What a privilege to be part of Austcham’s Women in Leadership Committee. Our first event was a great success and we look forward to many more to come.
For those of you who couldn’t attend (it was a sold out event), and those women who aspire to rise up in their careers, I wanted to share with you some of the key learnings and insights from a very impressive line of contributors.
K. Kobkarn Wattanawrangkul, Head of Toshiba Thailand, former Minister of Tourism and Sports in Thailand, and the first female to make it into the cabinet, delivered a very powerful presentation with the title: “How to Win People’s Hearts”.
She explained that if you have a big vision, and you want to bring it to life, you simply cannot do it alone. And so the need arises for you to adopt a philosophy of life and business that allows you to achieve your vision, despite the hurdles you may find along the way. Her philosophy is this: “Bring good things to life”. And when life gets busy and complicated, she can always go back to that to keep her motivated and moving forward.
When Khun Kobkarn was Minister, her focus was not just on how to increase the number of tourists, but how she could bring good things to the people of Thailand. She emphasised the point that with a mission bigger than yourself, you won’t give up. She is focused on bringing good things to her life, the life of her employees and her communities.
Besides a vision, Khun Kobkarn explained the need to also bring the values that you want your people to follow, and to become a role model in living by those values. In her company, they all bring to life the values of loyalty, fairness, an honour system and integrity. If demonstrate those values and model them, your people will follow.
Khun Kobkarn gave credit to her parents for shaping her into becoming the woman and leader that she is today. In her family, they have always followed what they call the “Red Brick Philosophy” – all Toshiba buildings are built with red bricks – where the following always applies:
- Everyone is equally important
- All duties are honourable
- Outcomes are always the result of team work (there are not heroes, we need everyone to win)
- Put the right brick in the right position
In this family philosophy, they honour everyone and every position, and show it.
As in the book “The Little Prince”, Khun Kobkarn’s favourite, she drew to our attention her biggest take aways in the book teachings, which she also applies in her own life:
- Dream big
- Make Imagination, Innovation and Creativity your allies
- Think outside of the box
- Differentiate yourself from others
- Adopt a “Everything is Possible” attitude
Khun Kobkarn closed her keynote talk by inspiring us to dare to dream big and to believe in ourselves. She said: “It depends in each one of us. When you are a leader, you don’t do it for yourself, you do it for others, and to bring good into their lives. Believe in your people and the strength within you. The future depends on all of us. Don’t wait. Seek contribution and significance. Allow people to express their thinking and discover their own talents. And whoever you speak to, connect with them heart to heart, face to face. To be a good leader, you need to win people’s hearts.”
And that’s how Khun Kobkarn does it. Inspired by King Rama IX, who told the Thai people to lead their own lives with their own hands, she lives by the very concept every day. The future is in our hands. The united power of women can make a difference.
Following Khun Kobkarn’s speech, we officially opened the panel of experts, of which I was honoured to moderate. Here are main points that came from such a versatile powerhouse of experts:
- Love a challenge, and bring a “Can Do” attitude to everything you do.
- Apply a growth mindset always. It is never too late to learn and grow.
- Learn your role and your business, you will be respected for it.
- Take your time to listen to others, give people your time.
- Trust your people, and spend time developing them.
- Always have a point of view and express it. Do you research and create your own opinions.
- You can add value by saying your truth.
- Treat your staff as your family, and they’ll be motivated to help the business succeed.
- In aspiring for a big career, do something that you are passionate about.
- Women are great leaders, because they are great communicators, bring a different voice to the table, are good listeners and can wear many hats (among others).
- There are many different pathways in which you can rise all the way to the top. Your background does not define you. Believe in yourself and your ability to continue to grow and better yourself, and go for it!
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