900 individuals starting 2014.

n Educity seeks more than 7,000 talents.n Frost & Sullivan will employ approximately

800 career seekers till 2018.n Other projects are set to operate in Iskandar

like MSC Cyberport City, Urban and ResortWelness, Motorsports City, Six FlagsEntertainment Corp and many more.

atag

lanc

E:

10.4%

6.56%

0.37%

3.96%

47.2%

2.02%

29.5%

MORE TO COME!

nEXt Big PlacEisKandar malaYsia:

to WorK!thE With an expected increase in

job opportunities and a risingnew economy, Iskandar is theplace to be for people to launcha successful career. Let’s take alook at what awaits you here.

thE PromotEd EconomicsEctors in isKandar

MANUFACTURINGRM35.1bil

33.0%

GOVERNMENTRM7.3bil

6.9%

EDUCATIONRM1.6bil

1.5%

CREATIVERM0.4bil

0.4%

TOURISMRM2.1bil

2.0%

PROPERTIESRM35.1bil

33.1%

OTHERSRM4.2bil

3.9%

PETROCHEMICAL/LOGISTICS

RM5.7bil

5.3%

UTILITIESRM9.5bil

9.0%

PORT/LOGISTICSRM3.7bil

3.5%

HEALTHCARERM1.6bil

1.5%

Iskandar Investment Updates 2006 to December 2012.Source: Irda, Khazanah, IIB, Mida and Corporate Annoucements

An aerial view of Johor Baru - one of the fiveflagship development zones in Iskandar withSingapore in the background.

invEs

tmEn

tsin

isKan

dar B

Y thE

nu

mBErs

it is EstimatEd that 390,000nEW JoBs havE BEEn crEatEdin thE manuFacturing andsErvicE sEctors alonE From2007 to 2012. thE good nEWs?morE JoBs Will comE ForcarEEr sEEKErs!

Launched in November 2006,Iskandar Malaysia is set to becomethe country’s most developedregion in the south where living,entertainment, environment and

business converge within a bustling andvibrant metropolis. The first of its kind, theGovernment has allocated RM7.3bil for itsdevelopment to transform this region into aworld-class state.

Its strategic location – which is easilyaccessible by leading Asian cities – hasattracted an influx of both foreign anddomestic investments and high-level cor-porate investors who seek to benefit fromIskandar’s many advantages and high-growth potential. With a size of 2,217 sqkm (approximately three times the size ofSingapore), Iskandar is envisioned to be astrong and sustainable metropolis of inter-national standing by 2025.

Since its inception, Iskandar has recordeda total cumulative committed investmentof RM106.31bil in various sectors with 41%being realised as of December 2012.

What does this mean to career seekers?Plenty of opportunities! With its expectedrising new economy, it is no wonder thatIskandar is the country’s next big place towork. The Iskandar Regional DevelopmentAuthority (Irda) – the Federal statutorybody responsible for realising the visionand objectives of Iskandar – is set to make

Iskandar relevant and unique, especially todraw talents both local and foreign to thisregion.

Currently, with its growth of investment,the region has generated an increase ineconomic activities and correspondingly,higher demand for employees. In fact, it isestimated that 390,000 new jobs have beencreated in the manufacturing and servicesectors alone from 2007 to 2012. The goodnews? Many more jobs will be made avail-able for career seekers!

isKandar:ProJEctEd groWth 2006 to 2025

Brought to You BYtalEntcorP

mystarjob.com, saturday 23 March 201310

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Legoland Malaysia is one of the many foreign companies that are moving intoIskandar, providing ample opportunities for employment.

futureempLoyers

A GREAT PLACE TOLIVE AND PLAY TOO!Aside from providing ample careeropportunities, Iskandar Malaysia is set tobecome the prime development for livingand recreational purposes. Residents herecan enjoy the wide range of recreationand lifestyle pursuits including integratedparks, sporting facilities, world-classfacilities, dining, shopping and plentymore. Here’s a quick look at what makesIskandar the hottest address in thenation.

NUMEROUS SPORTINGINFRASTRUCTURESn Enjoy the many sporting facilities here,

ideal for futsal, swimming, tennis,badminton and others.

n Look forward to well-equipped fitnesscentres and world-class golf coursessuch as Horizon Hills Golf and CountryClub, where the Iskandar Johor Openwas held for the past two years.

SHOPPINGAside from the many well-designed shop-ping malls, Iskandar is also home to JohorPremium Outlets, where you can findmore than 80 designers and brand outletstores featuring savings of 25% to 65%every day.

DININGThe region’s dining scene is set tobecome one of the most memorable andamazing one in the nation! Four-stardining venues will co-exist with bistros,cafes, restaurants, casual eateries, fam-ily-operated stalls, fast-food chains andplenty more. Regular food festivals willalso be organised throughout the year.

ENTERTAINMENTYou won’t be bored here, that’s for sure.Iskandar will be home to museums,artistic venues, historical attractions aswell as other entertainment hotspotsthat will offer you plenty to do afterhours. Of course, the theme parkslocated here – LEGOLAND Malaysia andPuteri Harbour Family Theme Park arepopular picks.

