Daily Lessons from Life 21-22 April 2014 - 'The salted fish that came back to life'

Incheon-Jeju Ferry Tragedy Updates - Death toll rose to 120. Many more bodies to be pulled up. Sad sad situation.

MH370 Updates - Still not news. Big blow when rumoured that the search might be in the wrong area! I believe in technologies and it was hard to accept when real disaster struck, the touted technologies seemed so 'ineffective'? Many Chinese relatives of the missing passengers refused to accept Malaysian government's decision to 'move beyond'. Sticky situation.

"'The salted fish that came back to life' - The Straits TimesTuesday, Apr 22, 2014

There is a piquant Cantonese euphemism to describe those who miraculously bounce back from a major catastrophe or big failure. Ham yu fan sang. Literally translated, it means "a salted fish coming back to life".

That is an apt description for Mr Sim Eng Tong, who refused to keel over and die even after hitting rock bottom, personally and professionally, on more than one occasion. Things got so dire he was made a bankrupt in 1989.

But today, he is the chief executive of Biomax, a company which has developed a breakthrough technology that converts organic waste into premium grade fertiliser within 24 hours. The company's annual revenue vaulted from $350,000 in 2010 to $9.5 million last year. This year, Mr Sim - who has exported his technology to more than 15 countries - predicts a turnover of $25 million.

Unabashedly, the 56-year-old confesses it makes him proud. And understandably so.

"You've heard of school dropouts making it big in property and construction. But have you heard of a Primary 5 dropout, someone who can barely speak English, steering a company in research and development?" he asks in Cantonese, beaming.

Comfortably ensconced in an armchair in the coffee lounge of Shangri-La Hotel, the trim chief executive has the tangy "nothing- can-faze-me" manner of a trouper."

Kudos to Mr Sim. I don't know him. His latest hit seems real. Good for him.

Lessons from me are:

1. you never know where life will take you if you apply yourself and have a never-say-die spirit;

2. when you are on the ups, it is easy. Only the tough will get going when the going gets tough. It is true that only when you have gone through a major crisis, and hopefully not two similar ones as that probably means you have never learned from the first bad fall!, and survive it will you become stronger. Like they say: 'What did not kill you makes you stronger!';

3. if there is a reservation from this quick report is that Mr Sim, hopefully, will not rely only upon himself to run this successful business. If one is looking for sustainability and longevity, the surest way to make it is to embrace diversity with equality and walking-the-talk. Establish a process that will allow people to be truthful and open. A process that allows disagreement but, yet when resources are scare, allowed prioritization and move forward in a focused manner with narrower options.

His feat is indeed no mean feat. Yet, while we just learned how a not so conversant English speaker had R&Ded himself with his partners into a success story, we also know of many ruined businesses with dictatorial leaders who could not let go and allow 'strong' or even 'stronger' others to flower.

Beware. Stay humble. Keep walking.