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t high noon on January 9, 2003, while serving as Commander of the 3rd Malaysian Infantry Division based at Terendak Camp in Melaka, Gen. Tan Sri Haji Abdul Aziz Haji Zainal (then a Datuk and Major General) received an urgent phone call from the Army Chief, Gen. Datuk Seri Shahrom Nordin. Gen. Aziz was used to these kinds of phone calls. Thanks to his training at the prestigious Royal Military College (RMC) and the Asian Institute of Management (AIM), he had plenty of energy to respond to such calls with speed, excellence, and clarity of thinking. “I need your help!” Gen. Shahrom said. “The CEO of Malaysian Airlines (MAS) Datuk (now Tan Sri) Md Nor Yusof (Old Boy of RMC) invited me to address his top 100 managers at the launching of the MAS one-week Corporate War-game on January 10, 2003 at 0800 hour.” Gen. Aziz was calm. Having heard the instructions, he responded, “Yes, sir! What is the topic that the CEO wanted the Army Chief to speak about?” “We need you to talk about ‘The Principles of War and Its Applicability to Business,’” the Army Chief told Gen. Aziz, and he needed a quality presentation done at the MAS Academy in Kuala Lumpur (200 km from Melaka). Gen. Aziz recalls, “I had to spend the whole Thursday afternoon searching for research references on the computer, and a couple of hours later, a peaceful resolution was in sight. To meet the Friday deadline, I typed up 25 Powerpoint slides and sent it to my staff officer for some animation work and multimedia flavour.” Thirty-six years of service in the military had seen the rise of Gen. “Success does not Aziz’s career. In September 2004, he was promoted to Army Chief with the happen by accident rank of four-star General. On Febru- but by design.” ary 1, 2007, he was again promoted as the Armed Forces Chief, the highest military position at the Ministry of Defense. When he completed his Master in Management program in 1996 at the AIM, he was assigned to an international post for two years, to serve under the Command of NATO in Bosnia Herzegovina as Head of the Malaysian Contingent. Over the years Gen. Aziz developed ways of making himself available to anyone—his superiors, peers and staff, who might want to share a problem or idea with him. When he was the Commander of the 4th Army Mechanised Brigade (1998-2000), he made a habit of walking a fixed route at the same time each day. Everyone kept an eye on the boss and his habits, and soldiers quickly learned to take advantage of this valuable “face time” with him.
spotlight
Fighting the Right Battles
Triple A 2007 awardee Gen. Aziz has been the recipient of numerous Federal Honors and State Orders of Chivalry including the Armed Forces Gallantry Decorations and Medals. He regularly shared valuable insights with business managers about professional functions and its orderly application in the armed forces. “It is known that all management practices are derived from the military. Look at leadership, strategy, quality, benchmarking or even branding. All these have intimate relationships with the military. One society that has held this thought religiously, are the Japanese. It is inspirational to learn that Musashi, a famous Ninja who had never lost a fight had a deeply strategic mind. “Japanese companies are known to conduct annual or regular management camps for employees and managers. These camps are run in the most militaristic manner and include rituals such as meditation, teamwork and survival techniques. Those who survive and win are reportedly more able to become better managers and decision makers,” Gen. Aziz aptly articulated. Gen. Aziz made references to Carl Von Clausewitz (1780-1831) that “war is an instrument of national policy and military power is an option to gain political objectives.” He even recalls Niccolo Machiavelli “Business of the Battlefield” cont. on page 52 >>
A I M A LU M N I L E A D E R S H I P M AGA Z I N E J a n u a r y to M a rc h 20 07
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