NATURE’S BESTJohor is home to some of the world’soldest rainforests, such as the botanicaland wildlife paradise of Endau Rompin,the mangrove island of Kukup, the wet-lands of Tanjung Piai, which has beengazetted as a RAMSAR site, the legen-dary Gunung Ledang and the heavenlyislands of Mersing. Its islands are alsoworld renowned for their clear watersand white sandy beaches.

Want to know who yourfuture employers might beat Iskandar? Here’s a sampleof what you can look forwardto.

EDUCATIONn Educity – Marlborough

College Malaysia, RafflesUniversity Iskandar,Newcastle UniversityMalaysia, NetherlandsMaritime Institute ofTechnology

n Seri Alam Knowledge City –HELP University, UniversitiTeknologi MARA, MalaysiaArts School

HEALTHCAREn Columbia Asia Hospital

Nusajayan Gleneagles Medini Hospitaln Regency Specialist Hospitaln KPJ Healthcare

PETRO &OLEOCHEMICALn Titan Chemicaln Idemitsun Hitachi Chemical

FINANCIAL ADVISORY& CONSULTINGn CIMBn Maybankn RHBn UOBn Citibankn Kuwait Finance House

CREATIVE INDUSTRIESn Pinewood Iskandar

Malaysia Studiosn MSC Cybercity

LOGISTICSn Port of Tanjung Pelepasn Port of Tanjung Langsatn Senai Airport

ELECTRICAL &ELECTRONICSn Dysonn Western Digitaln Celestica AMS (M) Sdn Bhdn Panasonic AVC Networks

Sdn Bhdn Seagate International (J)

Sdn Bhd

LEISURE & TOURISMn Legolandn Indoor Theme Parkn New four and five-Star

Hotels

FOOD & AGROPROCESSINGn Kulim (M) Sdn Bhdn KFC Holdings (M) Bhdn Dutch Lady Milk Industries

Bhd

OTHERS (RETAIL,PROPERTY,CONSTRUCTION)n Johor Premium Outletsn UEM Landn Gamuda Sdn Bhdn Bioxcell Sdn Bhd

iskAndAr mALAysiAAt

your

By GLENN [email protected]

CULTURE plays a key role inthe practice of leadershipand how it is viewed.

There are two impor-tant facets of culture

commonly considered in the contextof leadership: our internal culture orwork environment, and the environ-ment an organisation interacts with.

Internal CultureFirst, every organisation has its

own unique work environmentand culture. For example, leadersengaged in the realms of politics,religion, sport, business, and thesocial services sector will each oper-ate within vastly different cultureswhere assumptions, expectations,attitudes, and values are dissimilar.These become even more culturespecific when individual organisa-tions are contrasted against eachother. Such comparisons can befound in Kim Cameron and RobertQuinn’s excellent work in Diagnosingand Changing OrganisationalCulture where they surveyed morethan 100,000 managers representingnearly 100,000 organisations.

external CultureSecond, there is the external envi-

ronment that the organisation mustinteract with, and for many organi-sations this becomes much morecomplex if they desire to operateacross territorial and internationalborders.

Robert House and MansourJavidan in the GLOBE study defineculture as consisting of “commonlyexperienced language, ideologicalbelief systems (including religionand political belief systems), ethnicheritage, and history.”

Challenges from “theeIghth ContInent”

Certainly not exclusively, butthere is no doubt that the onlineworld has pushed many organisa-

tions into marketsand countries

they never

intended to be in but now findthemselves under pressure torespond. Donald DePalma calls this,“The Eighth Continent.”

There are many challenges facingorganisations and leaders seekingto expand and survive in a rapidlychanging and competitive globalenvironment, particularly in the lightof the global economic crisis thatsuddenly emerged in 2009. On amacro level, we see severe fluctua-tions in the financial markets, thebankruptcy of major corporations,significant flux in the demand forimports and exports, and increasingunemployment.

Consequently, to survive, businessleaders and leaders of NFP organisa-tions have needed to sharpen theirfocus, invest in improved brandawareness, mission distinctiveness,revenue growth and market expan-sion, and product consolidation, all

while reducing expenditureand improving the bottomline. Many leaders have beencaught unprepared anduntrained for such severebusiness scenarios. In theNFP sector, these challengesare escalated further withreductions in discretionary

funds that correlate with a dropin discretionary funds giving to char-ities and faith-based organisations.

Many businesses are also con-stantly seeking to grow. Their focusis on new markets, new products,or a consolidation of products andservices that will allow resources tobe redirected to pursuing greatermarket share, more sustainable

revenue streams and better expensemanagement.

NFP entities have similar goalsand challenges, although their focuscentres more on relevancy and mis-sion legitimacy in the eyes of sup-porters, where today there is greaterdonor sophistication and scrutiny.This results in leaders of NFP organi-sations committing to stronger gov-ernance, better planning, a greateremphasis on measureable outcomesand the formation of effective stra-tegic alliances-locally, regionally andglobally.

With these challenges, it is evenmore important for leaders oper-ating outside of their immediatecultural context to be capable ofoperating effectively in a globalenvironment while being respect-ful of cultural diversity. This is anindividual who can manage accel-erating change and differences. Theglobal leader is open and flexible inapproaching others, can cope withsituations and people disparate fromhis or her background, and is willingto reexamine and alter personal atti-tudes and perceptions.

