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SAY CHEESE!In business, the cameras are always rolling

Pg 12

AN EXPAT’S TALEFollowing the recipe of success for a dynamic career

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DIVERSITY RULES!Steps to creating a positive and harmonious global community

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Finding SuperheroesSay no to superficialities for a manpower sustainability strategy

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ASEANREGIONAL ECONOMIC INTEGRATION: huMAN RESOuRCES OppORTuNITIES ANd ChALLENGESpAGES 6-7

SATuRdAy 18 ApRIL 2015

pEOpLE Of

“It is important that individually and jointly we should create a deep awareness that we cannot survive for long as independent but isolated peoples unless we also think and act together and unless we prove by deeds that we belong to a family of South-East Asian nations bound together by ties of friendship and goodwill and imbued with our own ideals and aspirations and determined to shape our own destiny.” – Tun Abdul Razak Hussein

“And those countries who are interested, genuinely interested, in the stability of South-East Asia, the prosperity of South-East Asia, and better economic and social conditions, will welcome small countries getting together to pool their collective resources and their collective wisdom to contribute to the peace of the world.” – S. Rajaratnam

“Particularly what millions of men and women in our part of the world want is to erase the old and obsolete concept of domination and subjection of the past and replace it with the new spirit of give and take, of equality and partnership.” – Thanat Khoman

Of mutual trust, respect and friendshipBy LIM LAY HSUANlayhsuan.lim@leaderonomics.com

WHEN we were children, we often heard friends utter this phrase during a misun-derstanding, “I don’t want to ‘friend’ you.”

In most instances, after a few days of silent treatment, relationships are restored when one offers an olive branch to the other party, usually by initiating a conversation, and both parties are willing to forgive each other and move on.

“We Declare War!”It was a similar sight witnessed during

the Silega Cold War™, one of the business simulations offered by Leaderonomics. In the simulation, we each governed a “country”, where we spoke in different languages, possessed different resources and had different needs.

To survive as a country on a “monthly” basis, we had to maintain a minimum level of resources as set in the simulation’s guidelines. In order to do that, we made alliances with different countries to help us meet those needs.

Because some countries spoke only one language, our alliance extended to several layers of communication.

Unfortunately, by the second “month” of the simulation, we started to witness the ugly side of countries declaring wars against each other for survival, even though we were from the same region.

It came to a point where country “X” didn’t want to speak to country “Y” in the following round because “Y” had refused to assist “X” in an earlier war.

The Turning PoinTThanks to a cue by the facilitator who

reminded us what our real end goal was, we finally realised that it was pointless to keep declaring war against each other in every round.

After that lightbulb moment, we slowly realigned our strategy to help each other out instead, for the sake of our region’s collective survival and sovereignty (and my sanity!).

I witnessed what I personally thought was the watershed in the simulation when country “X” finally spoke to coun-try “Y” to keep the flow of communi-cation and resources going for other countries.

What a beautiful sight it was when all of us began to help each other for the common good. Some of us were literally giving out our extra resources to countries in need without expecting anything in return. At the end of the simulation, we survived and were happily at peace with each other.

in conclusionAs Malaysia chairs the Asean Economic

Community 2015, each member state plays a vital role to work towards one vision, one identity and one community.

To prosper together as a region, as learnt from the simulation, each member state needs to put aside their differences to strengthen the Asean connectivity (and friendship) through collaborative efforts in economic and social development.

And so, here I go again, another song playing in my head while penning this article. This time, it’s That’s What Friends Are For, a masterpiece written by Burt Bacharach and Carole Bayer Sager.

mystarjob.com, saturday 18 April 20152

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asean: united in diVersityDURING the time I worked for an NGO (non-governmental organisation) in Cambodia, my Swiss boss remarked that he found it interesting that “culture shock” affected people like me – Asians moving just a few time zones from home to Phnom Penh – more than it affected people coming from all over the world.

Coming from Malaysia, we certainly have grown up with diverse groups of friends and colleagues – but I do see what Pierre’s point was. Even as we identify with the large and important market of Asia Pacific, we do realise that every country is unique, and how absolutely fascinating the process of discovering each other is!

This week, in recognition of Malaysia’s Chairmanship of Asean 2015, we dedicate this issue to our Asean neighbours – looking at the opportunities that the Asean Economic Community (AEC) will bring to employees, human resources (HR) practitioners and organisations alike.

Mark Ellwood looks at the impact of the AEC on employ-ment patterns across the Asean region, highlighting the opportunities as well as challenges that organisations may face, and some important considerations to benefit fully from the regional integration.

At a kick-off meeting a few years ago where I so very rap-idly met over 600 colleagues from Johnson & Johnson offices across Asean, I remember vividly how everyone shone with pride sharing their cultures and accomplishments.

While we celebrate Asean diversity, Salika Suksuwan focuses on diversity in all workplaces – regardless of where we are in the world. She highlights the need for organisations and leaders to understand and address the needs of a diverse and changing workforce as ultimately, diversity drives better busi-ness performance.

Zooming out a little, Marshall Goldsmith makes the case for creating a positive global community – stressing the need to meet three key challenges.

Before you suffer from vertigo, we zoom right back in again to hear the account of one expat who is overwhelmingly convinced that Malaysia is the place to be for one’s career and future. Christopher Moore shares his first impressions of Malaysia, and the reasons he chose to stay.

This week, Joseph Tan really means business and aims immediately at holes in the HR strategy that some companies may unwittingly perpetuate. From pinpointing the superfi-cialities (which people will eventually see through), Tan then shares his manpower sustainability strategies.

On a related note, Brian Fielkow reminds us of the realities of the connected world we live in – and that “the cameras are always rolling”. With regard to HR-related issues, Fielkow pro-vides sound advice on how to tackle them, as well as how to prevent them from the start.

Have a fabulous Saturday!

KAREN NEOHEditorleaderonomics.com

mystarjob.com, saturday 18 April 2015 3

By JOSEPH TANjoseph.tan@leaderonomics.com

“Why is it so difficult to find good people?” – a common human resources lament.

WHEN a company grows, manpower challenges immediately come to the forefront as a glar-ing “growing pain”

which inevitably falls on the shoulders of human resources (HR) leaders.

Purchasing additional equipment and implementing new processes can help a company to grow in terms of its produc-tion capacity – however, in order for a company to gain significant competitive advantage, the additional focus must be on leveraging the potential of its human resources.

Yet, tapping on human potential is a frustrating exercise because human nature is not as predictable in perfor-mance as systems, software and equip-ment.

Hence, when an organisation grows, a strategy in products and services alone is not sufficient without an equally impor-tant strategy to hire, retain and develop a talent pool.

The manpower challenges we face today arise because of a superficial understanding of what it takes to attract and hire suitable talent. With a superfi-cial understanding of human nature, we will not be able to hire superheroes. So, the first manpower challenge is that of our internal mind set.

Superficiality #1: Brand your company and they will come

While it is true that brand attracts, it presupposes something more founda-tional – a culture that works. Without a culture that is aligned with an organisa-tion’s vision, any exercise in branding will appear to be cosmetic in nature and even hypocritical (if it is not backed up by a commitment for integrity and align-ment).

In other words, do not brand until you are ready to play in the band. I am not proposing that branding is unimportant – on the contrary, it is critical that a growing organisation has a strategy for external engagement, i.e. how customers and the community perceive the company.

If we rely on branding to address man-power challenges, it presupposes the existence of an enthusiastic workforce who is engaged and committed.

But if you already have that workforce, then you won’t have manpower chal-lenges, right? So, branding is more of a marketing rather than a manpower strat-egy because branding needs an engaged workforce to promote it in the first place.

Superficiality #2: teamBuilding iS the way to Build morale

When I meet clients, the first solution they usually seek for is teambuilding.

“Can you whip up a two day pro-gramme to improve the morale of my staff so that they come back more pas-sionate and productive?”

