🍧 THE CENDOL SIDEQUEST.
We need to talk about cendol.😍
Not as a dessert.
As a personal excellence framework.
—
Since we landed in Malaysia last week, this childhood dessert has lived rent-free in my head.
Shaved ice.
Coconut milk.
Gula Melaka.
Pandan jelly.
Red beans doing their quiet, dependable best in the corner.
It’s gloriously sweet and cold deliciousness is imprinted in my childhood memory. 😋
“Dad. Cendol.” I said.
I also batted my eyes a bit.
He knew exactly what I meant.
And off we went looking for my favourite stall.
It had moved locations so it was a longer trek than I remembered.
(It’s common for Malaysians to intentionally make a trip *just for a specific food*)
We battled traffic.
And the crazy drivers.
Almost died.
But it was sooo worth it!
Look at my face! 😆 .
—
Here’s the thing about seeking out the best.
I once knew a really amazing test manager who had projects *queuing up* for him.
Not applying.
*Queuing.*
A project manager told a client: If you want to ensure success, you need to wait for him to roll off his current project.
He is worth the delay.
The client waited.
I have had clients ask for me by name.
And I will not pretend that my ego does not do a small but enthusiastic jig every single time. 💃
—
𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝘂𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻?
Stop trying to be available.
Start trying to be *unmissable.*
Conscientiousness.
Integrity.
Craftwork.
These are not soft skills.
These are CORE skills.
(Thank you Miriam McCabe for emphasising this term) 💜
These are the skills that make people go to logistical lengths – reschedule timelines, renegotiate contracts, track you down across three time zones – just to get you in the room.
Excellence is not a guarantee.
But it is the best strategy we have.
It compounds over time like interest in an account nobody can touch. 💎
In many cases (not all), they outlast bias.
They outlast the politics.
They make people go to *lengths* to have you on their team.
You need to be so undeniably good that they come and open the door for you.
—
The cendol was worth the journey. 🥰
So is becoming the kind of consultant people travel for.
The calorie mathematics of this side quest will be resolved tomorrow.
Possibly with extra workout.
Possibly with guilt.
Definitely with zero regret.
🍧 Seek the cendol.
#BeTheCendol. 💪🏻
