Today - All 7 Masterful Business Lessons From Our New Prime Minister

As promised, here's Lesson 5, 6 and 7, with the full article too. Which is the most masterful lesson for you?

It’s certainly been an exciting two weeks, hasn’t it? Some say it was an emotional roller-coaster on the night of 9 May 2018. Whatever it is, we have a new government, a new regime after 61 years! Hurray for Malaysia!

Was GE14 won by accident, by a stroke of luck? Certainly not. The planning, the strategizing and the execution of Pakatan Harapan’s(PH’s) campaign was immaculate, flawless and brilliantly executed.

Much has already been written about the focused determination, selfless drive, energy and foresight of Tun Dr Mahathir. What I would like to do here is to share several principles we can learn and apply in business.

1. Thoroughly Understand Your Target Audience

Just like any good Marketeer, PH had a deep and thorough understanding of the voters. They knew that the “urban voters” were more savvy and had a pretty good understanding of 1MDB and other scandals. But they also realised that victory hinged on their ability to appeal to the “Malay Heartland”, what marketers might call their Primary Target. This was where the toughest battle needed to be fought and won. And here, the audience had some differing characteristics – their daily struggle with bread and butter issues. The more relevant message here would be the sharply rising cost of living, linked to the imposition of GST in recent years.

Key Lesson: Carefully analyse your market segments and determine which segment should be your primary focus. Then, construct and design your message/offering/value proposition accordingly.

2. Know Your Terrain Intimately

In their campaign, PH made Johor their central battleground. Knowing the growing dissent among Johoreans, they capitalised on the Muhyiddin factor and continued the attack started by Pakatan Rakyat in the previous GE. They took the high ground and focussed their attack on the bastion of BN, where Umno was founded and where several MCA leaders previously won on in Malay majority constituencies. They were able to penetrate the vital Felda settlers and drove home the message about the Felda/FGV hot issues.

Key Lesson: Understand your competitive frame and market dynamics intimately so you can develop effective plans to neutralise or overwhelm your competition.

3. Communicate Clearly and Powerfully

With an intimate understanding of the rakyat at different levels, PH was able to formulate clear and specific messages to each segment of the voters. The central plank of their message was the dire need to remove a corrupt and kleptocratic regime that was fast destroying our beloved country. However, there were also pertinent sub-messages addressed to the different voter segments – removal of tolls and GST, towards racial harmony, local council elections, more and better jobs, etc. These messages were powerfully presented at the many ceramah held all over the country. The whole atmosphere of a ceramah was simply electrifying.

And, knowing they had no access to mass media and traditional media, these messages were strategically disseminated via the internet and social media, including livestreaming, YouTube, WhatsApp and digital news portals. Many of the campaigns went viral because the message hit the customer(voter) sweet spot.

 Key Lesson: Once you understand deeply your target audience, the market dynamics and the competitive frame, craft your message for maximum impact. Master the dynamics of Digital Marketing, an essential if not central part of marketing today.

4. Strategy and Detailed Planning Supported by Brilliant Execution

Intimately understanding the target audience(voter base), the market dynamics(“rules and regulations” and other restrictions) and the competitive frame( deep pockets, control of mass media, inside information about their mindset, etc) all helped PH formulate a powerful strategy to bring about change. There was also a lot of detailed planning by various teams to ensure nothing would divert or jeopardise the strategy and plans. Whether it was Project Invoke or comprehensive PACA training, nothing was left to chance.

Key Lesson: No matter how brilliant the strategy, results come only through great execution. Detailed planning isn’t glamorous, but it enables flawless execution.

5. Create a Powerful Vision - Brightness of the Future

The promise of righting the wrongs, overcoming injustice and using the rule of law to bring to book those who have trespassed the law, coupled with improving the livelihood of the lower income groups by lowering cost of living were indeed powerful motivators. Saving the country from financial misfortune and restoring it to its past glory definitely connected with the audience. The message was right and timely and the sense of hope was almost palpable. It moved people to take action.

 Key Lesson: In business we must always create a clear and aspirational “brightness of the future” that resonates with our stakeholders. It has to be believable to stir people into taking action.

6. The Power of a Fully Aligned Team

The strong leadership of Tun Dr Mahathir, underscored by his credibility of 22 years’ experience as a sitting Prime Minister, helped galvanise the Pakatan coalition of four separate and different political parties into a single cohesive force. The ability and willingness to set aside differences and past animosity for a common goal was essential to success, to topple the fortress of the deeply entrenched BN regime. Had the four individual parties not been galvanised in a singular powerful opposing force, it would not have been able to crush the almost impregnable BN fortress. Such is the power of a fully aligned team - totally united in achieving the common mission of saving the country from certain ruin. Disagreements about seat allocation and other matters had to be firmly resolved. Agreeing and announcing the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister designates helped people visualise the potential outcome, believe and trust the coalition.

In the end the chief architect of many of the restrictive systems in the country today had to be the mastermind that would breakthrough them.

Key Lesson: Simple or grand, strategies need to be well executed to succeed. Having a fully aligned team is a pre-requisite for this to happen.

7. Lead with Authority and Conviction

Ultimately, it comes down to leadership. Tun Dr Mahathir had the drive, gumption, resoluteness and wherewithal to take on a highly formidable administration that controlled every facet of government – from the Registrar of Societies and Election Commission to the Attorney General’s office, the media and more. He acknowledged past mistakes and worked tirelessly to drive change. He showed his human side and was prepared to be vulnerable. At 92, he had nothing to prove. Any wonder that there’s now a call to nominate him for the Nobel Peace Prize?

Key Lesson: In the end, it was a strategy of pre-eminence, of holding the interests of the rakyat(read “your clients and customers”) and the country first and foremost and having the integrity and boldness to act accordingly.

These 7 lessons are by no means exhaustive. I look forward to hearing your thoughts, feedback and insights below. Which most resonates with you? And feel free to share it if you like it.

Thank God for a New Malaysia! 

Peter Lam is Founder and Chief Coach at Pelican Concepts. He is a highly sought-after Business Coach, Corporate Trainer and Keynote Speaker who has been coaching CEO’s and Business Owners since 2003. Prior to that, he had 20 plus years’ experience with leading Multi-nationals like Unilever, Kraft Foods, and Ogilvy & Mather. He is the author of the upcoming book, ProfitMAX Your Business – How to Double Your Profits and Build a Strong Business That Lasts A Long, Long Time. To download a free chapter of the book, go to www.profitmaxbiz.com. Peter can be contacted at www.peterlamcoach.comm