This is a much sought-after solution because the manpower challenges of the company is now outsourced to the team-building vendor. While teambuilding can improve motivation, it requires a sup-portive environment for the practising of

what the teambuilding event aims to teach. Teambuilding does not address manpower challenges at its root cause.

Superficiality #3: pay them more to perform more

What about dangling the carrot? If money speaks, then more money should speak louder to address manpower chal-lenges. Super money should pay for the superheroes, right?

The thing about money is that it produces quick compliance but the love of money creates a calculative culture where the mode of employee engage-ment becomes more transactional rather than transformational.

This in itself will create a new set of challenges – the challenge of creating a sense of deep-seated sustainability. Money can buy compliance but it cannot create conviction.

the two-pronged Strategy for SuStainaBility

According to Gallup, there are five factors as to why employees become disengaged and eventually leave the organisation:l My relationship with my immediate

supervisor.l My job does not fit with my talent

and strengths.

l My colleagues are not committed to quality work.

l My salary and compensation are not good enough.

l My purpose is not aligned with the company’s mission.

Interestingly, the top two factors con-stitute 75% weightage of why people stay (or leave).

That means when it comes to address-ing the manpower challenges of today, organisation leaders need only to focus on two key strategies and this approach is simple to understand and yet difficult to implement because it requires leadership accountability and personal engagement.

manpower SuStainaBility Strategy #1: develop great BoSSeS

Since people join companies but leave managers, it makes good sense then to develop good managers to become great managers.

In fact, from my observation – employ-ees are able to put up with system issues or even lower pay if they have a great and supportive boss.

Somehow, hard-wired within each one of us is a sense that “I have a need to be needed”. A great boss develops an envi-ronment whereby:l There is recognition for a job well

done.l There is regular acceptance of opinion

offered.l There are clear communicated expec-

tations.l There is the providence of the right

equipment and tools to do a good job.l There is on-going development for

personal growth.

manpower SuStainaBility Strategy #2: deSign great JoBS

The problem with job description is that it is static. As an employee grows,

tension arises when there is an increasing gap between the static job description and the discovery of personal strengths.

It is no wonder, then the factor of “wrong job fit” is the second most com-mon factor which contributes to the manpower challenges facing organisa-tional leaders.

Gallup reports that an employee who has the opportunity to do what he or she does best every day is six times more engaged and three times as likely to have a higher quality of life in general.

Great jobs are not defined by job descriptions, it is defined by the willing-ness of the company to provide align-ment between individual strengths with organisational key results.

Here are a few reflective questions to consider so as to ascertain the degree of job-strengths alignment:

l Do I have a way to identify the unique strengths of each of my team members?

l Do I know who to place in what role for optimum team chem-istry and performance?

l Do I focus on strengths or “areas for improvement” when it comes to coaching my employees?

l Do I customise my approach when it comes to employee devel-opment and growth?

Fundamentally, the search for super-heroes is first of all, an internal effort because without the right political willpower and cultural unity to develop great bosses and great jobs, there is no “super-environment” that will attract the superheroes in the first place.

Meeting the manpower challenges of the future require that present leader-ship-housekeeping activities begin to put emphasis on managerial development and intentional job design.

IN SEARCH OF SUPERHEROES

SUPERFICIAlItIES ANd SUStAINAbIlIty StRAtEgIES

n Joseph Tan, the CEO of Leaderonomics centre of engagement excellence is passionate about ensuring all Malaysian employees are fully engaged in their work and with their organisation. If you would like to enhance the engagement levels at your organisation, email people@leaderonomics.com for more details.

MONEy CAN bUy COMPlIANCE bUt It CANNOt CREAtE CONvICtION

UNITY IN DIVERSITY

By PREMA JAYABALANprema.jayabalan@leaderonomics.com

ASEAN countries have their unique, rich herit-age and culture. Here are some facts from each of these countries that may come in handy for business purposes or to simply gain more insights and knowledge.

Brunei Shaking hands by a light touch and bringing one’s hand back to the chest is a custom in Brunei. Remember not to point with your finger. You should use your thumb from your right hand with the other four fingers are folded beneath it – Brunei Tourism

CamBodiaCambodians are well-mannered and greet with a “Sampeah” where both palms are pressed together and placed at the chest while the body takes a slight bow and a greeting of “Chumreap Suor” is conveyed politely. Foreigners can shake hands with Cambodians but a “Chumreap Suor” greeting is more favourable – Ministry of Tourism Cambodia

indonesiaThe people here follow the “Pancasila” which is the five prin-ciples of nationhood that comprises belief in the one and only God, a just and civi-lised humanity, the unity of Indonesia, democ-racy through unanimous deliberations, and social justice for all – Discover Indonesia

Laos People in Laos are friendly and frank with their thoughts and opinions. They believe in courtesy and respect while interacting and all who practise these values will receive a warm welcome – Laos Official Tourism website

maLaysiaSupported by a market-oriented economy and pro-business Government policies, Malaysia offers investors a dynamic and vibrant business environment. Malaysia’s key

strengths include a well-developed infrastruc-ture and productive workforce – Malaysian Investment Development Authority

myanmarThe country is rich with natural resources that has potential for direct foreign investment. Under the market-oriented sys-tem, Myanmar has attracted participation of foreign investors that has enhanced a long-term, win-win economic cooperation – Embassy of The Republic of The Union of Myanmar

The PhiLiPPinesThe Filipino government invites people from any nationality to invest in the country. A liberalisa-tion of the foreign investment law allows 100% of foreign equity in all forms of invest-ments except for those reserved for Filipinos – Philippines Tourism

singaPore Known as Asia’s “garden city”, Singapore is the hub for “east meets west”. This multiracial soci-ety has a vastly built market-based economy that revolves around extended entrepot trade – Singapore Cooperation Programme

ThaiLandAlthough the Thai language is the official language in the country, many Thais speak and understand English, especially in the major cities. As Thailand welcomes visitors from all over the globe, English is commonly used for cross-cultural conversations – Amazing Thailand

VieTnamForeign investors are attracted to this country, resulting in an influ-ential part of the country’s open government policies that encourages geographical position near global supply chains, political and economic stability, and labour resources. Foreign investment is seen as a part of the country’s development strategy and com-mitment to improving the country’s business and investment climate – Invest in Vietnam

mystarjob.com, saturday 18 April 20154

aSEaN SamE, SamE bUT DIffERENT

By LIM LAY HSUAN & KAREN NEOHeditor@leaderonomics.com

THE Association of South-East Asian Nations (Asean) was formed in 1967. By 1990, there were six member states with an aggregate population of 317 million. Today, Asean comprises 10

nations (almost 10% of the global population), with multiple languages, dialects and cultures.

siZe maTTersIf it were a single country, Asean would

already be the seventh largest economy in the world, with a combined gross domestic product of US$2.4 trillion in 2013. Asean is poised to become fifth largest in 2018 surpassing mature economies the United States, European Union and Japan (Baker & McKenzie) and projected to rank fourth largest economy by 2050 (McKinsey).

“The long journey Asean began with the adoption of the Asean Economic Community Blueprint in 2007 has made major strides toward the goal of an Asean Economic Community (AEC) in 2015. The tasks set out in the blueprint are multi-faceted and the process of commu-nity building is far from straightforward. Nonetheless, progress has been made on many fronts and the benefits from these advances have been far reaching,” says Le Luong Minh, secretary-general of Asean.

“With over 600 million people, Asean’s poten-tial market is larger than the European Union or North America. Next to the China and India, Asean has the world’s third largest labour force that remains relatively young,” said Stephen Groff, vice president of ADB (Asian Development Bank).

A recent survey conducted by the Economist Intelligence Unit Re-drawing the Asean map asked 171 business leaders of large global multi-nationals for their views. Key findings:

l 96.5% of surveyed companies believe the AEC will be achieved

l 88% indicated that Asean integration is important to their strategic planning

l 76% of multinational companies have a strategy oriented around the Asean bloc, as business leaders increasingly manage South-East Asia as one region rather than 10 separate economies

l 81% of manufacturers are centralising man-ufacturing in the region as cross-border trade becomes easier

imPLiCaTions For asean TaLenTWith the AEC facilitating the free movement

of skilled labour across Asean, the competition for best employees will intensify (Gallup).

