Foolproof success … The old-timers’ way

It is true that not everyone is born with a silver spoon; neither is everyone born on the same platform to start from. Does it mean that those who are less fortunate are doomed to their station in life? Of course not!

Many success icons have climbed out of the gutter to great heights to be remembered decades after their death. One of them whom I admire a lot and would like to quote is the late Datuk Loh Boon Siew, recognized as one of the top 10 entrepreneurs in Malaysia.

I’ve read in his biography that he came from a very poor family which could not afford to send him to school. As a child he had to collect manure to sell as fertilizer and catch fish to help feed the family. He came to Malaysia, illiterate and poor, working at odd jobs until he managed to save up enough to buy 40 buses and open 2 shops at age 25.

During a holiday in Japan in 1958, he noticed the Honda motorcycle which was then not sold yet in Malaysia. He saw the opportunity to market it here and by 1963 it became the most popular 2-wheeled vehicle in the country despite initial strong skepticism and obstacles. Ever since then his business empire flourished.

What made Datuk Loh so successful despite poverty and lack of education – fate, luck or pure hard work? I would say definitely not the first one, but a combination of the last two with characteristics of his personality. He wasn’t only hard-working, he was humble, financially prudent, determined, adaptable and courageous enough to take on any opportunity he could grab. It was these traits which propelled him to his success. He was a survivor.

Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar Shah bin Syed Nor Al-Bukhary is another admirable survivor. He came from very humble beginnings as well, growing up in a house without necessities and luxuries. His highest education was SPM and had to work throughout his schooling years farming and selling roti canai. 

After finishing school, Syed Mokhtar helped with his father’s business, which failed but he started all over again. His determination paid off and proceeded to other businesses. With a lot of hard work and determination his businesses became an empire earning him the title of the 7th richest Malaysian. 

I have met Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar a few times, and I find him a shrewd strategist and yet very humble in his ways.

Datuk Loh’s and Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar’s characteristics are a stark contrast to those of some youths today. These youngsters, educated up to Form 3 or Form 5, won’t even take up opportunities thrown at their feet deemed too lowly for their taste. I make special reference to the news highlighting the dire shortage of workers at local restaurants earlier this year.

Out of the 45,000 vacancies reserved for Malaysians at Indian and nasi kandar restaurants, only 80 enquiries were received nationwide. This figure does not include other food outlets which are forced to hiring foreign workers, albeit illegally.

Malaysians did not want to fill these positions despite a hiring campaign, 3 free meals per day, free accommodation and decent starting wages of between RM900 to RM2500 for various positions.

These days it seems as if getting the hands dirty is a more demeaning thing to do than robbing someone. I’m forced to ask myself, “What has gone wrong?”

I noticed not only that young Malaysians have lost survivor traits but also lost the sense of gratitude. They expect things to be nice and ready for them, and take great pains to avoid any possible discomfort.

SEGi provides a complimentary leadership camp to its diploma students. The weekend-long camp is perfect for character building, team-building skills and inculcating other soft skills which are useful for the long-term. Yet, many students choose not to go because they are afraid of sweating in the hot sun and the lack of creature comforts at the camp.

If the wheels were to run like the good old days, I think our country would have progressed at a much faster rate. I remember the days when I just started out as a reporter. A reporter’s pay is nothing to shout about at all for the long working hours and hectic pace, but it taught me so many things and opened the doors to opportunities.

And when the opportunity came, I was appointed the first Chief Editor of the Borneo Post at the ripe age of 21.

Thus, luck is not about chance, like winning a lottery. Luck is seeing the opportunity when it strikes you and taking it quickly before it slips away. That is why I said that luck was just one of the recipes for Datuk Loh’s success.

The ultimate message of this entry is not that success equals becoming ultra rich. Success is an individual thing. For some it is getting their dream car, for some it is being promoted at work, for others it is winning that girl’s hand and some others it is having a happy family.

Whatever the definition of success is it is affected by the same survivor traits. How can you win someone’s heart if you’re lazy, snobbish and too cowardly to take the first steps? The same principles apply.

So whenever people ask me these days how I have been, my favorite reply is: “Not to worry, I am still surviving.”