Ep 11: Surviving Toxic Workplaces (Ft Datuk Charlie Chia)

In this episode, Datuk Charlie shares his experiences dealing with hostile colleagues who sabotage his work and how to navigate stressful situations.

Datuk Charlie started his career as a Chartered Quantity Surveyor and later worked in Construction, Real Estate Development and Legal Services. Some of his roles and contributions: 

• Advocate and Solicitor in Soh Hayati & Co 


• Independent Director of GDB Holdings Berhad


• Former Group CEO of a Listed Property Developer, United Malayan Land Berhad. 


• Founded many Buddhist organisations - BMS Youth Section, Kota Tinggi Buddhist Society, Metta Lodge Johor Bahru and Kuantan Buddhist Association.


• Lay Advisor to Buddhist Missionary Society Malaysia.

(0:01): Introduction to Datuk Charlie Chia and the topic today

(2:14): How he got started in his Buddhist Journey

(3:34): The benefits of Dhamma in the corporate world

(5:50): How Dhamma helps you as a leader

(6:54): Finding a win-win situation

(8:55): Toxic workplaces are inevitable

(9:40): I want your job: Turning jealous colleagues into good friends

(13:42): The three great virtues of patience, tolerance and understanding

(14:22): Karma: Why don’t I get good results when I do good deeds?

(16:01): How do take care of one’s mental health when in a toxic workplace?

(23:26): The art of managing changes

(25:03): Synchronise with the law of nature

(28:12): The 5 cosmic laws of nature

(30:50): Have you heard of Karmic Management?

(32:05): Practical steps to prioritise well being

Learn more about the 5 Niyamas here: https://www.learnreligions.com/the-five-niyamas-449741.

The 5 Niyamas are found in the Buddhist Visuddhimagga commentaries by 5th BCE Buddhist Scholar Buddhagossa and are not part of the Suttas. 

Special Thanks to: August Lum for creating the new soundtrack for our podcast: His work here

Transcript here: bit.ly/3pcAVUp

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