IN this week’s Success: The Insight Story column, SunBiz catches up with Chung Shan Tat (pic), director of CPI Land which recently won the Best Boutique Developer and People’s Choice Award at the 9th Asia Property Awards Malaysia.
How has your life experience made you the leader you are today?
I was born into a family of business people. My father was in the trading business and my mother, plastic manufacturing. Greatly influenced by my family, I have always been fascinated by the idea of being an entrepreneur growing up.
I had the opportunity to join Macrolink Group, a top 100 company in China, in 2013, where I gained experience in managing a corporation and strengthened my leadership skills. I was fortunate to have worked with Mr Fu Jun, the president of Macrolink, whom I’ve learned so much from in terms of being an entrepreneur and a leader.
What traits do you look for in your talent or how do you decide who is right for a job?
The attitude of a person says a lot – how passionate and persistent is an individual in carrying out their tasks or duties. The decency of a person, an honest, responsible person with integrity will be able to gain trust among colleagues. I believe like all leaders, we look for talent who is passionate, is willing to work hard and smart, creative, possesses good problem-solving skills and believes in teamwork. Two traits that will stand out and impact my decision making are proactiveness and positive thinking.
Ideally, the talent will not only produce quality work, but is able to make good decisions to improve overall productivity such as modelling the right behaviours and not wait to be told what to do. This is when you know you have a leader in the making. The talent begins new assignments before being told to, effectively uses spare time, explores ways creatively to solve problems or challenges, is able to identify new opportunities for the company, and for themself.
For example, when you utilise the extra time you may have to volunteer for other tasks, you will gain more knowledge and experience and will soon be able to work well with little or no supervision. The ideal talent is able to collaborate with colleagues and is cooperative with the needs of the team and the organisation, showing adaptability and flexibility to change and be open to different views. And, most importantly, can be counted on to exhibit the highest degree of ethics and honesty in representing the business.
How do you think the industry you are in will evolve?
The industry is already evolving with the face growth of technology with Internet of Things (IoT), 5G, Blockchain, Big Data, AR and VR, AI and machine learning. With the incorporation of these technologies in the property industry, proptech will enable developers to be more sustainable and effective from the planning stages, to development, selling and management of properties. Green tech investments are already here but will continue to grow as both developers and consumers become more aware of the need to be sustainable.
In terms of marketing, digitalisation has enable us to do online transactions; where the buyer selects the unit they want and make payment online. Organisations will downsize in their in house sales team, because most will use online apps for administrative work. Big data analysis is also crucial in understanding consumer needs to enable us to provide the home that they desire.
Proptech also plays a major role in production and design – IoT has enabled developers and owners to equip their home with smart homes appliances, while new construction technology helps developers cut short construction period which in the long run, will be more cost-effective.
What advice can you offer those looking to start their career/own business?
Persistence – persevere and do not simply give up. All the talent and brains in the world will not help you succeed if you don’t have the persistence to use them to pursue your goals.
Many successful people tend to persist in their endeavours and persevere until they accomplish what they set out to do. They never give up.
Persistence strengthens your tenacity and teaches you the value of success. Being successful takes time and effort. No one ever became successful without making sacrifices and being persistent.
How has mentorship made a difference in your professional life?
Yes, I have been fortunate to have good mentors along the way in my career. My father, seeing the way he ran his business, inspired me to be entrepreneurial. Mr Fu Jun, the president of Macrolink Group, has inspired me to be strong, confident and persistent. Through him I’ve learned and experienced the importance of good judgement, decisiveness, and problem solving.
What do you want to accomplish in the next five years?
As a developer, I want to build more QUALITY homes that give buyers value and are sustainable. As an entrepreneur, I want CPI Land to be in the lead of adopting big data, digitalised marketing tools and innovation in product design. As a business owner, I want to list CPI Land in Bursa Malaysia.
Best piece of advice you ever received on your career.
Mr Fu Jun, president of Macrolink Group’s motto – “Never Say Never. Get Things Done. No Excuses”. This advice has gotten me far in my life and helped me face challenges and obstacles in life.
Most-admired business leader? Why?
Elon Musk – from Tesla to SpaceX. A visionary with an open mind set with big thinking. Dream big, change the world.
How do you stay abreast of issues affecting your industry?
Besides reading daily news to keep updated on global and local market trends and issues, networking and staying connected with business leaders from other industries is crucial to be in the know. The property industry is not isolated; any trends and issues on the overall economy and people also affects the property industry. I also connect with developer friends and peers in the developers community through Rehda.
What has been the biggest challenge you have faced and what did you learn from it?
As a developer, we constantly face market downturn that affects the economy overall resulting in slow sales. This is an inevitable situation that’s not within our control, so at CPI Land, we strive to overcome this challenge by creating and add more value to our property to make it attractive to buyers.
A must-read for every business owner/manager is ...
Losing My Virginity by Richard Branson. Tells the story of how Branson shaped his success, from a school dropout to a successful entrepreneur.
