When the Chicken Dies, Everyone Cries

by Boonsiri Somchit

In a corporate jungle obsessed with hype, office politics and the never-ending race for promotion and power, textbook leadership skills are failing to bridge the gap between management and their most precious commodity – people.

From her humble roots growing up in a Malaysian village, Boonsiri Somchit shows what it takes to truly engage and lead from the heart. Taking inspiration from her childhood adventures with her rag-tag gang, Boonsiri brings her authentic insights to leadership, life and dealing with rogue chickens.

Genres: Nonfiction

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2016

Reviews

[Nor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Penulis berkisah tentang latar hidupnya sejak kecil yang secara tidak langsung membentuk dirinya kini.

Namanya agak unik kerana beliau merupakan anak keturunan Thai yang lahir dan membesar di Malaysia.

Gaya penceritaannya santai dan membawa pembaca ke zaman kanak-kanak yang lucu, ceria, cemas dan berbagai rasa lagi.

Dibawakan peristiwa-peristiwa yang dilihat secara tidak langsung menjadi sebab kepada banyak tindakan beliau kemudiannya ketika berada dalam dunia korporat.

Pada hujung setiap bab, dicatatkan pesanan-pesanan penting untuk pembaca hadamkan berkaitan kepimpinan.

Buku ini sesuai dibaca oleh mereka yang inginkan panduan dari pengalaman sebenar orang yang pernah menjadi ketua dalam organisasi.

[Ai Jou · Rating 3 out of 5]

While travelling in Penang, I came across this book in a souvenir shop and snapped it up due to its intriguing title. It is a charming book written by a successful career woman, Boonsiri Somchit. A corporate high flyer, she hailed from humble beginnings in a small village in Kedah, the northern state of Malaysia. She grew up as the youngest child of a large family of seven. ‘Kampung’ adventures and village games shaped her life and her values. She draws her leadership philosophies from those rich experiences, applying them in her career with aplomb. Boonsiri writes with reflective humour, refreshing honesty and unabashed revelations about life and leadership lessons, never sounding like a preacher but a well-meaning elder. Overall, this is a charming book of Malaysian kampung life intertwined with valuable leadership and corporate advice.

[arpah ali · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brief & leisure read. The humour it has made leadership sounds like an innate skill. :)

[Sharon M · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fantastic read on so many levels. First, knowing the author personally and having worked with her in the organization she references in her book resonates with me. Secondly, I am also from Malaysia myself and having lived in that era, I could relate to the childhood mentioned in the book and finally, I like that I understand the random Malay words used it this book. No matter where you're from, I would highly recommend this book to anyone who just wants to understand that no matter what the circumstance or results, there's always the ability to be successful. Every failure is just a step to greater success. I also loved the many takeaways from a personal and leadership perspective.

[Methiamel · Rating 4 out of 5]

'When the chicken dies, everyone cries', Siri shares how her kampung experiences has made her the leader she is. Light-hearted reading, warms the heart with her childhood stories, where one can relate to the Asian contexts. Nature vs nurture: Are leaders born or made?

[Zade Ahmad Rani · Rating 3 out of 5]

Orang selalu kata "don't judge the book by its cover". Bagi buku ni, aku advice korang supaya "don't judge the book by its title". Buku ni sama genre dengan buku-buku The Iceberg Is Melting dan Who Moved My Cheese. Tajuk macam fiction, tapi sebenarnya ia buku tentang management dan leadership. Genre sama dengan buku yang sedang aku tulis.

Buku tulisan Boonsiri Somchit ni pun sebuah buku tentang pengurusan dan kepimpinan, berdasarkan kepada pengalaman beliau dalam menubuhkan bahagian Shared Services untuk syarikat tempat beliau bekerja ketika itu, iaitu Advanced Micro Devices (AMD).

Dalam pada memberi pengajaran tentang kepimpinan dan pengurusan, Boonsiri juga mengaitkan pengalaman beliau ketika membesar di kampung. Nah! Siapa kata pengurusan hanya boleh wujud dalam dunia korporat? Bermain bersama kawan-kawan di kampung juga boleh!

Sedikit-sebanyak, kisah beliau di kampung mengimbau kembali zaman aku kecik-kecik dulu. Pergi ke sana ke sini dengan geng. Tak pernah lekat di rumah.

Boonsiri berkongsi tentang perubahan; bagaimana kita perlu mengenal Boss kita; jangan takut melakukan kesilapan, malah kita kena belajar daripadanya; mengambil sikap sekampung iaitu bekerja sebagai sebuah pasukan; dan bagaimana hendak berkomunikasi dengan berkesan.

Apa kena-mengena pengurusan dan kepimpinan dengan tajuk ayam yang mati?

Kalau nak tau, kenalah baca buku ni!

[Dyanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Boonsiri

A straightforward book about leadership skills with many amusing and interesting anecdotes based on growing up in the kampung.

The way she laid out each chapter (the formatting) is clear and somewhat familiar. And if i was to write a non fiction like this, i think i’d do the same way. Even the way i make my slides presentations are in this manner. Idk whether it’s because she came from the same company as I am and this is the way we do our presentations or maybe we just have similar way of presenting/telling a story?

[Max Loh · Rating 3 out of 5]

My aunt recommended me to read this book, and after procrastinating on it for a while, I finally started on it and finished it in 2 sittings. The language is clear and concise, and the author navigates between her personal anecdotes and leadership advice with ease, a skill which she no doubt honed during her many years of public speaking and team-building. It's an enjoyable lighthearted read, so don't go into it expecting a standard lecture/textbook format.

[Mutiara Choiriyah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm glad I picked up this book when I went to Gerak Budaya Bookshop, Penang

Ms. Boonsiri Somchit actually shares key elements most authors on leadership have written about

However, the element of her memoir gives something special about this book

Something to learn, definitely

It is a good book to accompany you, reminiscing your life that made you a leader of today

[Alice Yong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good takeaways on leadership and team management with relatable stories drawn from the author’s own life experiences, from her childhood exploits in the kampung (village). Personable insights shared by her make for easy reading and understanding.

[Izyan Suhaila · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel like if I were to read this two years ago, I would’ve appreciated it a lot more. The lessons of leadership in this book are versatile enough to be applied in any industry, but I’m way over glorifying the corporate world :/

That’s just me, I guess.

[Jorg van Gaal · Rating 3 out of 5]

A leadership book from the kampung. It has some nice stories and annecdotes that things that we go through in life (especially our youth) provide us with valuable lessons that can be applied at work in leadership and more. I must admit I enjoyed reading the book.

[Ezira Ramli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Light reading. The author managed to catch my attention throughout the whole reading. A lot of takeaways that I can relate and apply.

[Siti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heartfelt and relatable lamping stories