Rather than emphasise individualleadership traits, which is often eas-ier to do, cross-cultural studies alsocontrast definitions of leadershipamong Eastern (collective, holistic,spirituality-based) and Western cul-tures (hierarchical, authority-based,and individualistic). Understandingthis is particularly important whenone considers how leadership ispracticed in some cultures. Forexample,

In French, leadership, “conduite”,

means to guide ones own behaviour,to guide others, or command action.In France, although the French arefamous for protesting, authorityholds deference and respect.

In German, leadership, “Fuhrung”,means guidance, and in organisa-tions, it is construed to consist ofuncertainty reduction. The leaderguides action. Further, leaders guideby the rules in such a way as tomotivate.

In Chinese, “leadership”embracesthe leader and the led. The leader isone who “walks in front”and guidesthe group through teaching “the way”.Here, the implication is that leadershipcan only be relational activity.

In Arabic, there is a word “Sheikh”that has different meanings accord-ing to the regional culture withinthe Middle East. Literally, “Sheikh”means a man over 40 years.However, in the Gulf and SaudiArabia “Sheikh” means a personfrom the royal family. In Egypt,“Sheikh” means a scholar of religion.In Lebanon, “Sheikh” means a reli-gious leader even among Christians.

All of this confirms that leadershipis not the same in every culture. Thishas wide reaching implications forhow leaders pursue relationshipsbeyond their immediate borders.

n DR. Glenn Williams is the CEO andPrincipal owner of Outward LookingInternational, an organisation thatempowers leaders and organisationsto grow their leadership capacity. Toengage Glenn for special leadershipworkshops for your organisation,email [email protected]

mystarjob.com, saturday 23 March 2013 11

WHILE it is ofteneasier for us tolead in ways that wehave come to rely upon and befamiliar with, the success ofbuilding strategic alliances andglobal partnerships demandsmore. Mutual trust andrespect are not optional, andthey don’t start with assum-ing everyone thinks the sameway we do, or shares the samebeliefs, values, attitudes andassumptions. Some importantquestions you might like toask yourself include:

What key cultural differences exist that wouldbe helpful for me to understand and respect? Have Itaken sufficient time to do this?

Are there certain behaviours and attitudes I ampresenting that might be difficult for this person tounderstand or find offensive?

Would it be helpful to learn how meeting styles(settings, protocol and structure), negotiation anddecision-making varies in different countries?

What steps can I take or opportunities could Iexplore that will help me to become more culturallysensitive, informed, and effective as a global thinkeror leader?

WHEN we speak about company culture, the first organisation thatalways comes to mind is Google. Google has been knowned as oneof the companies with the most interesting culture.

Why is this so? How does this giant search engine company withover 18,500 employees manage to be on the higher part of the listwhen people talk about most wanted jobs? What makes Google’sculture so different from other organisations? One of the reasonswhy Google is such a great workplace is that it prioritises treatingtheir employees well over generating revenue.

GooGle values its employees moreHere are top five reasons why Google’scorporate culture is highly-regarded:

1 It respects and takes very seriously ideas andinput given by employees

2 The 20% project: This a project designed for theengineers of Google to spend 20% of their timeon a project which is outside of their typicalwork responsibilities

3 It provides special benefits for new parents– New parents are given four weeks off work tospend time with their new-borns.

4 The leaders of Google strongly encourage theiremployees to ask any form of questions tothem, it doesn’t matter how ridiculous thequestions may sound.

5 Google’s restaurant offers food for breakfast,lunch, and dinner, with a variety of delicious andnutritious food to choose from. After all, whodoesn’t love food?

Larry Page, co-founder of Google once said: “My jobas a leader is to make sure everybody in the companyhas great opportunities, and that they feel they’rehaving a meaningful impact and are contributing tothe good of society. As a world, we’re doing a betterjob of that. My goal is for Google to lead, not followthat.” Well, it’s safe to say this leader has got it right.

What

’sth

ebot

tom-

line?

understandinGculture

have come to rely upon and be familiar with, the success of building strategic alliances and global partnerships demands more. Mutual trust and respect are not optional, and they don’t start with assum-ing everyone thinks the same way we do, or shares the same beliefs, values, attitudes and assumptions. Some important questions you might like to

opens neWopportunities


[email protected]

IN the war on talent, the challenge hasalways been attracting talent withleadership qualities. A good leadercan galvanise his team to reach newand greater heights which is the aim

of any institution operating in a competi-tive environment. Adding value and corpo-rate sustainability are key words in today’svocabulary.

Renowned leadership guru JohnMaxwell has correctly said “leadershipis about influence”. Not surprisingly onefinds that the most effective way to influ-ence others is to gain both their respectand trust. Ethics and morals now begin toenter the equation and by default, thesebecome the determinants of the levelof trust that we will have on others. Thehigher the level of ethics and good moralbehaviour exhibited, the greater is thelevel of trust one has on this leader.

Leaders, in the workplace or outsideof it are inevitably placed in positions oftrust. They are entrusted with the assetsof an organisation and they are expectedto diligently look after them and add valuewherever and whenever possible. Theworst scenario is when they abuse thisposition of trust to commit acts whichmay be deemed legally correct but morallyand ethically wrong. Invariably the uglyhead of corruption begins to enter theplaying field, yet in some instances this isdeemed acceptable as it is a means to anend. It is all about being one notch betterthan the competitor. After all shouldn’tsuccess be the ultimate goal, costs aside?

