YCM Hosting Tan Sri Wahid

When I think about it, it all began during my stint in CIMB London. Being the only Malaysian on the trading floor, I was allowed to start relationships with Malaysian Sovereign Wealth Fund and onboard them with CIMB when I started reporting to our London office. It was definitely one of the best portfolios to be receiving, although small, the rewards were great!

I came back to Malaysia and was placed at the GLIC desk to continue relationships with them here in KL and that was where I had my first presentation to Tan Sri Wahid and many many industry leaders. One thing I've always admired about TS Wahid was his way of sharing across his messages - always very clear in a very calm manner. So this year, Aiman and I had suggested to YCM to host him as a speaker. Afterall, he had so many experiences in the corporate scene as well as the government and as an UBER driver - there's a lot to learn from him!

Some of my favourite Key Takeaways from his session:

• A good leader must be visionary, articulate, authentic, engaging and have unquestionable integrity
• You don't have to be a typical "loud" corporate leader to be effective
• Gone are the days when CEO just needs to tell people what to do in large organisations. CEO's today are also expected to go down to the ground, roll up your sleeves, be more hands on and provide appropriate guidance on how things can be done
• Be PROFESSIONAL, HONEST, SINCERE and TRUTHFUL to your Board, Management, Colleagues and all Employees
• Do not hesitate to say SORRY and admit your mistakes, and learn from them. We are human beings after all
• Focus on the job at hand, your reputation will precede you

I just love it that the messages given above hit the nail right on the spot. In this competitive world we're in, sometimes organisations and individuals overlook these things in our rush to get to the top. In all these rush to compete in the working world, TS Wahid shared the few motivations that had kept him going which would be so useful for many of us :)

• Work hard and work smart, go for distinction and pursue professional qualification if you are able to
• Focus on your task at hand and do it well
• Don't ever stop learning, and always use technology to your advantage
• Keep innovating and think outside the box. Come up with solutions!
• Embrace the 3 KEY ATTRIBUTES: Integrity, Competency and Humility
• BE GRATEFUL. ESPECIALLY TO YOUR PARENTS

My personal favourite is being grateful, because when you stop comparing what you have with others and believe that Allah has written these rezekis in this world for you, you'd feel at ease, InsyaAllah! :)))

Malaysia could definitely do with a lot more leaders like him, thank you for inspiring all of us at Young Corporate Malaysians!