Q & A : Who ’ s the Boss
great listening skills are crucial in building bridges across differences .
BR EME : Who or what has been your biggest influence during your career ? AE : My career has given me the opportunity to encounter so many different people from different backgrounds , and these have all in some way influenced the person I am today . From business executives , to colleagues and customers , I have learned so much .
Another memorable and influential moment in my career was attending a coaching session by Stephen Covey , the author of “ The Seven Habits of the Highly Effective People ”.
Covey ’ s disciplines truly resonate with me as he has inspired millions of people around the world to achieve their goals by maintaining ethical principles of fairness , integrity , honesty , and human dignity .
BR EME : What motivates you ? AE : I am a very competitive person by nature and I always aim to do my very best in anything I set out to achieve be it business or personal . My biggest competitive edge being that I am always willing to learn and adapt . This really motivates me to excel at what I do .
BR EME : What was the best and worst piece of advice you ever received ? AE : I would say the best piece of advice I was ever given was to sign-up for the Stephen Covey session which I mentioned earlier . It was a truly inspiring course and I recommend anyone to have a read at his best-seller : “ The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People ”
The worst piece of advice I was ever given was to move to a large IT company which was solid financially and had a great reputation . Doesn ’ t sound too bad ? The issue was that the organisation lacked a true “ Sales ” culture and was more focused on the technical aspects of the business . As a people person , I did not feel I was in the right environment and didn ’ t see this company challenging me as an individual .
BR EME : What do you do in your free time ? AE : I always try to make the most of my free time when it ’ s available
12 August 2014