Kean Phang

𝗧𝗿𝘂𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗱𝗼𝘄𝗻.
𝗧𝗿𝘂𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝗹𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗹𝗮𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗴𝗴𝗹𝗲.
𝗧𝗿𝘂𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗱𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂.

𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲𝗱?
It’s never the ones ahead of you pulling you down.
It’s the ones behind, trying to keep you there.

To CAE, Kitz Valve, Glodon Malaysia, Verdant Solar, Sudong Career - (Member of Singtel Group), ITA Asia Limited, Hospital Tunku Azizah, Avaland Berhad, The Alice Smith School, GARDENIA BAKERIES (K.L) SDN BHD, CGG, Unitech QS Consultancy Sdn Bhd, Infinitium Group of Companies, Out of Home Media, SBM Offshore, Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, LiveMed (SuuBalm), Mewah-Oils Sdn Bhd, Watsons Malaysia, Julie's Biscuits, Genting Malaysia Berhad, Aonic, INFINITY8, Secret Recipe Cakes & Cafe Sdn Bhd, MJ Department Stores Sdn Bhd (Metrojaya Group), Swisslog, BC Invest, INMAGINE (123RF), SGS, LBS Bina Group Berhad, Inchcape Shipping Services, EBC Financial Group, Genie Financial Services by Carro, Maybank, Accretech, Tan Boon Ming, Johor Port, Kingfisher HR Solutions Group

𝗧𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝘆𝗼𝘂.
For reminding me what real leadership looks like.
For showing that true sales is service, powered by wealth.
And for proving that strong teams rise by lifting each other.

𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗗𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗠𝘆 𝗝𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗼𝗿 𝗞𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗠𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀?? 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗪𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲?!
This post is for leaders, HR professionals, parents, teachers, anyone who feels 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗯𝗿𝗼𝗸𝗲𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗱 from trying to correct repeated unhelpful behavior.

Behavioral researchers have boiled it down to 3 root causes, which I teach using my leadership framework, 𝗔𝗖𝗧.

🔹 𝗔 – 𝗔𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆
This is the HOW.
Most people know their behavior is unhelpful.
They just 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗹𝘀 to get out of it.

🔹 𝗖 – 𝗖𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗶𝘁𝘆
This is mental, emotional, or physical capacity.
If someone is 𝗯𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝘃𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴, they won't prioritize improvement.

🔹 𝗧 – 𝗧𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻
This is the 𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗼𝗳 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀.
Sometimes, we shield or rescue them out of love
So, they don't learn because there’s no tension to prioritize change.

As loving people, we rush to “fix”. Perhaps we should also pause and 𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻. Most unhelpful behavior is a 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗯𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 of these three root causes.

When I train leaders to use ACT, they realize:
❌ We shouldn't reward bad behavior
✅ But we also 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗽𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗮𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁

Instead, we:
🩺 Diagnose with empathy
🎯 Correct with purpose
🌱 Praise with clarity

Because unhelpful behavior is often a message. A 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗰𝗿𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽.
And the best leaders learn to read it.

Talk to me or UpSkillingMinds Sdn Bhd, where all our workshops are HRDC Claimable, and let's help your leaders correct unhelpful behavior with clarity and conclusiveness!

"𝗬𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝗼 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲. 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗜 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝘆 𝗯𝗼𝘀𝘀?"
Many sales professionals panic when they hear this. Some resort to discounting.

A Truth Seller sees deeper.
We listen to the wound:

😳 “𝘐'𝘮 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘺 𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘬 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶. 𝘐’𝘮 𝙖𝙛𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙙 𝘐’𝘭𝘭 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘧𝘰𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘪𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘴.”
💪 “𝘐 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴.”

And we respond, not with pressure, but with 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽:

“𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘮𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘱𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝙘𝙝𝙤𝙤𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙬𝙞𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙮, 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘮 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘶𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯. 𝘐 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵.”
“𝘓𝘦𝘵’𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘱 𝘰𝘶𝘵, 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘺, 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘣𝘰𝘴𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳, 𝙨𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘰𝘣𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴."

Truth Selling isn’t about lowering the price.
It’s about 𝗿𝗮𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 🔮.

So the client doesn’t just say yes…
They'll feel confident they did.
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Talk to me or UpSkillingMinds Sdn Bhd, where all our workshops are HRDC Claimable, and let's help your clients feel clarity, safety and pride when they say YES

𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗱𝗼 𝗦𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗖𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝗨𝗽, 𝗪𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝗢𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗝𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗚𝗿𝘂𝗻𝘁 𝗡𝗼𝗻-𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗱𝗹𝘆?
Here's why it happens, and what we can do to fix it.

As a former barrister, I use a skill I now call "𝗚𝘂𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝗥𝗲𝗳𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀". It's the art of guiding the client's thinking without boxing them in.

