As Regional Head, Jasni was required to find ways to establish MPC’s presence in Sabah and familiarise the local business community with MPC’s initiatives and programs. One of his methods was to involve MPC with several major events in Sabah. His job required him to be aggressive but also diplomatic so as not to overrule pre-established agencies in Sabah. The social and political delicacy surrounding his job trained Jasni to develop excellent negotiation skills. Whenever a big event was organised and involved other agencies, Jasni would carefully negotiate with these parties to work together as a team. Doing so required good communication and listening skills. Jasni found that when people feel heard, they were more likely to explore possibilities and come to a win-win solution. Often, he would try to find commonalities so that he could build rapport with them.

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As NPC began to grow its reputation and connections, the organisation was invited to many events within the industry, allowing Ahmad Berek to meet all kinds of people at these multi-racial events and have unique experiences. This was what developed his affinity for people. At the core of many great leaders is high emotional intelligence (EG). EQ is the ability to identify and manage one’s own emotions and others as well. This is a skill found in many great communicators and leaders who use it to connect with others on a very human level. As a people person, Ahmad Berek possessed strong EQ which resulted in strong people skills. He fostered strong connections with NPC’s stakeholders, building their confidence in him. In the office, he would ensure he had good rapport between himself and his staff.

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One could describe NPC’s former DDG as a born leader. As a young boy, Ahmad Berek’s leadership skills were apparent. He was often elected for leadership positions in primary and secondary schools, such as class monitor and captain for his school’s sports team. Ahmad Berek enjoyed taking up leadership positions, not because of the power but for the reward of leading others towards excellence. Interacting with people and developing them are a source of joy for him which is why he finds that being people-oriented is the first and foremost quality to have as a leader. “If you find yourself adverse to people, you cannot become a leader,” he advises. “A leader’s role is to develop and empower people and you cannot do that if your first thoughts about people is disdain.”

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As for Mah Lok’s leadership style, one might describe the former director-general as a “people-centric” person with good governance. The concept of governance and leadership are intertwined, where both are critical for the achievement of MPC objectives. Having good governance enables a leader to be responsive to the present and future needs of the organisation, exercise prudence when it comes to setting policies and making decisions while also ensuring the best interests of stakeholders. Throughout his tenure, Mah Lok found it important to have good governance as it sets up one as a well-intentioned leader who can be relied on for his transparent, responsive, effective and inclusive manner of leading. It was no surprise that Mah Lok had a reputation as a mentor-like figure and hands-on leader who would guide his staff throughout projects. Ever keen to share his experiences with his team, he would help them form insight and develop their own processes from his own experiences.

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Tuan Haji Mah Lok Abdullah is the former director-general of the National Productivity Corporation (NPC), now known as the Malaysia Productivity Corporation. His tenure with MPC began in 1972 as an officer who conducted industrial engineering trainings and worked his way up to lead the productivity promotion unit and later became the director of consultancy and productivity research. His educational background in mechanical engineering and industrial engineering gave him an advantage in his work with keen analytical and problem solving skills. In 1999, Mah Lok was seconded to be the Director-General of Standards Malaysia. As “productivity and quality are often referred to be the two sides of the same coin,” Mah Lok’s experiences in MPC and Standards Malaysia give him the added advantage in driving organisational excellence and business competitiveness.

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Knowing that different people have different needs and perspectives helped him become an influential presence during his presentations and training sessions. As a trainer, he was put in a position to influence others. To do so, he learned to be engaging. With his energetic stage presence and fluent presentation skills, Mustapha establishes himself as somebody worth listening to. People were drawn to this enthusiasm and readily paid attention to his presentations. His charismatic methods would eventually help him gain the respect of his team when he ascended as Deputy Director-General.

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Mustapha’s professional beginnings could be described as unique. He worked in Pekan for almost 3 years. Going through Pekan’s flood disasters yearly gave him a sober dose of reality. It was also a very developmental experience for him as it gave him the drive to want better for himself. “At that time, I was the Assistant District Officer (ADO) and was still on my 3-year probation,” says Mustapha. “It took me a while to realise that the routine work in government service was not something I idealised for a long-term career. And neither was crisis management given the constant floods.” Learning this, Mustapha set on forging a new career path which came in an opportunity to work with the knowledge-based organisation like MPC. It was not a difficult choice for Mustapha and he confidently resigned from his role as ADO and embarked on a new adventure with MPC.

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Ir. Haji Arshad Haji Marsidi’s growth plan for MPC involved expansions into different industries, one of which was hospitality. Another is, entrepreneurship and small business development. Seeing the growth potential of the hospitality industry, Ir. Haji Arshad fought to get MPC deeply involved. Also, in conjunction with the collaboration between MARA and MPC, MPC developed a series of programmes suitable for the creation and development of Bumiputra entrepreneurs. His keen foresight led to the construction of a hotel owned by the organisation. The hotel, named Hotel Dayang, was located next to MPC’s headquarters and served as a hands-on training ground for hospitality-related trainings. Here, MPC trained SPM-leavers and students who needed a diploma, teaching them how to deliver excellent service in hospitality. These programmes were also popular with international students from other developing countries.

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During Ir. Haji Arshad Haji Marsidi’s tenure, MPC was still a small organisation with only 40 employees. Despite this, the organisation’s training programmes were held in high esteem nationally and MPC’s officers were to conduct training to industry players all over Malaysia on how to improve their supervisory and management skills and boost their productivity. Having taken over Dato’ Abu Kassim’s role, Ir. Haji Arshad Haji Marsidi’s first challenge was to ensure MPC’s training programmes were relevant and up to date. The solution to this lie in making sure MPC’s officers were exposed firsthand to current knowledge and teachings from high-class international experts.

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