Recently we had the privilege to conduct a leadership programme for the promising new recruits of Maybank. The programme titled ‘Keepers Of The Flame’ (KOTF) proved to be an eye-opening experience for the Keepers (’Keeper’ refers to the individual participant of the programme). What we hoped to achieve at the end of the programme is for the Keepers to realise their leadership potential and areas of personal development whilst practicing the 8 flames of leadership – Compassion, Courage, Honesty, Integrity, Responsibility, Loyalty, Fairness and Humility.

We managed to get one Maybank Keeper – Lesley Tang, to share with us her learning experience throughout the programme. This is her story.

“What do you get when you put together 22 Maybankers, a Roti Jac, freshly ploughed mud, mustache-y Mariah Carey, flaming torches AND water bombs? Why, of course you have the Maybank Keepers of the Flame!

Our first challenge was the check-in challenge and it proved to be a tough one! It took the whole afternoon and late evening scavenging the town for answers, battling through mud, climbing up a hill and walking 4km just to catch the bus back at night.

Having gone through the check-in challenge, which had so much suspense factors, it really taught me to LISTEN. It was very apparent that everyone had ideas, but no one was willing or ready to listen. If everyone talks, then who will be there to listen? I really will never forget the power of listening. The question… “Are you listening?.. Or are you just waiting for your turn to talk?” really struck me hard.

Also, this activity taught me that we cannot always get what we want. In order to achieve something, we must set clear goals and strategies and work hard towards it. Only when we have put in hard work to EARN something do we cherish it.

Throughout the whole programme, the most significant moment for me was the night challenge - to protect our fire against the onslaught of attackers we had to really work together as a team. It was like no other experience I’ve had before in my life. Completely blind to where the road takes us, we just had to draw all our focus to that burning flame, and protect it from all the attacks! It’s so applicable to life don’t you think? Many a times we have no idea where the road takes us, but we still have to walk through it anyway. Attacks come from all angles and we just have to maintain our poise and stand up for our flames!

To me, this is the best and most meaningful challenge of all. We were really learning the importance of staying together and to strive on regardless of the physical attacks. This situation can be translated to real world situations that we face day-in and day-out. It was during one of the night challenges also I discovered courage is nothing without fear. Feeling fear actually gives opportunity for us to show courage and bravery. What a trade-off eh? So it’s not that bad to be afraid after all!

The thing I really love about this programme was that after every significant activity, there would be a reflection and discussion session. Many messages are conveyed and new discoveries are brought to our attention. This is very good for everyone because we can better relate and put to perspective what we have just personally experienced, and how to apply that to reality.

As the programme drew to an end, I was overwhelmed with feelings. I seriously had a blast and really gonna miss the times we spent together. Fate brought us here and we carry on life’s journey having each other. Definitely a milestone in my life and I would not have traded these 3 days for anywhere else in the world!

This KOTF program is not only about leadership and teambuilding, it’s also about self-discovery and realisation. It has very good structure that was comprehensive enough to maintain interest all throughout. The program really did have an objective, which was to instill the 8 flames in people. Interesting, enjoyable and provided us with a lot of knowledge and experience! We learnt from our OWN actions, mistakes, steps, ideas that followed through the activities. And it is more EFFECTIVE because experience really is the best way to learn.

All the challenges and the respective reflections helped me to identify my weaknesses and what type of person I actually am. It has given me the opportunity to fill in the gaps and my weaknesses. It has also made me realize that I have been in my comfort zone way too long. Hereafter, I am to be more open-minded, share my opinions as well as listening, and to carry the flames within me and let it shine on all others!

Thanks a million to the DJPians (John, Evan, Mi Lin, Emily and Hisyam) for their dedication and making a huge impact in all our lives. You guys are so great! For those of you who want this out-of-the-world experience, do contact DJP!

Keep Flaming! Maybank Keepers Forever!

“We may not have a choice in what we do, but we have a choice in how we do it” – My fave quote by D’Jungle People

For more information on our Keepers Of The Flame leadership programme, do visit www.djunglepeople.com, or call us at +603 7118 3280.