CY@CY Says Welcome to my dreamscape. Where a Lim is also a Ling.
I was invited to the welcoming dinner for Dato Vincent Yeo Siew Hee and Datin Ting Siew Ching in the Tai Pan Room at Grand Palace Hotel tonight. Dato Vincent was my boss slightly over thirty years ago before he migrated to Australia.
Backdrop for the dinner
Dato Vincent Yeo is a self-made multi-millionaire who started as a salesman and did newspaper delivery in Brunei before he was hired to help run Syarikat Berjaya Printing (Miri) Sdn Bhd. Under his management, the company prospered and he became one of the major shareholders. In its heydays, the group of companies was involved in printing and stationery, computer maintenance and supplies, office furniture and equipment, office cleaning and other services.
Dato Vincent now has business offices in Malaysia, Australia, China and a couple of other countries. He was awarded in September 2014 the Setia Bintang Sarawak (PSBS) award which carries the title ‘Dato’ by the Head of State Tun Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud.
One thing I learned from my observation of him during my tenure in his company is that you should build close relationship with people in an organisation, not just the top people. I had on a couple of occasions visited Sarawak Shell Bhd’s office together with him and saw how close a rapport he had with even the junior staff. And during sales meetings, I often heard him stressing to the sales staff the vital importance of taking extra care of your rice-bowl customers.
That he has left a great impression on his ex-staffs is evidenced by the presence of so many of his ex-staffs at the dinner tonight. Unlike some bosses who do not even remember the names of most of their staff, Dato Vincent used to address his staff by their names, no matter how junior they may be. He rewarded staff based on their performance, not based on apple polishing. I have a lot of respect for him because of that.
Me with my ex-colleagues and Dato Vincent Yeo & Datin Ting
I had a great time at the dinner, catching up with ex-colleagues some of whom I have not seen for decades. I have added a few friends on Facebook after the dinner tonight as I rekindled my friendship with some of my ex-colleagues.
That is me with 4 of my ex-colleagues
A big thank you to Dato Vincent Yeo, Datin Ting Siew Ching, Mr & Mrs Ting Jack Sieng, Mr & Mrs Lau Hui Huah, Susan, Madam Kho and Madam Lo for the great evening!