🚘 𝗖𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝘂𝗱𝘆 𝟭 - 𝗕𝘂𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗖𝗮𝗿

Instead of just asking:
"𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘤𝘢𝘳?"

Also add:
"𝘚𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘺 𝘤𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘤𝘶𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘦, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴. 𝘔𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘻𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘢𝘧𝘦𝘵𝘺. 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶?"

Offer a maximum of 3 examples, always in a curious tone.
This guides their reflection, while showing our expertise and experience.

☎️ 𝗖𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝘂𝗱𝘆 𝟮 - 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗦𝗮𝘆 "𝗜'𝗺 𝗕𝘂𝘀𝘆"

Most sales professionals respond with:
"𝘐'𝘮 𝘴𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘺. 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬?"

And of course, the client never calls, because we've handed over control.

Try this Guided Reflection instead:
"𝘛𝘰𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥 - 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘶𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦. 𝘐𝘴 3𝘱𝘮 𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘳 10𝘢𝘮 𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘸 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶? 𝘐𝘵'𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘢 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘤𝘬 10 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘵𝘦 𝘶𝘱𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘦."

Why does this work better? We offer a guided choice, and we respect their time. If they still hesitate, offer a 3rd option. People rarely say "No" to us twice in a row. In negotiation, we call this "Strike While the Iron is Hot".
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If your salespeople struggle with one-way conversations, teach them the power of Guided Reflections. They'll grow into trusted advisors.

Talk to me or UpSkillingMinds Sdn Bhd, where all our workshops are HRDC Claimable, and let's grow your business through meaningful relationships, not just one-off transactions.

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗗𝗼 𝗪𝗲 𝗟𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗡𝗲𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗣𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲?
This question often shows up in my Leadership, Sales, and Customer Experience Workshops. Here's a secret:

Behind every "difficult" behavior... is a 𝗪𝗢𝗨𝗡𝗗

😱 Pessimists? → Repeated disappointments in the past
😤 Dominators? → Fear of being unseen
😨 Avoiders? → Fear of being blamed

And here's the sacred truth. Every wound also holds a 𝗪𝗛𝗢𝗟𝗘𝗦𝗢𝗠𝗘 𝗥𝗢𝗢𝗧. A value they're trying to protect, a desire to benefit the team:

😱 Pessimists → Want to prevent team failure
😤 Dominators → Craving to contribute
😨 Avoiders → Trying to keep the peace (avoid arguments)

As leaders, salespeople or customer experience professionals, we could see people at their worst, we could judge... or we could 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁.

Many will call us naive, 𝙨𝙩𝙪𝙥𝙞𝙙 even.

Smile and say, "Perhaps. But I also seem to be happier than you."

Let them take. We are strong. We are rich. We are limitless.
Because I can see the best in you, too

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If you want your leaders, sales, and customer experience professionals to connect deeper and speak wiser, our HRDC-claimable corporate training workshops are perfect. You'll build teams who don’t just perform - but also 𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗵𝘆, 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁 and 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆.

Thankful beyond words. Thank you for teaching me so much, and for allowing me to do such meaningful work 💕

To the amazing teams at KYUEM, Avaland, LBS Bina, FFM, Focus Point, EPICOR, Orsted, Carro, and Parker Hannifin, may we keep growing together! 🙏

In teambuildings, I loooveeee bringing my clients on Treasure Hunts 🏴‍☠️🥇. They're intense, fun, encourage collaboration and team problem solving! However, clients hesitate because of the weather (blazing sun!), and safety issues (imagine 200+ participants running amok in the city or countryside 🤣).

To counter these risks, we innovated and started running 𝗙𝗼𝗼𝗱-𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗱 𝗧𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗛𝘂𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗠𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘀! Nothing brings a team together better than sharing a meal 🍔 (or 3!)

In these indoor hunts, teams scramble to amass treasure using clues hidden in our partner restaurants. At each restaurant, teams will overcome intense challenges together (emphasizing your company's core values), and spend quality time dining and getting to know each other better.

We also found that 🎁 Gift-Exchange stations were extremely well-received, where participants will be guided to handcraft thoughtful presents for each other. Often, participants are moved to tears in this segment, feeling the love and appreciation from their colleagues.

So, if you wish to experience the thrill and collaboration of a classical treasure hunt, and hope for your employees to be able to frolic safely in the air-conditioning and safety of a shopping mall, these are the perfect experiences for you!

Suggested places to run these Food-Themed Treasure Hunts in Shopping Malls would include Putrajaya, Melaka and Port Dickson. Do get in touch with me or UpSkillingMinds Sdn Bhd and we'll design the perfect treasure hunt for you!

