Not easy being with Matthew Perry, and his Big Terrible Thing

If you want to understand the challenges a drug addict goes through, then this is the book for you. If you are looking for someone who is addicted to drugs, alcohol, and cigarettes, then Matthew Perry is definitely the guy to turn to.

Let me say this, it is hard to describe how much pain and suffering this amazing person had to endure behind his fame. I don’t think many people around the world knew that he was already on drugs since season 3 of Friends. Through his book, Matthew had the courage to bring you behind the scene to his darkest days.

I always thought he was a funny guy, and that success was always coming his way. He had everything he could ever dream of - money, fame, women, drugs, alcohol, and cigarettes. Except that he wasn’t happy. As he put it, money could not buy him real happiness, and he was alone and broken deep inside. The only way he could cope with it was by making people laugh and by consuming more and more drugs, alcohol, and cigarettes.

His book was like an exposé of his censored life, without any filters. He was just saying it as it is, and I truly respect Matthew’s courage for sharing the details of his painful life with the world.

Although the book ended with a positive note, I couldn't help but trace his career to his final days when he died alone. His health had hit rock bottom, whilst battling three addictions, his relationship insecurities, and loneliness. It was a tough read to witness the decisions he made along the way.

Jamming with Coldplay

My recent experience at a Coldplay concert was one of the best for me. I had an idea of what a Coldplay concert would be like from YouTube videos, but experiencing it in a stadium with so many people was simply incredible.

Since there was only one concert scheduled in Malaysia, having Coldplay perform for the first time was an opportunity we couldn’t miss. The concert tickets were extremely difficult to obtain, but thankfully, a colleague managed to secure two for me.

The journey there was challenging. We had to take the Ampang line to the Bukit Jalil stadium and then change trains. Despite the long wait, the crowd was orderly. Once the train doors opened, we were all packed into the cabin, inching closer to the Coldplay experience.

The concert began, and I was truly impressed with the technology behind the show. We all wore lighted and synchronized wristbands that changed colors in time with the music, adding a magical element to the experience. The fireworks and props were spectacular. The rain added a unique twist, creating a different atmosphere. Although not everyone might have enjoyed the rain, Coldplay soldiered on, delivering an unforgettable performance.

Returning home was equally challenging. The rain continued, and the voluminous crowd now moved toward the Bukit Jalil stadium. We were packed tightly together, and at one point, I assessed how perilous our situation could become. A few people in the crowd had to be escorted out due to faintness, while others began to get agitated.

The stadium security did their best to manage the influx of people. It would have been dangerous for everyone to cram into the station without adequate ventilation, and the platform could have been hazardous if anyone had been pushed off the edge. Thankfully, none of that happened. I must give credit to the RapidKL operators and the police officers for their excellent crowd management. Our safety was truly in their hands.

Overall, the concert was an amazing experience for us Malaysians. We need more events like this to broaden our horizons, to inspire us, and to inject creativity into our society. It was also fascinating to see the incredible technology and props included in the concert. Without this innovation, the experience would have been just another concert, overshadowed by the difficulty of getting there and returning home.

Visiting Elon Musk’s world through the lenses of Walter Isaacson

There was much talk about the latest Elon Musk book by Walter Isaacson. I wasn't aware of it until a colleague reminded me of it after lunch, and then we headed over to Kinokuniya to check it out. I ended up getting a Kindle copy of the book without any expectations of the insane mental ride that awaited me in the days ahead.

I only knew of Musk's achievements through mainstream media, but I never realized that he was a completely different person behind the spotlight. At times, he seems to embody a series of conflicting characters throughout the day, working against him, making me wonder why someone like Musk would take such unreasonable actions upon himself.

Over to his world, what you see in his creations and ideas are really manifestations of his imagination, brought to life in the real world. Reading about his dealings with others isn't always comfortable for me, as they constantly become characters in that imagination. The book took me through the challenging times his employees had to endure, to the point that they developed strategies to manage his erratic management style - 'demon mode' was one of those.

One thing cool about the author Walter Isaacson (the writer of Steve Jobs' autobiography) was his privilege to follow Musk for two years to document his days without any filtration, with an all-access pass, throughout his companies and personal spaces. I felt like I had a front-row seat on this roller coaster ride. You'll be puzzled by the decisions he makes, affecting others and the companies he runs. Twitter was a classic example of how he eliminated two-thirds of the workforce in the first few weeks.

To conclude, when people talk about failing fast, I don’t think they operate anywhere near the scale of Musk's approach to failures. He blows up rockets worth millions just to learn quickly from mistakes. He also takes risks with people's emotions and pushes them to the brink to find the best among them. No doubt, he operates in a way most books don't write about. This one does.

Coaching from the mind

“You’re most welcome. I hope you've realized that we can’t control how others think of us, but we do have control over how we react, which can change the outcome for ourselves,” I said, offering a warm smile as I bid farewell to my coachee. At that moment, I could see a sense of renewed freedom in her eyes.

This is often the outcome of my conversations with coachees. More often than not, they come to understand that while they can't control external factors from their past, they can decide how to respond, choosing the most beneficial reaction. This empowering realization seems to be a turning point for many.

I recall reading "Man’s Search For Meaning" by Viktor E. Frankl, a concentration camp survivor. He shared his experiences during the Nazi occupation, during which he was stripped of all his possessions. Yet, he came to a profound realization that the one thing that could never be taken from him was his freedom to choose his response, to envision various outcomes.

If we can embrace Frankl’s concept of using the mind to choose our fate and shape our desired outcomes, then perhaps our external world is merely an extension of that internal imagination. This is a powerful concept that, I believe, both my coachee and I have always benefited from.


Powerful questions

  • Why is the other person’s opinion of you - important to you?

  • How do you know that his or her opinion is true?

