A leadership reflection on productivity, pace, and purpose
A National Day on the High-Speed Rail
It was August 31st, Malaysia’s 68th National Day. The time was 9:12 p.m. and I was on the high-speed rail from Shantou to Guangzhou after a 2D1N training session. Looking out at the illuminated skyline of China, I couldn’t help but reflect.
Every time I come to China, I am impressed. At midnight, the streets are still alive. Young people stay out late, debating ideas, thinking critically, asking questions. Entrepreneurs and business owners grab every opportunity to meet, even at 1am in the morning.
That relentless energy makes me wonder: what’s the difference in output between China and Malaysia?
I guessed 3x, maybe 6x. Maybe even more. But then came the harder question: are we really lagging behind by that much? Or are we simply running a different race?
Stories of Speed and Slowness
China’s Dazzling Speed
In Shantou and Guangzhou, everything moves at a dizzying pace. Construction sites that were empty a year ago now have towers. The “old city” feels like it has leapt 3 years ahead in just 1. The city runs on adrenaline.
When I talk to Chinese youth, their critical thinking is sharp. When I meet entrepreneurs, they are relentless, chasing deals and connections deep into the night. Every conversation is about what’s next, what’s possible, how to get ahead.
Malaysia’s Gentle Rhythm
Then I compare it to Johor Bahru. My hometown feels slow. Development crawls. Meetings drag on not for hours but for years. In fact, the longest meeting of my life has lasted 5 years, the planning of our purpose-built campus since 2020. Political changes reshuffled leadership of government-linked companies again and again. Each time, relationships had to be rebuilt from scratch.
The gap feels enormous. But is faster always better?
Productivity Numbers and What They Reveal
Here is where the data surprised me.
When economists measure 员工产值 (labor productivity, output per hour worked), the numbers say:
- Malaysia: ~RM43/hour ≈ US$9.6/hour (2025)
- China (national): ~¥72/hour ≈ US$9.9/hour (2025)
- Guangzhou (city est.): US$10–15/hour
- Singapore: ~US$97/hour (PPP, 2023)
On paper, Malaysia and China look almost the same. The national average hides the truth that Guangzhou and Shenzhen outpace the interior. That’s why what I felt: China being 3x to 6x faster wasn’t just about statistics. It was about scale, culture, and momentum.
Singapore, on the other hand, really is 10x more productive. A concentrated, high-value economy where every hour worked delivers global output.
The paradox emerges:
- Malaysia and China produce roughly the same per hour.
- China feels multiple times faster.
- Singapore is truly multiples ahead.
So the question shifts: is leadership about chasing speed, or about knowing which race we’re in?
Comfort vs Calling
History has a way of clarifying this. My ancestors left China generations ago. They could have stayed in comfort. They could have remained in familiar surroundings, with family and tradition. Instead, they ventured into Southeast Asia. Some out of necessity. Some out of vision.
It was not comfort that drove them. It was calling.
The same choice lies before leaders today. Some parents in Johor choose the comfort of sending their children to Singapore. Others to overseas universities. I chose differently. My calling was to build a school, not only for my children but for thousands of others. Through them, I would learn empathy, resilience, and legacy.
Comfort clings. Calling creates.
Go Slow to Go Fast
In China, there is little room to go slow. It is always sprinting. In Malaysia, we have the luxury to go slow to go fast. That is not a weakness. It can be a strength.
- Paradox 1: Slow can be fast. A slower pace allows for clarity, long-term trust, and sustainable culture.
- Paradox 2: Fast can be fragile. Sprinting may win the short race but exhaust the runner for the marathon.
- Reverse Insight: The opposite of leadership isn’t following. It’s self-preservation.
Be it fast or slow, a leader who clings to comfort will preserve only what already exists. A leader who responds to calling will build what does not yet exist.
Southeast Asia and Legacy
Centuries ago, Zheng He’s fleet ventured into Malacca. He didn’t stay in the safe harbors of China. He sailed outward, laying foundations for cultural and economic ties that still matter today.
Legacy builders don’t hide in comfort. They answer calling.
Malaysia’s slower pace doesn’t doom us. It invites us to ask: what race are we running? Is it a sprint, a walk, or a marathon? For me, leadership is a marathon. And marathons are won not by speed alone but by clarity, endurance, and direction.
Action and Legacy
So here’s the invitation:
- Ask yourself: Am I choosing comfort, or am I living calling?
- Recognize: Data may show parity, but destiny is determined by vision.
- Act: Build what is needed, not what is convenient.
The Reverse That Redefines It All
Productivity per hour may be similar between Malaysia and China. But destiny per hour is vastly different. Comfort calculates efficiency. Calling creates legacy.
Leadership is not about running the fastest race. It is about running the right race and finishing it with impact.
