Have you heard about #bahtera? this year is the first year that MOF and partner agencies hold BAHTERA and truthfully, this is probably the BEST exhibition that I have ever participated in. Not only they achieved their target, they went above and beyond it!
From my part, it’s quite exhaustive, but not very tiring as my awesome team did a great job during Bahtera. We managed to talk to hundreds of people, more than half of them are interested in our products. I can also see smiling faces which is truly something that I like to see – happy team, happy people.
We tried a few new things this year such as preparing discussion tables and contests and alhamdulillah, those new gimmicks worked! Thank you Allah for giving us this opportunity.
Since I was young, I dreamt of building a house for the orphans. I like to help people. I dreamt of being an education minister, or maybe a welfare minister. Heck, I even wished I could be the Prime Minister!
However once I grew up, I don’t think I am capable to become any of the ministers, let alone being the Prime Minister. I still remember when I was younger, When teachers asked me what I want to be when I grow up, I would answer many different things: lawyer, architect, engineer, businesswoman, lecturer, etc, when deep in my heart actually I wanted to become the Prime Minister but I didn’t say so because not confident enough (I was quite introvert when I was in primary school). I always marvel at people who manage to blurt out that they want to become the Prime Minister. I still remember, that one night when I was in Form 4 at Sek Men Sains Selangor when I was taking care of a Form 1 class, this one little guy really took my attention when he announced he wants to become the PM (I was trying to get to know them by asking about their ambitions) Well, he has turned out to become quite a fine man now although not yet venturing into the fierce politics world.
Anyway, my post today is not about politics but about how can we help the country in our personal capacity.
I respect how Syed Azmi goes around making a difference everyday, no matter how small it seems to us, may have quite a big impact. We should help everyone, not only those who we think are poor (who are we to judge who is poor and who’s not anyway?). Can we do something to change our country and the world into a better place? Small things can add up into big things.
Some people may prefer to do big impacts. Some may have the capacity to do it and some may not.
As for me, my long term plan is to build an orphanage home and to ensure everyone in Malaysia (when I say everyone, I meant everyone, even those kids who have problem because doesn’t have birth certs) gets education. Education is the key to get out of poverty and to reduce crimerates. I also want to reduce poverty quick but need to think of something that is sustainable. Pray so that Allah gives me the time and capability to do this.
What have you contribute to your country? or what are you planning to contribute to your country?
Getting the right people onto the bus into the right seats.
Since a few years ago, when I became the COO (i was the most inexperienced COO ever probably when I started out since I didn’t even have any theoretical management background aside from the Engineering Management class from Stevens and just have a few leadership positions during co-curricular activities), I always try to understand my staffs – their strengths, weaknesses, interests, beliefs, family background, career plans, etc.
Since there were not many staffs when I first became COO and we did not have the financial capability yet at that time to hire many staffs, we designed our internship program to make it a win-win situation – we managed to get things done and the interns get real world experience.
This is where I learned to interview people (mind you, we had many interns that really underperformed when I started my first rounds of interviews and hiring interns – my interview skills sucked), I learned to manage bad performers (take note, bad performers CAN get the whole company down as the negative things can spread like disease especially in small companies!), how to train employees to get the best out of them and how to retain the good employes and more.
The most important things that I discovered is:
– When you interview, the academic background means very little (unless you are looking for very technical people), but the most important things are:
1. whether the candidate is really interested in the position and would enjoy doing the work (instead of just wanting to be employed so that they are not unemployed. or just interested in the salary offered if you’re offering higher salary – if he/she jumps to more than 3 or 4 companies in less than 2 years, that is a concern that you should address)
2. potential of the candidate (can he grow and take up more responsibilities in the future?)
3. does he/she fits in your team (does he/she have the core values of the company)
4. high interest to contribute to your company (are they proactive to contribute to the company’s growth instead of they’re expecting the company to contribute to them?).
– I usually don’t look at CGPA unless it is tooooo low (like less than 2.5). High CGPA usually shows they are good at studying and learning (good if the position requires them to learn a lot of new things is a short time) but doesn’t mean that he/she is good at working. People can excel very well when they are put into the right seats – right type of work that they enjoy.
I am Nisa. I am still learning – I love reading – I love Googling and I am doing my best to grow Authentic Venture Sdn Bhd to be the leading cloud-based solution provider of enterprise solutions in the ASEAN region.
P/S: I have an awesome team now and I love them very much!
Mungkin tak ramai yang mengetahui, semasa saya kecil saya merupakan seorang pesakit jantung. Jantung saya berlubang sejak lahir dan saya telah menjalani pembedahan pada umur saya 4 tahun. Saya masih ingat sewaktu saya kena berpuasa selama beberapa jam sebelum pembedahan, saya meminta-minta “Mama, nak milo”. Tapi tak boleh sebab perlu berpuasa.
