14 June 2024
I’m writing this on a flight to Tawau. It’s a two and a half hour flight, and I’m traveling alone, so I’m taking this opportunity to write and organize my thoughts.
Last night, we went to our friend’s two-year-old son’s birthday party. Their house was over an hour away from our place. I finished a meeting with a key member of the school staff quite late and then rushed over. This couple friends of mine has a special story. We started off with a close group of high school buddies. They are capable, successful, and have good character. They’re all great peers who I admire. We used to hang out together a lot before we got married or had kids. I’ve witnessed how they’ve grown in maturity, found partners, gotten married, started families, and now I’m witnessing their children growing up. They’re all still very young, and hopefully, our kids can be friends too in the future. We couldn’t stay long last night because we had sports day this morning, so we needed to get back home so our kids could go to bed early.
It was pouring rain last night, with thunderstorms. But sometimes I’m amazed by the arrangements of the invisible hand, or God, who has orchestrated things behind the scenes. The weather has been good for three consecutive years for our sports day, without fail. Last year, we were so worried that it might rain, and indeed, it started raining right after the sports day. Today is no exception. This morning, the weather was perfect.
Wearing Different Hats
I was quite excited to be there wearing different hats – principal of Stellar International School, founder of Stellar Education Group, and parent to my children. This year, we didn’t allocate budget for decorations, not even a photo booth for Stellar Sports Day 2024. We want to focus on the main thing. In fact, every year, I could feel the difference.
The Early Days
In 2017, when we first started Stellar Preschool, we held our sports day at an international school. We were involved from the very beginning – planning stage, training the children, sourcing for supplies, hand-making decorations, logistics, we were the drivers ourselves. During the event, I had to be the photographer while others coordinated the whole event or games, interacting with parents. One of our senior teachers back then, “Teacher Ming”, mobilized all of her family members – siblings, spouses, children, nieces, and nephews – to volunteer and help out for that event. That was the first time I felt and witnessed the power of community. I remember Yvonne was our emcee, and she elevated the whole image standard for Stellar Preschool. She’s reliable and steady.
In 2018, we did it on a larger scale as our student body grew. We also rented a hall from another international school for our sports day. We pretty much did the same thing from the planning stage to cleaning up the whole hall. That year, we experimented with another model – a carnival style. The students went to each station for games. If I remember correctly, we worked with food trucks to provide food for the sports day as we were exploring food trucks back then to support a young Bangladeshi man who had a very strong entrepreneurial spirit.
Growth and Change
In 2019, we held our sports day at Educity’s indoor stadium. It was fully air-conditioned and huge for us (Later in 2022, we realized that the venue was too small for us because we had grown). I remember that time we were liaising with a lady by the name of Pearl. She then joined Stellar International School’s Admission Office and became our counselor for parents. That year was quite special. I wasn’t around for the sports day because I was away in Hong Kong for another event. But I was already delegating more by then, focusing on the establishment of Stellar International School, and having full confidence in our champion team whom I knew firmly would do well, much better than me. I heard it was a success. One significant milestone is that we had the pioneering team of Stellar International School with us, participating in the sports day of Stellar Preschool, even before Stellar International School was formed.
Pandemic Challenges
As we all know, 2020 was the year of the pandemic. We took pride in being the first school to convert online, and that year we had our sports day held via Zoom! The kids were participating from home, with their cameras turned on. What an experience! There were no crowds, no live cheering. The children completed tasks given by teachers. We utilized every possible way to keep the sports spirit going on, despite what was happening. We wanted our children to have that unique experience, even during the pandemic. It didn’t stop us. Two schools were involved: Stellar Preschool and Stellar International School.
Back to Physical Activity
2020 Oct was the time we were finally back to physical events. However, large gatherings were still not allowed. Back then, ONE15 Sports Complex (which then became Estuari Sports Complex) was about to launch. So, we negotiated a collaboration with them. ONE15 opened up their sports complex for us, showcasing their facilities. It was a warm-up event, more like a family carnival. We brought the Stellar community to ONE15 and experienced physical interactions with others again through a sports carnival.
Full-Fledged Sports Day
2022 was the year we had it back at Educity Sports Complex. This year, we made it a full-fledged sports day. The Stellar Early Years Group (Stellar Preschool, Sand and Stars Kindergarten, and Stellar Early Years) was utilizing the indoor sports arena for the last time as the indoor arena was no longer big enough for us. At the same time, Stellar International School was utilizing the outdoor sports complex for the first time. Honestly, I felt really small as the sports complex was so huge! There were only 300 of us back then. We were also having food trucks outside, collaborating with other merchants.
Shifting Roles
2023 was the year we no longer participated with the Stellar Early Years Group. They did it at Sunway Bigbox, and I couldn’t be involved on both sides. So, I was only with the International School side. That year, I saw our students start selling some food and beverages. It was messy, but I felt it was a good start. We all learn from our mistakes and improve. I also remembered we added activities where teachers and parents could participate together, and we even won a medal. I’m not sure if that has encouraged anyone to focus on sports, but it was a fun addition.
“King of Kings” and Parental Involvement
Finally, 2024. I’m amazed by the theme for this year’s sports day, “King of Kings.” I love it. This year, I had almost zero involvement in the preparation process. I wasn’t even a photographer or aerial videographer (which I usually handle). The only thing I did was give an opening speech and distribute some medals – that’s all. So, I switched to parent mode. This is the first year where all three of my boys participated in sports day.
