Failing forward
WE all fear failure. But failure – even the most costly ones – can teach us valuable lessons in life. Here’s how Albert Teo learned from the MBA School of Hard Knocks:
Greedy weeds
Shortly after opening the Sukau Rainforest Lodge, Teo offered free board to university students from Britain, to clear salvinia molesta weeds that were choking up an oxbow lake near his resort. The students cleared almost all the weeds by hand.
Within a few short years, the remaining weeds grew back with a vengeance, effectively killing the lake.
Although the project failed, it led to serendipitous success. Upon hearing of Teo’s efforts to save the lake, British Airways bestowed the lodge with the Tourism for Tomorrow award – the first of many more to come.
Rusty tanks
Most local villagers at Sukau owned iron water tanks that rusted easily. Wanting to contribute to the local community around his lodge, Teo brought in high-density fibreglass water tanks for the villagers.
“The people who got the tanks were very happy, but those who didn’t get it created a backlash. We made more enemies than friends,” Teo said.
The ill-will he generated from attempting to do good created an “a-ha!” moment for Teo. He realised he was culpable of creating a culture of dependency among the villagers. People, in general, did not value what they got for free. They were not happier. He had done nothing to increase their capacity to earn and stand up for themselves.
Learning from past mistakes, he launched micro-finance projects that required partnerships to be built. He also provided free medical services to the villages.
“Every sick person deserves to be treated. Although medical services are expensive, over a period of 10 years, we saw people getting better,” Teo said.
Learning from past mistakes does not mean discarding old ideas. Early last year, Teo’s community NGO partnered with ConocoPhillips, Edith Cowan University, Skycommunity and the Rotary Club to distribute water tanks to villagers in Kudat, one of the poorest areas in Sabah.
“The villagers were spending too much time collecting water for family chores. They were not using this time for productive economic activities that generate income,” Teo said.
But this time, instead of doing all the work from beginning to the end, the entire community was engaged to bring in the water tanks and install the platforms for the water
Teo believes in his heart of hearts that the key to leadership and personal growth lies in reading. I’ve never seen him go anywhere without a book.
Due to his unbridled enthusiasm for books, he developed a book-reading programme at Borneo Eco Tours that was yoked to their annual performance reviews. Junior staff had to read two books a year; managers were required to read eight books. Everyone had to write book summaries. That programme accelerated his staff’s ability to speak, read and write in English – an essential skill for engaging with international tourists.
“Every book written is a life of experience you can draw from without making the same mistakes. I can live many lives in my lifetime simply by reading books,” Teo said.
Despite the plus points, it soon became apparent that this programme was overwhelming for some competent staff who could not, or did not like to read. Teo’s managers asked him to stop the programme.
“It’s chasing away some of your people,” they said. So Teo scrapped the programme for a year. But his fanatical passion for books never waned. A few months ago, Teo resurrected his book-reading scheme – into an incentive programme. He set aside RM7,000 to be shared by anyone who has completed their quota of reading and summaries.
“The staff are no longer forced to read. If only 10 of them achieved the quota, each will receive RM700. We’re rewarding those who invest in their personal growth,” Teo added.