Traditional business models, as well as organi-sation leaders would have to adapt to address the volatility and ambiguity of talent in Asean.

From a Gallup and HUman Capital Leadership Institute study of 72 business leaders across six Asean countries, leaders view complexity as an opportunity, saying that it empowers them to innovate, adapt and thrive.

With barriers to trade coming down, compa-nies can be expected to increase their manu-facturing investment “to be more responsive to local demand,” rather than finding cheap labour (Baker & McKenzie).

DEVELOPmENT Of LEaDERS IN aSEaN:

5 bEST PRaCTICESGallup research shows that employee engagement is strongly connected to out-comes essential to a company’s success, including productivity, profitability and customer satisfaction.

Engaging employees is crucial for organ-isations to win the regional war for talent.

A Gallup and Human Capital Leadership Institute study of 72 business leaders from various sectors across six Asean countries (Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam) found five developmental practices instrumental to helping them succeed.

These actions represent a practical, self-aware approach that emerging leaders can adopt:

1 Long-term career goals are impor-tant, and leaders who reflect on

their developmental status roughly every three years tend to stay on track.

2 Early cross-border experiences help shape individuals into broad-based

leaders with a dynamic global perspective.

3 Taking risks and exploring different roles in the beginning of a leader’s

career helps him or her identify the right job fit and builds a holistic view of doing business.

4 While there is no one right way to build a network, emerging leaders

should proactively surround themselves with a diverse, tight-knit group of profes-sionals who can provide the contacts and feedback they need.

5 Instead of pretending to know eve-rything they need to know, emerg-

ing leaders should be humble and speak openly about their own shortcomings to earn others’ trust.

“I was in the Asean Economic zone way before it even came up… I said 12 years ago, I was going to build an Asean airline… You can wait for things to happen or you can effect change.”Tan Sri Tony Fernandes, AirAsia Group chief executive officer

QUOT

E :

mystarjob.com, saturday 18 April 2015 5

A coffee mAster’s journey

Perk uP withfresh oPPortunities

LIKE a refreshing brew, the Starbucks Experience builds upon a masterful combina-tion of ingredients in product, service and delivery to keep

customers coming back for more.This renowned coffee company

celebrates its distinctiveness through a passion for great coffee and quality customer service. But the real jewel is its employees, or as the company likes to say, its “partners”.

True to its mission of inspiring and nurturing the human spirit, Starbucks has proven its prowess by capturing the “Best of the Best” Employer in Aon Hewitt Best Employers – Malaysia 2015 and the Malaysian Institute of Human Resource Management’s coveted Malaysia HR Awards – Gold Award in 2014.

In other words, Starbucks is simply a great place to work. The company does not just offer you a job, it offers you an opportunity to find your inner compass.

The Starbucks commitment to mak-ing meaningful connections for “part-ners” and customers is cascaded from these four principles:

1 EmployEr BrandingStarbucks develops success

stories in the form of groundbreaking work done to provide opportunities, compensation and benefits to its partners.

The company makes a difference through the “Starbucks Experience”, which strategically supports the overall Employee Value Proposition of retaining, engaging and motivating partners in exchange for productivity and performance.

The word “partner” means work-ing together, and having a sense of belonging as a team and family. To

this end, the company plays its part through providing extrinsic elements like rewards and benefits, opportu-nities for career development, and intrinsic elements of management style, work environment and culture.

As an employer centred on strengthening its retail and full-time workforce, Starbucks has long adhered to its Talent Attraction Channel, which creates a great mix of individuals within the ranks through a carefully formulated campaign of “Plan-Attract-Select-Hire”.

2 partnEr dEvElopmEnt

An employment at Starbucks is the beginning of something bigger and better. Every partner is briefed on their coffee journey, regardless if they are starting as baristas or management trainees.

The company’s structured career path helps to empower partners to shape their future and manage per-sonal goals.

In addition, internal promotion opportunities reinforce the concept of treating one another as family. Loyalty is apparent; 100% operation leaders are internally promoted, while half of

all department heads have risen from positions behind the counter!

Starbucks believes in growing peo-ple from within its ranks. Therefore, numerous career enhancement programmes are in place to provide management competencies and build leadership capabilities.

By showing an invested interest in the careers of their partners, Starbucks exerts a Pygmalion effect by assert-ing that the greater the expectations placed on a person, the better they will do.

The focus on career advancement in Starbucks is closely matched by an excellent reward system, which helps to give partners a sense of pride and motivation to achieve more.

3 CoffEE and CulturE Every person who works at

Starbucks breathes the coffee culture.Coffee tasting sessions are con-

ducted to help partners gain valuable knowledge to form a connection with the brew and therefore enhancing their coffee expertise.

Partners who are passionate about coffee can pursue their interests by joining the Coffee Master Programme and the Latte Art Programme, two

certifiable modules that are available to help individuals continue on their journey to become coffee experts and espresso artists.

Trips to coffee-growing regions such as Thailand and Sumatra are also organised to enable partners to get a glimpse of where their coffee comes from. The visits to coffee plantations are meant to help partners appreci-ate the hard work that goes into each pound of coffee.

Through structured learning and development, Starbucks creates a wholesome experience for its brand ambassadors too.

4 Humanity and lovEHumans are hardwired for

empathy and emotion. At Starbucks, there is a strong belief to give back to the community.

The Starbucks Malaysia CUPFund (CUP for Caring Unites Partners) was initiated more than eight years ago. Since then, it has been a major contri-bution to partners who are experienc-ing hardships.

This programme is funded solely by partners’ monthly contributions and fundraising initiatives. More impor-tantly, it is a way for Starbucks to take care of its own.

Outside the company, community involvement and environmental col-laborations set the foundation for the organisation’s hopes to create positive change whenever possible.

in ConClusionAt Starbucks, the emphasis goes

beyond knowing the products and ser-vices, and how to sell them.

As a socially responsible organi-sation and an employer of choice, Starbucks continues to spearhead improvements in partnerships as well as making positive changes to the community.

n Ready to board your coffee journey with Starbucks Malaysia? Check out www.starbucks.com.my for more information.

adi fisfaisal10-yEar partnEr lEarning spECialist

My life changed for the better since day one at Starbucks as I have an unwavering passion towards coffee. While I was a barista, I became a certified classroom facilitator and I developed skills to conduct training classes.

I believe that learning is continu-ous and it is my passion to edu-cate, therefore, I was thrilled to be given the opportunity to lead the coffee department of Starbucks in Malaysia. I lead the Coffee Master Programme and strategise the cer-tification process for our partners.

I work with a cross-functional team to manage and coordinate the programme’s activities for the market. This will include cof-fee seminars, coffee-related pro-grammes and competitions.

The process of the certification is

not an easy journey. Thus it is truly inspiring for me when a partner receive the Black Apron as it signi-fies the certification of a Starbucks partner as a coffee master.

Being a coffee master at Starbucks means a lot to us as it indicates that we are experts in all things coffee and trained to be the best of the best. Not only we learn the basics about coffee and its rich

history, but we know how to craft our own coffee and demonstrate the knowledge to customers in-store.

I have conducted many coffee seminars at Starbucks stores with other coffee masters where we educate and share coffee knowl-edge with customers.

I feel truly blessed to be able to breathe, sleep and dream coffee!

196 stores throughout Malaysia

Starbucks has over 3,500 partners

350 assistant store managers and store managers promoted in 2014

100% of operations leaders are internally promoted

72,000 training hours through structured learning and development

Total community service hours contributed: 43,000 hours

fActs & figures:

Coffee-tasting session among Starbucks partners

Sydney QuaysManaging director

June BehPartner resources and compliance director

Starbucks coffee seminar

“From the very beginning, Starbucks sets out to be a different kind of organisation – one that not only celebrates coffee and its rich tradition, but one that also brings a feeling of connection.”