I didn’t see my youngest son Evan as I was with the primary and secondary side. Some parents saw me and told me that Evan did well. I saw Aden and Eann participate in running, and I cheered for them. Aden was quite reluctant to take part in sports, which made me reflect and realize I should allocate time to practice with them. I will start doing it every Thursday after school. Eann, to my surprise, got bronze for lower primary. When I watched the video, I saw him running extremely fast! Good to ignite the sports spirit in them. I have my part to play as their dad.
A Conversation on Education
During the event, I was approached by a parent from Singapore. This man has a lot of wisdom, and I really enjoyed talking to him. Lots of our values are pretty aligned. I was intrigued by his decision to move his family out of Singapore and settle down in Malaysia. He told me he was enjoying it and has a very different view on education, believing that children could learn from all aspects of life. He prefers the lower density and slower pace of Iskandar Puteri, where he gets to spend time with his children. Probably because of his background, I don’t feel he gave me the typical Singaporean point of view on life. Later, I found out he’s also an entrepreneur himself.
A Journey to Tawau
I left around 11 am and asked Joshua for help to send me to the airport. Unfortunately, there aren’t many flights available from JB to Tawau. I have never visited Tawau before, and you might be wondering why I chose to go there. As Chief Steward of Stellar, I always work closely with incredible people who could bring an impact to the Stellar team, starting from upgrading my mindset. One of them is Dr. Victor Wong. He’s previously from Leaderonomics, and I hear many wonderful stories about him. From my personal experience with Dr. Victor, I am amazed. He’s a wise and intelligent leader with a great heart. He has shared with me quite a bit about his years of unwavering commitment to supporting children in Tawau for years until now, where they have completed their SPM (school leaving exams).
Building a Culture of Opportunity
I’ve come across people from Sabah and Sarawak, and they are truly some of the friendliest people on earth. They are grateful, simple, friendly, and not materialistic. What they lack is opportunity. Many look up to people from bigger cities. With the position I hold, I want to go to Tawau and hopefully make a positive impact on the people there. I want to send them a message that they are worthy and that we, at Stellar, believe there’s so much we can learn from each other. By bringing in more people from East Malaysia, we can strengthen the culture of servant leadership, love for people, gratitude, and resilience that we’re intentionally building at Stellar.
The Importance of Culture
Here’s a quick recap of Stellar’s core values:
- Servant Leadership
- Transformational Innovation
- Empowering, Not Entitled
- Love Truth. Love Life. Love People.
- Live Gratefully, Not Blaming
- Appreciativeness, Not Criticism
- Resilience Leads to Desired Results
I strongly believe that to transform the next generation, we need to start with the leadership team and then the teachers. In other words, the entire school culture needs to be strong in order to achieve this goal. We’ve all heard the saying, “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.” But how exactly do we build a good corporate culture? What kind of culture are we talking about? What’s the key factor? Is it the leader or the system, or perhaps both?
Lessons Learned
My answer to these questions has evolved over time. Back in 2017 and 2018, I would have confidently told you I knew exactly how to build a strong culture. I would have rated our culture a 9.5 out of 10. However, by 2021, with our exponential growth, I wasn’t so sure anymore. I might have rated it a 5 out of 10 then. Today, I have a clearer perspective. I can tell you it’s achievable, but it’s not easy. Here are a few key elements needed to build a great culture:
- Alignment of mindsets for the key leadership team
- A strong system that can support a growing team
- Build a team of exceptional individuals who are passionate about our values and dedicated to making a lasting contribution.
It sounds simple, but it’s like jumping off a cliff and building your plane on the way down.
Looking Forward
So, to get back to cultural building, we need more committed people, with a strong mission-oriented mindset, to join Stellar and impact the next generation. These people are rare and precious. At the same time, we can provide opportunities for people in Sabah to come and work with us, and if possible, support their tertiary studies. This way, they achieve both – furthering their education and building a career. If they’re willing to stay with Stellar, they can continue to build the culture with us. Otherwise, as an educator, I’m still happy if they learn everything they can and bring that knowledge back to help Sabah develop. I’m a Malaysian born and raised in Johor Bahru. I have a strong mission to contribute and bring a positive transformation to my city and the nation. This trip to Tawau is a win-win situation. We go there to explore how we can add value to the people of Sabah, while at the same time figuring out how that can benefit Stellar, which will ultimately transform Johor Bahru in one way or another.
That’s the main reason I’m in Tawau now, spending Father’s Day away from my family. I felt a pang of guilt when I saw my children’s disappointment about missing out on celebrating together. My eldest son, being very sweet, asked why I had to be away. When I explained the reason, I found out he had even prepared a Father’s Day surprise for me! I don’t know what it is yet, but it made it even more important for me to convey a crucial message to my children. While I love them dearly, sometimes I need to make decisions that go beyond myself, decisions that can have a greater impact on the nation.
However, I also need to be mindful of striking a balance. This can’t come at the expense of spending quality time with my wife and children. I don’t see much value in spending time only on special occasions like Father’s Day while being absent most of the time. I’m heavily involved in their upbringing, and there have been times when I’ve made an effort to be present, even during challenging situations. For example, a few years back during the pandemic, I chose to spend a quiet night with the kitchen crew of Stellar Education Group instead of being with my family. My children were disappointed then too, but I explained that while they have me all the time, the kitchen crew was away from their families. I wanted to be there for them during this significant moment, to show them love and care, not just as their leader, but as their friend or family member away from home.
That’s all I have for now. We are landing soon in Tawau, and I’m eager to see what this trip holds. I’ll be sure to write more about my experience here and the impact I hope to make, both on the people of Tawau and on Stellar’s future. In the meantime, if you have any thoughts or experiences on building a strong school culture, I’d love to hear them. Leave a comment below and let’s continue the conversation!
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