Good GovernanceThe modern world has come to realise

that ethical values, integrity and good gov-ernance are the foundations of a success-ful state (Betrand de Speville- OvercomingCorruption). So what can underminethese foundations and consequently thetrust that one has on each other on anindividual basis and on a collective societalbasis? This cancerous growth is the tenta-cles of corruption with its poisonous sting.When the trust in leaders and institutionsis compromised, these foundations areunder siege. The erosion of the ethicalunderpinnings in society is then inevitable.

In the workplace, leaders have yet to

factors including indifference or a generalfeeling that if I am not personally affected,why should I get involved. This attitudeof ambivalence or even resignation to thefact that corrupt practices are pervasiveis most dangerous as it merely feeds thecancerous growth of corruption.

Leaders who inspire trust and promotegood ethical behaviour must cultivate anattitude and work style that is intolerantof corruption in any way, shape or form.One tends to equate corruption withmonetary considerations but it can takemany forms. Abuse of power in exchangefor non-monetary rewards is another formof corrupt practice. A good ethics policyand programme in place will be able toprovide the required education at theworkplace or shop floor level as to what isacceptable and what is not. This providesthe reference point and benchmark as towhat is ethical and what is not. Corruptionis surely not good ethics by any stretch ofthe imagination.

Global corruptionSo where does Malaysia stand in the

global rank on perception of corruption?Greece is number 94 and China is rankedbetter at 80 with Malaysia coming in at54 (six notches higher than the previousyear) on the Transparency InternationalCorruption Perception Index 2012. Thisis the best in the Asean region afterSingapore.

China’s new leader has had the fore-sight to place corruption on the nationalagenda. Our own leaders have identifiedcorruption as one of the areas of prior-ity under the National Key Result Areas(NKRA) programme and have taken stepsto combat this scourge. The WhistleblowerProtection Act 2010 is in place. Fourteenspecial corruption courts have been set up.There is a naming and shaming websitecoupled with open competitive tendersand the introduction of integrity pledges/pacts.

These efforts are at the national level.The question that begs asking is “whatis happening at the ground level?” Theauthorities have set in place the buildingblocks to tackle any form of corruptionwhich will hinder the productive use of thenation’s resources. This is in line with glo-

bal best practices with a view to improvethe ranking of the country in corruptionperception indeces.

attitudesThe question of enforcement through

the efforts of the regulators and theauthorities can only do that much.Prosecutions can go on forever but whatis required more is a change of attitude– the corrupt will always find ways tocircumvent improvements to deliverysystems. Long-term success can only comethrough total abhorrence and intoleranceof corruption at all levels beginning at theworkplace.

Any hint of corruption should be metwith complete disdain and buttressedwith immediate halts to any career pro-gression. Corporations are now being heldaccountable for the acts of corruption bytheir employees and agents with heftyfines and regulatory sanctions being theorder of the day. The US Foreign CorruptPractices Act, for example has wide rang-ing coverage over the global activities ofcorporations incorporated in the UnitedStates. In the United Kingdom, thereis the UK Bribery Act 2010 and on thehome front, there is the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Act 2009. All indicate the seri-ousness of efforts being taken to combatcorruption on a global scale.

Young leaders at the workplace who areimbued with the desire to promote goodethical values and high moral behaviourare in a position to directly benefit fromtaking the high ground as it builds thetrust that is required of leaders. This bringswith it the power to influence and careerprogression is a natural consequence ofthese actions. It is not enough to justlament on the perception of corruptionlevels. Action is within one’s sphere ofinfluence of experience to improve thesituation.

Corporations in Malaysia have seenand appreciated the importance of ethicsand integrity within the workplace. Thishas led to the realisation that high moralbehaviour has to emanate from the topand subsequently cascade to the lowerlevels. Only then will there be a holisticstance towards ethics, morals and corruptpractices which will serve to insulate thecorporate from possible breaches of thelaw. To this end, as of February, 179 corpo-rates have signed the corporate integritypledge. These pledges included a codeof conduct and behaviour that fosters aclimate that is against corruption of anyform, be it from the giving or the receivingend.

Companies with good work ethicsinevitably attract quality stakeholders andmore importantly, fresh talent to propelthe growth of the company. Therein isthe incentive which is lucrative enough topromote good work ethics and natural dis-couragement of corrupt practices. No goodcompany will want to have leaders whoengage in questionable activities whichmay result in it being investigated.

The writing is on the wall. Those inpositions of leadership are expected toconduct both their personal affairs andthose of the corporations they lead, withthe highest degree of ethics and moral-ity especially with regard to any form ofbehaviour that can be perceived as cor-rupt. Anything less will not be acceptablein the global workplace.

n Walter Sandosam is senior researchfellow at HELP University and is past presi-dent of the Institute of Internal AuditorsMalaysia. He has over 30 years experiencein the banking sector.


By WALTER [email protected]

adopt an adversarial stance towards thismenace. This can be due to a number of trust in Future leaders

THE MENACE OF

CORRUPTIONETHICs ANdMORAls NOwbEgIN TO ENTERTHE EqUATION ANdby dEFAUlT, THEsEbECOME THEdETERMINANTsOF THE lEvEl OFTRUsT THAT wEwIll HAvE ONOTHERs.