“Setting expectations is a culture at Starbucks. By knowing what to expect, partners are empowered to chart their own career paths and success.”

mystarjob.com, saturday 18 April 2015 7mystarjob.com, saturday 18 April 20156

THE NEW WAR FOR TALENTWiTH ASEAN’S ASpiRATiONS FOR REgiONAL iNTEgRATiON ON TRAck, EmpLOymENT pATTERNS ARE SHiFTiNg iN uNExpEcTEd diREcTiONS

By MARK ELLWOODeditor@leaderonomics.com

THE Asean Economic Community (AEC) is envi-sioned as the goal for regional economic integra-tion by 2015. The AEC was

set up to envisage the following key characteristics: l a single market and production

basel a highly competitive economic

region l a region of equitable economic

development l a region fully integrated into the

global economy

In order to do this, the AEC areas of cooperation include human resources (HR) development and capacity building; recognition of professional qualifications; closer consultation on macroeconomic and financial policies; trade financing measures; enhanced infrastructure and communications connectivity; development of electronic transac-tions through e-ASEAN; integrating industries across the region to pro-mote regional sourcing; and enhanc-ing private sector involvement for the building of the AEC.

In short, the purpose of the AEC is to transform Asean into a region

with free movement of goods, ser-vices, investment, skilled labour, and freer flow of capital.

The AEC in a sense represents the culmination of Asean’s aspirations toward regional integration. The AEC is the vision of an economically-integrated region by the end of 2015 between all 10 member countries: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.

The plan is for a single market and production base in a highly competi-tive economic region with equitable economic development that is fully integrated into the global economy.

Asean economic cooperation, which has evolved into a gradual process of economic integration, has made the region attractive for the flow of foreign investments, capital and technology.

In the past five decades, under the umbrella of political and social stability provided by Asean, member states have made huge economic and social progress.

Forecasters see Asean as a key area for foreign direct investment based on a potential of an integrated region with a population of 600 mil-lion, a US$2 trillion gross domestic product (GDP) by 2016 which would account to upwards of 40% of global GDP.

ASEAN AND LEADERSThe potential for this integration

of the region has far-reaching conse-quences for businesses, their leaders and HR managers. Key to this is the potential for changing direction of the workforce and potential shift-ing of employment patterns in the region.

For example, in the Asean Business Outlook Survey 2015 report released by the American Chamber of Commerce which surveyed more than 500 executives representing small, medium and large US (United States) companies in Asean coun-tries, there are some interesting insights on how business leaders are thinking about the opportunities for the region.

For 58% of those surveyed, they claimed that the region had been increasingly important for their organisations in the last two years in terms of the contribution of the region to their companies’ worldwide revenue.

In addition, the majority of those who took part in the survey added that Asean markets would become increasingly important to their com-panies and their global revenue in the next two years.

Therefore, many are planning to increase their exposure in the region, particularly in markets like Indonesia,

Vietnam and Myanmar which are viewed as target markets for busi-ness expansion.

OPPORTUNITIES AND hR ChALLENGES

The opportunities in these mar-kets do have their own challenges though, not least in the area of human capital where greater eco-nomic integration will mean a more mobile and diverse workforce.

This in turn will place a greater emphasis on organisations assessing how they will source, train and retain their internal talent pool.

They will need to understand the needs of their employees across their demographic base and take into account a variety of factors that may impact employee attraction and retention.

These comprise remuneration in each country in the region, attitudes to work-life challenges, cultural differences and the aspirations of different age groups of their employees.

The region is likely to be very fluid when it comes to talent in certain sectors, industries and functions. Therefore, organisations are going to have to react accordingly and move away from the more tra-

ditional employment relationships. For such a diverse region, it is very

difficult to have a blanket, one-size fits-all policy. The need for strong leaders and managers who have a more international mindset, who can understand the challenges of the region and can engage with

their subordinates will become increasingly important to

ensure employee reten-tion and to drive the

greater need for productiv-ity in the region.

ChALLENGES FOR SMESSmall and medium-sized enter-

prises (SMEs) in certain countries could also face major challenges once the AEC plan comes into effect if they have not positioned them-selves adequately to compete in

the new marketplace. For instance in Vietnam, according to eco-

nomic expert Pham Chi Lan, the challenge for many firms will be to get access to mar-kets and capital, a limited management talent pool, lower labour qualifications versus other countries and a shortage of the latest technology.

In order to remain com-petitive, SMEs in countries

like Vietnam are going to have to focus on their capac-

ity and develop their HR as a priority in order for them to

adapt in a changing regional landscape.

Likewise, it is also necessary for governments to assist SMEs to take advantage of the grow-ing prospects in the region by simplifying areas such as access to bank loans, applica-tion and approvals for business registration, licence granting, capital borrowing and taxes.

An International Labour

Organisation research paper in 2013 shows that labour productivity in Vietnam was among the lowest in the Asia-Pacific region. Productivity in Singapore was nearly 15 times the level in Vietnam, 11 times higher in Japan and almost 10 times higher in South Korea.

Even among its middle-income Asean neighbours, Vietnam’s produc-tivity remained one-fifth the level in Malaysia and two-fifths the level in Thailand.

For these types of organisations, in countries like Vietnam, it is impor-tant that they recognise the poten-tial importance of the Asean market rather than placing it as a lower priority to markets such as the US, Japan and Europe.

TALENT RETENTIONAs the war for talent increases

in the region due to organisations looking to capitalise on the grow-ing HR potential to their company, the issues around compensation and benefits will become more of a priority.

It will be a delicate balancing act as organisations will face increased costs for doing business whether in raw materials, taxes, rents etc., whilst remaining an attractive propo-sition to current and future employ-ees to help drive growth and maxim-ise the potential for the region.

It is essential to understand how pay trends are changing in the region and the impact of changes in regula-tions when it comes to sourcing for talent outside domestic markets so that organisations can react accord-ingly.

Flexible additional benefits aside from basic salary and bonuses is certainly an area where companies can look to reward employees whilst still allowing them to keep control of costs and tailor packages to an increasingly diverse workforce.

Additionally, many organisations currently do not have a longer term focus when it comes to remunerat-ing employees. This mindset has the potential to restrict longer term retention rates and therefore hinder the potential to increase productivity over time.

A recent Jobstreet.com survey of over 2,000 workers in the region across a variety of industries and positions reveals some of the con-cerns that employees have and the challenges that organisations may face.

For instance, over 80% of respond-ents declared a preference for work-ing in Singapore under the integrat-ed AEC. Sixty-seven percent felt they would have a better opportunity of finding a better paid job and 52% intended to look for a new job under the AEC, with one-third expecting a higher job turnover rate due to the borderless job market.

Likewise, employees also raised some concerns on the impact of AEC with 47% wondering if they may lose their jobs to workers from neigh-bouring countries.

hOW WILL WE BE AFFECTED?

From a job growth prospect, it has been projected that the AEC will gen-erate upwards of 14 million new jobs between 2015 and 2025 although these gains are unlikely to be evenly spread across the region. One of the factors that need to be considered is that different countries have dif-ferent needs in terms of the level of skills that are required from workers.

Also, different countries are at different stages of demographic growth and have differing structural challenges such as age, development levels of the labour force and political stability.

However, fears of an overnight movement of the workforce are likely

to be unfounded as the AEC targets more of the movement of “skilled labour” as opposed to “unskilled labour”. Also, the AEC will only allow temporary move-ment of “skilled” labour across companies within the region.

As yet, the permanent relo-cation of workers is not yet permitted. Certain categories of professional workers have been exempted from this: engineers, nurses, surveying service provid-ers, architects, accounting service providers, medical practitioners, dental practitioners and tourism professionals.

These are estimated to affect less than 2% of the total work-force for Asean. As yet, the nego-tiations for these categories of workers have only been conduct-ed on a bilateral basis and not as yet, on a region-wide basis.