Sebelum menjalani pembedahan tersebut, ibu saya ada mengatakan bahawa saya sangat banyak berpeluh dan mudah jatuh sakit. Alhamdulillah banyak improvement selepas pembedahan tersebut berjaya dilakukan.
Semasa saya sekolah rendah, saya ada mewakili sekolah dalam bola jaring. Tetapi stamina saya tidak kuat berbanding kawan-kawan saya yang lain. Saya menyalahkan sakit jantung sebagai punyebabnya (walhal sudah bedah dan baik sepenuhnya). Hingga saya ke sekolah menengah, saya mengelak dari melakukan aktiviti-aktiviti lasak seperi lumba lari (Minta Maaf Kapten Huda Chan sebab tak nak join lumba lari. Saya masih ingat lagi saya berusaha meminta kepadanya untuk tidak mahu join lumba lari semasa hari sukan SMSS. Haha)
Anyway, jadinya Allah nak buktikan kepada saya bahawa sekiranya saya push diri saya lebih dari saya fikir, saya sebenarnya berkebolehan untuk melakukan apa sahaja, termasuklah sukan.
Pada tahun pertama saya di Stevens Institute of Technology, saya dan sahabat baik saya Latifah Sarah, telah sign up untuk join kelas PE Fencing. Fencing merupakan lawan pedang. Apabila kami pergi ke “kelas” yang pertama, rupa-rupanya, kami ter-signup untuk masuk pasukan Fencing varsity, yang mewakili universiti untuk lawan dengan universiti-universiti yang lain.
Coach saya adalah Coach Linda Vollkommer-Lynch yang sangat baik dan juga tegas. Bermula dari situ saya memaksa diri saya berlari (kami mempunyai sekurang-kurangnya 5 latihan seminggu, setiap satu latihan adalah selama 3 jam dan sekurang-kurangnya sejam pada setiap sesi latihan digunakan untuk meningkatkan stamina seperti berlari, push up, sit up dan sebagainya). Jikalau kami lambat lari, kami akan dikenakan panelti (perlu lari dengan lebih lama). Oleh itu, saya berjaya mengatasi “masalah mental” yang saya hadapi sebelum ini yang mengatakan saya tidak boleh bersukan. Saya sebenarnya boleh, cuma perlu push diri sendiri lebih untuk keluar dari “Comfort Zone”.
Selain berlari, kami juga perlu bina badan dengan perlu pergi ke Weight-Room sekurang-kurang 1 kali seminggu bersama team dan beberapa kali atas inisiatif sendiri. Pada zaman tersebut, saya boleh mengangkat berat badan saya sendiri. (Berapa ye berat badan saya? Rahsia. Haha)
Dalam satu team fencing, ada 3 jenis pedang iaitu Foil, Epee dan Sabre. Saya merupakan pemain Foil. Setiap pedang memerlukan 3 starter dan 1 simpanan.
Pada tahun pertama saya telah terpilih menjadi “Simpanan”. Sejurus saya masuk tahun kedua, saya telah mula menjadi “Starter” dan berlawan dengan universiti-universiti lain yang mempunyai fencer yang lebih experienced. Ada antara mereka yang telah mula bermain fencing sejak sekolah rendah lagi.
Alhamdulillah saya telah memenangi banyak awards sepanjang saya bergelar seorang fencer dan saya juga telah berjaya menjejakkan kaki ke NCAA (walaupun hanya sekadar pusingan pertama) semasa saya final year di universiti.
Sepanjang saya di Stevens Institute of Technology, Allah telah banyak buktikan kepada saya sebenarnya saya boleh buat dan dapatkan sesuatu achievement dengan bekerja keras dan tidak membuat sebarang alasan. Saya yakin ilmu dan pengalaman yang ditimba ini sesuai digunakan pada bila-bila masa sahaja, sama ada sewaktu belajar dan juga semasa menerajui sebuah perniagaan.
Sekiranya saya boleh, anda juga boleh!!! Kita hanya perlu mempunyai mindset yang betul dan usaha kuat untuk mencapai cita-cita kita, Insya Allah!
Pada usia 28 tahun kini mungkin tidak dikira muda utk menerajui sesebuah syarikat. Namun, ini adalah satu tanggungjawab yang besar untuk saya dan amanah yang telah diberikan semenjak 5 tahun yang lepas. Mungkin ada antara tuan/puan tidak sangka saya adalah 28 tahun. (mungkin nampak macam umur 40 tahun, haha)
Sejurus selepas saya grad universiti Stevens Institute of Technology, saya memikul amanah dari bapa saya, Ir Aziz Ismail, untuk membangunkan Authentic Venture Sdn Bhd ke langkah seterusnya. Tanggungjawab tersebut amatlah besar. Saya tidak yakin saya dapat lakukannya.
