Oh no, not another “I quit my job to pursue my dreams…” sob story.
Haha, bear with me.
I founded a startup called "Tech The Leap", a now defunct company. And I joined an accelerator program in Kuala Lumpur. If you google it now, some weird sites will come up.
The idea was to help employees who feel stuck in their jobs by motivating them to explore new interests or take on new challenges instead of staying in the same role forever.
Our "AI-powered" app was meant to give them the boost they needed to get started.
I didn't use AI, I did it manually. It is what is called a “concierge MVP”.
"AI, only on slides." That was a common joke in the startup ecosystem.
The AI back then was not the same as it is today.
I didn't have enough confidence to implement AI before, but now, who would’ve thought, right?
I have the opportunity to build an AI with Bunni. And more to come, that’s another story for another day.
Back then, I had to talk to HR and talent managers about how to encourage employees to be more proactive. They even argued that employees should focus on their career path instead of being “playful” with “starting from scratch” ideas. But I told them, it’s not starting from scratch if you know where to find; it should be something that can complement the skills they already have.
Of course, it’s harder than it sounds. We have the mental-state of a human being to consider.
Are they ready to move? Or are they just talkers?
I’ve talked to a psychologist that I knew from the previous real estate event for advice. (**don’t ask!*)
They said often times people are dissatisfied because of no promotion, which is understandable — I was one of them.
But there are a group of people who are afraid to jump due to a lot of psychological factors.