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Happiness is to have someone hire you to do what you love. And "passion" is the most important ingredient for success, says Wiwan Tharahirunchote, chairwoman of the executive board of the Financial Planners' Association, and former senior executive of many leading financial institutions.

"You have to love what you do," she said.

In search of your passion, go through your strengths and weaknesses since childhood, do a checklist of what are your "likes" and "dislikes", consider your past accomplishments, and find your talents and long-term goals.

Then it will come out clearly what types of jobs and professions might be more appropriate for you. Some skills can be taught and enhanced. On the other hand, you have to look at your constraints. For instance, if you don't like talking with other people, you may not be suitable for a sales profession, she said.

However, never limit yourself at the beginning of your career. Wiwan said she has loved languages, reading and writing since she was a kid (her story was published in a well-known magazine when she was in the sixth grade). Therefore, it was not a surprise that Wiwan chose Chulalongkorn University's Faculty of Arts, where she graduated with honours. But one day when Wiwan saw an announcement from Kasikornbank that it was giving scholarships in marketing and finance, management information systems and accounting, she was not going to let the opportunity go.

Wiwan could hardly answer the questions in the maths and business analysis tests. Realising that she was competing with students from engineering, commerce and accounting faculties, Wiwan thought she would not make it.

"Fortunately, the exams that year were really difficult and everyone could not get high scores," she said.

But with her higher scores in English, Wiwan passed to the interview stage. Despite her disadvantage of not having formal business education, Wiwan impressed

MR Pridiyathorn Devakula, also known as "Mom Oui", who was a member of KBank's interview committee, answering every question with clarity.

"Mom Oui gave me full 100-per-cent marks. 'What a kid! I could hardly corner you'," she quoted Pridiyathorn as saying at the job interview.

do your best in all assignments

With the scholarship, Wiwan enrolled at Northwestern University's Kellogg Graduate School of Management, where she was very fortunate to have Professor Philip Kotler, the world-renowned marketing guru, as her adviser.

But when she came back to commence her career at KBank, Wiwan said she did not mind that among her first tasks there was to serve coffee or make copies for her superiors at the bank. "I did every job. Even document copying, I sought a new way to do it quickly and my boss was impressed," she said. Despite her degree from a top business school, Wiwan was well aware she would still need to learn from others at the bank. "Soft skills", such as how to talk with customers and learn their businesses' well-being without making them feel the bank was digging up their secret financial information, could not be learned from any textbook, she said. Many men would refuse to do some jobs such as being a secretary to the company's board, because they don't like to do paperwork. But Wiwan's trick was to wholeheartedly accept all assignments and do them all to her best.

"Don't constrain yourself. You'll get more difficult and important jobs. Don't mind the salary. Do your work fully, salary [increases] will naturally follow," she said.

Wiwan's suggestions for anyone wishing to enhance performance, and ensure career growth and opportunity, are:

Don't try to impress people, impressions come naturally.

Be yourself, improve your skills. "Like a high-jump athlete, keep raising your bar," she said.

Never stop learning; reading is a good way to learn.

Be optimistic, have positive thinking

Be innovative. Although now nearly 50, Wiwan said she has finished all the Harry Potter books. "Don't lose your imagination," she said.

Woman executives should be capable of taking both "sweet" and "tough" stances, being open to ideas and criticism, prioritising work and life, minimising personal conditions, being sincere, frank, open and well wishing, and keeping their emotions in control.

Wiwan was speaking on the topic "In search of your passion: Strategies to becoming successful career women in the next decade" at a seminar organised by the OmegaWorldClass Research Institute last month.

pichaya@nationgroup.com