WHEN asked what motivates him inlife, Jim Rogers is quick to reply that itis his two daughters. According to him,he never wanted to have children as hefelt they were a waste of time, moneyand energy. However, the arrival of histwo girls has taught him much abouthimself and his emotions; a side of himhe never knew existed before.

James Beeland Rogers Jr is arenowned American investor andauthor. He has written many bookson investing and the world market.In fact, this doting father has evendedicated a book to his daughters toprovide them with valuable lessons onlife and investments. Rogers is chair-man of Rogers Holdings and BeelandInterests, Inc. He was the co-founderof Quantum Fund with George Sorosand creator of the Rogers InternationalCommodities Index. Born in the ruraltown of Baltimore, Maryland, Rogersfirst ventured into business at thetender age of five by selling peanutsand picking up empty bottles that fansleft behind at baseball games. Rogers

graduated with a bachelor’s degreein history from Yale University in

1964 and got his first job atWall Street’s Dominick

& Dominick. Heacquired a

second

BA degree in philosophy, politics andeconomics from Balliol College, OxfordUniversity in 1966.

When asked about the prerequisitewhen it comes to investing, he saysthat it has to be competency. For him,a good leader is someone who hasvision. It is someone who can see howthe world is going to be in the futureand is able to adapt himself to thechanges. He claims that one of thebiggest mistakes in his life was losingquite a lot of money whilst investing.He overcame it by analysing where hehad gone wrong and why he had madethat mistake.

He eventually realised that one is tobe blamed for one’s mistakes but thewise thing to do is to learn from themand move on.

“Invest in only things that you knowa lot about. Don’t let others tell youwhat to do and don’t get caught upin whatever you read. Always stick towhat you know best and you won’t gowrong.”

The adventurous Rogers was alwaysintrigued by things happening aroundthe world and he has gone around theglobe twice on his motorcycle. Theseexperiences have taught him immenselessons about people and brought himmuch inner peace and satisfaction.

Rogers believes one should alwaysbe sceptical about things. By beingsceptical, you are not merely acceptingthe way everything goes but questionabout how it happens. It is good to beinquisitive as it helps to broaden one’shorizons and knowledge.

“You should always question things

which are not clear to you. Don’t besatisfied with the answers you get;rather, do your own research for yourown benefit. This will help you learnnew things. Always think throughthings and learn how to make yourown decisions without relying onothers. Your own decisions are alwaysoriginal.”

We all have a dream but how manyof us actually chase it to make it a real-ity? Rogers believes that if you have adream you should pursue it. The worstthat can happen is to fail but you canmove on to other things. Don’t leaveyour wish unfulfilled and regret thatyou did not give it your best shot. Healso believes that one should followone’s passion without the influence ofanyone as that will lead to success andhappiness. Rogers lives by that mantraand look how far he has gone.

n To access the full interview withRogers and to access other videos ofinspirational personalities, visit www.leaderonomics.com/theleaderonomic-sshow

To view this video, visit http://leaderonomics.com/theleaderonomicsshow/interviews/interview-with-jim-rogers

Investor Guru JImroGers unravels

dedicated a book to his daughters toprovide them with valuable lessons onlife and investments. Rogers is chair-man of Rogers Holdings and BeelandInterests, Inc. He was the co-founderof Quantum Fund with George Sorosand creator of the Rogers InternationalCommodities Index. Born in the ruraltown of Baltimore, Maryland, Rogersfirst ventured into business at thetender age of five by selling peanutsand picking up empty bottles that fansleft behind at baseball games. Rogers

graduated with a bachelor’s degreein history from Yale University in

1964 and got his first job atWall Street’s Dominick

& Dominick. Heacquired a

second

supremacy scholarshIp awards 2013 by Greateastern chanGInG lIves for the betterBy EVA [email protected]

GREAT Eastern Life, being one of theleading life insurance companies in thecountry, has gone a long way in providingfinancial security, promoting good healthand meaningful relationships through

105 years of its existence. Last year, the companycontinued to break through and change the gamefor the industry. Great Eastern repositioned itself,redefined its mission and purpose and made a totaltransformation through its brand refresh exercise– currently, they are no longer just a life insurancecompany; they are a LIFE company - going beyondjust insurance protection, helping Malaysians to livehealthier, better and of course ultimately, longer.

In line with being a LIFE company, Great Easternalso plays a big part in “giving back to the society”through its many projects and events that givegreater impact to truly living the LIFE company con-cept. One of these is the Great Eastern SupremacyScholarship Award which has been in place since1998.

For a developing nation, what better contributioncan a Life company give than investing in the youngminds of the future? For students who cannot afford

a higher education, the future can look bleak. GreatEastern Supremacy Scholarship Award programmecan make a life-changing difference by supportingthe hopes and dreams of a young person.

Great Eastern pioneered the scholarship awardprogramme in the local insurance industry. To date,102 students have benefitted from the award pro-gramme, making the difference and creating thechange in their lives through local public and privateuniversity degrees as well as in overseas universitiesin the UK and Australia - from Universiti Malaya andUniversiti Sains Malaysia, to Taylor’s University andNottingham University of Malaysia, to London Schoolof Economics and Heriot-Watt University in the UKand Melbourne University and Australian NationalUniversity in Australia.

