"I will only leave a legacy of precious teachings, but not wealth or fortune to my children. Our business empire can be sustained for many generations to come if they follow the precious teachings taught to them"
I usually take weeks or months sometimes not even finish reading a book, but this was definitely one of the most interesting book I've ever read. One thing I definitely could conclude was that Robert Kuok was definitely more than just 'The Sugar King', well to me atleast. I could not help but to share the good attributes that he has to everyone else cause everyone should try to imply the principles he has (although biased based only by this book)
Here's a couple of quotes that I personally love,
"We cannot take wealth into our graves. Leaving too much fortune behind will ruin our offspring instead of helping them. Having too much money is like having poison, and wouldn't that eventually damage their brains? But because of love, we must leave something for them, so that they will have the opportunity to rise"
"I have often said that there are two things we need to do when we are alive. First, it is to work hard to raise the family and secondly, to help those who need help in their education. Only by doing this will society progress, become harmonious and stable"
Although his mother was not educated much, she played a very important role in his life and successful path in pursuing his business,
"The only advice my mother gave us walk the virtuous path and that we should not become materialistic as we made money"
And he tries to help others and the environment as when he can,
In 2012, Shangri-La stopped offering shark fin dishes. At the same time, the hotel also phased out bluefin tuna and Chilean sea bass.
Although he is a Malaysian, he still had a soft heart for China since his parents were people of the Mainland China. His mission was to help develop China.
The path for him might've seem easy in the public's eyes, but he actually went through some difficulties and hardships in building his first Shangri-La in Singapore. It was his first set up and in the first few months, he actually went through a huge loss. Beyond that, Robert Kuok had to find his way around the rigidity of China's investment system through connecting to the locals since China did not welcome foreign investors willingly, after their reformation.
Upon his perception towards progress in Malaysia,
"Kuok said that if Malaysia wanted to progress, the Malays would need to be more open-minded. He believed that education is crucial in determining a country's development, that the government shouldn't lower the standard of education but should instead address educational issues seriously"
Eventhough the sugar business might not be of a high profitability, Kuok quoted,
"Never be greedy because it is big, nor give up because it is small", which happens to be one of his business mantras.
You would've expect that when it comes to friendships, he would pick friends that would benefit him. But he made friends who believed that would stay and has good attributes. When it comes to friendships, Kuok believed to "Make friends. But be able to distinguish the good and the bad"
The most important bit was when he shared the secrets of being a successful leader. Kuok believed that a successful leader would have to,
"Have a strong and highly efficient team of management talents and work closely with every level of subordinates. Be fair and honest. And to have a strong determination to strive"
There's so much more of his business attributes that many of us should practise in doing our own business but I guess the only way to find out is to read this book ! (it was actually sold out the first few weeks it was out which took me quite a struggle to grab it at some bookstores). All the quotes were extracted from the book of Robert Kuok by Kanyin Publications. Note that the story might be a bit draggy at the beginning but it gets really good after that. This blog post does not even do justice on how good the book is.
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