Enthusiasm, Seabass and mentorship

A recent episode at work showed me the magic of Time, and with Time, I saw the exuberance of youth and witnessed the power of experience.

It was nearing the tail end of S's internship with us, and he was following up on some email pitches that he sent earlier during his stint. Typically, cold-calling would not yield to much and to be honest, I was more impressed with his dedication to finish this task in a full circle manner, less so on materialising a sales lead.

One call of the day eventually bode potential good news. With a grin, Sean shared with me, "Melvin! Company ABC wants a quotation for fresh Seabass! What should the price be?"

To that I asked, "Whole Seabass or Seabass that requires filleting?"

He confidently replied, "Whole Seabass! So, what price should we set at?"

I then asked, "What would the volume of consumption be?"

I saw a quick flash of disappointment as he answered, "Oh, that I did not ask."

Fuelled by eagerness, and almost a sense of pride, he asked for the third time an appropriate price point because Company ABC was seemingly as enthusiastic to receive a quotation. It was difficult to say no in the face (literally) of someone who was so excited but I did.

There were several reasons to say no. Firstly, most companies go through their unique sales funnel to approach sales, and for Hai Sia, a quotation is hardly released until there is a face to face meeting because the company is built firmly on the appreciation of human interactions and relationships. Secondly, there were still several unanswered factors that can affect the pricing attractiveness of a quotation and S cannot be making multiple calls within a close span of time. Thirdly, and logically, it is quite strange for a company to demand immediate quotation without much context.

After I took time to explain to S, this episode remained etched in me because I thought of myself. My first job was at Philip Morris, starting from January 2014, which means I have been working for three years now. Like S, I remembered being exceptionally chirpy and enthusiastic in my junior years; and ideas sprouted almost effortlessly. However, half of these ideas were either mercifully shelved or brutally massacred, and the remaining half either happened or was executed in a different form. I always wanted to know the answers, and I always wanted to know why did I not think of the 'correct' way earlier. 'Experience' was a recurring Ten Years Series answer which I did not fully internalise until the Seabass experience, and it was a concluding answer I gave to S.

I also thought of the current me. Privileged to be in a capacity to mentor someone, I realised the need to be balanced, from the perspective of a giver. The balance of just enough tough love, nothing more lest we destroy the preciousness of youth and nothing less lest we breed complacency. The balance of being true to yourself and being constructive, nothing more lest we become imposing, and nothing less lest we become wavering. The balance of giving, nothing more lest we rob off someone's joy of self-discovery, and nothing less lest we rob off someone's joy of learning.

It seems like there is really a time and place for everything, and it is a timely reminder for myself. As for Company ABC, we met them last week and gave them a quotation for more than just Seabass. Successful or not, well, I guess only time can tell.