Author Vijay Eswaran: Optimal Performance Before High-Pressure Moments; How To Relieve Stress, Clear Your Head, and Prepare Yourself For High Stakes Business Encounters

Habits have no formula to them. It is as simple as daily repetition. We become the master of whatever we are willing to do every day.

As a part of our series about “Optimal Performance Before High-Pressure Moments”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Vijay Eswaran.

Vijay Eswaran is a prominent Asian thought leader, philanthropist, speaker, and author. He is the founder and Executive Chairman of the QI Group of Companies, a multinational conglomerate headquartered in Hong Kong with diverse business interests in education, retail, direct selling, real estate, hospitality, and luxury products. The QI Group businesses have offices in more than 30 countries.

A proponent of value-based leadership, Eswaran has ensured the QI Group adheres to sustainable practices in business, making a positive impact in the communities it operates in. An honoree of the Forbes Asia annual list of Heroes of Philanthropy, he is also the recipient of numerous awards for his philanthropic contributions and leadership in business and promoting entrepreneurship.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive into the main focus of our interview, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your childhood backstory?

I am from Malaysia, a beautiful, multi-cultural country in Southeast Asia known to be a powerhouse financial and business hub in the region and well known for its beautiful beaches, secluded islands, elevated hill stations, and UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

My family traces its roots back to India from about seven generations ago. My ancestors were brought to British Malaya, as it was then known, by the British colonisers from India and Sri Lanka. Malaysia today comprises people of three races. They are the ethnic Malays, the Chinese whose forefathers were merchants, and South Asians tracing their ancestry to India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan.

I grew up all over the country thanks to my father’s job with the government. In some ways, the constant moving and changing of schools (a total of nine) trained me to adapt quickly to change. I realised in my later years that this is an essential quality for an entrepreneur.

I left Malaysia after graduating high school to study in Singapore and then the UK for undergraduate studies. Then, finally, the US, where I earned a master’s degree and stayed on to build a career in corporate America in the 1980s. I returned to Asia in the early ’90s after spending 13 years abroad.

What inspired you to pursue your career as an entrepreneur or business leader? We’d love to hear the story.

Business and entrepreneurship were never on the cards because I came from a traditional Indian family. Instead, my focus was on getting a good education and a good job — as expected of me as the family’s eldest son. And I did pursue that path faithfully for nearly two decades.

After a long time away in the UK and North America, I returned to Asia. I landed a great position as general manager of a small publishing company that had the potential but was ill-managed. I took it on as a challenge and worked hard to turn things around. After about a year, the company turned profitable, and the board was pleased with my performance. Looking to expand, they sent me abroad to explore opportunities. However, the company changed hands while I was away, and the new management decided to bring in their team.

The experience left me disappointed. A lot of work went into turning that business around; long hours, no holidays. But none of that mattered because I was just another employee. And that was a turning point for me. I knew then I did not want to work for anyone else again and needed to start something of my own. That incident set the foundation for me to build a business where people would be at the heart of it.

None of us can achieve success without some help along the way. Was there a particular person who you feel gave you the most support or encouragement to be who you are today? Can you share a story about that?

No one in my family had ever been in business. Perhaps it was cultural, but people of Indian origin in Malaysia tended to either go into government service, academia, or the preferred professions of medicine or law. So when I decided to give up regular employment and turn to entrepreneurship, I didn’t have anyone to turn to for advice.

That is when my late father-in-law stepped in. He was a trader and entrepreneur with a chain of provision stores (mini grocery stores primarily for essential household products) in Sri Lanka. I had always been close to him and had great respect for his down-to-earth and humorous take on life, which made it easy to talk to him.

When I said I was considering starting a business but was nervous about it, he responded with a valuable piece of advice.

He said, “Starting a business is about trial and error. You may not get it right the first time, but you won’t know till you try. If you don’t try, you won’t know what you are capable of or what you could have done. So take that first step and get started. What’s the worst that can happen? You may fail. So what? Start again. You are at the best stage of your life to do this.”

My father-in-law passed away around 25 years ago but that piece of advice laid the foundation of my own philosophy to business that continues until today.

Can you share the funniest or most interesting mistake that occurred to you in the course of your career? What lesson or take away did you learn from that?

I studied and worked in America for many years and worked at a major technology company back in the early 80s. While I am Malaysian, I am of Indian origin. Today, it’s very common to see people of Indian heritage all over the US, especially in tech. But back then people who looked like me were an oddity. People often referred to me as ‘that Cuban guy’ even after I had worked there for 7 or 8 years.