An amount of RM6.2mil has been invested bythe company in developing the minds of our futuregeneration and to manage a pool of talented youngMalaysians and future CXOs of the organisation.

Datin Nancy Lim, senior vice-president and headof human capital, Great Eastern Life, Malaysia said:“We believe that there are many talented youngMalaysians out there who, with the right supportand platform, could reach their highest potential, andmake a difference in their lives. As change is the onlyconstant, at Great Eastern, we want to be the sup-

port and platform for these individuals to empowerand equip them for the wheels the change - not justfor themselves, but also for their family, the organisa-tion, the community at large and their nation.”

The Great Eastern Supremacy Scholarship Awardis open for application from March 4 to April 30.Will you be the next to benefit as a Great Easternsupremacy Scholar and be the change you would liketo see in the world? For further information and toobtain an application form, visit www.greateastern-life.com. What are you waiting for? Make a differenceby applying to this scholarship award.

iSnap me for a video > http://thestar.com.my/isnap

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BRUNEI

SINGAPORE

MALAYSIA

a project established in July2006 under the administration of

the Iskandar RegionalDevelopment Authority (IRDA) which

is set to become the most developedregion in southern Penisular Malaysia,thus making it one of Asia’s largest

economic developmentregion.

of Johor, the lateSultan Iskandar.

commencementof Iskandar Malaysia in 2006,

55,000 new jobs havebeen created, and Iskandar Malaysia

still requires about 250,000high-skilled employees within thenext 10 to 15 years, increasing the

current number from600,000 to 850,000.

and many Singaporean companiessuch as CapitaLand, Ascendas andTemasek are investing in Iskandar

Malaysia, raising its profileinternationally, which makes it an

excellent destination tohave a career in.

is collaboratingwith higher learning

in developingcurricula to supply the talentrequirement for Pinewood

Iskandar Malaysia Studios whichis scheduled to begin operations

in the second quarter of2013.

Kuok, Tan Sri Teh Hong Piow,Tan Sri Lee Chin Seng and Tan

Sri Lim Kok Thay haveinvested in projects in

Iskandar Malaysia.

second largest state in PenisularMalaysia, and is in close proximity

to various global tourist attractionssuch as the much hyped about

Legoland – Malaysia’s firstinternational theme

park.

Malaysia is projected toencompass 1.35 millionpeople or 43% of Johor’s

population of 3.17 million, witharound 66% of the population

comprising of workingadults.

Iskandar Malaysia isa project established in July

2006 under the administration ofthe Iskandar Regional

1

IskandarMalaysia was named

after the 24th Sultanof Johor, the late

2

Sincethe commencement

of Iskandar Malaysia in 2006,more than 55,000 new jobs

been created, and Iskandar Malaysia

3

Iskandar HQ is located in Johor, the

second largest state in PenisularMalaysia, and is in close proximity

4

Iskandar Malaysia hasbeen on Singapore’s radar

and many Singaporean companies

5

IRDAis collaborating

with higher learninginstitutes in developing

curricula to supply the talent

6

Malaysia’s top fiverichest people - T.

Ananda Krishnan, RobertKuok, Tan Sri Teh Hong Piow,

7

By2025, Iskandar

Malaysia is projected toencompass 1.35 millionpeople or 43% of Johor’s

8

ISKANDARMALAYSIAISKANDARMALAYSIA

SINGAPORESINGAPORE

By TERRY SMALL

[email protected]

WHAT is the secret to raising smart kids?

The secret is... don’t tell them how smart

they are. Our society values talent and

natural ability. Yet research shows that

praise focused on effort - not on intel-

ligence or ability - is the key to promoting

success in school and in life!

Here is aninteresting study:

Two groups of students were given

easy problems to solve. The first group

quickly solved the problems and they

were praised for being smart and intel-

ligent. The second group quickly solved

the problems and were praised for their

effort and hard work. Then both groups

were given another set of more difficult

problems. The first group became discour-

aged and lost confidence. The second

group stuck it out and continued to work

hard. Finally, a third set of easy problems

were given to both groups. The first group

did not perform well. The second group

improved their performance markedly.

Similar studies date back decades.

WHat’s going on Here?

People seem to develop two possible

views of their brains – a fixed mindset or

a growth mindset.

A fixed mindset has a static view of

intelligence. “I am what I am.” “It is what

it is.”A growth mindset has a dynamic view

of intelligence. “Let’s get smarter.” “I love

a challenge.”

The brain is at the centre of all this.

Everything you see, feel, hear, and think is

controlled by your brain. Your brain allows

you to engage masterfully with your eve-

ryday environment. It is capable of pro-

found insight, subtle perceptions, difficult

feats of memory, and stunning athletic

accomplishment. But the most amazing

achievement of your brain is that it can

understand itself!

Take a moment and consider your

mindset. Your brain is not static. It gets

better with use. Learning promotes the

formation of new connections between

neurons in the brain. The result is a better,

healthier brain that learns even better

and quicker the next time! When people

understand this they are more likely to

adopt a growth mindset.

This has important implications

for school, home, and the workplace.

