A conversation with the Legends: insights from past PETRONAS leaders

 

In commemoration of PETRONAS 50 years, our Facilities Development department reached out to several past leaders to share their leadership wisdoms to share with the team. 

Alhamdulillah we were honored to have the opportunity and privilege to interview 3 legendary leaders: Johari Dasri (ex MD-CEO, Carigali), Azhar Noordin (ex SGM of Development Division, Carigali) and Kamarshah Harun (ex project manager, GM Petroleum). 

Here is a sneak peak of insights and takeaways I got:

The key to effective negotiation: the human touch of Listening & Understanding. 

After experience in Negotiation with all sorts of stakeholders, locally and internationally, one leader shared that the key to success is the human touch. If both parties stubbornly impose their demands, when an unstoppable force moves and immovable object, nothing moves. Sometimes, simply listening and understanding is enough to resolve misunderstanding and remove the bottleneck! 

Diversifying your skillsets - all 3 of them repeated this same message: don't just stay in silo and stubbornly stick to your individual skill groups. Be proactive and passionate about learning of others work, what they do and how that ties in and from your scope. This makes you a better all-rounded decision maker and gives you courage to make tough decisions and take calculated risks to blaze a trail into unchartered territory. 

An unexpected lesson: how family plays an important role to productivity - a leader shared that during an emergency crisis in one of the international operations, the company instructed all staff to evacuate their family members (spouse and children) back to their home country, in the interest of safety. Naturally, they weren't happy about it but eventually complied. The unexpected result? 

Staff performance had a significant drop in performance. Leadership wisdom: we only see our colleagues during the 8 hours they are with us. What happens in those remaining hours? It's there that they find the inspiration and motivation to deliver their best. And Without their families, they lose a big part of what makes them whole. Leaders need to understand this. 

As leaders, you will constantly face situations where you need the Courage to Act - All 3 of them had to blaze the trail in areas which had no precedent. Many things can go wrong. You will feel intimidated, and suffer impostor syndrome, and sometimes go against odds of people who doubt you and don't believe in you or look down on you. But at the same time, remember: you are in the driver's seat in this chapter of history! Always learn, improve yourself, instill confidence in your own and your team's abilities, and seize the day! 

Make mistakes? Own up to it, be honest and transparent, apologize if you caused some damage, move on. 

Takeaway for leaders: Provide the space for your team members to make mistakes! 

As Muslims, we always have to remember about the concept of "rezeki" /rizq. Allah has already determined, so Don't envy others or compromise your integrity by taking what doesn't belong to you. Big problems happen when you have envy & PHD (perasaan hasad dengki)!

Be intentional and mindful. Always ask yourself, "why am I here?" what is your purpose? Your goals? What legacy would you want to leave behind after you're gone?

No matter how far you go, always remember your SHARED VALUES; this is Who you are!  

Liqo Mahabbah: Majlis Perjumpaan Keluarga Al-Ibrahimi, 16 September 2024 @ 12 Rabiul Awal 1446H

 

Alhamdulillah, baru-baru ini ahli kami sekeluarga berjaya menganjurkan majlis perjumpaan kaum Al-Ibrahim (merukuk kepada Haji Ibrahim, moyang saya dari sebelah mak) yang berasal dari Kampung Masjid di Kota Bharu, Kelantan.

First time saya kenal keturunan saya 4 generasi ke atas! 

Pada majlis yang ini kami mendengar setiap wakil dari keluarga G2 (generasi ke-2) menyampaikan ucapan berkongsi pandangan. Memberi inspirasi kepada saya, sebagai "muda" G5 untuk mendengar daripada kisah-kisah legenda masa lalu dan bagaimana masa telah berubah secara drastik semenjak zaman Jepun dahulu, terutama sekali dlm azam & ketabahan diri, semangat kejiranan, Komuniti dan khidmat.