This one time, the Vice President of my business unit invited us to his place for a barbeque. He lived in an affluent neighbourhood with beautiful big houses and security fences between homes. I am a life-long vegetarian so there never is anything for me to eat at these parties, but since the invitation came from the VP, I decided to go out of respect for him. One of the challenges of being a born vegetarian is I don’t do very well around the smell of burning meat. As you can imagine, the backyard was filled with the many smells of the barbeque and after the first few minutes I was having a hard time breathing. I decided to sneak out and take a walk around the neighbourhood and get some fresh air.

As I was strolling outside, admiring the beautiful homes, I passed by a home with a beautiful front garden and an older gentleman watering the plants. Instinctively, I smiled and said hello. He seemed startled at first, maybe cautious as to why some random brown guy was wandering the street of this exclusive neighbourhood, but his curiosity got the better of him.

We started chatting and I explained why I was there. When he heard I was from Malaysia, he was intrigued and asked me a lot of questions about Asia. Before I realized, we had been talking for a good half hour and I had his phone number and an invitation to visit him. Evetually, I excused myself from my new friend and went back to the party.

My VP spotted me and asked where I had disappeared to. I told him I’d been talking to Frank, his neighbour. My host looked blank. I explained that it was the neighbour from two houses down the road with the beautiful garden, the older gentleman with a daughter in California and three grandchildren.

My VP looked amazed. He said, ‘you mean Schaffenhauer? I didn’t know his name was Frank or that he had a daughter in California, let alone grandkids.’

He was even more amazed when I told him Frank had invited me over. They had been neighbours for at least 5 years at this point and had never exchanged more than cursory greetings.

I think this is where my multicultural upbringing and background played a role. When you grow up with people who look different from you, you get curious and ask questions about everything, from the clothes they wear, the food they eat, the holidays they celebrate. That’s why I’ve never hesitated to talk to strangers and ask questions. That’s also how I built my business. My takeaway from this incident is that when someone or something is different from you, there is merit in trying to build bridges, rather than erecting walls.

The road to success is challenging and requires tremendous dedication. This question is big, but what advice would you give a young person who aspires to follow in your footsteps and emulate your success?

Adapt. Adjust. Accommodate. If there is one thing this pandemic has taught everyone, change occurs rapidly and unexpectedly. Business is about flexibility and versatility. So be prepared to throw out your best-laid plans, assess the situation, adapt to the new reality, and make the necessary adjustments to fit into the new world. In the words of Bruce Lee — “Be water, my friend.”

Is there a particular book that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story or explain why it resonated with you so much?

‘Uncommon Sense, Common Nonsense’ by Jules Goddard and Tony Eccles. I read this book in 2015, and it influenced me to change my management style. The book promotes new perspectives on age-old problems. It attacks today’s dogma-trained leadership’s so-called “common sense” as “common nonsense”. It’s clever, witty, challenging and provocative.

Can you share your favourite “Life Lesson Quote”? Why does that resonate with you so much?

Gandhi said, “Be the change you want to see in the world.” It’s a simple but powerful message. The natural human tendency is to change others to meet our expectations. But when we try to change something we don’t control, it can often become a great source of stress and disappointment.

We can cry and complain about others. But suppose we devote all that energy to letting go of these expectations and changing our mindset. In that case, it completely changes how we experience the world.

What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now? How do you think that might help people?

The world has seen so many drastic changes in the last two years as a result of the pandemic. Vulnerable communities around the world have been the worst affected. So many of us have the privilege of working from home. But a vast majority doesn’t. They need to go out there and find a way to make a living and take care of their families.

I am very proud of the work our corporate foundation has been doing in this space. RYTHM Foundation, (RYTHM is an acronym for Raise Yourself To Help Mankind), has partnered with grassroots organisation in countries like India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Ghana and so many others and is funding projects that will help bring about long term change. These include skills training for women in rural areas in India and Sri Lanka, creating a project to fund water wells in rural Tanzania through self sustaining farm where the local ocommunity is trained in farming and technical skills, providing laptops and arranging basic internet connnections in low income housing communities for students to access virtual learning in Malaysia, developing empowerment and education programs for at-risk youth using sports in different parts of Asia. We have a number of ongoing projects and we are already seeing great results.

OK, thank you for all of that. Let’s now shift to the core focus of our interview. As a business leader, you likely often face high stakes situations that involve a lot of pressure. Most of us tend to wither in the face of such stress. Can you share with our readers 3 or 4 strategies that you use to cope with the burden of stress?