Banyak drama yang berlaku dan dengan titisan air mata darah saya berhempas pulas untuk membantu ayah saya menaikkan syarikat ini ke mata dunia (terlebih dahulu ke mata Malaysia). Saya pernah merasakan bertahun-tahun tidak dapat gaji yang mana kawan-kawan saya yang lain semuanya bercerita ke mana destinasi percutian seterusnya. Jeles, memang benar. Tapi semua itu saya perlu lupakan dan telanlah kepahitan bangun jatuh sesebuah perniagaan.
Dalam keadaan susah payah, Allah telah memurahkan rezeki saya dari segi memberikan ahli keluarga yang baik dan bertanggungjawab, dan kami dikurniakan 3 orang anak yang comel, Adam, Ameena dan Azmi. Alhamdulillah, sesusah mana pun kami, masih cukup makan dan pakai untuk anak-anak kami ini.
Kini saya mendapat bantuan adik-adik Zul Purr Miaw dan Aisya Aziz yang turut sama mengambil langkah yang mungkin jarang diambil orang lain untuk menerajui dan membangunkan sebuah syarikat di empayar dunia. Adik-adik saya sangat hebat dan dapat interview dengan Google dan Amazon di US namun ditolak beliau semata-mata ingin turutsama memikul tanggungjawab ini.
Tidak banyak jasa yang telah saya semaikan jika dibandingkan dengan ayah saya, @Ir Aziz Ismail, usahawan yang cemerlang. Namun, saya harap Allah berikan kami kudrat untuk terus menempuh cabaran untuk menaikkan syarikat ini ke mata dunia dan murahkan rezeki kami dan usahawan-usahawan Malaysia.
Alhamdulillah, I have given birth to our new bundle of joy – a healthy baby boy of 3.9kg at 2.50am on 14th November 2013 at Hospital Az-Zahrah.
I am really satisfied with Az-Zahrah service and I recommend all my lady friends to give birth there. The doctor, Dr Mashita, is very good =) This is the 2nd time I’ve given birth there and I love ’em.
Welcome dearest Azmi. Mommy loves you at first sight!
Now, it’s Afiq & Nisa + 3.
Seriously I still cannot believe that I am mother of 3 now. And I’m not even 28 yet.
However, this time, I have my own plans. I want to really take care of my body especially during this pantang period so that I don’t look like I’m 40 years old when I get back to work.
Hopefully it’ll work. Besides, I want to be as beautiful as ever to my dearest hubby. Haha. =D
Today, ayah and I brought Adam and Ameena to Rabbit Farm @ Broga. They’re so bored since their daddy has not yet arrived back home from Bangkok, so, Ayah offered to bring us to the Rabbit Farm.
When we were there the first time, it was closed temporarily due to too many kids (some kindergartens brought a few buses of kids to visit the farm), so, Ayah decided we should visit the Temple @ Broga.
There were a lot of stairs and I really doubted my ability to climb those stairs and hills to go to the top. There was a monument of the Monkey King on top of the hill. I was complaining the whole time. However, Adam seemed to be mesmerized with the place that he keep climbing up and up and up even though he sweated a lot. Ameena was also sweating even though she’s carried by Noor instead of climbing herself. Lol.
The view from the top of the hills, Masya Allah, is marvelous. The air is clear despite of the ‘jerebu’ problem and you can see the green hills around you. A good exercise for me too.
After that, we decided to try the Rabbit Farm again and we were allowed to go in. Ayah bought a bag of carrots to feed the animals. The first animal we encountered were the goats that keep trying to jump over the fence for the carrots. We gave Adam some carrots to give to the goats but he ran away, probably feared the goats might eat him instead. Lol.
Then, we went to the rabbits area where you can hold the rabbits, feed them and play with them. This is where Adam warmed up and tried to touch the rabbits and feed them. But the rabbits were too full, so, they’re not interested at all at Adam’s offering of carrots. (Even though he tried his best to put the carrots into their mouths. Lol. So cute.)
Then, we went to feed the horses and Adam was very excited when the horses ate the carrots from his hand. He kept asking his Tok Ayah for more and more carrots. He took a piece of carrot and handed it to the horse’s mouth and then went back to Tok Ayah to ask for more carrots.
At the farm, he fed almost all types of animals available there – horses, goats, ostrich, deers and even cows!
Maybe we should start planning the next time go there, probably when Ameena knows how to walk. It would be awesome looking at both of them trying to feed the animals.
