"Sikit sikit, lama lama jadi bukit."
- I've attributed my first encounter with this phrase to Lourna Syafiqah Syakira a local guide.
It's a simple phrase I first heard in Borneo, spoken with a warmth and humour that belied its quiet power. Literally translated, it means "little by little, over time, becomes a hill" or as it was explained to me sometimes a "little little little can become a big mountain, ha ha!" . But its deeper meaning is unmistakable. It implies, well actually describes small, consistent efforts, carried forward with patience and intention, eventually create something significant.
When you have two of the same word together in Malay, it increases it's meaning. Sikit means 'a little of something' and lama means 'some time' so 'sikit sikit' means many many little somethings, and lama lama means over many many time duration repeatedly. Jadi Bukit literally means 'Big hill or Mountain'. Little by little, over a long time you can make a big mountain.
- Paraphrased by me from memory of a conversation with, Phyllis Dangoi a local guide.
That idea has stayed with me ever since. It aligns closely with how I understand personal growth, leadership, and the values that guide my work. Real, sustainable progress is almost never the result of dramatic leaps. It emerges in the accumulation of small choices, small actions, and small moments of alignment between principle and behaviour.
Building More Than Schools
"Sikit sikit, lama lama jadi bukit" became living truth during the two expeditions I led to Borneo with UK school students. Across these journeys, I helped 62 young people to travel into remote communities to work alongside local families, building and improving school facilities, sanitation and more, in ways that genuinely supported long-term needs of the wider community.
A powerful example of this was a gravity-fed water project in Papar, Sabah. The students realized themselves that the village's water supply was a cascade of contaminated greywater, running from the highest huts down to the lowest.
The students were moved by the scenes, and found themselves looking deeper than surface-level problems. We worked with local builders to tap a clean spring 700m up the mountain, a spring the elders confirmed had never run dry.
Camps International are experts in this sort of respectful project, asking and listening to local knowledge, and enabling a positive outcome over time, little by little. No single student sees the inception and completion of a project first hand, but they are able to track the progress of the ongoing efforts for specific projects online.
The "sikit sikit" was the students carrying small, 1.5-litre buckets of cement up the treacherous 100m climb. The "lama lama jadi bukit" was the 700m pipeline they carried as a team to feed two 20,000L tanks. The was only possible as a team, each of the students individually contributing consistent efforts creating a 'hill' of lasting, meaningful change, clean water for the entire community.
At the end of each expedition, every student wrote me a letter. They described their personal growth, the challenges they overcame, and how the experience had shaped their understanding of themselves and the world.
The Small Things
Outdoor leadership taught me early on that transformation is rarely dramatic in the moment. It's incremental. You don't notice a young person's confidence grow until suddenly it's unmistakable. You don't realise trust has formed until the group begins to move as one. You don't see a community relationship deepen until you find yourself welcomed as family.
In many ways, the same principle guides my work in technology. I've found that whether I'm navigating the fast-paced world of media technology as a Solutions Architect or leading a trek through the jungles of Borneo, the core principles of success are the same. Complex systems aren't generally improved through sweeping disruption. I mean, of course there can be a grand plan, a programme, a vision, a strategy, an architecture, but the systems themselves are strengthened through consistent alignment, long-term thinking, and honest collaboration. Trust is built through integrity. Innovation grows from curiosity. Strong partnerships form through respect and authenticity.
Becoming the Mountain
The Malaysian phrase resonates because it reflects a truth that spans cultures, disciplines, and life experiences. Whether in the jungles of Borneo, the mountains of Wales, or the fast-paced world of media technology, meaningful change is always the product of accumulation.
A stone placed mindfully each day becomes a hill.
A series of aligned actions becomes a value system.
A collection of experiences, lived intentionally, becomes a life.
Sikit sikit, lama lama jadi bukit.
Little by little, over time, we build something that lasts.