Instead of multiple strategies, I prefer to share the one powerful technique that has worked for me for nearly three decades. It is my not-so-secret weapon called the “Sphere of Silence”. I start each day with an hour of silence.

Today, we live in a world surrounded by noise. Sounds blare from every corner, whether it’s traffic, mobile devices pinging every few seconds, shopping malls, or restaurants with their ubiquitous music. Noise has become our constant companion. I find practising the Sphere of Silence the ultimate weapon against the assault on our senses.

I have structured the hour into three parts. It is a time for planning and goal setting, reflection, reading, and even having a conversation with a higher power. It grounds me and prepares me for the day ahead. I realised that practising silence is also a powerful tool to deal with anger. It allows me to harness my calm in a heated moment and gives me the power to choose to stay out of negativity mindfully.

It is alarming that the phrase “I’m so tired” has become the new status symbol. As if it somehow proves how busy and important a person is. Burnout is very real and has a long-lasting impact on your physical and mental health.

What good are you to anyone else or yourself if you have a physical or mental breakdown? I consider the practice of the Sphere of Silence an investment in myself, and it has held me in good stead through many challenges.

Aside from being able to deal with the burden of stress, can you share with our readers five strategies that you use to optimise your mind for peak performance before high pressure, high-stress situations?

I’ve become a big fan of yoga after experiencing its many benefits in recent years. I wasn’t physically very active for the longest time, which impacted my health as I got older. I’ve never been much of a gym-goer and was not looking forward to lifting weights. However, once introduced to yoga, I realised how powerful it is for physical and mental well-being. My wife and I practice three hours of yoga at least three times a week.

One powerful yoga posture to calm the mind and relieve stress and anxiety is the Diamond Pose. It’s a simple pose where you sit on the floor on your knees, and the soles of your feet support your bottom. It doesn’t involve strenuous movement. But holding that pose for an extended time when I first tried it was perhaps the most challenging thing I’ve experienced. Nevertheless, yoga proponents suggest it significantly improves concentration and relieves stress.

Do you use any special or particular breathing techniques, meditations or visualisations to help optimise yourself? If you do, we’d love to hear about it.

To expand on the Sphere of Silence, I’ve structured it based on the numerous learnings I’ve picked up throughout my life.

Put away all your devices and find a comfortable and quiet spot where you can spend the hour in silence. Be prepared with a journal and a non-fiction book, something that you’ve been meaning to read.

Path of Duty (30 Minutes) — Use the first 10 minutes to set goals for the day, the next 10 minutes to assess your progress on the goals set the day before, and the final 10 minutes to chalk out future goals. Write them down in your journal. In your assessment, acknowledge and note why your specific goals were unmet. The events of tomorrow develop from what you intend today. One cannot structure today without knowing why or how yesterday happened. Hence, understanding yesterday is the key to tomorrow.

Path of Knowledge (20 Minutes) — Use the first 10 minutes to read a book of your choice. It should not be fictional but a book that can help you enrich your knowledge. Then, use the next 10 minutes summarising what you just read. This practice enables you to absorb and understand the text. The process also helps build short-term memory, making you sharper and more focused.

Path of Devotion (10 Minutes) — The final 10 minutes are critical to the grounding process. Use this time to commune with a higher power (if you believe in God) or the Universe. But, again, this is purely personal, and the practice does not define or dictate how the process works.

With regular practice of the Sphere of Silence, I’ve found that I no longer need to seek out silence. Instead, I can see it within myself even amid chaos. The Sphere of Silence teaches you mindfulness. It helps you become aware of and pay attention to your thoughts, feelings and behaviour. Your thoughts become words; from words, they progress to a deed, habit, character, and destiny.

Do you have a special technique to develop a strong focus, and clear away distractions?

I find that early mornings at the best time to practice any form of mindfulness. That’s when the mind is fresh, the house is quiet, no traffic noise or other disturbances. It’s also important to put away all electronic devices. This is a habit we all need to cultivate. Cellphones and tablets have become such an integral part of our lives that most people reach for their device the minute their eyes open in the morning. The moment you step into the electronic world, you are already distracted. This takes conscious effort and it’s not easy. But if you are serious about finding the quiet within you, you need to begin by unlearning certain habits.

We all know the importance of good habits. How have your habits played a role in your success? Can you share some success habits that have helped you in your journey?

In the words of the Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu, “Watch your thoughts, they become your words; watch your words, they become your actions; watch your actions, they become your habits; watch your habits, they become your character; watch your character, it becomes your destiny.”

This means that any new habit begins with a thought, which becomes the words you speak and manifest into your actions. This essentially means habits start with the mindset. Hence, to develop good habits, you need to start by creating the right attitude.

