I was recently invited to give a talk to the Malaysian Industrial Development Authority for the MIDA Innovation Day 2009 themed “Improvement Towards Excellence”. This was a forum attended by around 200 Directors and Assistant Directors from MIDA. The other panel speakers were Dr. Irfan Khairi and Dato’ Aziz Bakar.
Dato’ Aziz Bakar shared his experiences setting up Air Asia from the very beginning. None of the founding team members had direct industry experience. They would probably not have got a job working in an airline. As such, they had no problems learning from an expert who spent a month with them learning about low cost carriers. They also pressed ahead despite the many challenges that they faced from Sars to H1N1.
When we look at successful companies, we find that a positive mindset is key to success. They also have to face challenges positively and learn from mistakes.
Irfan shared his stories of how he made a million ringgit within 3 years of setting up his internet business. Some of the key points he talked about were:-
1. Focus. The larger your market, the more niche your product should be.
2. Passion. If you have passion, then work becomes something that you enjoy. Working on what you are passionate about makes long hours go by easier.
The following is an excerpt from my talk.
“We need to have our focus, niche and unique selling proposition. When I developed juarezlowe Corporate training, we looked at three things to ensure our business success :-
1. Customer focus. Our customers feedback was that training was too theoretical and many people had problems applying it to their job. There was also a large divide between classroom theory and the real world. Understanding the customer needs enabled us to develop our product. We still continously seek customer feedback to determine future trends in our market.
2. Product focus. Listening to the customer, our product (training solutions) was based on world class methodologies adapted to the local environment. For example, most Western books on body language will tell you that crossed arms are a sign of negativity and being closed off. In this room, almost half the people here have crossed arms. This is due to the air conditioning vent rather than a sign of negativity. All theory needs to be tested in the cultural environment. In addition, our programs are interactive training programs with professional trainers. Our trainers were people who had actual industry experience and were not just theorists. The interactivity aids learning and retention and most importantly, application post training.
3. Process focus. Our processes need to facilitate constant innovation and improvement. We review our material quarterly to make sure that we keep up with the latest developments in the field. When we receive a training assignment, we spend time talking to the line managers to ensure that the role plays are customized to deal with the issues at hand.
Our primary focus is in the soft skills areas of negotiation, leadership and branding/marketing. Using the triumvirate above, we were able to grow our client base that now includes Petronas, Maybank, TM, Johnson & Johnson, International Development Institute, Banking Academy of Vietnam, Bank Islam, MasKargo, Hilton and Kuwait Finance House.
How can MIDA could apply this triumvirate in their day to day operations?
1. Customer focus – the investor is now going to be more focused in Asia for growth. Malaysia therefore has to compete with its other Asian neighbours as a site for foreign direct investment. The investor will also look at facilitative government which aids investment, infrastructure and workforce. In Singapore, the longest period of time I spent in a government office was 15 minutes. The government has incentives to bring in skilled workers and facilitates foreign direct investment. The infrastructure is also first class with a very efficient public transportation system. Due to the education system, there is no shortage of an educated workforce. Can we say the same of Malaysia?
2. Processes. When companies talk about innovation, they frequently omit to put in processes to support innovation. In Air Asia, they have a flat organization structure so anyone can pass ideas or feedback to the top. The question that you need to ask yourself and your company is how easy is it to suggest and implement a new idea? Do ideas have to go through a lot of red tape prior to implementation?
3. Product. Mida’s product is its people. Look to your left and to right. That is the product. It is up to you to make sure that you perform to exceed customer expectations.
Implementation of the triumvirate of customer, product and product focus are the hallmarks of successful companies worldwide. I wish MIDA all the best on its road towards excellence. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to share my thoughts with you.”