Interesting observation: Orang zaman dulu, jangka hayat mereka lebih pendek, jadi ramai ibu bapa mereka meninggal dunia pada usia muda.. saudara mereka (dan kadangkala, guru mereka) yang berusaha untuk menjaga, mengasuh mereka, dan secara langsung membentuk sikap dan pandangan hidup. 

Inspired dengar mcm mana mereka dicampakkan dalam keadaan sukar, tetapi dengan keajaiban dan rahmat  Allah, Dia meletakkan orang2 baik  untuk bantu mereka.

Kesemuanya membentuk Akhlak dan sikap mereka untuk bersyukur, merendah diri, dan berusaha gigih jadi tough - sesuatu wajib yg dipelajari dan dihayati oleh kita yg generasi muda (bila lagi nak mengaku muda 🤣). 

Islam amat mementingkan hubungan persaudaraan @ silatur Rahim. Banyak ayat Al-Quran dan Hadith Nabi ﷺ menekankan perkara ini, termasuk amaran keras terhadap mereka yang memutuskan tali persaudaraan. 

Tambahan lagi, sebagai dorongan, Nabi ﷺ bahkan menekankan silaturrahim antara rahsia kekayaan dan umur panjang - bersabda, “Barangsiapa ingin dilapangkan rizkinya dan dipanjangkan umurnya, hendaklah ia menyambung tali silaturahmi.” (Al-Bukhari, Muslim)

Syok, tengok kesan selepas event ni habis - tiba2 group WhatsApp kami bertambah meriah dan kecoh, merancang perhimpunan seterusnya, kenangan, kisah dan gambar2 lama, sekaligus mencetuskan idea projek buku untuk mendokumentasikan dan salasilah sejarah keluarga, untuk dijadikan teladan bagi semua, diketuai oleh Captain Kamil, seorang otai dan veteran dalam Industri penerbangan serta penulis untuk 7 buah buku.

Semoga Allah memberi ganjaran kepada Haji Saifuddin (sepupu kedua kepada ibu saya) dan keluarganya, atas inisiatif dab usaha murninya untuk menjayakan Himpunan ini, menyatukan keluarga selepas bertahun-tahun bekerja keras - mencari ahli keluarga yang telah lama hilang dan di mana mereka berada. Bukan mudah untuk menganjurkan acara dalam sebegini. Ramai orang zaman sekarang dah kurang menekankan Bab silaturrahim.. lebih rela pasif & berasa terasing daripada ahli keluarga yang mereka tidak kenal. 

Tapi dengan izin Allah, ramai yang hadir, Masha Allah.. Sampai venue tak muat! 

Tahniah juga kepada Mama @Zahurin kerana sudi menjadi MC dan membantu menganjurkan majlis, especially dgn aktiviti ice breaking yg sangat kreatif. 

Semoga segala kebaikan yang berbuah daripada usaha ini terus-menerus mendapat ganjaran Allah sebagai saham akhirat mereka, seperti kata Nabi ﷺ, "barangsiapa yang membimbing kepada kebaikan, maka baginya juga pahala pelaku kebaikan tersebut" (HR Muslim) 

Semoga menjadi inspirasi untuk umat kita dalam usaha menjalinkan silaturrahim sesama kita. Dan semoga keluarga Al-Ibrahimi sentiasa mendapat hidayah Allah agar terus istiqamah sehingga kita bersatu di Jannatul firdaus.

SKA GHG Taskforce: July 2024

 

Alhamdulillah, am very grateful for the privilege to be working and collaborating with our Sarawak Assets Greenhouse Gas (SKA-GHG) Taskforce, being appointed as the Team Leader for Workstream 2: Energy Efficiency and Combustion gases. 

This taskforce was setup to look into how we - as upstream asset operators - can play a more proactive part towards GHG reduction and abatement efforts, towards fulfilling our organizational aspiration of Net Zero Carbon Emissions (NZCE) by 2050. When the team was initially setup, our workstream focus was simple: "look into combustion GHG, see how we're doing and where we are at." Since it was a relatively 'process-related' task, I volunteered to step up as the Team Leader to help steer the team and form a mutually beneficial collaboration with our center GHG experts from Carbon Management Division (CMD) and Enterprise Decarbonization (ED). 