Implementing this could prove difficult as several classifications of jobs such as teachers, law-yers or civil servants are usually meant only for national citizens.

IN CONCLUSIONThe Southeast Asia region

is positioned for growth and huge opportunities that will be brought about by AEC inte-gration in 2015. But with this growth comes challenges as employers face rising costs and the ongoing war for key talent.

As the workforce demograph-ics in Asean shift, it is going to be increasingly important for organisations to review their HR policies so they are both aligned with the strategic direction of the company, whilst still being a compelling offering to retain and attract talent.

n Mark Ellwood created Ellwood Consulting with 18 years of specialised recruitment experience. As the former managing director of one of the world’s leading public-listed recruitment firms, Mark was responsible for the brand’s introduction and growth in Singapore, Malaysia, Greater China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam. With 15 of those years spent developing high performing teams and profitable offices in Asia, he has steered a global talent agency’s success and the recruitment needs of his clients through financial crises, talent shortages and political unrest. To connect with him, email editor@leaderonomics.com

For such a diverse region, it is very difficult to have a blanket, one-size fits-all policy. The need for strong leaders and managers who have a more international mindset, who can understand the challenges of the region and can engage with their subordinates will become increasingly important to ensure employee retention and to drive the greater need for productivity in the region.

THE pOTENTiAL FOR THiS iNTEgRATiON OF THE RE-giON HAS FAR-REAcHiNg cONSEquENcES FOR buSi-NESSES, THEiR LEAdERS ANd HR mANAgERS.

By MARSHALL GOLDSMITHeditor@leaderonomics.com

THE rise of the global community brings many opportunities and challenges. In the past, commu-nity members could communi-cate with each other, trade with

each other, and share a common culture. In the future, communication, trade, and culture will become much more global.

Opportunities for learning will be greater than ever. “Global connectedness” means that we can interact in a way that leads to rapid and positive learning. More information, however, does not necessar-ily lead to better decisions.

Leaders are now hard-pressed to make decisions because they have too much information. Hence, editing and accessing relevant information are vital.

We can’t assume that instant informa-tion will lead to long-term quality of com-munication. Today television addiction is a huge problem.

In the future, media addiction (includ-ing the Internet) may well pass drug addiction and alcohol addiction as a social problem.

Global Trade and diversiTy

The advantages of global trade are well known. Increased global competition leads to higher-quality products and ser-vices at lower prices. Consumers can have access to an incredible diversity of goods that may have been produced anywhere in the world.

Poorer countries, which have lower labour costs, can “catch up” by doing labour-centric work that would cost much more in wealthy countries. As the poorer countries become more efficient, they gain the purchasing power to buy more goods and services from the rest of the world.

The removal of trade barriers leads to an increasingly efficient market.

While, in theory, global trade will cre-ate greater product diversity, in practice it sometimes creates greater homogeneity.

The “shopping streets” in major cities around the world now look much the same. They tend to have the same cloth-ing, music, and even food.

While the stores may have products from more countries, they are becoming the same products. People worldwide are buying the same global brands that are globally advertised, marketed, and distributed.

Another cost of global trade may be the disappearance of brand loyalty and identification with a larger whole.

Global CulTural aCCessIncreased access to information means

that more cultural opportunities are available to more people. Cultural access leads to a better understanding not only of art or music, but also of people.

Repressive regimes that encourage hatred for others restrict the flow of com-munication. But by communicating with people of diverse backgrounds, we quickly learn that negative ethnic stereotypes are invalid.

Open communication can lead to a world where diversity is celebrated, reducing ethnic hatred and violence.

While the global culture has great potential benefits, it can also have great

costs. People around the world are much more likely to look, act, and sound alike. We are becoming as concerned with “cul-tural extinction” as we are today with the extinction of plant and animal species.

The differenT aTTempTsAttempts at stopping the flow of

communication, trade, or culture may produce short-term successes but are doomed to failure for two reasons:

l the Internet is global, and so infor-mation that is censored in one country will be quickly duplicated in another; and

l almost all brilliant young people who are developing new technology believe in the free flow of information,

do not like censorship, and are not intimi-dated by government edict.

Attempts to protect non-competitive industries or workers produce a short-term benefit but does not stop the devel-opment of better and cheaper products.

Attempts to force trade restrictions on unwilling partners are destined to fail.

Attempts to restrict access to any prod-uct often leads to greater desirability.

ChallenGes and opporTuniTies

The global community has the poten-tial to become a nightmare:

l A world of conformity – with bil-lions of people wearing the same base-ball caps, baggy shirts, jeans, and shoes, speaking the same language, and laugh-ing at the same jokes.

l A world of short-term stimulation – with countless hours spent on mind-less television, video games, and a virtual reality that begins to eliminate the real human experience.

l A world of isolation – with lives spent in front of a screen, striving for personal excitement and gain with little thought for others and even less effort devoted to helping future generations.

On the flip side of the coin, the global community has the potential to be a dream come true:

l A world of diversity – with billions of people being able to communicate, trade, share cultural experiences, and appreci-ate each other, with access to a range of products, services, religions, cultures, philosophies, and languages.

l A world building long-term value – with countless people working together to advance our culture, building on what has been learnt in a manner that is posi-tive, efficient, and productive.

l A world reaching out to humanity – with people helping each other in ways that could never have been imagined, cel-ebrating each other’s success, and helping less fortunate members of the commu-nity become more productive.

ConCludinG ThouGhTsWill the global community of the

future become a nightmare or a dream come true? No doubt it will be a little bit of both.

The increase in global communica-tion, trade, technology, and culture will continue. By inspiring people and edu-cating them in the values of celebrating diversity, building long-term value, and reaching out to humanity, we can build a global community that is more like a dream come true.

mystarjob.com, saturday 18 April 20158

OPEN COMMUNICATIONTO CrEATE A POsITIvE glObAl COMMUNITy, wE NEEd TO MEET ThrEE kEy ChAllENgEs

TO create a positive global community, we need to meet three key challenges:

1 reaChinG ouT To humaniTy and

avoidinG isolaTionismIn the global community, it is easier

to reach out and easier to become iso-lated. Superficial communication with everyone can lead to meaningful impact on no one.

We need to be inspired and educated in the value of trying to benefit the world, not just ourselves.

As the opportunities for huge indi-vidual achievement and wealth are cre-

ated, we need to better recognise people who make the transition from success to significance.

Community heroes need to be cel-ebrated based upon their skills in giving – not their skills in taking.

2 CelebraTinG diversiTy and

avoidinG ConformiTyOur ability to adapt to changing situ-

ations is largely a function of our diver-sity. Language leads us to view the world in different ways and to have different approaches to making decisions and solving problems.

We need to encourage diversity in language, culture, and lifestyle to ensure our own survival. Powerful countries must not try to make other countries become like them.

Residents of the global community need to celebrate the fact that “differ-ent” may be synonymous with “fascinat-ing”, “enhancing”, and even “necessary”.

3 buildinG lonG-Term value and avoidinG

shorT-Term sTimulaTionResidents of the global community

have almost unlimited access to sources of pleasurable, short-term stimulation.

Television, movies, interactive games, virtual-reality experiences, chat rooms, and other options are available at a low cost. Yet few of these activities produce any long-term value.

We need to inspire and educate people about the value of “investing” for the future. Long-term value is the result of vision, creativity, innovation, and hard work.

We now have access to tools with the potential to dramatically increase our productivity, but we also have access to countless pleasurable distractions that lead nowhere.

n Marshall Goldsmith (www.

MarshallGoldsmith.com) is the author of 35 books, which have sold over two million copies and

have been translated into 30 languages.

Email us your thoughts at editor@leaderonomics.com. For more leadership insights, visit www.leaderonomics.com

CrEATINg A POsITIvE glObAl COMMUNITy

mystarjob.com, saturday 18 April 2015 9

melting pot oF talentAnusha Thavarajah was deputy

general manager of finance and actuarial in AIA Bhd before she was promoted to the role of regional business development director in AIA Group from Oct 1, 2014.

