3 key highlights from the book Small Actions by Eric Sim and Simon Mortlock

Linkedin is a most interesting platform. You do not only update your education and work experience here. You can also network and interact with motivated achievers. I have the opportunity to have connected with many people whom I respect on Linkedin. Eric Sim is one of them.?

His Linkedin headline states the following,?Banker | Lecturer | Speaker | Writer. At this point of writing this article, he has more than 2.8 million followers on Linkedin. He has written many posts and articles on Linkedin about his banking and working experiences. He can now add being a published author on top of that.?

The book Small Actions was written by both Eric Sim and Simon Mortlock. I ordered a copy directly from the publisher. It was scheduled to reach me by next week. I went to Kinokuniya bookstore at Ngee Ann City Singapore to get some gifts and buy some books.?

Seeing the Little Actions Poster was not surprising. I thought it was pre-launch publicity. Seeing that the book available was surprising. I was happy to see the books at such prominent areas of the bookstore and got a copy. Life is is full of surprising twists and turns. I turned around and saw Eric inspecting the layout and the placement of his books.?

Meeting Eric Sim for the first time at Kinokuniya Ngee An City Singapore

Eric and I have messaged each other back and forth on a regular basis. But this was the first time I had met him face to face. I got my copy and he autographed it and wrote a very kind message for me. That book is in a safe place.?

I read his book in one day and wrote some notes. The book has 66 chapters. I will share 3 highlights from the book.?

Highlight 1: Integrity or the Same Bowl Rule

"My father caught me rinsing the bowl.“Don’t wash it a second time,” he told me sternly but softly, to avoid alerting any customers. I froze, forgetting my meal as I tried to think of some words to pacify him. But I wasn’t quite sure why what I’d done was wrong. Seeing the blank look on my face, my father said, “if the bowl is clean enough for customers, it’s clean enough for you”."?

Source: :Small Actions by Eric Sim and Simon Mortlock

Eric’s father was a hawker in Singapore selling prawn noodle soup. Eric would help to wash the dishes using a three-pail system. The first pail was to soak in dishes with soapy water. The second pail was to use clean water to wash most of the soup. The third pail was the final rinse.?

His father was upset as Eric had rinsed the bowl while making a bowl of noodles for himself. It implied that Eric thought that the customer’s bowl was not as clean as it should have been.?He made sure all the bowls were clean and all tasks were given his upmost care.?This is his basic work ethic.

Integrity is doing the right thing even when no one see is watching. Eric took those lessons in the corporate world where he made sure that the financial products he sold to client were those that he would have bought himself.?

I made a purchase recently at the supermarket using my credit card. I waved my credit card at the payment kiosk after the cashier had keyed in the order and walked off after my items were ready. After a while, I made an online purchase and found out that the supermarket transaction did not go through. I was running some errands and went back one hour later.

The payment went through. The cashier was relieved as he would have gotten into trouble for not checking the first time around. I was glad it all worked out.?

Sometimes there will be short term disadvantages and inconveniences. But it will work out in the long run. Always do the right thing.?

Infographic from Small Actions. It illustrated how Eric's combo skills evolved over the years, starting from the top when he graduated to the present

Highlight 2: Be a Combo-Specialist or build different skills?based on your job, interests and opportunity

“As industries are disrupted by technology and big trends outside of your control, your career will inevitably go through periods of drastic change. You should avoid becoming a generalist because your lack of in-depth knowledge means you could be replaced very easily. But you don’t want to be a one-dimensional specialist because you run the risk of becoming obsolete when your industry gets disrupted. Instead, you should aim to be a “combo specialist”.”

Source: Small Actions by Eric Sim and Simon Mortlock

Eric uses the example of a combo meal at MacDonald’s in the book. The burger is your current specializaton, the fries are your secondary specializaton and the Coke is your interests. Through the years, he has had several combos throughout his career.?

In his first job in banking, his primary specializaton was in engineering as he had graduated from university with a degree in that field. His secondary specializaton was in finance. He used his interests in programming to fuel his work in finance by automating routine tasks.?