Little did we know that it will be one massive epic journey that would have such a major impact over the years - Resulting in huge savings from our optimization and over-correction, from tasks such as our Fuel Gas baselining and optimization and Fuel Gas Leaning studies. 

And from there, bit by bit, we grew in scope, depth, and aspirations. 

Over the years, the Taskforce one of my favorite assignments at work, as it slowly evolved to become our own centralized think-tank and action team to brainstorming, prioritizing, strategizing and challenging GHG efforts, while at the same time playing "devil's advocate" to question ourselves "if this is worth it", and "what value we get from this" (Thanks, of course to our always-out-of-the-box GHG Champion who-never-fails-to-keep-you-on-your-toes, Shamsawi Ahmad), and practice "Innovate Now" and "Courage to Act" by trying out new and exciting stuff to "see what sticks". 

I also found it to be very engaging and exciting lesson in collaboration: learning from other workstreams, especially the Methane Quantification, the Venting/Flaring Reduction, as well as Carbon Capture & Storage teams, as we learn how every individual team member and effort plays a piece of the puzzle towards the overall effort in GHG reduction, equipping us with essential technical and leadership competencies, as we steer our organization towards NZCE 2050.

To me, this is an excellent success story of what it looks like to establish a task force to effectively form platform to inculcate our Cultural Beliefs - Be Enterprising, Innovate Now, Speak Up and Courage to Act. 

Thank you once again, for your knowledge, support, guidance, encouragement and gifts. Been an honor to collaborate with the team!

Terima Kasih & Selamat Tinggal, SKAku sayang

 

Today is my last day at PCSB SKA. After 16 wonderful years here - since reporting duty at SKO in 2008, steadfastly in Miri and SKA all these years - it's now time for me to go. 

Effective August 2024, I will be assigned as Manager, Feasibility Studies under Front End, Development Division in KL, evaluating new discoveries and new frontiers – just as I will be making exciting new discoveries and adventures myself, insha Allah 😊.

From the bottom of my heart, I thank all the leaders, colleagues and subordinates that have supported, inspired, guided, challenged me, and believed in me throughout these years, which I confidently say, are the best years of my life (so far, at least 😊). Here in SKA, I've met some of the most inspiring, generous, talented professionals, and I'm honored to have you as my friends, colleagues, leaders and subordinates. It has been a very fulfilling, satisfying, and wholesome experience at SKA, and I appreciate every moment of our time here together (including, in hindsight, those challenging ones too) that has every bit contributed to pushing my boundaries towards shaping me to become who I am today.

Admittedly, it's a bittersweet moment. I am equally parts excited to pursue this new path, tapi pada masa yang sama, terasa berat saying goodbye to this region and this beautiful city of Miri where I started off my career as a clueless chemical engineering fresh graduate. 

Please do share with me your thoughts and feedback of our working experience together. If there were any positive contributions, please do carry on (and further improving) that legacy further. 

 

… And for every not-so-great experience and shortcomings you've experienced with me, firstly: I sincerely apologize for them. 

Please do share your constructive feedback with me, so I can improve, before I cause further destruction and chaos to the organization 😆.

 

 A special thanks, appreciation, and shout-out to our LT's, my fellow colleagues at QTG and my awesome Process Technologist team from Engineering Studies, QTG10. 

Thank you to our LTs for believing in me to appoint me in managing our process technology and facilities engineering team over the years. I am honored, humbled and privileged to be working with such a great team. Going to miss you guys!

Last but not least, please continue to make SKA a great place to work, and driving our beloved PETRONAS towards MFT50:30:0 as a world class energy solutions partner. 

Stay sincere, stay humble, keep improving, help each other to shape our great place to work, double down your passion for progress, and be the leaders the organization needs.

