This story is about the path of opportunities paved by Mr. Thitided Srimarayat, SVP - Marketing and Business Development, Ngern Tid Lor Public Company Limited. In this story, Thitided will share lessons learned and experiences from his path of opportunities to encourage and empower other NTLers to grow. Embarking on a journey of self-discovery, Thitided decided to switch his career from computer engineering to marketing to create opportunities for him and to find what he liked to do. “After graduation, I worked in my field of study for about two years, which I felt wasn’t as fun as I thought. So, I started to ask myself and tried to find out what I really liked and wanted to do. I tried to find more information, including reading newspapers and magazines, about business administration. I discovered that the field of business was interesting because we could come up with more than one solution to successfully tackle a problem. So, I made a decision to further my study in MBA Marketing and landed a job in credit product development for a commercial bank.”
Courage and Confidence to Make the First Step
After he found what he thought was the right answer, Thitided mustered the courage to embrace a new opportunity to move forward with full confidence in himself and in his role model. “I changed my job to work at Ngern Tid Lor because of my belief and faith in people. Back then, the company wasn’t as big and not as well-known as it is today. But seeing the boss, I ever worked with, happy and having fun releasing energy at work after moving to Ngern Tid Lor, I believed that I would enjoy working here too. So, I decided to follow her lead. That boss is currently enjoying working here today like she was on her first day. Also, like her, I have been given plenty of opportunities to grow here for more than 10 years.”
Open up to Opportunities
In Thitided’s view, Ngern Tid Lor is an organization of opportunity. Not only does it create opportunities to allow customers to roll their lives forward, but it also provides opportunities for its employees to experiment to improve themselves and grow.
“One of the methods of building an organization is to build people. An easier and faster way to achieve this is to recruit top talents. Many organizations have been doing exactly that. But Ngern Tid Lor chooses to give its employees an opportunity to grow by encouraging them to keep their eyes open for learning and developing their performance capabilities to grow together with the organization.”
“It is like having a frame of mind. The bigger the frame, the further one can develop. That is why the company encourages us to broaden our perspective by sending us to learn, observe work, train and urges us to experiment to lead change, which is one of TIDLOR core values. But, the most important thing, other than keeping eyes open and expanding perspectives, is to keep your mind open. You won’t be able to learn anything if you start with your mind shut.”
Growing from Failed Lessons
At Ngern Tid Lor, we do not always learn from successes but also from failures, just like Thitided’s experience.“
Usually, before Ngern Tid Lor launches a new product, we conduct a small-scale test to assess the market. When we started testing a new product called 'No Ownership Transfer', me and my team worked really hard because we had to travel across Thailand to train branch staff. But the feedback wasn't as good as we expected, even though I thought that this product should be easy to sell because customers did not have go to the Transport Office to transfer vehicle ownership and pay tax, and the vehicle title would be still in the customers name, no need to change it to the company's.
It wasn't until I went to train branch staff in the southern region that I met with a team of like-minded people. After hearing my idea, they said it was good and agreed to support me to talk to customers about the advantages of this product. Soon afterward, the product sales in the south started to grow, setting an example for other regions to follow suit.
From this unsuccessful case, I have learned that first, we don't have to be afraid of making mistakes but we need to learn from them and do better. Second, a good team of people who share the same drive will keep a project moving forward no matter how difficult things are. Third, if you failed in the past, it doesn't mean that you will fail in the future. Fourth, you need to identify a variable that makes the outcome different and improve to achieve better results. And fifth, working with talented but disagreeable people often leads to unsatisfactory results and is less enjoyable than working with people who are less talented but share the same drive. These are my lessons learned to be passed on so that our younger colleagues won't make the same mistakes.
Empowerment from Helping Others, Not from Self-Serving
"I call this concept the 'Law of Universe.' That is, when we have attained growth, we have a duty to create and pass on the opportunity to other younger colleagues to grow. At Ngern Tid Lor, we believe that great leaders create more leaders, not followers. Our success is measured by the success and growth of our younger colleagues instead of ours. Thus, we endeavor to create opportunities for young members in our team."
When we encounter a problem or feel discouraged, we will get back on track quickly because if we are beaten out, how the team members who rely on our support will do. Of course, thinking about others is not easy, unlike thinking for yourself where you can give up and leave any time you want. Being clear about what we are doing and whom we are doing it for will empower and drive us forward. It is like a reward for choosing to do what we should do in accordance with the Law of Universe. And these are the lessons learned from the path of opportunities and the power of helping others in NTLers' way.
3 Tips for Growth and Empowerment
- Open your mind and eyes because you will not be able to learn anything if you start with your mind shut.
- Do not be afraid of making mistakes but learn from them and improve.
- Keep your eyes on a big picture and empower yourself and those around you to reach the desired goal.