BUILDING YOUR MOAT: THE HUMAN CAPITAL AND THEIR STRENGTHS

It was a vivid and calm afternoon when I got to casually chat with Sir Lawrence Lee, the President and CEO of CTS Global Equities. As we talked about the his plans and goals for the leading proprietary trading house in the country, I come to realize that start-ups revolve around a key element that most organizations forego – the Human Talents. It was very refreshing to hear from him what I theorized years back – that a successful organization needs at least a GOOD BOSS that is dead serious in capitalizing with each talents’ STRENGTHS. This week, there are three striking Rs that came to me as I start to realize my start-up ideas into reality: (1) Rendezvous (2) Readiness; (3) Resilience.

Rendezvous – Opportunities only get realized when you cross paths at a particular time and place. Serendipity as some may say it, but I believe that realizing opportunties is a conscientious effort from two parties. When we meet people, we have to be ready to recognize talents that align with our own values, goals and objectives. As previously discussed, timing human talents is just like timing markets – we have to be ready to “hit that buy button” when the triggers are present. Each venture will definitely have its criteria, and we are limited by the available talents based on our expectations and parameters. The more unrealistic your parameters are, the less likely you are able to see the fit person for the task you are looking for. As I have experienced this past week, my paths crossed with one young talent to be an addition to my interns and soon-to-be prodigy. I currently have 5 potential human talents that I have met in my trading journey, and they have their different readiness levels, which leads me to my second realization…

Readiness – There is no individual you can force to be ready. While I may have the gift of foresight and ability to distinguish talents among individuals, I cannot force them to be prepared to do what they are destined to do. It is only oneself who can activate their inner senses and get out of their comfort zone. I acknowledge that the triggers to get someone ready is different, but I can only hypothesize one way of how to do it – based on my own experience. My main Strengths Theme is Activator, so i am comfortable exploring the unknown and jumping into situations with uncertainty. Thus, a sink or swim situation does not make me jittery at all. Understanding your core strengths actually help me see through how to take advantage of the situation to my favor. In this case, I pick up all pertinent information revolving about a customer need, assess my current skillsets, scan amongst my trusted peers if they can complement a skillset I am lacking and decide whether I will give the opportunity a shot. This may seem like a tedious and lengthy process, but all these happens in less than five minutes – otherwise known as the elevator pitch. I treat every situation as a golden opportunity to link with a person. This is how it works for me. You don’t need to replicate it, but you need to understand how activating your readiness at taking opportunities will work for you.

Resilience. Get ready to be pushed outside your comfort zone. Perhaps the greatest challenge for me is going into a “new zone”. As we continue to grow and evolve into better versions of us, we need to get out of our current comfort zone and start to step up in taking new heights and opportunities that we have never been into before. As I start to bag multiple consultancy and training projects in the past few weeks, it becomes really challenging balancing customer requirements and my previously accustomed world of ISO Auditing. I have managed the stresses so far of delivering audits and reports, but adding consultancy, training and trading into my routine is becoming really taxing. I managed to find some solutions on how to balance my time for each of them, yet I acknowledge that I am reaching a block on the road with my limitations in available time. Hence, I have to start developing talents and pass on the ministerial tasks so that I can focus on my specialization and manage opportunity costs based on decisions I make. While I may take a slow down in trying to teach my skillsets to my prodigies, I trust that they will build the necessary skillsets if I invest enough time and develop their talents through their Strengths Profiles.

Indeed, at the heart of every established organization is its workforce. It fascinates me that, as I proceed along with my start-up journey, I am blessed with the right individuals who can support me in achieving my goals. Ultimately, I will be facing a more taxing lifestyle as I adjust myself to reaching new stars – not alone but with trusted individuals who can help me shine the brightest as we partner with new clients in various ventures.