How Far Does Your Impact Reach?
I just got back from Kuala Lumpur. It’s Sunday, March 16, 2025, and the time now is 10:04 PM.
Let me start with a question:
How much of an impact can one person truly have?
When you grow as a person, the first to feel it is your wife (for me, at least). Then, your children. Then, the people around you.
And when your wife is impacted, she influences her siblings, family, and friends. When they change, they influence their friends, their families, their communities.
This ripple effect is undeniable.
On average, a single teacher impacts 3,000 students in their lifetime.
Now, let me ask you an even bigger question:
What happens when 70 people travel together—70 educators from Stellar Education Group—attending a purpose-driven education conference, covering 700 km, from the southernmost tip of Malaysia to the capital, Kuala Lumpur?
What would that ripple effect look like?
The Unseen Power of Synchronization
For me, this journey wasn’t just about attending a conference.
- It was about syncing the “operating system” of Stellar Education Group.
- It was about aligning hearts, minds, and missions.
- It was about creating something so powerful that no marketing strategy could ever match it.
70 educators—teachers, finance, HR, early years, primary, secondary—traveled together.
3 days, 2 nights—sharing accommodations, meals, and experiences.
One vision—to elevate education beyond the four walls of a school.
Some visited family and friends.
Some explored Genting Highlands.
Some challenged themselves in an escape room.
But whether in formal sessions or in those unplanned, in-between moments, connections deepened.
This was team bonding on a level that can’t be forced—only facilitated.
And I know…
What cannot be measured cannot be improved.
So, how do we quantify the impact of this experience?
Defining Success: A Realistic Benchmark
I turn to the 80/20 principle for a simple, measurable goal:
- Out of 70 Stellar educators, 20% (14 people) need to be deeply transformed.
- Out of 200 total participants, 20% (40 people) should take action from what they learned.
- Subtracting our 14, this means 26 external educators must step forward to collaborate with us.
If 14 from Stellar and 26 from the broader network move beyond inspiration into action, this conference was a success.
Because real impact isn’t measured by attendance—it’s measured by transformation.
The Devil Is in the Details: A Personal Realization
This trip also taught me something about myself: I am a strategist. An opportunist. A problem-solver.
That can be powerful. But it can also be dangerous.
Like a knife—it can cut through obstacles, but it can also cut people.
The older I get, the more I realize…
- I have fewer personal agendas.
- I am more purpose-driven than ever.
And yet, I remain humbled by the people and opportunities I’ve been blessed with.
At the conference, I attended a session by Paul and Jenny on mentoring and coaching.
One participant—someone I admire—shared two areas where he needed guidance:
- Team Building—He saw how we built teamwork at Stellar and wanted to learn.
- Work-Life-Ministry Balance—He struggled to integrate his commitments.
I knew I could mentor him in both.
Because team-building comes naturally to me.
And because integration isn’t a theory—it’s a lived experience.
The Trap of Intelligence: A Hard Truth for Smart People
He told me he struggled with delegation.
I understood why.
Smart people rely on their intelligence.
- If you’re the only one who speaks English in a town, why would you ask for help with translation?
- If you grew up in a wealthy family, why wouldn’t you leverage financial resources?
It’s natural to lean on your strengths.
But intelligence—like leadership—can be a double-edged sword.
- It makes you capable, but it also makes you isolated.
- It allows you to solve problems quickly, but it prevents you from trusting others to solve them too.
True leadership isn’t just about being the smartest person in the room—it’s about knowing when to step back.
Loyalty Is Not to a Person—It’s to a Purpose
No one is loyal to you.
Not in this generation.
So what creates loyalty?
Shared purpose.
The reason people stay is not because they like you, but because their purpose aligns with yours.
If we want to build lasting teams, we must build shared purpose—not blind loyalty.
Mastering Integration: The 3M Framework
How do you balance work, life, and ministry?
The 3M Framework:
- Mentors—Learn from those ahead of you.
- Mates—Surround yourself with people walking the same journey.
- Mentees—Pour into those behind you.
One of my greatest mentors masters integration.
- He mentors without sacrificing his family or ministry.
- He teaches while traveling, attending funerals, or in daily moments.
- His wisdom doesn’t require a scheduled session—it happens naturally.
Integration is not about balance. It’s about alignment.
A Nation-Building Leader: My Encounter with Nurul Izzah
I spent significant time with Nurul Izzah, and I have to say…
She is a leader Malaysia should be proud of.
She walked in without a PA.
No entourage. No protocol.
She sat down with us—just like anyone else.
Authentic. Vulnerable. Compassionate.
She fights for students rejected by the system.
She gives hope to the hopeless.
Her leadership isn’t about position—it’s about purpose.
And Malaysia needs more leaders like that.
Building a Better Malaysia: Private-Public Collaboration
At the heart of this movement is a bigger mission:
A better Malaysia through purpose-driven education.
We must move:
- From profit-driven schools to passion-driven schools.
- From passion-driven to purpose-driven.
And when purpose drives us, profit follows.
- The impact must go beyond private schools.
- It must spill over into public education.
- And only private-public collaboration will create lasting change.
We are not just running schools.
We are rewriting the future of education.
Final Reflection: A Life Worth Living
Physically, I am exhausted.
But my heart is full.
- Full of hope for the future.
- Full of gratitude for the lives we are shaping.
- Full of clarity on why we do what we do.
And when I look at the 70 Stellar educators who traveled with me, I know…
- We are making history.
- And we will never settle for an ordinary life.
Because life is too short not to give it our best shot.
Good night.
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