‘I consider Index Creative Village an entrepreneurial business. Since we’re not that big a firm, besides entrepreneurial spirit, we need professionalism as well,” says Kriangkrai Kanjanapokin, the co-CEO of the event organising company. “The upside of the entrepreneur is speed, flexibility and alertness.
“Running a business with professionalism in mind, although things might not move as fast, definitely encourages principle, but the downside may be the focus on short-term results. In my opinion the best way to get the best of both worlds is by adopting cultures and values. Internal communication also plays a critical role.”
Values are defined as what people in an organisation want to believe. Culture, which can relate to behaviour or the way things are done, also plays an important role in corporate success.
“Over the years, we have developed our values and express them as INDEX, which stands for Innovation, No Limitations, Development, Efficiency and X-Pert,” adds Kriangkarn Kanjanapokin, the Index co-CEO and Mr Kriangkrai’s twin brother.
Practising what one preaches: “Informality, laughing, and sharing ideas in the meeting room are important for creativity and enhance our Index values,” Mr Kriangkrai says. “Sometimes I might even joke with someone, ‘Have you forgotten to install your sound card today?’ if he or she is keeping quiet during a during discussion.
“In the past, the D used to refer to ‘Do it right now’. However, I believe in continuous improvement. There is no ‘best’ in our dictionary. Hence, the D now refers to development instead,” adds Mr Kriangkarn.
This is something Mr Kriangkarn himself practises regularly. He is always curious about how things work and tries to figure out what tools and processes are required for a particular assignment.
“When we look at a certain type of technology, we will have a brainstorming session, which normally comprises our creative, production and business development people, to discuss how to utilise this technology with our own creative approach to create a unique result for the client,” he explains.
“For example, when we were chosen to handle the opening and closing ceremonies of the national games in Korat at the end of this year, I and my team reviewed what others have done in world-class events such as the Olympic Games. I observed that the members of event-organising teams always wear earphones, which is a normal part of the job. What impressed me is that a small earphone also can perform as a metronome. Hence, a whole group of people can move at the same pace and rhythm.”
Detail orientation: Observation is also his personal way of keeping himself up to date. Whenever he goes abroad for business or pleasure, Mr Kriangkarn always notices small things that he files away mentally for possible use later.
“If we compare Disneyland with other Hollywood studios, we can easily see how Disney has done an outstanding job of dreaming and creating both small and big things in harmony, and allowing visitors to let their imagination run free,” he says.
“These kinds of thing demonstrate how important a holistic view is for the end result and real creativity. Therefore, I spend every minute looking closely at things in order to understand how they have been created and how they work.
“I enjoy visiting museums to learn how they present and display items. I also enjoy watching movies, such as Saving Private Ryan, which is not only as close to reality as it can be but also reflects emotion.
"When I am impressed by the feelings conveyed on the screen, I also wonder how the director thinks and plans to project that image on the screen.”
Mr Kriangkrai, who complements his brother’s vision by dealing with strategy, says Index needs to keep growing, but can only do so if it can continue to innovate.
“With regional expansion on the road map, we will never stop creating and being the trendsetter. As long as we keep creating we can remain the super organiser. Our work will become more than just another event but will be the talk of the town,” he says.
“Competition can catch up with you in terms of technology and people but not in thinking. We have to keep thinking and think several times about one subject in order to make it perfect and enduring.”
Empowerment with clear guidelines: Mr Kriangkrai has developed his own business model for expanding the Index empire.
“Since I think all the time about creativity, I want to think in a way that it can be sustained and can be used in many applications. I don’t want to think specifically about just one thing, such as an event,” he says, “I call it creative networking, which can imply synergy, joint ventures, and so on.
"We don’t have to do everything by ourselves. For example, we could enter a market in a new country by ourselves, but it may take too long. Hence, we form joint ventures with a partner and provide creative work for our clients there.”
As for personal leadership style, that too requires a creative approach in his business, says Mr Kriangkrai.
“Running a group of creative people, in the practical world, is not an easy task as one can imagine. You have to be better than your people, in the area of creativity, in order to understand them,” he says. “But I always empower them within the framework of financial measurements such as profit margins. I normally do not bargain on cost or price, which can leave a lot of room for my people to run the show.”
Sorayuth Vathanavisuth is principal consultant and executive coach at the Center for Southeast Asia Leadership and lectures at Mahidol University’s College of Management. His areas of interest are corporate strategy, executive coaching and leadership development. He can be reached at sorayuth@sealeadership.com