Happy Chinese New Yearrrr!!! 🎉 🎊 🎋 Since CNY is in full swing, let’s talk about the 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 in the world… MONEY 🧧 💰 💲

Did you disapprove / disagree with my statement? Well you’re certainly not alone! Let’s imagine Joshua, a typical Malaysian. If we said to Joshua,

“Woah Joshua, you’re so rich!”
“Woah Joshua, you have so much money!”
“Woah Joshua, you’re the top contender for that promotion!”

Many a typical Malaysian would feign modesty and say, “𝘕𝘰 𝘓𝘈𝘏𝘏𝘏, 𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘺. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘮𝘦!”

Well, let’s imagine Joshua in a second scenario. This time, he’s with his girlfriend. If we said to Joshua,

“Woah Joshua, your girlfriend is so pretty!”
“Woah Joshua, your girlfriend is so nice and friendly!”

What would happen if he responded in the same way? “𝘕𝘰 𝘓𝘈𝘏𝘏𝘏, 𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢 𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥. 𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘦.” Gosh. Soon, Joshua would not have a girlfriend!

Guess what happens when we repeatedly tell others that we have no money 😇 . “Money” will soon break up with us too!

Yes, many of us have a bad relationship with money. In Malaysia, we are so fond of villianizing money and telling our children:

“Money is the root of all evil!”
“Don’t play with money, money is dirty!”
“Rich people became rich by doing bad things!”

This becomes problematic if you happen to be a revenue generator in your organization (or if you’re in finance!). In truth, to attract wealth for ourselves and our organization, we have to move away from what psychologists call a “𝗭𝗲𝗿𝗼 𝗦𝘂𝗺 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴”, and to embrace a “𝙑𝙖𝙡𝙪𝙚 𝘾𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙈𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙨𝙚𝙩”.

“I’m grateful for the chance to create value for the customer, myself, and my company”
“I’m here to grow richer together with the customer”
“I love money, and money loves me 💕 “

*** Money is important. Wealthy individuals have better health outcomes, enjoy greater mental well-being, and have more stable relationships. At UpSkillingMinds Sdn Bhd, I have been working with the top banks and manufacturers in Malaysia to cultivate the correct mindsets. If you feel your team could use a 𝘴𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘮 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘴𝘵 to the way they think and perceive challenging situations, reach out to us!

Now, to become richer together in 2025, let’s say “Thank You!” and “Goodbye!” to our old Scarcity Mindsets, and embrace gratitude towards our best ally, MONEY! 🤑

✨ Reflections, Wins, and Lessons Learned ✨

The past few weeks have been filled with moments of celebration and reflection. Here’s what’s been on my heart:

1️⃣ Finalist for HRD Corp's Trainer of the Year 🏆
Being as a finalist among so many incredible trainers was an honor. It reminded me of why I started this journey: to help others grow. Maybe, the recognition isn’t about the trophy—it’s about the lives touched along the way.

2️⃣ Bronze for HRVOTY'S Best Digital Training Provider! 🎉
Together with the amazing team at UpSkillingMinds Sdn Bhd, we clinched Bronze for the Best Digital Training Provider at the HR Vendor of the Year Awards! To the team, clients, and especially Jaxton Cheah and Joelle Kwok —you are the reason we continue to achieve extraordinary things!

3️⃣ A Lesson in Judgment 🪞
Recently, I’ve come face-to-face with a hard truth: I can sometimes be a bit too judgmental. I realized that my criticisms often weren’t constructive—they were just complaints in disguise. I’m learning to channel that energy into empathy and solutions!

4️⃣ Rediscovering My Purpose 💡
Somewhere along the way, I got caught up in evaluation scores, perfect syllabuses, and shiny accolades. Through reflection, I’ve reconnected with my true purpose: to help others reduce their suffering by sharing the lessons I’ve learned from my own struggles. It’s not about perfection—it’s about connection.

✨ Gratitude, Always ✨
I’m endlessly thankful for the opportunities and lessons I’ve received. To my clients, colleagues, partners, and loved ones—thank you for inspiring me to keep growing. To the people I train—you’re my “WHY.” Thank you.

Here’s to embracing the wins, owning the lessons, and always striving to be a better version of ourselves. 💪🌟

Ever wonder why there's a shiny coffee machine ☕ in your office pantry? Today, I'm sharing a big secret in the world of B2B Sales 🤐.

Some time ago, a giant client in the F&B sector approached me with concerns about their struggling B2B department. Their aim was to sell monthly meal packages to B2B clients as an added employee benefit, but they were facing challenges in closing deals.

Upon closer examination, the issue became clear. Let's see if you can spot the issue in their presentations:

"Your team will enjoy a diverse and nutritional variety of foods 🍎!"
"Your team can save money instead of dining out 💰!"
"Your team can skip cooking, and spend more time on family 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦!"

