Jeffrey Ong and I arrived at Outclass (formerly known as AirAsia Academy) for our meeting and were warmly greeted by Dr. Ram Raj, the CTO of Outclass. Nordin Abdullah and his team arrived shortly after. Dr. Ram and I first met when I was building MARQETR in 2021 - and I, as a brand builder who kept seeing all the celebratory posts about their rebrand on LinkedIn recently, was super excited about their milestone and wanted to pay them a friendly courtesy visit on a personal capacity and congratulate them in person, and of course, learn about their new brand. But I didn't want to go alone, so I invited Jeff, Nordin Abdullah, and Ruzanna to join me - and we also got an awesome bonus, an intern from Princeton University, Enzo Miguel to tag along too.
Ok.. I have to admit.. my motivation was not just a friendly visit...
Firstly, I have been hounding Jeff, for years to start a channel or at least do a video on the "Winning Mindset" as a two-time Olympian, but he as graciously as ever, prefers that the spotlight be on others, not him - and so the idea never took off. Well, I thought perhaps meeting the Outclass team would change his mind, and then, completely unprompted or unnudged by me, Aireen Omar, pointed out that their INSPIRE series would be perfect for him. I quietly said "Yes!" to myself, and felt happy that finally, someone else saw it.
And secondly, those who know Nordin Abdullah, well at this point who doesn't.. he is everywhere.. lol.. is the Founder of The Crisis Management Centre, the Founding Chairman of Malaysia Global Business Forum and the Host of "A Working Lunch with Nordin". He has a ton of knowledge which I feel can be beneficial when shared on a technology platform, that is ambitious, dynamic, and scalable across Asia as Outclass. I believe that knowledge and education should be accessible to all, so I was glad that Nordin and the team, agreed to come along and explore what could be a potential collaboration.
Now back to the rebrand of Outclass...
Why the Rebrand?
AirAsia Academy started as a way to reskill the AirAsia crew during the pandemic. The program was so successful that requests came pouring in for them to open it up to the public. Four years later, the Academy rebranded to appeal to a wider audience and establish itself as a standalone brand powered by AirAsia.
I mentioned to Diyana Anuar, the Head of Branding and Communications at Outclass, that their new logo and color look fresh. I love the name too, it's so spot on that it means "to excel or surpass in excellence or quality. To exceed, better, eclipse, top, outshine, beat, outdo, especially by a wide margin," according to the Cambridge Dictionary.
Jeff chimed in and said, "To me, the green color, means GO! Let's go! move forward!"
Then, Diyana said, "Yes that is what we tell the media and the public, but truly in a deeper sense, it means.. the grass is greener where you water it."
Jeff and I both went, "Oooooh! That's deep and so cool!"
And it got me thinking...
The Greener Grass or the Greener Pasture
We've all heard the saying, "The grass is greener on the other side" or "I'm off to the greener pasture" when referring to a job/career or a relationship change, or even when moving to a different country - it is the belief or anticipation that according to Meriem-Webster, a better or promising life, condition or opportunities await on the other side. It is the narrative that one tells themselves that they are leaving behind the current pasture which could be troubled, degraded, or barren, and moving towards a better future.
On the flip side, "The grass is greener where you water it," in the general sense refers to nurturing the current job/career or a relationship they are in, or even about staying put in a place or country they are living in - it is the belief that if you pay proper attention to and take care of whatever you have in life, it will always grow and prosper. It is a narrative that encourages you to give your current situation a chance, to give it the TLC it needs... and you too will flourish.
But will you?
I would like to offer a different perspective...
Both of the sayings, to me, emphasize more on the external environment or stimuli, that for someone to be better, successful, or thrive, our external environment, partners, and circle of friends or other things besides oneself must be in alignment or in a state of positivity whether at the current place or a new pasture.
But what if the grass is actually... you? What if it is you that should be watered? What if, it is you who should be nurtured? What if it is you, who should be getting the TLC? And in terms of knowledge and education, what if it is you who should be reskilled or upskilled so that despite the situation that you're in, you are well-equipped and ready to thrive whatever life throws at you or wherever life takes you?
And so, in the end, who knows... you could be the green grass that will turn the other pastures green wherever you go, whether you choose to stay in your current situation or change to a different one. On that note, I hope you'll also know the difference, between who deserves your awesome green grass energy and who doesn't.
So, stop comparing yourself to others, stop looking to other pastures and instead put your energy and resources into yourself, be a sponge, upskill or reskill, and, take courses from online e-learning platforms like the Outclass. Just like watering grass, pour water on the things you care about, and watch yourself blossom!
May you outclass what has been done before but most importantly, may you outclass the previous version of yourself!
A quote by Ernest Hemingway…
“There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self." - Ernest Hemingway
Till Next Time...
We ended the meeting with group photos and wefies. We had lots of laughs and giggles as we walked down the long corridor with the Outclass neon green sign behind us, heading towards our cars, feeling inspired by the meeting.
Right before we said goodbye, I reminded Jeff of that "Winning Mindset" video, and he then suggested that we should do a series together instead... like "A Working Lunch with Jeff and Mawarni" - lol...no... kidding Nordin! Perhaps a podcast where we would be interviewing leaders across industries. Good idea Jeff! But you go first! 😊 I’m really hoping to see your video on the INSPIRE series at theOutclass.com
THANK YOU to Dr. Ram Raj, Diyana Anuar and the amazing Aireen Omar for hosting us!
~M