“Today, AIA Malaysia is a melt-ing pot of key talent, not just from within the industry but also other related fields. Over the last two years, the business went through a transformation and as a result, cre-ated a unique identity that is today the new AIA Malaysia.

“My biggest learning came from working with those around me as

I was part of a truly great team. Our success can be attributed to our clarity of purpose, having the courage and drive to be bold when faced with roadblocks and finally, the focus on our people – always ensuring that they were in a good space as they worked hard and made sacrifices along the way.

“Our people helped get AIA Malaysia to where it is today – an organisation that is best described as vibrant and filled with people who want to make a difference, not just from a business sense but in terms of helping people,” says Anusha.

EVEN to a casual observer, the recent transformation of AIA, an insurance company that has been in Malaysia since 1948, is admirable. All the more

commendable is the 34% increase in new business profits that AIA Malaysia reported against the backdrop of a two-year complex integration process.

In many ways, these changes mirror the transformation that parent com-pany AIA Group Ltd has undergone in the four years following its initial public offering in Hong Kong, emerging as the second largest life insurer globally by market capitalisation.

As one employee aptly puts it, AIA has a great legacy from its more than 90 years of experience and yet, it operates with the kind of vigour and determina-tion one usually sees in a newly created company.

During its IPO in October 2010, AIA set a clear vision to be the pre-eminent life insurer in Asia-Pacific. Ambitious targets were set across the Group, but with it, there was also the strong desire to create a new culture.

“We knew that in addition to clarity about the WHAT that we wanted to achieve; we needed to be equally clear about HOW we would go about achiev-

ing our business targets. Creating a culture our people could

connect with was especially important for our business, which is essentially about people. We exist to help our customers and their families achieve financial security, even prosperity, and we do this by understanding their needs at different life stages.” said AIA group regional CEO Ng Keng Hooi.

Cultivating a culture of meaningful connections for AIA employees and motivating them to do their best, com-bined with a clear execution focus has contributed to four consecutive years of record business results for AIA.

This track record of outperformance and great ambitions have produced leadership opportunities in the 17 markets in the Group’s portfo-lio, and is especially evident in Malaysia where AIA Group saw an opportunity to strengthen its business.

integRation StoRYThe integration of AIA’s operations in Malaysia followed AIA Group’s acquisition of ING’s insurance businesses in the country in 2012.

The integration in numbersl 2.6 million customers l 16,000 agency members l 2,300 employees l more than 100 operating systems

Bill Lisle, CEO of AIA Bhd, has led the Malaysia team to undertake bold trans-formational moves in recent years.

“We agreed that we would provide regular updates and communications to all our customers, employees and partners so they would hear news first-hand from the source and this would help remove some of the uncertainties for them. The word ’over-communicat-ing’ did not exist for us!” said Lisle.

“We certainly did give special atten-tion to the people aspect as we have some of the best talent in the industry and we didn’t want to lose them.

To alleviate some of the concerns, we set out a clear vision for the company from the start so everyone would have a shared purpose. In addition, we con-stantly engaged with our employees and sought their feedback so we could understand how our people were feel-ing,” recalled Lisle.

Lisle stressed the need for employees to be empowered. “We needed them to feel confident about stepping up and taking ownership. This in turn encour-aged them to make business decisions on their own, based on their knowledge and experience, and built confidence among the teams.”

“From the outset, we also stressed that no individual is to be singled out to take the blame; instead we focused on finding solutions, quickly.”

AIA: A NEW GENERATION OF LEADERS EMERGE

people DeVelopment“Our emphasis is on growing our people. AIA

is building for the long-term and is a platform for people to grow themselves – to be more than what they are today. People want to know where the future is, where they are going. There are lots of opportunities at AIA – they can grow within Malaysia or in other countries. We encourage mobility and have many exam-ples of people moving from Group to Malaysia and vice versa,” said Ng.

“We look for people who are smart, dedicated and passionate about what they are doing.” – ng Keng Hooi, aia regional Ceo

Paul Gerard Lim, director of human resources, group HR division, on what AIA looks for in new hires:1. mental potential – ability to learn and

do more, with academic excellence as a foundation

2. high ambition and action-oriented3. EQ – the ability to connect with people

emploYee engagement“We place a lot of importance on engage-

ment. We want to ensure that everyone in the organisation knows that they play a role in developing and delivering what eventually goes to the customer,” says Ng.

Speaking about the aftermath of the two

Malaysia Airlines tragedies last year, chief mar-keting officer Thomas Wong says, “Our people showed leadership during this time – from our life planners all the way to our employees who processed claims. Our senior leaders also made it a point to spend time with the family members of those affected – just to be there for them.”

Through various initiatives including its CSR programme AIA Touching Lives, AIA Malaysia encourages its employees to forge better con-nections by talking to customers and under-standing their hopes and fears. “In this way, our people become more engaged and know how each of them in their own way plays an important role in AIA,” says Wong.

FRom BRUSSelS to ampangJulie Van Nuffel was part of AIA’s mobility programme and

joined AIA Malaysia in March 2014 to head its acceleration pro-gramme office. She recently returned to AIA Group to take on a new senior leader role.

“I was excited but also a little scared when I was first offered the opportunity to work in AIA Malaysia: it was a new role, which came with high expectations. But there was also the very compelling prospect of learning and developing.

“The Malaysia team’s dedication and resilience never fail to impress me. Having delivered great results in 2014, while still working on the final steps of a major integration, one can only imagine the possibilities that lie ahead now that the team can fully focus on the future. I hope that one day I can come back and be part of that journey again.”

tHe BeSt oF me alwaYSElmie Aman Najas was chief agency officer at AIA Bhd over-

seeing its Life Planner network in the Klang Valley before his appointment to CEO of AIA PUBLIC Takaful Bhd in January 2015.

“My transition from senior leader to CEO was smooth because of good succession planning and strong support from AIA’s leadership team and employees.

“My advice to those with high ambition is that there is opportunity every day for us to learn and give our best. “Seize the opportunities as they come and always give your best.

“Do not overlook the importance of leadership. To climb up, you must first show that you can lead.

“For me, the new AIA is relevant, in touch with the new gen-eration and vibrant – there is strong optimism for the future.”

Elmie (seated, fourth from right) and his team

Anusha and AIA group CEO and president Mark Tucker

Julie (fifth from right) during her time at AIA Malaysia

“In Malaysia, we took great care in choosing the senior leader-ship team, always ensuring we had a good representation from both companies with some of the best talents in the market. I am very pleased that the new AIA has not only integrated well, but delivered outstanding financial results in 2014,” said Ng during a recent interview.

ACCELERATED GROWTH

By SALIKA SUKSUWANeditor@leaderonomics.com

AS a Malaysian, I’d like to believe that having a diverse circle of friends and colleagues in the work-place is a way of life for us.

However, I find diversity in the work-place isn’t necessarily an area of focus in many organisations.

In broad terms, workplace diversity refers to the variety of differences between people in the organisation, which includes ethnicity, gender, age, where we come from, and our educa-tional background.

We can harness workforce diver-sity if we have a culture of inclusion, which respects our differences and ensures that we encourage each per-son to reach their full potential.

Simply put, diversity is a mix of different individuals; inclusion is get-ting these individuals to work well together.

Focus on diversity and inclusion (d&i)

As Malaysians, we often say “diver-sity is a source of strength”. However, not many organisations have concrete plans to enhance diversity in the workplace.

Some multinationals are using metrics or diversity scorecards to measure progress in hiring, promoting and retaining their workforce whilst in most organisations, “diversity” is deemed a buzzword, not a core focus of their people initiatives.

I recall a human resources (HR) leader saying D&I is very American-centric, and not quite relevant in their organisation. On the contrary, the HR team can influence their busi-ness leaders if we believe a diverse workforce makes a difference to the business.

The business case for diversity can be anchored on these key reasons:l It’s the future workforce; andl It drives better business

performance.

