Leza Parker: Here's to my favourite employee.

Running a business is challenging, and most of my headaches come in handling human resources. Winning relationships, raising funds, work with suppliers and closing deals with clients - are easy for me. I wrote an article before "I am not supposed to be a CEO" so for a few years, I was dreading it because leadership is hard.

Last year, I had Human Resources issues beyond my imagination from employees stealing laptops, protesting for no good reason, office politic issues among employees that demoralises everyone else, deletion of our IP, tampering with our sales generating website, signing documents I didn't approve. It was insane almost, with how incompetent they became because they were unhappy for small petty issues between themselves. After several employees boycotted the office, the rest who remained are just as toxic so I removed all from my head office in Chinatown last year.

Since then I have recruited a whole new batch of employees, 90% of whom are based overseas in Malaysia, Philippines, India and Indonesia. Its easier to manage them and they were committed to my vision - that within 6 months, my company scaled back to profitability after streamlining.

But among the whole chunk of people my company let go last year, including my COO and CMO, I kept one employee. And its' funny I selected him to stay, because he was the employee on the lowest scale of the company and one I spoke to only once a month. We did not have a bond, because it's always the management who spoke to me and besides I was not always in the office. He was coordinating our logistics locally for the beauty boxes distribution, assisting with customer service and packing. That was all.

But here is the amazing story.

This is what I used to know.

Last year, after we sold our shares, we were massively recruiting to form the important people in our company. When we advertised, I received over 100 resumes weekly for a few months for positions within the business. I formed a team of 13 full timers just for SG office alone, and was closing off on all other applications locally.

Then we had a short term project that was supposed to last 2 weeks, but ended dragging for two months. It was running on second shift from 7 pm till 2 am, and we recruited another team of 6 to manage data entry.

One week before the project ended, my secretary at that time, brought up to me over dinner about someone she recommended to be hired as a full timer with the business. At this point of time, the business isn't opening any positions but I knew we have some projects coming up in a month that would need an extra pair of hands. We are about to launch our beauty boxes in several countries, and we definitely need someone capable of organising the logistics movement for this. I asked her to tell him to send in his resume, and she said he had sent it many times over the last few weeks.

Apparently it has sunk in between hundreds of other applications we received, and probably sitting in my trash or another manager's trash bin on our emails. I felt bad to insist he sent once more, so I traced back the email and managed to get a quick glimpse of his qualifications. He has a Diploma in Multimedia, 27 years old and a father of an infant daughter.

Since the secretary has put in some good words, I was open to interview him on the coming Thursday at 11pm during his shift. I honestly did not take the interview seriously. I left the office at 8pm, met with a friend to have dinner and came back to the office. I did not know his full name back then, or much about his profile neither his performance during the data entry project. He was called to my room, and he knocked on the door so gently and was very soft spoken.

Because the position I created for him as my logistics co-ordinator is multiple level below my title in the organisational chart, I did not have many questions to ask him either. I think I briefed him on what he ought to do, and he agreed. The data entry project was going to end that Sunday so I told him to report day time hours on Monday, and prepared his Employment Letter.

He was calm and collected, but I assumed he was happy to be upgraded to a full timer than a part timer who is about to be terminated at the end of that short term project.

He came to work, never late, never absent and is impeccable in delivering his duties at work. One of the most outstanding performance employees.

When I let go most of my employees last year during streamlining (and resetting), I also handed him a termination letter. But he was the only employee I asked for coffee, and I explained to him why I think the team that was currently with us are not productive. I told him the business will be going through a period of recovery which may caused us to be financially tight plus the mess we have to clean, and he had the freedom to choose to stay or to leave.

Immediately, he told me "I will stay."

The next day, everyone has left the office - but he was the only one who came to work. I knew then, he was serious to make sure he supports me some how. And I went on to recover the company, raise capital funding, develop new technology and go back to profitability within the next six months.

Each time we hired someone new, and people asked him about why he chose to stay despite the major 'firing' last year - he replied "I will not leave Ms Leza until she dismisses me."

Half a year is gone since the day he told me he would stay with the company. He had lost the friendships with all the ex employees whom he bonded before, because they were unhappy he was the only person I've decided to retain (of course with good reasons). Yet he never complained, or minded at all because he felt his decision is still the best.

But this is what I found out.

Mus was earning way more than what I offered him before he joined us, but he never told me. He was taking a paycut and never once raised the matter. And he left his last stable job with one of the largest security companies in Singapore, serving them 24 hours notice instead of 30 days. That resulted in penalty of 1 month of his salary. They miscounted and accidentally deducted his last paying salary, on top of the penalty he paid - causing him a loss of a few thousand dollars just like that. I did not know of this until his 9th month working with me.

I asked him, why do you terminate yourself in 24 hours? Why didn't you serve the 30 days notice?

"I read about you, and all I wanted was to work for you. I applied so many times, but never got an interview. I missed the recruitment round for the part time data entry on night shift, and regretted it. Then when one of the night shift team was always absent and asked to let go, the manager was looking for replacement and I found out. Not missing that opportunity to step into your environment, I quit my job within 24 hours just so I can report to your office at 7pm the next evening to start this 2 week project. It went on for 2 months, and I know my time will soon come to an end. I made sure I was never late, never absent and gave my best so the manager or secretary could put in some good words to recommend me as a full timer. And the day you did, was one of my happiest days. I have always wanted to be under your leadership, so losing that stable job isn't my worry - but losing my job with you would be my failure. I will not leave, until the day you no longer need me."

At this point of time, I wanted to cry because suddenly I was humbled by how much this person would be there for me, through troubled times and through glory days. I have no idea why someone could give up everything that they have, for one shot to be under my leadership and what if I didn't create him a job, and terminated him at the end of that short term project? I would have felt terrible knowing how much a stranger I didn't know back then, wanted to be in my environment under my leadership. This gesture truly touched my heart, and it brought back the confidence that there are still hard working and dedicated people out there.

At this point of time, I am training him to handle logistics coordination across Asia Pacific so he'd be ready for a COO Position next year replacing the one we had last year. That Chief Operations Officer role has been reserved for him, the least I could do for the loyalty I respect him for.

If you ever come by my Singapore office, you'll see him around.

(That's him right behind me during our corporate charity event last year.)

Hi I am Leza Parker. Aged 32, I have three children. I started a business from home some six years ago and currently the CEO of SC Beauty Network that operates in six countries with over 350 full time and contractual employees. I am also an angel investor having invested in small start ups in the baking, education, training, beauty and fashion industries. I have over 100,000 accumulative followers on social media and am dedicated to inspire thousands more through my Twitter, Instagram, Youtube and Facebook channels. I have published several books, appear in numerous media articles and I lecture in several universities to educate future entrepreneurs local and overseas. Two of my start ups are VC-funded and have expanded globally since.