All about passion and laser-sharp focus
When an executive is asked about the key to his success, it would be easy to surmise that it’s all about having a positive attitude, taking actions, achieving goals, or simply being creative.
Lenovo Philippines country manager Michael Ngan credits his passion for technology as crucial to the company’s success PHOTO BY ANDREA DE LA CRUZ
But for Lenovo Philippines Country Manager Michael Ngan, focus and passion are the most essential tools for business success.
Ngan started working for Lenovo Philippines as a distribution manager in 2005, the same year Lenovo acquired IBM. He later handled several roles such as country manager for consumer business and country manager for small business segment before bumped up to head the small and medium business segment for Southeast Asia in 2011.
“I was overseeing the small and medium business of Lenovo in six major countries of Southeast Asia — Philippines, Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysia. I was in the position for almost three years,” Ngan told The Manila Times. It was on 2013 when Ngan assumed his current role as country general manager of Lenovo Philippines.
Passion for technology
Ngan believes in the importance of following one’s passion and knows it is the driving force that will bring one to achieving his goals. “You cannot be successful if you do not love what you do. You need to have the passion,” he said.
Growing an interest for technology when he was still in high school, Ngan pursued learning about computers even if his college degree was not related to computer or technology. “I am a marketing graduate, but my passion for technology is there. I am always interested in what’s new, what’s upcoming,” he said.
“I got into college. They introduced computer subjects in the curriculum but the subjects are too shallow. I really want to learn, to know what a computer can do for you. So I enrolled myself in a crash course for a word application, Wordstar—which was, back in my days, the Microsoft Office,” Ngan recalled.
A laser-sharp focus
Besides passion, Ngan recognizes focus as the gateway to business success. “If you have a strategy or a plan, you stick to the plan. You need to have a laser-sharp focus on everything that you do,” he said.
When Lenovo first came to the Philippines, the company spent a lot of time establishing relationships with retailers. Being new in the eyes of the consumers, some retail shops would reject selling their products.
“It was really a tough journey. The climb was really difficult. There is no secret ingredient but [we stuck]to the strategy. And to what we always promise to our customers which is innovation,” said Ngan.
With over 2 million units sold last year, Lenovo Philippines now dominates the second spot for computers and laptops sales in the country.
Lenovo’s next steps
The company is determined to continue bringing innovation on the consumers’ table. Lenovo recently introduced Legion Y530, a gaming laptop that is sleeker, thinner and more discreet than its predecessors.
With Lenovo’s acquisition of Motorola in 2014, the company is also determined to grow the smartphone line’s market here in the Philippines. “Motorola is here to stay. It is strong brand. It is very strong in the US market, in the European market, and in the other parts of the world,” Ngan highlighted.
Lenovo Philippines has also stepped up its game when it comes to providing services. The company now offers premier support, asset tagging services, and accidental damage protection to its consumers.
“Lenovo [remains]one of the strongest players in the personal computer arena. We are also making our name in the data center business. And we’re still growing,” Ngan said.
Just as Ngan believes in keeping a laser-sharp focus, Lenovo, too, fixates its goals of bring innovation to its customers. “The game plan is the same, we will definitely stick to the strategy to [remain]an innovative company,” he concluded.
The post All about passion and laser-sharp focus appeared first on The Manila Times Online.