1 The fuTure workforce is diverse

An Accenture study outlines the need to better prepare our organisa-tion to be future-ready. The study describes the five major shifts that are reshaping work in Asean, as illustrated below (Figure 1).

In responding to this change, organ-isations need to move towards new ways of working which will be more appealing to a mutigenerational and diverse workforce. This requires HR leaders to work alongside their corpo-rate captains to drive a more flexible, collaborative, and inclusive culture.

2 diversiTy drives business performance

A number of surveys illustrate that diversity is increasingly becoming top-of-mind for CEOs globally. A PwC

survey indicates 77% of CEOs globally have, or intend to adopt, a strategy promoting D&I.

A recent McKinsey research illustrates that companies who commit to diverse leadership are more successful. Companies in the top quartile for gender diversity were 15% more likely to have financial returns above their national industry medians (Figure 2).

Similarly, companies in the top quartile for ethnic diversity were 35% more likely to have better returns.

Research on diversity shows that a diverse workforce provides positive outcomes in these areas:

l Talent attraction: because they are underrepresented, groups targeted by diversity efforts are often good sources of desirable talent.

l strengthen customer orienta-tion: companies with a more diverse workforce forge stronger bonds with increasingly heterogeneous custom-ers.

l increase employee satisfaction: a diverse workforce encourages positive attitudes and behaviours, and reduces conflicts between groups.

l improve decision making: a diverse workforce fosters innovation and creativity through a greater vari-ety of problem-solving approaches, perspectives and ideas.

Hr leading tHe cHangeHR plays a key role in moving the

needle on diversity. Aside from raising awareness and celebrating diversity in organisations, HR teams should place greater focus on:

l Considering a wider talent pool in talent sourcing efforts; and

l Reviewing retention strategies to address the needs of a more diverse workforce.

1 TalenT sourcingMalaysian organisations often

cite talent crunch as a key business challenge. The World Bank highlighted that 48% of companies surveyed iden-tified the lack of talent as a constraint for future growth.

Organisations which prioritise tal-ent diversity will be more prepared to tap into a wider talent spectrum beyond conventional talent sourcing channels. This includes casting the net to recruit latent talent and tapping on foreign talent, diaspora and alumni networks. We’ve begun to see some of these practices in corporate Malaysia:

l In response to the Career Comeback grant managed by TalentCorp, Accenture recently

launched a referral programme which doubles up the referral rewards for staff who refer women returnees.

l SCOPE International organised a career fair for people with disabilities in conjunction with World Inclusion Day 2014. This initiative had strong support from their leadership team, with 80 candidates attending the event and eventually 15 of them were hired.

Another pool of latent talent is managed by SOCSO, which has been running a successful Return to Work programme to place insured contribu-tors back to the workplace as soon as it is medically possible for them to do so.

l With Malaysian organisations expanding their footprint regionally, more employers have started to tap into a more diverse graduate pool by recruiting international students from Asean countries.

Malaysian public higher educational institutions have close to 30,000 international students, with a larger number in private higher educational institutions. These

graduates are typically proactive and eager to secure employment in Malaysia and will add to the diversity of our talent pipeline.

2 reTaining The workforceWhilst our business is agile in

responding to the needs of a chang-ing customer base, we may not be paying enough attention to the needs of the changing demographics of our workforce.

A recent study by Kelly Global Workforce Index shows that flexible work arrangements (FWA) are a key criteria in defining an ideal work envi-ronment for the Malaysian workforce, with 54% of respondents willing to forgo higher pay for FWA.

HR leaders should consider whether fixed working hours – which requires standardised face-time for everyone – will be effective in retaining our future workforce, and whether the shift should instead be towards measur-ing work performance and outcomes (Figure 3).

While a TalentCorp-PwC survey showed that under 35% of Malaysian PLCs provide FWA, it’s nevertheless a

positive sign that organisations like Maybank are increasingly driving this shift, placing greater focus on D&I to close talent gaps and encourage bet-ter business performance.

They have put in place a holistic retention strategy which includes mentoring programmes, FWA imple-mentation, family-friendly facilities and a rigorous tracking of workforce dashboards on gender, age and ethnic-ity at all levels.

These efforts have begun to show results, with Maybank enjoying a more diverse workforce at manage-ment levels (Figure 4). The workforce transformation in Maybank is driven by HR, with strong support from the leadership team.

Moving ForwardWhile HR leaders are inundated

with day-to-day people matters, we should still take the time to examine our workforce demographics. It may be easier to manage a homogenous workforce, but to quote Steven Covey, diversity is a key differentiator, as “strength lies in differences, not in similarities”.

The first step is to be aware of our own biases and not allow it to come in the way of decisions on hiring, developing and retaining our people, as we work towards being the driver of change in developing a diverse workforce.

n Salika Suksuwan is on secondment to TalentCorp to do her part in nation building. She dreams of a future when Malaysian corporations will truly believe in harnessing the strength of a diverse workforce to grow their organisations to be regional and global champions. To connect with Salika, email editor@leaderonomics.com

mystarjob.com, saturday 18 April 201510

driving workplace diversitygetting organisations ‘future-ready’

Gender breakdown at senior management levelWomen in senior Management Position

%

2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 Year

4540353025201510

50

5 MAjor shifts reshAPing Work in AseAn

Highly customised work experiences to address the desire for meaningful, flexible work and continuous development.

Multi-generational and diverse workforce that includes previously untapped talent as well as the need to have more women in the workforce.

High levels of digital competencies and a mind-set of collaboration.

Leaner, less hierarchical organisation structures with collaborative groups of leaders leading to flatter organisation structures and lines of reporting.

Flexible approaches to sourcing talent with increased leverage of freelancers and partnerships with external players.

Figure 1

Figure 4

Source: The Future-Ready Organisation, Reinventing Work in Asean (Accenture Strategy)

Source: Maybank Sustainability Report 2013

flexible work arrangements

exposure to the latest technologies and equipment

Competitive, where the towards and riskd are high

rapid pace with constant change - always something new

THE OPPORTUNITY TOLEARN NEW SKILLS

A FLEXIBLE SCHEDULE

WORK-LIFE BALANCE

ideAl Work environMent:Workers Will Consider giving uP higher PAY for:

64%

54%

67%

1

2

3

4

Source: KellyOCG Worker Preferences and Workplace Agility Study (2014)

Figure 3

hoW diversitY CorrelAtes With better finAnCiAl PerforMAnCelikelihood of financial performance above national industry median, by diversity quartile %

4th quartile 1st quartilegender diversity

4th quartile 1st quartileethnic diversity

5458

43+35%+15% 47

Source: “Diversity Matters”, McKinsey and Company, February 2015

Figure 2

mystarjob.com, saturday 18 April 2015 11

By CHRISTOPHER MOOREeditor@leaderonomics.com

I left Australia in May of 2013.

I got on a plane and flew, of all places, to Mumbai, India. It was a nice nine degrees Celsius in Melbourne when I left, and when

I disembarked in Mumbai it was 30 degrees – at 9pm!

I went to India because I’d been offered a place on a leadership programme run by my company, and it decided to throw me in the deep end. From there I’ve been to Singapore and Tokyo, and now I’m in Kuala Lumpur (KL).

And Malaysia is where I’m planning to stay. But, why?

First and foremost, I want to put my career on the fast track! There are millions of people climbing ladders around the world, and international experience is a must-have if you want to get real traction!

From there, it only makes sense to come to KL because there’s no better place to get cross-cultural experience than in Malaysia.

It’s a country where culture, creed and religion are intermixed and the people are the warmest and friendliest you’ll ever come across.

This makes my journey a little different to other expats you might read about, though, because I’m not coming in as a chief financial officer or a business head. I run a team of five brilliant people who look after a set of complex products our company offers, and I love the job.

THE LONG TERMFor my initial contract, I’m running

the expat deal; my apartment, bills and flights are all covered. But, if I secure a role here after my contract ends, I’ll be paying my own rent just like anyone else.

But, it’s more than worth it because Malaysia will be the launching pad for my career.