Take care of yourselves, take care of each other. Continue to leave behind a positive legacy and wake for our future generations 

 May Allah grant us success, barakah (blessings) and ‘aafiyah (well-being) in dunya and akhirah 🤲🏼

-Faisal Abdul Latif-

31 July 2024

Final Internship Presentation, Valdrin Riyot: 30 July 2024

 

Today was the student intern project presentation our UTP Intern, Valdrin Riyot.

I love attending our interns' final presentations. Like a proud father, this Feels like a culmination of seeing the seeds that you've planted in these young engineers, as they share insights of what they've been enlightened with in the past few months being with your team, as their very first formal exposure to the industry. (UTP interns are particularly satisfying to supervise, as they have the longest internship period of 7 months 🔥)

I've always been passionate about developing interns. For us employees, this period of internship having them around might just seemed like “a brief period in which we had some helping hands” that comes and goes – but from their perspective, this is their first-ever exposure to the professional working world; and in the context of our organization, this was their firsthand exposure window to witnessing the inner workings of a Fortune 500-listed Oil and Gas Company.

As a supervisor, we play that role of ambassador. This experience might either (a) inspire them and motivate them, kindling the fire inside to pursue their professional career ambitions; or (b) give them such a negative impression that it will demotivate them, perhaps jaded and all the more relieved it was over, dreading the days of employment to come.

Here are some guiding principles I keep in mind when supervising interns:

1. Growth mindset: believe in them, and in their capacity to grow and improve

2. Assign challenging (but doable) tasks

While there is tendency to take the easier path and dispatch interns to carry out trivial fetch quests and photocopy tasks, we should put serious thought as to the best type of tasks I could assign. The tasks had to be
Challenging enough, but do-able for them.

3. Coach and guide – without holding their hand

With the challenges and targets in place, it’s time to establish the learning path to getting there. A lot of concepts and principles will be alien to them, and even theories which they are familiar with, require a paradigm shift and wisdom to understand how they are applied in the practical, real world. And part of the learning process is to go through that journey, without being completely abandoned or clueless.

As supervisors, we need to find that middle ground: give them just enough guidance to progress forward and discover the solutions, without spoonfeeding solutions.

4.  A great working experience. Be inclusive, and Let them experience the holistic experience of a great place to work

Wishing all the best for Riyot!

1-on-1 Performance Conversations: Mid-Year Review

 

Alhamdulillah, done concluded all our one-on-one performance conversations with the Process team: Dari Tower 2, ke Blok Mawar, Chemara dan Route 66😊. 

I try my best to make it a point to conduct these sessions, physically where possible, as a productive tool for 360-degree improvement. For some of our new recruits, it’s their first time ever conducting a 1-on-1 performance review discussion, so I also saw this as a chance to provide a positive working experience for them. 

Here are a few key pointers I keep in mind all throughout: 

1. Set the right Tone – Make it clear, what is the intention behind this exercise, and that we are here to help each other with the catch-up plan. If we leaders put in the conscious effort to build the right environment: Little human touches like setting a calm, kind, and encouraging tone, mindfully being aware of our words to remove sarcasm or being condescending, especially when providing constructive feedback... all these little things can make all the difference between a demoralizing interrogation or an inspiring call to action. 

2. Utilitze Feedback effectively – This is the space that we get to demonstrate our commitment to the Growth Mindset. Provide honest, open and personalized feedback (not copy-paste stuff. For me, I try not even to refer to the same feedback from the previous year, for the same person!). In her book "Radical candor", author Kim Scott emphasizes that the key to effective feedback is through two key elements: Challenge Directly, and Care personally. Be tough AND be kind. 

 

3. "Don't get mad, get curious": Training yourself to get better at receiving constructive feedback. What I've learnt is, we need to separate "me" from "My work" - Don't make it personal. Think of it as a criticism of your work, not you as a person. Learn approach it with humility, and curiosity like a student hungry to learn: "what did you mean by that?", "tell me more". Learn to approach them with a sincere attitude to learn and enhance ourselves.

Glad we got through it with all smiles in the end. Wishing the team all the best, throughout 2024 and beyond!