At the core of Ivan Yong ’s success burns a bright flame, one of unwavering love for his home country, Malaysia, and a prominent cultural parable, budi bahasa.
When asked about the parable, Ivan says “Budi Bahasa to me, means having good thoughts about people, regardless of how you feel about them and doing good in your behaviour too.” Ivan has held this value close to him since childhood.
As an entrepreneurial coach and academic mentor today, Ivan uses this principle to guide him as a mentor. He adds that now that he lives in Hong Kong, staying connected to his cultural roots becomes all the more important. In Hong Kong’s more pragmatically driven society, where service depends on its monetary value, Ivan hopes that more people will come to learn of budi bahasa and make the world a much more courteous place.
He recounts plenty of lessons such as this during his time in Malaysia. For instance, his first time learning Malay in primary school. Speaking fondly of his teacher, who taught the class with a nurturing, motherly persona, Ivan believes that this approach motivated him to learn Malay and as a result, develop a deep connection with his home country.
“She was like a mother figure to all these boys. She didn’t have to, but she still did. She wanted you to feel the love and I think that’s part of what influenced me to be a caring mentor,” Ivan reminisced, remarking that this kindness is a prevalent value in many Malaysians.
In the meantime, he enjoys the arts whenever he can, dabbling in drawings and writing pantuns to stay fluent in Malay, such as this one:
Which Hat is the Right Fit?
Interestingly enough, however, becoming a mentor had not always been Ivan’s dream. Neither was his Mechanical Engineering degree at the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore up his alley.
Instead, Ivan had wanted to be an entrepreneur, a passion he pursued after his first two jobs as a pharmaceutical engineer and organisational psychologist. But if so, why hadn’t he taken a Master of Business Administration (MBA) after graduating?
Believing that you can learn to do business or sales without an MBA, Ivan ventured career-wise in true entrepreneurship style. He does affirm the importance of having an educational background though, stating that his engineering degree allows him to understand technology better and subsequently aids him when overseeing startups as a 50 million fund startup manager in Hong Kong.
So is Ivan an academic mentor, entrepreneurial coach or startup manager? The answer is all three, and much more! Mentor to undergraduate students at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), entrepreneurial coach at beVisioneers, co-president at the European Mentoring & Coaching Council (EMCC) Asia Pacific and adjunct professor at UNITAR International University, he continues his work as an organisational psychologist and is also an author of 3 business publications. As a matter of fact, Ivan will be expecting another one of his works to be published this December!
Memorable Takeaways
With a myriad of different career paths to juggle, Ivan wastes no time in expressing his utmost appreciation for his wife. Having supported him tirelessly throughout his career journey and encouraging him to build something for himself rather than continue to work for others, Ivan is more than grateful to have her to rely on and keep himself grounded.
As for the experiences he’s obtained throughout this journey, Ivan believes that what differentiates success and failure in entrepreneurship has to do with how the small things are perceived. Successful people are interested in the potential growth of projects regardless of how small. Having experienced this first-hand when publishing his works for the first time, and even with one of his mentees as an entrepreneurial coach, Ivan says that the best part about mentoring is always seeing how much growth can be achieved within months.
“It’s exciting that only within months, you see something about to collapse suddenly turn into a startup with a 1.3 million investment! Start small and don’t mind the small projects, this is what I mean.”
What the Future Holds
The big question then follows: Will Ivan continue to enter more career fields? While he can’t say much for now, Ivan does see the potential in collaborative business opportunities between Hong Kong and Malaysia and shares that he is always ready to contribute back to the nation.
On his recent trip back to Malaysia in August, he participated as a panel speaker in a conference by the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI) and shared his insights on the topic of The Future of Work: Emerging Trends in the Tech-Talent Economy. He enjoys participating in events such as this and doing his part to contribute to Malaysia’s growth in any way he can. He’s also open to returning home for good should the stars align! After all, nothing spells out a home like Taiping – Ivan’s hometown to which he proudly claims as Malaysia’s most historical site.
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