Habits must evolve. As we get older, our practices need to change and get better. For instance, when I was much younger and at the beginning of my career, I developed the habit of working long hours, eating at odd times, etc. All those hours I put in were good for my professional progress, but I had no work-life balance. That was fine at that age and where I was in my life. But I needed to break that habit with time as my life and circumstances changed.

My habits have progressively changed for the better. I have more health-focused habits now than when I was younger. Yoga and meditation are now a part of my daily routine. I’m doing long hikes I never thought possible. I’ve developed healthier eating habits. I’ve learned not to compromise the time I spend with my family or playing with my dogs.

These changes have helped me perform better at work. My mindset has become a lot more elastic at this point in my life. I’m more flexible and versatile, which give me a particular strength and depth of thought. I no longer see problems as all-consuming issues. Instead, I see them as possibilities to pivot into new things!

What is the best way to develop great habits for optimal performance? How can one stop bad habits?

There is no shortcut. An old Chinese proverb says, “The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”

That very first step is the most important one. That step then needs to be repeated every single day. When that step becomes a daily practice, it becomes a habit. That is the secret to the process. So if you are killing a habit, don’t take that single step.

Habits have no formula to them. It is as simple as daily repetition. We become the master of whatever we are willing to do every day.

As a business leader, you likely experience times when you are in a state of flow. Flow has been described as a pleasurable mental state that occurs when you do something that you are skilled at, that is challenging, and that is meaningful. Can you share some ideas from your experience about how we can achieve a state of flow more often in our lives?

I want to take a moment here to talk about a book that has inspired and shaped my management style. It’s called the Arthashastra, and it’s a political and economic treatise written in the 3rd century BCE by the scholar Chanakya. He was a philosopher, economist, and royal advisor to the Maurya empire, an ancient Indian kingdom. It’s a fascinating book referred to in business and management to this day.

In Arthashastra, Chanakya talks about a four-step process to self-realisation, which I’ll summarise here. The terms are in the book’s language, Sanskrit.

Viveka — This is the first step, and it refers to one’s ability to discern. Before you begin anything, you must learn to distinguish between right and wrong because once you step on the path, you must keep moving. And remember, discernment is a continuous act.

Vichara — This step refers to research and analysis. When you decide to do something and have discerned the right path, you need to invest the time and effort into understanding it thoroughly.

Ne ti — Once you have discerned the path you will be on, have done the research and have all the information you need to guide you on this journey, you will enter the stage of Ne ti. It is the stage where nothing else exists other than the goal. You are so focused on the goal that nothing can distract you — like a horse with blinkers on. You are now in the flow and control of it.

Vairagya — In this final stage, your wings spread out, and you are flying. The flow leads you, radiating a charisma described as the X factor. At this point, you and the flow have merged. As opposed to going with the flow, you become the flow.

Getting to this fourth stage is not easy and requires consistent effort and practice. In my experience, the most crucial factor in helping one through this process is attitude. As I stated earlier, having the right mindset is key to developing good habits. It’s all interconnected. Change your attitude, change your destiny.

OK, we are nearly done. You are a person of significant influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most good for the most significant number of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.

I’ve been a lifelong vegetarian and proudly advocate the need for more people to adopt a plant-based diet to better our planet.

Animal agriculture plays a role in almost all significant environmental issues plaguing the earth — climate change, habitat loss and destruction, wildlife extinction, overconsumption, soil degradation, and water and air pollution. We have a responsibility to the planet to sustain its limited resources for future generations.

If more people give up meat and adopt a plant-based diet, it will significantly impact the environment. There is already a growing awareness about the benefits of going meat-free in different parts of the world. I would love to encourage more people to give a plant-based diet a chance. It is suitable for the planet, healthier, and the right moral choice.

We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US, whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we both tag them :-)

All the people I would LOVE to have breakfast with are no longer with us. I refer to them as the 4 Ms — Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Mother Teresa, and Nelson Mandela

I’ve read extensively about each of them and their philosophy and I’m in awe of their ability to inspire a global movement for change. Now, more than ever, the world needs a hero like can bring people together.

How can our readers further follow your work online?

Facebook — https://www.facebook.com/DatoSriVijayEswaran

Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/vijayeswaran/

Linkedin — https://www.linkedin.com/in/vijay-eswaran/

Twitter — https://twitter.com/vjayeswaran

YouTube — https://youtube.com/vijayeswaran

Website — https://www.vijayeswaran.com/

Thank you for these excellent insights, and we greatly appreciate the time you spent with this. We wish you continued success.