Let the kids lead the way

Maethus Chaivichitmalakul has two important jobs: first, he’s a dedicated Dad and second, a dedicated account manager for GrabAds Thailand. Here he tells us how he juggles those two roles.

Everyone at Grab really respects each other’s time and that makes life a lot easier – I have a young son so I want to be able to be with him as much as possible. And it is possible! Within our team, we might have a lot of meetings, but we manage our time so well that once you are done for the day, it’s family time. 

That means a lot to me as my son is two years old and he’s growing up every day. He’s very energetic and pretty much went straight from learning to walk to running around, and I want to be there for all his milestones, big and small. You’d think it’s a case of “I need to be around so he can learn from me” but actually, I’ve been learning from him since he was born. Before him, my life direction was pretty unclear but since he’s come along, I know exactly what I want in life. He’s taught me to live in the present and realise this triangle of wants and needs that I will take with me through life. On one side of the triangle is health – I need to stay healthy and strong for him, so I’ve started jogging every day. On the second side is income, because I need to support my family and make sure my son has every opportunity in life. And the last side is relationships. Between family, friends, colleagues, and everyone. 

And I’ve brought that into my life at Grab –  when I have good health, I can bring my best self to work. When I’m financially stable, I am less stressed and continue to be motivated by my job. And when I have a good relationship with my team and my clients, my work is going to be good. 

As an account manager here, I am responsible for taking care of clients; building and ensuring long-lasting relationships with them. My team has also given me great lessons to live by. For example, my manager often says that before you do business with a client you should always consider the “vibe”. If you can connect with them, it’s going to be easier to do business.

So a happy client means a happy team and if we have a happy team, we lead a happy life – and our team is so much fun. We can talk about anything and we can give each other direct feedback. We can say, “Okay, maybe this could be better? What if you share another solution?” and everyone respects that feedback. Then, whether it’s big or small achievements, everyone comes together and says “Yes! congratulations!” 

That’s what I love about Grab – we always celebrate our success together.