Phuket Governor reveals his “Seven Wonders’

PHUKET: Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut in an exclusive interview with the Phuket Gazette this week revealed his personal philosophy in handling the high-level decisions and complicated issues that facing the resort province .

“This is my seventh week as the Governor of Phuket and the Phuket Gazette is the first English-language publication I have had a chance to talk to exclusively.

Friendly, open and focused on people broadening their perspectives in order to better achieve their goals – including happiness – Governor Maitri explained that he adhered to several key principles that he calls his “Seven Wonders”.

So deeply does Governor Maitri believe in these fundamental approaches to work and life that he has published a book entitled Seven Wonders: learning how to develop your career potential.

“The seven strategies altogether focus on being aware of your environment. You must know what is going on; you must ‘know all around’,” he said.

“First, you must know the people who surround you – the people you work with. Second, you must know what those people do, and what they are responsible for achieving. That way you know who to approach directly in order to fix problems,” Governor Maitri explained.

The third wonder was “Know How”, he added. “You have to know the rules, processes and how to push forward within the organization,” Governor Maitri said.

“The fourth strategy is ‘Know When’. You must know when to ‘knock on the door’ to have problems fixed.

“The fifth strategy is called ‘Give & Take Management’, followed by ‘Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats’ [SWOT] management. The more you know people’s strengths and weaknesses, the better you can manage them,” he said.

The final strategy Governor Maitri has branded “Charm management”.

“You must know how to manage yourself to be charming so people want to talk to you. This way they come close to you and feel at ease when they talk to you,” he explained.

“These are just some of the philosophies I use in performing my work as governor, but anyone can employ these strategies to improve their lives.

“I have found that these truths provide genuine benefits. I applied them during my time as governor in Trang and Phayao provinces – they worked well. I am now adjusting these strategies to apply them here in Phuket. I am sure they will work well here, too,” Governor Maitri said.

“I have handed copies of the book to officers who work here, so anyone can take this advice and use it in their working lives. There are many good things in the book, which can make everyone happy,” he added.

— Chutharat Plerin