How has your life experience made you the leader you are today?
I come from a working-class family in Malaysia. Since young, my family instilled in me core values such as treating people the way you want to be treated and taking pride in whatever work you do, no matter how small the achievements. Hard work has helped me to achieve what and where I am today in life.
I believe that as a business leader, you are only as strong as your team. It is essential to appreciate every team member as everyone brings in their expertise and strengths. I tend to surround myself with people who will positively influence me, be it personally or business-wise.
Building interpersonal relationships is significant to me as I believe that trust is the core foundation. Fostering trusted relationships has served me well in my professional life.
What traits do you look for in your talent or how do you decide who is right for a job?
Finding the right talent can be challenging. Before proactively seeking out potential employees, companies should focus on building a positive employer image; to stand out from other businesses in the market. Enthusiasm is a trait I look out for in candidates as those who are passionate are more likely to stay longer than those purely in for money. I also focus on a candidate’s emotional intelligence (EQ), as that is a strong indicator of whether the recruit will be an asset to the team. I appreciate those who come knowing what Cloud4C does as a company, as it shows they have done ample research before speaking with me.
Non-verbal communications cues such as handshakes and gestures are critical, especially during interviews. Due to the pandemic, much of our hiring process relies on virtual meetups, which I believe is a considerable disadvantage, as it eliminates non-verbal communication and creates a barrier for the candidates from being their authentic self.
How do you think the industry you are in will evolve in the future?
The Asia-Pacific region is the fastest-growing market for enterprise cloud computing-related services. When the pandemic first hit, many businesses moved onto the cloud to support their digital transformation and minimise the disruption caused by the lockdowns and social distancing measures. With no confirmation of when the pandemic restrictions will end, many companies will continue their operations through a hybrid working style and adopt a cloud-first approach.
I predict that businesses will focus on adopting a combination of public cloud in a private environment or hybrid cloud as it allows for scalability, flexibility while being cost-effective despite having the security and compliance benefits of private cloud.
In February this year, the government announced the rollout of MyDigital – Malaysia’s digital economy blueprint for the next 10 years. As the government continues its push towards digital transformation, I strongly believe there is a need for industry collaboration with the private sector’s support to successfully digitalise the nation and unlock its full digital economy potential.
What advice can you offer those looking to start their career/own business?
Start asking yourself what you really want to do in life. A career decision is a major decision in one’s life. It is easier to navigate life when you know what your heart desires – follow your passion and learn from other’s experiences.
You never truly fail in life but just get redirected; there are even times when you can seek inspiration from the failure itself and it can be the motivation for you to push towards your goals. Goal setting is an important tool when it comes to career planning, with both short-term and long-term goals being set. It is imperative to include the steps to take to reach each one, along with ways to get around barriers that might get in your way.
Learning never stops no matter the stage of your career. With a growth mindset, you are more open in gaining more skills and more likely to be flexible and adaptable in your career path.
We all know about the industrial revolution, are we in for a technological revolution? Your thoughts
The Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated the adoption and emergence of new technologies and we are definitely witnessing a fourth industrial revolution – a technological one. As we continue navigating a post-pandemic world, the ongoing technological revolution will change the way we live and radically disrupt businesses across all sectors and industries. Governments and countries, too, are riding on this revolution and rolling out initiatives that aim to establish themselves as the smart nations of the future.
Cloud is part of this technology revolution and as more organisations make the move towards cloud as part of their digital transformation strategies, we will see more unique technological innovations that will make lives easier for everyone, increase efficiency and productivity.
Change can be frightening, and the temptation is often to resist it. One of the most important skill sets for this generation is to learn how to navigate and manage ambiguity. The technological revolution has only just started, we must learn how to be opportunistic by focusing only on what we can control while managing our response to what we cannot control.
How has mentorship made a difference in your professional life?
I once had an opportunity to mentor someone way younger than myself, which over the years became a two-way mentoring engagement. As mentors, you don’t only want to teach others the technical skills but be able to inspire and impact others.
This mentor-mentee role reversal has made a significant influence in my career. I am constantly challenged to view things from different perspectives which made me understand my job more and enabled me to identify gaps. This action of knowledge not only impacted me professionally but also transformed mentorship to friendship where we support each other with our endeavors, even when they have moved on to other career paths.
Best piece of advice you ever got on your career.
One of the earliest pieces of advice that I received in my career journey is to embrace failure. Every one is afraid of failure and embracing it is definitely not easy. The fear of failure itself can cause us to fail – undermining leadership styles, underperforming and affecting our overall happiness. We often strive for perfection so much that we forget that our happiness and mental health are equally important.
The best life lessons are learnt through failure. Being able to experience and embrace failure teaches us humility, and allows us to take more risks in life. Your success will taste way better so just be fearless.
Most-admired business leader? Why?
Hamdi Ulukaya, CEO and founder of Chobani, a business producing Greek-style yogurt. Hamdi is a Kurdish immigrant from Turkey, who shared much wisdom of integrity and the importance of character as an essential aspect of business.
I admire Hamdi’s leadership and employee-first mentality, which not only grew his business. His contributions surpassed just business success. He is a philanthropist and humanitarian who founded the Tent Partnership for Refugees to mobilise the private sector and have changed the lives of more than 25 million refugees around the world.
How do you stay abreast of issues affecting your industry?
I have been working in the tech industry for almost a decade, witnessing countless technological advancements. Staying abreast in this industry requires trendspotting, and research and development, as you are always anticipating the next significant change. The tech industry requires you to always be focused and keep a lookout for the next best innovation or how you need to pivot the business.
A must-read for every business owner/manager is...
I tend to switch between books in my e-book app. I am currently reading Loonshots: How to Nurture the Crazy Ideas That Win Wars, Cure Diseases, and Transform Industries by Safi Bahcall.
I would recommend this book to many as it possesses a great reminder of taking risks, challenging conventional thinking and learning from failure.
What are the top three factors you would attribute your success to?
There are several attributes to my success, and I would break it down into three parts: passion, embracing failure and the importance of having a morning routine.
I believe that your work should not feel like work or a chore – it should be enjoyable. If you love what you do for a living, it will make your day-to-day tasks more manageable, and the likelihood of you being successful in your career is higher.
Embracing failure is a significant learning aspect that I have learnt in life. Fear of failure should not get in the way of you searching out for your capabilities. It is normal to fail at times as human beings, but that doesn’t make you a complete failure. Learn from your mistakes, work on your strategy, be better than you were yesterday. Don’t let one defeat define you as a person and take away your dreams.
Having a morning routine helped me to gain my momentum for the day. I typically start early and involve some of the following: drinking water, praying, reading, and listening to podcasts while driving to work. This morning routine allows me to have some personal time before going through the hustle and bustle of life. During this time, I also think of the essential daily steps that I should take to achieve my end goal. Many successful leaders believe in the morning routine mantra, and I encourage others to do so.
