Spend 5 minutes with Paul Baptist and also you’ll know this: he’s not your typical company chief. Equal elements sharp strategist and candid storyteller, Paul leads Accomplice Success at Salesforce ASEAN with a method that’s as people-first as it’s performance-driven.
Based mostly in Singapore and deeply embedded within the nuances of a area that defies one-size-fits-all approaches, Paul has spent years navigating the wealthy range of ASEAN — the place each nation brings its personal rhythm, expectations, and method of doing enterprise.
It’s this hands-on, cross-border expertise that’s helped him form a management philosophy rooted in belief, empowerment, and flexibility.
After years of constructing partnerships, rising groups, and studying what actually strikes the needle on this a part of the world, Paul has distilled his strategy into three guiding ideas — every grounded in actual moments, actual relationships, and the idea that the way you lead issues simply as a lot as what you ship.
Let’s dive into these three pillars which have led to Paul’s success:
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Precept 1: ASEAN will not be one area, it’s many — however all focus on relationships
One in all Paul’s most defining management ideas is his insistence on deeply understanding the cultural nuances inside the ASEAN area. Whereas the world could deal with ASEAN as a unified bloc, Paul sees it for what it’s: a tapestry of distinct cultures, enterprise norms, and expectations.
He shares a vivid anecdote of attending a challenge kick-off in Vietnam, the place the occasion was attended by over 100 individuals, full with walk-up music and speeches.
“In the meantime, I can go for a challenge kick-off in Singapore and there’ll be 10 individuals within the room and so they’ll be white-boarding and going, ‘let’s go’,” he laughs. This means to embrace and have a good time regional variations helps Paul tailor his management fashion and construct real partnerships.
Past cultural sensitivity, Paul locations immense worth on the human connections that drive collaboration. Whether or not it’s his fellow leaders inside Salesforce or exterior companions in World Programs Integrators, Paul believes in cross-pollinating concepts and supporting each other by way of open dialogue.
A second of humility and perception got here when a Vietnamese colleague challenged his hiring determination in Thailand, encouraging him to hunt Vietnamese-speaking expertise primarily based there — one thing he admits he hadn’t thought of, however deeply appreciated.
Vietnam is completely different from Thailand, which is completely different from Malaysia, which is completely different from Indonesia… The fact is that they’re separate nations with distinctive cultures, expectations, and maturity ranges.
Paul Baptist, RVP, Accomplice Success
Precept 2: Success comes from empowerment, not management
“Typical day working from dwelling. I’ve realized to kind with one hand.” [Image credit: Paul Baptist / Salesforce]
As a pacesetter, Paul is candid about not figuring out every little thing — and that’s exactly what makes his management magnetic.
“My job is to go construct a workforce of extremely succesful individuals after which get out of their method,” he says.
He’s not afraid to problem the established order.
The truth is, considered one of his greatest undertakings since rejoining Salesforce has been remodeling his workforce from a reactive unit to a proactive pressure. Reasonably than stepping in solely when issues come up, Paul’s workforce now anticipates buyer wants — drawing on market alerts, regional nuances, and a mixture of AI instruments like Agentforce and Gemini to floor companion insights, observe requests, and even information inside change conversations.
Paul additionally restructured KPIs for companion success managers — from merely guaranteeing certifications to certifying the correct individuals on the proper time for the correct areas, primarily based on anticipated demand.
He practices what he preaches — and he’s embraced the instruments that mirror the place Salesforce is headed. Agentforce, the corporate’s cutting-edge AI platform, has turn into a key a part of how Paul works.
“I recorded myself pitching our company messaging on to the digital camera, then getting Agentforce Gross sales Coach to take heed to me. It comes again and offers me suggestions. I didn’t must e-book time with my supervisor… I obtained coached by AI!” He shares with enthusiasm.
He even admits to having an ongoing working “relationship” with ChatGPT, which he talks to day by day for management recommendation — even for tough conversations, similar to telling a pal their outfit wasn’t fairly working.
This foresight is especially useful within the quickly evolving area of generative AI. When discussing implementations of agentic AI in Thailand, Paul’s workforce works forward of time with companions to make sure readiness — whether or not it’s certifications, reviewing statements of labor, or designing the correct structure.
I’ve discovered that my workforce respects me extra once I’m trustworthy about what I don’t know — it opens the door for actual collaboration and belief.
Paul Baptist, RVP, Accomplice Success
Precept 3: Outline affect by the individuals you uplift
Paul believes that management is admittedly about uplifting others — serving to individuals develop, evolve, and succeed, whether or not or not their path stays inside his workforce.
“My job is to assist individuals develop — ideally inside the workforce, but when their journey takes them elsewhere, then I’ll assist them in getting there too.”
Typically, this perception takes form far past boardrooms and enterprise targets.
Early in his Salesforce journey, Paul’s supervisor inspired him to find time for volunteering. At first, he resisted — like many people, he felt too busy. However he ultimately signed up for a volunteer journey to Cambodia to assist construct properties for households in want.
The expertise was nothing like he anticipated.
Constructing properties in Cambodia with Salesforce colleagues and households from the neighborhood. [Image credit: Paul Baptists / Salesforce]
On that first journey, Paul and his workforce helped construct a house for a widow and her 5 kids, who’d been dwelling beneath a tarp. Working within the warmth, racing the rain, and sharing lengthy hours with colleagues from throughout the area, the workforce was decided to complete the home — it wasn’t only a process; it was private.
A 12 months later, Paul returned to go to the identical home. This time, he observed one thing new: an electrical energy line working to the house. A small TV flickering inside. Indicators that the household was doing higher. The house they’d constructed had turn into a basis — actually and emotionally — for a contemporary begin.
What started as a single journey grew into one thing a lot larger. With Salesforce’s assist and its 56-hour annual volunteering profit, the homebuilding program expanded 12 months after 12 months. From one home to lots of, Paul and his colleagues have now helped construct almost 400 properties in Cambodia by way of the initiative.
The expertise stayed with him. It reminded Paul that management isn’t nearly delivering outcomes — it’s about exhibiting up, being human, and assembly individuals the place they’re.
That perspective has formed how he leads in the present day. Even in a high-performance setting, he believes empathy issues simply as a lot as execution. “What’s actually unfair,” he says, “is that if I set an expectation on you, however you by no means agreed to it.” For Paul, management works finest when it’s constructed on belief, open conversations, and a real dedication to assist others develop.
A perspective cast in apply
Within the ASEAN area, the place cultures mix and partnerships gas innovation, Paul Baptist is greater than a enterprise chief — he’s a connector, a mentor, and a catalyst. His management stands out not as a result of he instructions the loudest voice, however as a result of he listens deeply, adapts readily, and leads with objective.
Whether or not it’s remodeling workforce buildings, leveraging AI, or constructing properties in Cambodia, Paul embodies the spirit of empowerment — as a result of as he reminds us, “You don’t look again to see how far you’ve come; you look again to see how a lot you possibly can assist the individual behind you.”
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