Discovering My Way

A few weeks ago, my wife threw me a lovely surprise party to mark my entry into the 40s club. Other than being surprised, I was stunned by the people that she has thoughtfully invited. It was a very small group of close friends from different stages of my life.

Some say that just before a person passes away, one will have a flashback of the people we love and who matter. I would say that the very small group of people in the room would certainly appear in such a flashback in my case. So it got me thinking about how I got here and how did I discover this work that I do now.

I believe that everyone has a special place and plan on earth. But the problem for most of us is how to discover it. I know I struggled with this in the beginning. So it is interesting to learn that one of the explanation on Dictionary.com for the word vocation is: a strong impulse or inclination to follow a particular activity or career. So if it is an impulse or an inclination, how can we be sure that it is the right one?

The late Chiara Lubich - Founder of a worldwide movement of unity - whom I admire very much used to say this: "If you do everything out of love, then soon you shall understand the plan that is meant for you."

In a sense, I tried to follow this approach and it has worked for me. But to explain how I discovered my way, I like to break it down to three things so that it could be useful for you:

1) Discover your passion

When I met the movement of unity that Chiara Lubich founded, I was taken up by this whole idea that young people can change the world by bringing about unity wherever they are: in schools, civil societies, religious communities.

Being at an international youth event in 1992 with thousands of youth from all over the world launched a revolution in my 14-year old heart. As I listened to youth of every creed and race share in concrete terms on how they are changing and influencing society, I was hooked onto this big idea. That moment of 1992 never left me. I think it is absolutely important for everyone to have this passionate discovery of a great idea - a falling in love moment, something to dedicate your life to.

2) Unexpected turns happen for a reason

In pursuit of this impulse of bringing unity to the world, I often wondered where can I be best positioned to do so. I was extremely active in my parish church community. I was involved with youth formation, assisting the priests during service and held several leadership positions. I even got into design at a young age because I wanted to do more for the parish community.

So naturally I was drawn to joining the priesthood. Because I was familiar with the processes, I actually thought out a career path that might increase my chances of being a Catholic bishop. Or so I thought.

Then in 2002, a chance encounter happened with a group of childhood and design school friends which began my journey as an entrepreneur. We even prepared a business plan over a few months to pitch to a prospective investor - with grand ideas of a unique business model and a nice office. When that fell through, I thought it must have been a distraction and I should be on my way to the seminary.

But my friends suggested that we should still go all in to try it out even though the chances for success was dismal. Another six months passed - we were pitching to many companies but nothing happened. At the end of the sixth month, with no income to contribute to my family, my Dad asked me to think twice. That very morning - a day that I remember very clearly - I prayed to Mary to ask her to intercede to God to show me the way. That very day, we were about to pitch to one of the largest confectionery company in Singapore.

It was expected in any branding and business pitch that one presents a preliminary idea. But we did not not present any idea rather the approach and scope of work. After listening to our presentation for an hour, the boss glanced at the manager who invited us to present then looked at me and asked: "Is it possible to have a discount?"

Because I wanted to get an answer for my path and the path of my friends, I politely said "Sorry, it is not possible" Then the boss looked at the manager before turning to me and said: OK, then she left the room. I was a little stunned and did not know how to react so I asked the manager what had happened. He simply congratulated me that I have got the job. I asked him if it is normal for the boss to agree so quickly to a project after meeting a consultant for the first time. He replied that this has not happened before and that we were the first one.

That first project launched me into the unexpected path of entrepreneurship and took me to unexpected places to work on projects of a great variety of scale from SMEs to MNCs and now Smart Cities. It was an unexpected turn, though I later understood how my skills at discernment, community building, facilitation and design gave me certain advantages but it was not something I could have foreseen to even consider this path.

Above all, my impulse of wanting to shape a better world continued to drive me. Another client of mine would relate another experience to me years later: that the reason why we left a deep impression during a tender meeting and got the project was because I spoke differently with purpose, almost sounding like a pastor.

Then another CEO whom I have been in contact for years, said that talking to me felt like he was talking to a therapist. So when I told him later that I thought of becoming a priest, he understood. Hearing all these feedback helped me understand why I am on this path.