Over time, his financial engineering skills became his burger or main specializaton. Teaching was his fries and his interest was in China. His burger combination evolved further from there. It changed several times over the years. His current primary specializaton is in public speaking, his fries are in social media and his coke is in live production.?

No one knows which specific vocation will be the best one to go into 10 years later. One key lesson that Eric shared in his book is need to take bets on yourself and to invest in yourself. No one else will be more interested than yourself to progress.?

I am a Straits-born Chinese or commonly referred as Peranakan. English and Malay were the languages used at home. I started learning Mandarin when I was in Primary School. Learning Chinese was difficult for me. I tried to do the minimum and pass my exams. I was not able to read, speak or write Chinese well.?

After working in banking for a few years, it became clear to me that being able to communicate well in Chinese was an essential skill. I started by taking class from the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce. I would go to China often and use a mobile with only Chinese characters to get used to the language.?

Regular one to one tuition class with my Chinese tutor and daily use of a Chinese learning app has helped me improve. All these do cost money and time. But the payoff over time will snowball together with other skills acquired.?

If you have to spend money to go for courses, spend it and treat it as an investment. You are your own CEO. If there is a product or service that will help you do better in your job, pay your own way first if necessary. Be proactive.?

Highlight 3: Think Big or back up your thoughts with small steps and experiment

“There’s little downside to thinking big. You need not reveal your grand plans to anyone, if you’re worried about the naysayers. Nor do you need a step-by-step plan to steer yourself to glory.You need to start somewhere, however. And that means taking an immediate and relevant small action to begin your journey. Without seizing the moment, your thoughts will remain just thoughts.”

Source: Small Actions by Eric Sim and Simon Mortlock

Eric shared two examples of him thinking big in the book. One was to become an architect and the other was to run a marathon. The small actions he did was to apply for the architecture degree and run at the gym respectively. While these two ventures did not pan out, he learned from the experiences and applied it to his work and life.?

One big thought he had was to become a blogger. He started by writing one short article on Linkedin. That short article grew to many articles, a teaching career and a book. It all started from that first article.?

Some projects might seen impossible. That exam or certification that you want to take but it is difficult? Start by applying for it. Get the textbook. Read the table of contents. Read the first page. Read the second page and move on. That major deal you want to get? It starts with a phone, an email or a meet up.?

I know the feeling of being overwhelmed. It was in 2014 and I wanted to upgrade myself. My grades in the major exams such as the Primary School Leaving Examinations (PSLE), O’Levels and A’Levels were underwhelming. I took 5 years to get my bachelor's degree. The normal time to graduate was 3 years.?

The thinking big part was to get a MBA. The small step was to apply for it. Once I got accepted, there were a series of small steps. Studying academic textbooks did not come naturally to me. I started by reading the first page of the big textbook, then the second page and so on. The first assignment started with one word on Microsoft Word and grew to one sentence and to one essay. I graduated with a MBA with Merit working while performing at a high level at work.

Kind words from Eric Sim autographing my copy of Small Actions.

Whatever life throws at you or how low you think your starting point is, take that raw material and use it like what Eric Sim did. He has created a new path for himself. He learned from?his failures and rose to be a MD in a leading international bank. He did not do well in school but became a lecturer later on in life. ?We all can learn something from the book.?

This book is a great book to read and as a gift for anyone seeking new paths and a better situation ahead.?

“But if you don’t invest in your career, you’ll get left behind and end up with outdated skills, especially in an age of rapid technological progress.”

Source: Small Actions by Eric Sim and Simon Mortlock

Take the time and read it. It will be beneficial.?

The book Small Actions is available in major bookstores or Amazon.?

Disclaimer: This book review reflects my personal views.?

Note: I have been in the banking and the wealth management industry for the past 16 years and graduated with a MBA with Merit while working. Topics that I write on are doing business in Singapore/Asia, wealth management and building one's talent stack. (views my own). Do follow me on Linkedin for more updates. Link below.

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