It’s from here that I want to build upon my experiences and skills to see me through the rest of my professional life, because I believe that beneath the relaxed surface that Malaysians present to the world, there is a passion to learn and grow and explore that is, to an extent, untapped.

WHY MALAYSIA?So why, you may ask, would a high

potential junior manager with complete geographical mobility pick Malaysia as a springboard to achieve these goals?

1 Companies want to move here

You have an intelligent, multi-lingual workforce who are very easy to man-age because, culturally, they are warm, friendly and people-focused.

In terms of selling yourself, saying, “yes, I’ve worked there, I understand the culture, the people and I have proven suc-cess working there” opens up opportuni-ties just by itself.

2 right now, malaysia needs people who are Committed to

talentI am passionate about growing and

developing staff at every level, and teach-

ing them to care about growing and developing others.

When lots of jobs are created in professional services, you end up with more roles to fill than you have talented managers committed to people develop-ment as their first priority. It’s a passion of mine, and something Malaysia has a hunger for. A perfect fit, not to men-tion an excellent opportunity to prove yourself.

3 malaysia is the gateway to asia Being a key member of Asean,

next to Singapore and near Hong Kong and other financial centres, with regular convenient flights to everywhere you’d ever want to be, not to mention cheap direct flights back to my kampung of Melbourne, Australia.

4 malaysians have everything it takes to be exCellent

leaders of people! They are warm, kind and focused on

people. That’s a power I want to harness

because I think that if the world had more Malaysians in leadership positions in organisations, they could spread that culture of community and care and help us all remember that, at the end of the day, work is work and we have to make room for life too. That’s a journey I want to be a part of.

THE SHORT-TERMYou see now the potential and

opportunities present here for those willing to seek them, and the chance I am taking is that I have what it takes to unlock some of this in the people I meet and influence.

Initially, I was asked to come to KL because there was a team in my organi-sation with some goals to achieve, and I am someone with the unique set of tools to help achieve them.

I understand what makes a team run in finance, and I have gained analytical skills through previous roles which con-tinuously come in handy.

But success wasn’t guaranteed. I’m an Australian, after all, which tradi-

tionally makes me very direct. We also have what is called “low

power distance”, meaning we treat our friends and our prime ministers almost the same way, except truthfully I’d think twice about letting our prime minister take a beer from my fridge.

But the reason I’ve been travelling is to gain the insights I need to succeed anywhere.

In India, I learned when to fight for something and when it’s better to lose a battle in order to secure a war. In Singapore I learned the value of hard work and dedication. In Japan I learned how to work in a hierarchy.

In Malaysia, I’ve learned the value of a soft (metaphorical) touch, and I’ve used the skills I gained prior to succeed cultur-ally, while helping build on the founda-tions my team had built before I came along.

And by my sixth month here I already knew I wanted to stay.

I’m now in the position of asking my managers if it’s possible for me to find

a role in an industry where local regula-tions would ordinarily not let them hire me.

I’m hoping my demonstrated successes and my passion, not just for people development generally, but my belief in the unique qualities Malaysians bring to the table, will be enough to get me over the line.

TAKE ADVANTAGE!With all this said, I find it so interesting

that so many Malaysians leave the coun-try in order to start building and growing careers, leaving a gap that’s going to allow me to launch my career at a faster pace thanks in part to their absence.

I can understand the allure of international travel; after all I’m doing it

myself. But for people who want an international career, for people who want lofty goals and large responsibilities, I can’t understand why anyone would leave this country at a time when the business environment is growing and shouting out for talented, people-focused managers and leaders.

With the world at its doorstep, Malaysia is a hidden trove of profes-sional opportunities and a place where I feel very privileged to have been accepted.

If everything goes well, I will be staying for the foreseeable future and working towards a bright future.

n Christopher Moore is an Australian finance professional who can eat spicy food. He is living and working in Malaysia, with plans to stay. If you are interested to get in touch with Christopher, email editor@leaderonomics.com

WHY I cHOOSE MALAYSIAAUSSIE EXPAT PLANS TO STAY FOR THE LONG HAUL

mystarjob.com, saturday 18 April 201512

If you have any suggestions or feedback on our content, get in touch with the Leaderonomics team at editor@leaderonomics.com For advertising and advertorials, contact Pravin Kumar at pravin.kumar@leaderonomics.com or +6011 2377 7850

A brighter future needs HR entrepreneurs

Also next week

The apologetic CEO

Facebook in the workplace?

Technology: enabler or disruptor?

In BusIness, The Cameras are always rollIng

By BRIAN FIELKOWeditor@leaderonomics.com

IN 2014, a set of professional ath-letic organisations were thrust into the spotlight with negative headlines.

Two NBA (National Basketball Association) owners faced pressure to sell their teams as the result of making racist statements – Donald Sterling, now former Los Angeles Clippers owner, and Bruce Levenson owner of the Atlanta Hawks. Then, Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice faced a domestic abuse scandal.

The news of Rice’s assault on then girlfriend Janay Palmer (now his wife) and the NFL’s (National Football League) slow response to impose higher consequences on him until after a video surfaced can be used as a cautionary tale for business leaders, chief executive officers, executives and managers alike.

The bright lights of the professional sports world often provide lessons for business leaders everywhere. When personnel-related problems arise in busi-ness, keep the following in mind:

1 Be preparedAre leaders ready if an unex-

pected crisis hits the organisation? It’s up to leaders to respond in the appropri-ate way.

Not only are employees looking for transparent and effective leadership dur-ing a crisis, but so are customers.

How leaders handle a situation is a

direct reflection on the company’s values and their ability to continuously uphold them.

Develop your disaster plan now. When a crisis hits, you need to immediately move into execution mode.

2 deal with the issue fully

Initially Rice received a hand slap (a two-game suspension) for his actions. It took the public release of the video to prompt a full suspension. What’s the les-son from this episode?

It’s essential to deal with an issue fully, promptly and swiftly. Not only will an employee’s negative actions damage his/her own reputation, he/she will also harm the company’s brand.

The NFL and Ravens went into dam-age control more. They had the chance to lead by example and stand up for victims of domestic abuse but were too slow to respond.

Rice initially received “celebrity jus-tice”, meaning that the penalty was mild relative to the incident and what others would have received.

Does your company administer celeb-rity justice, allowing star performers to get away with things that a regular employee would not?

3 hire for valuesTechnically, excellent employees

are often difficult to find. Yet hiring can-not depend solely on whether someone can perform a particular task.

As a leader, hire for values as much as, if not more than, technical skills. Keep

in mind that skills can be taught. But finding someone who upholds company values should be the determining factor whether someone is a good fit.

4 don’t Be willfully Blind

Rice’s actions were captured on an elevator camera. Had this occurred off-camera, public awareness and appro-priate punishment might never have ensued. When encountering adverse behaviour, treat the issue as if it were in the public eye.

And about those cameras actu-ally they are always rolling. Employees watch and judge every decision the lead-er and management make. Executives are in the spotlight every day, whether they themselves know it or not.

At best, the Ravens and the NFL were willfully blind to the situation.

Therefore, when problems erupt, especially serious issues, don’t be willful-ly blind. Be committed to digging deeper and taking the right action no matter what the facts say.

ConCluding thoughtsIt might be a great NFL or corporate

team, but if the players or employees are misaligned with the organisation’s culture and values, what’s left? Even worse, if the culture and values condone such behaviour, the situation is a ticking bomb.

It’s just a matter of time before man-agement will be doing damage control. This is because, like it or not, the cam-eras are always rolling.

n Corporate culture and management

advisor Brian Fielkow (www.brianfielkow.

com) is the author of Driving to Perfection:

Achieving Business Excellence by Creating

a Vibrant Culture, a how-to book based

on his 25 years of executive leadership experience at public

and privately held companies. He is also

owner and president of a logistics company in Houston. Send us your

feedback at editor@leaderonomics.com. For more leadership insights, visit www.leaderonomics.com

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