Ngern Tidlor believes that 'people' are the organization’s most valuable resource. Without NTLers, the organization would not be able to grow and achieve incredible success. Therefore, Ngern Tidlor takes 'people' as its top priority.
To help prepare and promote the potential of the new generation of NTLers, an emphasis is placed on instilling a sense of commitment, the starting point of the organization, and equipping them with the beliefs and skills necessary for full-fledged leadership. This is crucial, and it is the essence of the Sales Leadership Development workshop held in November 2023 at Doi Tung.
Following the footsteps and commitment of the past
‘Doi Tung’ is an organization that aims to improve the quality of life and create sustainable livelihoods for local communities. Its mission is to provide opportunities for honest living, shifting from encroachment on forests and illegal tree cutting to sustainable occupations, such as cultivating high-quality seedlings for tea and coffee. This not only empowers local residents to achieve self-sufficiency but also fosters the growth of individuals and small businesses.
Similarly,
‘Ngern Tidlor’ was founded on the principle of dedicating each day to create and pass on opportunities to people with irregular income due to limited access to formal financial services. This includes even small businesses that need circulating funds for survival.
Both organizations share a common origin in businesses not solely focused on profit but steadfast in their vision to improve the lives of people in communities and society in a sustainable manner. Furthermore, both organizations are driven by a clear and positive commitment.
This is why Ngern Tidlor has chosen to bring the 'Sales Leaders,' comprising regional managers, area managers, and relationship managers nationwide—over 200 individuals—to learn and reinforce the positive beliefs and ideas at Doi Tung. The objective is to provide the 'NTL Leaders' with insights and inspiration from the senior generation like Doi Tung, aiming to adapt and implement these learnings to foster sustainable growth for the organization and society. This collaborative effort also contributes to creating stability in the lives of Ngern Tidlor's team members, who are considered the ‘heart’ of the organization.
As Piyasak, MD of Ngern Tidlor, explained,
“Ngern Tidlor's goal extends beyond ensuring the well-being of customers, shareholders, or the organization. We equally emphasize the well-being among our employees. The well-being of our people is always on our minds.”
Piyasak emphasizes the 'principles' in creating sustainable growth for Ngern Tidlor, which are collectively known as the 3Ps:
- Purpose: This entails a steadfast commitment to upholding the brand's promise in helping customers roll life forward.
- Profit: This is what enables Ngern Tidlor to fulfill its commitment. It allows the organization to leverage technology for innovation, improve customers' quality of life, foster sustainable growth, and provide stability for the organization and employees.
- People: Since individuals are the driving force propelling the organization towards its set direction and goals, Ngern Tidlor places great importance on people development. This includes caring for Ngern Tidlor's team to ensure they lead stable lives and are happy with their work.
Methodology for ‘creating leaders:’
The key to creating leaders at Ngern Tidlor lies in learning through practical activities. This includes activities such as the Gallery Walk, which provides leaders with the opportunity to walk through the gallery and read ‘homework’ assignments. This not only helps them to deepen their understanding of customer issues but also builds leadership skills. By summarizing what the participants have learned from interacting with Ngern Tidlor's frontline staff, they demonstrate leadership skills, which is an integral part of this activity.
Following this,
Restart Our Why session takes NTL leaders to reflect on the business's commitment. Piyasak underscores the importance of problem-solving through swift customer service, while Athitaya Phoonwathu, Chief Insurance Officer highlights the purpose of TIDLOR Insurance Broker, aiming to provide comprehensive protection to society by establishing new standards in the insurance brokerage industry. Their emphasis extends beyond mere sales to encompass customer care throughout the claims process.
Leaders at Ngern Tidlor also have the opportunity to learn how to present cases to the Credit Analysis team and help customers get quick access to funds for resolving issues affecting their businesses or lives. The area managers also shared stories about how Ngern Tidlor has helped improve the quality of life for themselves and their team members.
An essential activity is the collaborative volunteer effort to build a dam, which not only helps conserve water resources on Doi Tung but also nurtures strong relationships among NTL leaders as they engage in the activity together.
What the ‘NTL Leaders’ have Learned
Working as a 'team' is the approach Ngern Tidlor believes will propel the organization towards its goals more quickly and efficiently. In this Sales Leadership Development workshop at Doi Tung, the focus is on equipping leaders with collaborative skills. There were plenty of opportunities for area managers and channel relationship managers to understand each other's work and plan together. This collaboration facilitates quicker and more seamless assistance to customers through various channels.
Supachoke Akkarakulyos, SVP Branch Development & Sales Management emphasizes the key factors for successful teamwork are
'Trust' and
'Respect,' inspired by concepts from books such as Extreme Ownership and The Self-Aware Leader. Key takeaways include:
- Leaders must communicate and have a responsibility to explain things comprehensively.
- Explanations should be simple and illustrate the connection between 'actions and consequences.'
- True cooperation means distributing risks and benefits, offering credit to each other, possible when everyone knows their own limitations and sets aside their ego.
- The benefits of collaboration help in solving complex problems and building strong relationships based on trust, honesty, and mutual respect.
- Confidence in the team is vital; we might not see what everyone is doing, but we trust that everyone is contributing.
- Working individually achieves minimal results, but by helping each other, we can accomplish much more.
The activities to empower the new generation of NTL leaders have been successful because Ngern Tidlor recognizes the importance of people. It seeks individuals with the potential to grow into true leaders capable of creating more good leaders, not just followers. Ngern Tidlor believes that investing in people is the right way to achieve sustainable and impactful organizational growth.
Aha! moments from Doi Tung
“It feels good to hear the opinions of nearly 200 NTLers who shared their learnings from the past 2 days. This allows us to reflect on what we have gained and communicate it to others. We will share with our team members what we heard and what we did, especially regarding the sustainability of the company and customers, as well as the well-being of employees.”
“The part I liked the most was P’Choke's (Supachoke) session because it gave us perspectives from both sides on what needs to be done and what channels need to be explored. It made us realize that there are many different functions within the organization. Both the front and back-office teams need to communicate, and we need to look at things from the perspective of others, not just our own, to succeed together. When branch colleagues succeed, we succeed, and the company succeeds.”
“The most impressive part was when Khun Noom (Piyasak) shared the starting point of Ngern Tidlor. It made me understand that we are one of the cogs that will help the organization reach its goals. We need to continuously develop ourselves.”
“The workshop is my favorite. When we analyze the root cause of problems, and then Khun Noom (Piyasak) stepped in, he added that one thing we hadn’t uttered is the word 'sorry.' I liked this part the most because he taught us that leaders can make mistakes but are willing to accept their mistakes and find ways to fix them.”