EP 59: Winning the Game of the Impossible with Dato' Sri Idris Jala

If there’s a name that comes to mind whenever we speak about transformation, performance and business turnaround, it’ll be none other than Dato’ Sri Idris Jala!

Known for rescuing companies on the verge of collapsing, Dato’ Sri Idris Jala is a world-renowned transformation guru in driving performance for both Governments and the private sector through his Big-Fast-Results Methodology and transformational strategies that are innovative, rigorous and relevant to today’s demands.

In this exclusive chat, Dato’ Sri Idris Jala shares a more personal and intimate behind the scenes view of his leadership perspective, vulnerability through the stories of memorable failures encountered during his career, why it’s crucial for everyone to play their own Game of the Impossible as well his own big Impossible goal that he’s currently tackling.

Dato Sri’ Idris Jala is currently the Chairman of PEMANDU Associates, a multi-disciplinary consultancy based in Kuala Lumpur that specializes in public sector transformation, business turnaround, and strategic communications.

Prior to PEMANDU, he was the CEO of Malaysia Airlines where he was brought on board to turnaround the airline from the brink of bankruptcy to record-breaking profits. He also held various senior positions in the Shell Group for 23 years and has experience with successful business turnarounds for Shell both in Malaysia and Sri Lanka.

On top of his role in Pemandu, he currently serves as the non-executive co-Chairman of Sunway Group, the Chairman of Heineken Malaysia, and the pro-Chancellor of Sunway University. Dato’ Sri Idris also lectures annually at Harvard University under the Harvard Ministerial Programme, continuously sharing his secrets to effective transformation to incumbent Ministers worldwide today.

TIMESTAMPS:
1:45 What was Idris’s childhood in the jungles of borneo like
02:18 The most important lesson his father taught him to succeed in life
07:48 The events that shaped Idris’s true north and life purpose
11:26 The biggest lessons from his life-altering time at Shell
11:55 The power of visualizing the end goal and the future
13:15 How the game of the impossible is crucial for transformation
15:40 Recalling Idris’s first day at work at MAS
16:45 How Idris conquered the fear of failure
17:57 Why it’s important to have a two-tiered target
19:05 How Idris utilizes the idea of ‘labs’
24:23 Turnaround strategy for MAS via P&L segmentation
27:36 Turnaround strategy for Proton
30:51 Why Idris is not a fan of utilizing taskforces for turnarounds
35:11 Idris’s most defining failure and the lessons he took away from it
42:30 How Idris demonstrates vulnerability in his leadership
46:23 The idea of ‘killing the puppy’
48:08 Idris’s golden advice to young professionals who are aspiring to reach their true potential
49:16 What does an ‘Impossible’ target mean
50:32 What is Idris’s own Game of the Impossible
54:43 Navigating situational leadership and resistance from leaders
1:05:53 The lessons on Trade-Offs

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