  • What is now in your control that you can do?

How should I pitch? I am mission-fied.

I was recently in a conversation with an innovator discussing a question that she had: “As innovators, should we begin our conversations by aligning our startup with our listeners' problems, or should we begin with our startup mission?”

The answer isn't straightforward for me, as pitching an idea can take many forms. However, I find myself these days to lean more towards starting a conversation with the mission.

Why mission? It is because I want to invite the listener to see themselves as being part of it. For one, it generates excitement, not just within the team, but also among potential clients and collaborators. Even if the person I am speaking to isn't going to be a customer, igniting that spark of interest is invaluable. It’s about letting the audience imagine how they could use my product or service to solve their problem.

Mission statements is more than a communication strategy; it's a way to build a community around our ideas, grounded in shared values and aspirations. It’s not just about the ‘what’ of our products, but the ‘why’ and the ‘how’ they can contribute to a collective vision. This, I believe, is the essence of effective communication in innovation.

Meeting Lily and her world class service

Lily has proven to be the most memorable sales assistant we've encountered in a boutique. Since meeting her, I've learned that outstanding customer service goes beyond merely facilitating a sale; it's about building a relationship around the product, a magical connection that transcends emotions.

While my wife conversed with Lily, it struck me that their discussion wasn't solely centered on the product between them. Instead, it was an exchange of experiences and stories within a magical space that contributed to the overall brand experience. Achieving this level of service ultimately rests on Lily's ability to make it happen.

I also noticed Lily’s casualness to my wife’s curiosity about the service industry, only to complement it with her own openness to share her experiences and knowledge.

This dynamic interaction from Lily creates a relationship experience that leaves you wanting to return. It's a series of small interactions that reflect the brand she represents, something I believe every boutique brand can draw inspiration from.

Meow for my next read, written by anime writers

Meow, I knew it was dangerous for me to step into Kinokuniya, where I am known to emerge with a book in hand. This time, a white one caught my eye on the shelf near the entrance, resembling a cat staring back at me, inviting me closer, as if waiting to be picked up and stroked.

Its cute cover had a similar effect, with the title 'Japanese Bestseller' printed in gold at the top. Another book lover was already flipping through its pages.

Like most Japanese books I've read before, this one seamlessly weaved the whimsical world of cats with the realistic experiences of the human world. And at times, I found myself in the first person view of the cats, observing different human characters and their problems.

Through this perspective, I was transported into the emotions of the cats—how they feel, their aspirations and concerns, their carefree attitude toward life, and their perception of eternity after life. Meow. Never again would I see a cat in the same way after reading this book.

Why AI will be our third being

The recent OpenAI announcement was mind-blowing for me. The improvements to ChatGPT are so rapid that I find it challenging to keep up. I have never seen such a high rate of product improvements in any new technology compared to what ChatGPT is achieving.

What caught my attention were the GPT apps, the GPT store, and the fact that people are referring to GPT as ‘Chatty’. Looks like things are getting more personal and who knows whether everyone will start naming it their own soon.

I am predicting that within the next two years, OpenAI will be in a position to develop its own hardware to support GPT apps. The reason being is that the mobile platforms are still governed by the likes of Apple and Google, to overcome their rules and potentially hardware limitations, ChatGPT will have to think of something get their developers and their GPTS into our pockets.

If OpenAI does create its own hardware, perhaps it will have a clear differentiator from other mobile phone makers. This is because ChatGPT has the ability to reason and think creatively like no other phone.

Considering that users are starting to call it Chatty, perhaps every aspect of our digital life can be controlled by simply addressing Chatty to help with tasks on our phones. For example, "Hi Chatty, can you book me a Grab to KLIA, and can you coordinate my usual ZUS order to be ready at the airport when I arrive?"

Sometimes, I feel that this future is surreal, but I believe it is inevitable when it comes to humans creating a version of themselves in the technologies we use. A large chunk of the global community is already embracing this fact. After all, we don’t buy products, we buy a better version of ourselves. AI is that better version of ourselves.

How to embrace the impossible as you innovate

I was leaving the office floor when a young innovator approached me to ask a simple question. He had always been in the corporate world, and his skill lied in research - finding out what is possible today. This skill was crucial when we needed to seek solutions, but he faced challenges whenever he came across research papers and alternative solutions that indicated what we were embarking on could not be done. His question is how does he make the mindset shift towards innovation?

I told him that an innovator should feel comfortable in spaces where the impossible is not yet possible. In our world, everything in the future is possible, and every problem is a gift for an innovator to solve. By embracing these challenges and working on them, we experience growth and opportunities to differentiate our product offering in the marketplace, thereby creating true, unique innovation.

I have always believed that if we benchmark ourselves against an existing solution or seek permission from other innovators to create our solution the same way as them, then we are destined to fail. Instead, we should search for opportunities to address the hard problems customers are facing that no one is working on. It may seem daunting or demotivating, and it might involve tedious tasks, but this is the only path I know that is truly worth taking towards innovation.

Let’s not be quick to automate a process, start by deleting the parts that don’t create value first

Sometimes, I am asked how to approach automating of an existing processes to improve its output. It is an exciting idea to pursue, knowing that our machines can do the job for us, while we sit back and wait for the results.

This was the case for Space X when they were jumping onto the promised land of automation, quickly introducing orbiting automation into every stage of their manufacturing process.

What they soon found out was that their robotics came with limitations in terms of flexibility and functionality, often impeding them from their goals. So they decided to get rid of the robotics to meet their datelines, falling back to manual intervention and improving aspect of it through deletion of unnecessary steps and simplification of the process.

What is important to learn here is that we should first look at the manual process to focus on simplifying and deleting any parts that creates waste - no matter how small of a job. Once that is done, only then can we introduce automation to accelerate the new optimised process.