Students with a growth mindset are

more likely to seek help or to take on

challenges. People who believe the brain

can improve are more likely to look for

improvement in relationships. Leaders

who have growth mindset are more likely

to value feedback and to mentor others.

see your brain as

a Work in progress!

In the next Brain Bulletin I will send you

one of the most interesting things I have

read in quite a while.

RemembeR: “You are a genius”.

n Terry Small is a brain expert who resides

in Canada and believes that anyone can

learn how to learn easier, better, faster,

and that learning to learn is the most

important skill a person can acquire. To

interact with Terry, email mystarjob@

leaderonomics.com

By JAMES [email protected]

I am about to tell you why the storyof Sylvester Stallone should inspireeveryone to pursue their dreams. Haveyou ever wondered why he has such a“unique” expression? He was born par-alysed in the lower left part of his face.Not to mention his speech was slurred.Death rattle for an acting career right?

Wrong! When he went to New YorkCity to be an actor, nobody wanted tohire him. At one point, he had to sleepat the New Jersey bus terminal forthree weeks straight because he wasso broke. Things got so bad, he had tosell his loyal companion, his dog, to astranger for US$25; this was his lowestpoint.

One day, he got an idea for a screen-play while watching Muhammad Alibox. He didn’t sleep the whole week-end, and by the end of it he had writ-ten the entire script for Rocky in threedays. Eventually, he found some pro-ducers who were willing to offer him, aman who at some point was so brokehe had to sell his dog, US$125,000 forthe movie. But there was a catch; hecouldn’t act in it.

He was broke, but he had adream to be an actor; so he walkedaway. Weeks later, they offered himUS$325,000; but he still said no.Eventually, they let him act in themovie, but only paid US$35,000.

Out of that, he immediately spentUS$15,000 on tracking down andbuying back his best friend, his dog,the dog in the movie. Rocky madeUS$200mil.

“It ain’t about how hard you hit, it’sabout how hard you can get it andkeep moving on. That’s how winning isdone.” - Rocky

in School and in life

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By JAMES LEE



We have four experts on career man-agement, HR and office issues whowill address your questions weekly.We refer to them as Careernomers– experts in career matters who willhelp you in your career journey. Soif you have any burning question toask, send it to [email protected] and we will get the panel to answeryour question.

This week, Ang Hui Ming, co-founder of Leaderonomics,and guest careernomer Lai Tak Ming, director, group HRand admin at Gamuda Bhd, answer Flo’s question.

Dear Careernomers,I would like to ask a few questions regarding my career

advancement. I am working in the construction industryas a project engineer in a development site for 1½ years.I actually enjoy being a client engineer. But I realise thatin order to compete at a higher level in positions suchas project manager, I need to have sound knowledgeabout what contractors and consultants do. I just gotto learn about project coordination skills currently. Myquestion is, should I switch jobs to contractor/consult-ant before becoming involved in project management?Currently, I do have some hands on experience. Myhead of department intended to send me for trainingfor a few months. Do you think this is good enough tocontinue my career development? I heard that if youwant to get a higher job position you have to keep onswitching companies – should I follow this “rumour”?Since my current salary is way below the market, shouldI consider switching to another company or go overseasto work?

Warm Regards,

Flo

Dear Flo,For a project engineer to

excel in the construction industry,it is always beneficial to gain expo-sure in multiple functions such asdesign, site works, project manage-ment, etc. to help engineers devel-op a bigger picture of the overalloperations of a project. In Gamuda,we rotate our young engineersthroughout multiple functions aspart of their development plan,which is what I think your head ofdepartment is planning for you aswell. This is a good step forward interms of your career developmentas you will be experiencing a con-sultancy role, and at the same time,not lose touch with the site worksand project management partof the project. But give yourselfenough time to learn in each role.

If you are really well below mar-ket rate, perhaps there is a case forconsidering a move. But is that afact or just what people claim? Bemindful there will always be thosewho are paid more for specificreasons. You may or may not becomparing apple for apple. As theChinese say, even fingers are of dif-ferent lengths.

Also it really depends on whichdo you value more. Is it careerdevelopment? Or is it monetaryreward? This is when you will haveto ask yourself, putting monetaryissue aside, are you happy withyour current job?

>Are you looking forward to yourfuture role in the company?

>Is your supervisor/ managerdoing what he/she is supposed todo in developing and training you?

> Do you see yourself develop-ing and moving up the ladder inyour current company?

> How do you see yourself infive years if you stay with your cur-rent company?

These are the questions that youmight want to address before mak-ing a decision.

On your question about switch-ing companies to obtain a higherposition, I think this is not alwaysthe case. Employees who movecompanies too often will riskbeing labeled as a “job hopper” byemployers. Switching companiesdoes not always guarantee higherpositions. There have been so manycases in which employees switchcompanies for a lateral position,and ended up stagnated in theircareer. Having short stints in com-panies may not be as beneficial toan employee, as he or she wouldnot have gained enough experienceand exposure to move forward. Inthe construction industry, experi-ence is critical. Nothing beats thatand you can’t have a short cut.Spending enough time in one roleto cover a whole cycle of a projectis an important part of that experi-ence.

Then again, companies withgood career development plans fortheir employees will do what is nec-essary to ensure that an employeeis well-equipped to advance in hisor her career.