3) You will find your way through others

Over the years as my core team kept faith with me despite the uncertainty - occasionally losing projects because we do not want to do business as usual - this commitment to our purpose of building a different type of consultancy that shapes a better world became our saving grace and how we were inspired to create a whole new method for transformation. Even though we came from different faiths, we share the same belief that each one of us is uniquely called to make a difference.

It still amazes me that every month, we receive emails from all over the world, from talented people who seek to partner and take our work into their countries in order to shape a better world. This year, we will experience another major wave of expansion.

Late last year after a strategic retreat a client said to me: "Lawrence, I believe in this idea of having a PurposeCORE so as to bring about unity and shape a better world. And I have made this my personal mission too." I was deeply moved by what he said.

I have understood that these individuals are confirming signs of the vocation that I have discovered and it is really true that if you are on the right path, then the right people will come along too.

Last February, I shared about the journey and experience of Consulus - the effects of unity that we experienced in our company and in our projects for companies and cities - with Prof. Piero Coda, the Dean of Sophia University, who is also a priest. After an intense hour of sharing and just before we left each other. I decided to share with him a regret of mine, that I did feel guilty about not becoming a priest.

He looked at me and told me that he felt from my experience that I did not become a priest in the Church because I was asked to be another Jesus in the business world. It was an unexpected answer and a gift. Then I understood what it meant to do everything with love and then the plan will be revealed in time.

I thank God for this vocation and to everyone I have encountered on this great adventure that still continues. I pray that for those whose plan has not been revealed yet, that it may come to you soon. And that all of you will live out your vocation with courage and joy. It might not be easy but I can assure you that in following your purpose, it will be the best adventure ever.

About Lawrence Chong

Lawrence shares about his experiences of helping companies transform for Industry 4.0 to enable innovation through purpose and unity. His passion is in shaping purpose-driven companies that will contribute to shaping a better world.

He is the Co-founder and CEO of Consulus, an innovation consultancy with business management and multi-disciplinary design capabilities. Lawrence is a featured speaker at global events such as Innovation by Design, World Marketing Summit and World Brand Congress. He served as the Immediate Past President of Design Business Chamber Singapore. His thoughts on innovation and creativity appear in regional media such as Fortune, Nikkei Asian Review, Business Insider, Business Times, Marketing Magazine, Newsbase, Prestige Magazine, VTC10. In his personal capacity, he is a member of the Focolare, a movement in favor of building a united world through dialogue, economics, and politics.

About Consulus

Consulus is a global innovation consultancy with multidisciplinary business and design capabilities. Since 2004, we have transformed companies, places and experiences from multi-nationals to start-ups in more than 20 cities around the world. Our clients include Teo Garments, BIBD, Goodrich Global, DST, Health City Novena, MTU and Sony.

Applying our proprietary UNIFY methodology to redesign business models, organizational cultures, and brand experiences, we help our clients develop in-house capabilities so as to enable them to innovate more effectively and meet the complex challenges of the 4th industrial revolution.

PurposeCORE programme, the principal consulting solution of Consulus and the world’s first 3-in-1 transformation program covering business, human resource and design. Applied in hundreds of companies throughout the world since 2004, find out how an effective 360 transformation can help you shape the new world.

PlaceCORE is the joint innovation programme jointly developed with CPG Consultants. It is the world’s first integrative development solution incorporating data and insights from Masterplan, Business, Design and Human Development. It provides governments and developers with a 360 view on how to establish a sustainable and creative place economy for sustainable development.

Our custom-built solutions have allowed our clients to increase revenue by over 138%, expand to overseas markets, develop new products and intellectual property and prepare the next generation of leaders to drive and sustain high-growth. Today, Consulites are present in Singapore (World Centre), Argentina, Bangladesh, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Italy, Laos, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam. Consulus is a member of the Economy of Communion(EoC).

Consulus is the convener for Shape the World Conference, a creative thought-leadership event aimed at providing design-led strategies to inspire companies to innovate and shape the world. In 2013, Consulus launched the World Company Day initiative to inspire companies to shape the world into a better place through daily work.

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