Ep 148.1: "I Wrote the Cockiest Letter!" | Dato' Sri Idris Jala (Chairman, PEMANDU)

When Dato Sri Idris Jala became the Managing Director of Shell Sri Lanka, he wasn’t expecting to hold the country on ransom. The Sri Lanka unit had already experienced 27 years of continuous losses when he took over. And on Day 1, what Idris had to handle was: bombs strapped to his depot, the kidnapping of his transport manager, a major labour strike and… Threatening letters sent by a professional sniper who knew where he lived, where he worked, when he left each place and the exact route he took each other. Tough doesn’t even begin to cover it. But Idris turned it around. And in the latest STIMY episode, he shares how, why he took on such a tough gig and what continues to drive him. There were so many gems in his 2-hour interview that it’s only right to have split it into two parts. This is Part 1. Which opens up with his childhood in the Borneo Highlands - where his dad would throw him into the pigsty when he misbehaved. And also insisted that they sleep on the floor of the stinky fish market - because they were travelling with neighbouring tribes who couldn’t afford a tribe and “they shouldn’t act different from others”. Education, for him back then, was a matter of life and death. His North Star then was to be the top of his class. So he asked his dad, a teacher, for advice. He was told, “Very simple, son. Find out who’s currently No. 1, be his or her best friend, and do exactly what he does but put it to the power of 10.” And so Idris just did. 😂 Others highlights: 🔸 Surviving ghostly encounters & treacherous rapids in the Borneo Highlands 🔸 His spiritual awakening as part of the Bario Revival 🔸 The concept of “ketuit” (which is kelabit for ‘kiasu’ or being very competitive) 🔸 Why his cocky job application letters were successful - he began his letters with the words, “Dear Sir, I’m the man you’re looking for”! 🔸 Why ‘the graveyard is full of indispensable people’ 🔸 The impossible game It’s not an episode you’ll want to miss. 😉 Highlights: 3:15 Storytelling culture 4:33 Thrown into the pigsty! 7:06 Ketuit 7:40 What does winning mean? 8:26 My true north then & the trick to achieving it 10:05 Becoming a lawyer 15:48 Walking through the cemetery 17:19 The Bario spiritual revival 21:50 Not quite from God? The Gestapo inquiry 25:03 Post-Revival 29:08 Not able to go to New Zealand 31:55 The ‘magic’ in his cocky letters 34:01 Wanting a free flight home 42:28 Sense of curiosity 47:02 Becoming Managing Director of Shell Sri Lanka & the game of the impossible 51:49 He makes every big decision with his wife 54:03 Never make the position become you 55:22 Fear & holding the country at ransom? 🙊 Support STIMY for as little as $0.10/day! - https://www.sothisismywhy.com/support-stimy/ 🎙️Show notes/transcript: https://www.sothisismywhy.com/148 💌 Subscribe to weekly STIMY newsletter: https://sothisismywhy.ck.page/ebf231f605