In such cases, an employee canstill climb up the corporate ladderwithout switching companies.

While the grass may seemgreener on the other side, work-ing overseas has benefits but alsopotential setbacks. You can learnquite a lot in an international andcross-cultural environment. Butthere could also be challenges anddownsides. Cost of living is alwaysunder-estimated. Opportunitiesmight be limited, as priority may begiven to the locals.

On the other hand, opportuni-ties are plenty here in Malaysia,especially with the ongoing andupcoming developments such asKlang Valley MRT, LRT line exten-sion, KL-Singapore high speed rail,etc; the need for engineers will beeven more crucial than ever. A lot oflocal construction companies have

also increased their salary scale inorder to compete with the othermultinational companies for talent.Local companies such as Petronas,Sime Darby and AirAsia, have alsodeveloped into multinational com-panies and become one of the mostsought after employers. Gamudahas become a regional giant.

Opportunities are always there, itdepends on how hard you are will-ing to work for it and grab hold ofit when the opportunity arises. Nomatter where you are, as long asyou possess the qualities, the rightpersonal values and are willingto strive hard towards your goal,opportunities will eventually comeknocking on your door.

lai Tak ming

Dear Flo,Although I’m not an expert

in the construction industry, I doknow that there is a shortage andhigh demand for excellent projectengineers, project managers, cli-ent consultants and jobs relatingto the construction industry fromtender and the proposal develop-ment stage. I have a few contactswho are in this industry as partnersand CEOs of both mid-size and bigconstruction firms and they all havethe same issue – the lack of “great”project leaders who have “deep”expertise and understanding of thewhole works.

This is a huge concern to themas the role of project leads (be itproject manager, site manager,project engineer etc) are so crucialto ensure construction projects arecarried out with the highest safetyand quality required for a propercompletion within budget, safetyand quality standards and time-line. Their lament is that people inthe industry lack the tenacity andperseverance to learn from the“old timers” who have been in the

industry for a long time.From what you mentioned,

it appears that your leaders arewilling to give you a variety ofexposure and experience in dif-ferent roles to help you become awell-rounded project manager. Thefact that your leaders are concernedand have even thought of plans foryou to build your expertise in bothon-site spectrum and on the otherspectrum with the client, meansthey recognise your potential andare helping you to develop criticalskills and experience to succeed inbecoming a good project manager.Sometimes, that’s the benefit ofbeing in a smaller constructioncompany. You have more opportu-nities to do a variety of roles andbe mentored by your manager andhead of department. And in theconstruction line, learning fromexperienced people and from avariety of fields is far better thanwhat any textbook or universitycourse can teach you. Sometimes,the knowledge you gain from asmall firm is more valuable than ahigher salary.

So to answer your question if you“have” to switch job to take on therole of the contractor and/or con-sultant before becoming a projectmanager, I’d say it is not a “must”but “good to have”. You can be aproject manager by learning theropes from an experienced projectmanager in the constructionindustry. However, it is a wise andadvantageous move for you to takeon one of the roles of the contrac-tor and/or consultant for a whileto understand the challenges theyface. This enables you to be betterequipped as a project manager tohandle both parties and also knowexactly what they are talking about(and not be cheated or shortch-anged) since you have been in theirshoes before.

To answer your second ques-tion whether you should switch

company or go overseas, myadvice is always consistent to all,and that is to switch jobs for yourpersonal development, genuinecareer advancement and growth,not just for the salary. If you canfind another company, whetherit is local or foreign, that can giveyou the learning and growth youneed to become a better projectmanager, with good leaders whoare willing to develop you, then byall means, you can consider yourmove. But if you are moving onlybecause of the salary, taking a rolethat stifles you or a role that youare not qualified for yet in termsof experience, then it may notbe a wise move in the long term.Because of the demand of theindustry, there is a lot of pinchingand counter offering of people inthe construction line. This is whythere is the common practice inthe industry to switch companiesfor a higher pay. However, in thiscycle of hiring to fill open rolesof projects, the worst case is thatpeople are hired into big roleseven though they don’t “qualify”in terms of experience, risking thesafe and successful completion ofany construction project. Pleasedo not go into a role that you arenot confident about because theline you are in carries the weightof many lives, from the site work-ers to the tenants or users of yourconstruction project.

Flo, your thoughts and questionsare valid to consider and I hope youwill truly look into the best optionfor you to become a great projectmanager with the highest stand-ard of integrity and ethics in theconstruction industry.

ang Hui ming

n The opinions expressed are thoseof the authors and not necessarilythose of myStarjob.com

Qu

esTi

on

Coming up in next Saturday’s issue . . .mystarjob.com, saturday 23 March 2013

Next week’s Top 10 bringsyou various waysto welcomenew employeesat work

Also next week

You don’t have tochange yourself tobring out thebest in you, saysVictor Loh in Hard Talk

WorkLife Balance looksinto how extra-longhours at workcan affect your family,happiness and your health

Letting go goes a long way inhelping you keep ahead,says RoshanThiran in Be A Leader

GOOD OR BAD?WORK ARRANGEMENTS

ARE FLEXIBLE

t: iskandar malaysia - leaderonomics.com · iskandar malaysia in johor. there, one can find great...

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