So, why does your company have a shiny coffee machine anyway? Well, in B2B sales, we start by focusing on how a coffee machine can benefit the 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒑𝒂𝒏𝒚 (not just the employees):

- NIOSH's study shows coffee machines substantially boosts productivity 💪
- JMO's research indicates communal spaces foster collaboration, innovation, and performance 💡
- Staples' findings reveal coffee enhances employee satisfaction 😄, greatly reducing turnover costs

Does this mean we never talk about the benefits to employees? We do, but in B2B sales, the 𝐬𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 of our sales presentation matters:

1) Pain points of lookalike companies 🏦
2) Present case studies 📑
3) Highlight benefits to company (not to employees) 💹
4) Simple ROI calculation 🧮
5) Highlight benefits to employees 🙋‍♂️
6) Testimonials from other clients 👍

Now that we understand the differences between B2C and B2B sales, how would you have advised my F&B client to sell more monthly meal packages?

Interested in giving your sales team a boost? Then look to me and UpSkillingMinds Sdn Bhd. We've been equipping many sales teams the skills and confidence to reach their targets, and we're 100% sure we can do the same for you!

What does 5 + 5 equal? Are you sure the correct answer is 10? Well, 5 + 5 is also = 2 + 8, and 3 + 7! 😱

Today, let's talk about corporate teambuildings. What does a 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭 teambuilding look like to you? Just like the 5 + 5 question, ask 10 people, and we'll probably receive 10 different answers!

One thing's for certain - A 𝑔𝑜𝑜𝑑 teambuilding trainer must help participants see the different perspectives of their colleagues, but a 𝒈𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕 teambuilding trainer can help participants appreciate that 5 + 5 is also = 1.1 + 8.9, and 20 / 2! There are truly infinite valid viewpoints to the same question, and it's our job to help participants realize and love this about each other 🤝.

**
Recently, I've been super blessed to collaborate with Sunway Lagoon, Malaysia to create the Sunway Unity Quest teambuilding program. It challenges teams with immersive treasure hunts 🏴‍☠️, gets them brainstorming with mega-structure construction projects 🏗, and tests their determination and teamwork in hilarious physical relays 💪. Through it all, your team will be sent on an emotional roller coaster (haha, geddit!? 🎢) amidst the thrilling and breathtaking attractions of Sunway Lagoon.

One thing's for certain - your teams are sure to emerge united in victory, if they keep in focus the 5 + 5 question and truly appreciate each other.

Join me and UpSkillingMinds at Sunway Lagoon for a exciting teambuilding experience where celebrating diverse perspectives lead to triumph and unity 🏆!

"Positive people are great, they invented the aeroplane ✈.
But negative people are also awesome, they invented the parachute 🪂."

𝑨𝒓𝒆 𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝑨𝒏𝒏𝒐𝒚𝒆𝒅 𝒃𝒚 𝑵𝒆𝒈𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝑷𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆? 🤔 😩
Perhaps you've been brutally shut down when you innovated during meetings:

"5 years ago, we tried that. As usual, the Sales Department screwed up..."

***
Or perhaps 𝐘𝐎𝐔 feel 𝐁𝐀𝐃 because you tend to see things in a negative light. Maybe you've been told that you're overly cautious, a wet blanket 😥.

So, which is better? Having a positive outlook, or a negative one? In truth, we need both in our lives.

In 1985 a legend, Edward de Bono, devised a fantastic tool to help us solve problems harnessing the viewpoints of both positive and negative people.

He called it the 6 Thinking Hats 🎩. In a nutshell, he advocated splitting your problem solving session into segments. For example, when assessing solutions, designate time for identifying the benefits and drawbacks SEPARATELY, and encourage 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞 to contribute, regardless of their disposition.

"Alright , let's hear the benefits of this proposal. Everyone put on your Yellow Hats! No negative feedback for now. Josie, thank you for your positivity!"

"Okay guys, now let's have critcism only! No positivity, tell me ALL the risks and potential issues! Thank you Joshua for being critical today!"

Of late, I've received a lot of requests for Critical Thinking and Problem Solving trainings, including requests from Malaysia's largest fashion platform, a major skincare retailer and one of the world's largest green energy companies. Their pain points were the same - their meetings were often unproductive, with a lot of complaining and finger pointing 👉, but with 𝐧𝐨 𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐝.

Does this sound like your company's meetings? With critical thinking and problem solving tools, we can encourage even the most negative colleagues to see the silver lining of each proposal and reserve their concerns for the correct segment in our 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐇𝐑𝐃𝐂 / 𝐇𝐑𝐃𝐅 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬.

Reach out to me or UpSkillingMinds Sdn Bhd and let's help your organization gather more viewpoints, help each participant feel appreciated, and solve those long standing problems conclusively! 💪💪💪