Learn from mistakes, never give up

without giving up is the crucial bit. You must be determined to get better on a daily basis and once you do get there, opportunities will come. The right opportunities you should grab. You make mistakes and learn and continue doing this throughout your working life.

I had to endure a lot but the determination and never giving up was always a point I have always embraced. It has gotten me to places and I am very privileged right now to be in AirAsia to be able to do what I want to do, thanks to that determination from day one up to this point. The same should be applied to anyone who wants to be successful in life, continue to work hard and at one point grab the opportunities and excel in it.

We all know about the industrial revolution, are we in for a technological revolution? Your thoughts. I am an old-school guy but I have always embraced technology, probably because I have always enjoyed technology. It makes life easy for everyone. It is there to supplement our day to day undertakings. I think it is a crucial bit of everything we do in life, embracing it is important and utilising it in the right way will always benefit the person utilising it but you still have to be a bit aware about certain shortfalls. That balance must be kept.

How has mentorship made a difference in your professional life? To be fair if you want to talk about mentorship, I would give it to the two people who have contributed to my development in the last eight years, (Tan Sri)Tony Fernandes and (Datuk) Kamarudin Meranun. I wouldn’t call them mentors but they have always been there. The fact that I worked with them directly when I was doing the Formula One and the car business for them and continued after that, through their simple gestures of advice when I was doing my other endeavours.

It is also crucial to learn from those who have experienced more than you, so that you don’t make mistakes as well. It is always good to have someone guiding you. I would say that these two guys have helped me for the last eight years and I appreciate them very much for giving me this opportunity out of the blue.

What do you want to accomplish in the next five years? As an individual, I have always had a goal set to better myself. I can only better myself if I have the right experiences.

I am currently in an organisation that allows me to do that. I have a great team to work with and my duty, apart from self development, is also to ensure that the people I work with develop together, so it works in parallel. I can’t do it myself without my team doing the same. It is an objective and goal I have currently, and I only wish it will progress further in the next five years. That will be my personal and business objective.

On a business perspective, I am looking at growth as I have been given a few mandates. It is growing and continues to grow on a year-to-year basis, but we need to put some focus on certain areas with the resources we have to create more efficiency.

Best piece of advice you ever received on your career. Never give up and believe in yourself. That came from a very personal teacher last time. I have accepted it being where I am, I appreciate it right now. If I had given up in trying to achieve certain goals in life I wouldn’t be here.

We often take simple things in life for granted, especially when an elder tells you, maybe then it may have appeared as a lecture but now I appreciate it very much.

Most-admired business leader? Why? Both Tony and Din (Kamarudin Meranun) equally. They built this business from nothing. I have been privileged enough to know them for eight years. I have heard their stories, their challenges that they had to go through … the stories they have are amazing. For them to achieve what they have in a short span of 16 years is admirable because that it is pure guts, commitment and belief that they will be a success at one point.

I am sure they didn’t know when. But that belief they have had since day one when they took those two planes up to where it is right now.

If you could have an hour with any thought leader in the world, who would it be and why? Nelson Mandela. Just to have an hour with him and understand what he had to go through in life and how calm he has been in such situations, as in being ostracised, incarcerated and then becoming the leader of the world to a certain degree, at the high point of his political career. He has always been a father figure and the way he ran South Africa. It was quite amazing considering what he had to go through. I am sure there will be some pointers in there, which I can use.

A must-read for every business owner/ manager is ... Tony’s book Flying High: My Story