Strike a balance, think things through
What do you want to accomplish in the next five years? With StrongPoint, we want to help Asian retailers increase productivity, lower costs and enhance customer service. This is done by optimising business processes and freeing up key resources to focus more on the core business. Technology and automation play a big part in this – but ultimately, it’s people who really make the difference in most shopping experiences.
This is in a nutshell what StrongPoint helps out with; providing solutions that help retailers keep the focus on customers and building the business.
Best piece of advice you ever got on your career. If you think you can do a better job than someone else in the company, you need to tell someone.
Early in my career I had strong opinions about how I thought things could be done better. But I would keep it to myself. One day, my manager called me in to his office and demanded that I give my honest opinion about the way we were running things – so I did. The next week, he put me in charge of implementing those ideas.
How do you stay abreast of issues affecting your industry? I follow a lot of blogs and tweets from thought leaders, both in the retail industry and in others. StrongPoint also does a lot of analysis of the market ourselves. This way we can rely on first-hand information, rather than just trusting other thought leaders.
In addition, seminars, workshops and trade shows are always valuable sources of industry knowledge.
If you could have an hour with any thought leader in the world, who would it be and why? Sir Richard Branson of Virgin Group. First because I believe his urge for adventure has played a large part in his success, but also because I want to find out first hand if all those clever quotes you see daily on social media really all came from him.
What has been the biggest challenge you have faced? And what did you learn from it? Losing too many of my loved ones in a short period of time. The real learning is of course that life is precious and that every day counts. This also translates into being in a good place in life. Working with something that fulfils your needs and balancing this up with your personal life.
A must-read for every business owner/ manager is ... Customer-Centric Selling by Brian T. Bosworth has somehow stuck with me for many years. I don’t believe you have to be in a sales position to appreciate this book. So much in your professional work is really about selling anyway; selling your thoughts and ideas, selling your services or selling your vision and strategy as a leader.
What are the top three factors you would attribute your success to? I believe that curiosity, a sense of humour and some real stubbornness has helped me a lot through the years.