Family | 3 min read

First Year Parenting – Thriving or Surviving?

Parenting can be traumatic for any new parent. From pregnancy to being thrown into caring for a newborn can be a blur. For mothers in particular, bodily changes can be a real nightmare. To cope with little to no sleep and navigating this new routine is especially daunting for new parents.

Management | 5 min read

Re-Energizing Our People

LEADING organizations in the long term is a complex task, because as time goes by people become less and less energized. One of the keys for effective long-term leadership is our ability to renew the energy and morale of our people and teams in the organization. When we do this well, the eyes of our staff will light up in what Ben Zander calls ‘shiny eyes’. The question I frequently ask myself is: “What kind of leader have I been if the eyes of my staff are not shining?”

People | 5 min read

Understanding the Millennials

When asked, “How do you manage the greatest challenge of our time, the Millennials?” Mr Ngiam Tong Dow, one-time Permanent Secretary to the former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, replied without hesitation, “You must believe that they are the future of the organization!” I write this based on experiences living with three Millennials kids, managing a bunch of Millennials staff, and consulting with companies dealing with issues and studies on this generation of people over the last 10 years.

Personal Growth | 5 min read

Why I didn’t take self-care seriously? … A Confession

Everyone recognizes that self-care (or soul care) is very important. It’s important but not urgent enough for us to take it seriously. I am a classic case of “It’s important but never urgent” enough. I was one of those who believed in self-care but never did anything about it until … in 2005, I almost died. At 41, I was still young. I had lots of energy. As a Type-A person, I lived as though there was no tomorrow. My adrenalin was driven by activities and performance. The more, the merrier. I thought I could go on forever: Super-charged all the time without stopping. I would pack my life with one activity after another, without any pauses. On top of that, I slept late and woke up early. I hardly had more than 6 hours of sleep. My weekends were packed to the brim. That year, we had successfully executed a large leadership conference with about 1,000 participants from 30 countries. I was in the third heavens!

Personal Growth | 5 min read

What is Self-Leadership?

Leadership is an art. It begins with the person who, more than anything else, makes the difference – it’s about self-leadership. Bill Hybels, a noted leader of one of the largest non-profit organizations in the world, points out, “The toughest management challenge is always yourself.” Dee Hock, writing about leadership for over 20 years and a laureate in the US Business Hall of Fame, shares this wisdom, “We should invest 50 per cent of our leadership amperage in self-leadership and the remaining 50 per cent should be divided into leading down, leading up and leading laterally.” Chris Lowney, in his book Heroic Leadership, writes, “If you want your team to perform heroically, be a hero yourself.”

Personal Growth | 5 min read

Why I didn’t take self-care seriously? … A Confession

Everyone recognizes that self-care (or soul care) is very important. It’s important but not urgent enough for us to take it seriously. I am a classic case of “It’s important but never urgent” enough. I was one of those who believed in self-care but never did anything about it until … in 2005, I almost died. At 41, I was still young. I had lots of energy. As a Type-A person, I lived as though there was no tomorrow. My adrenalin was driven by activities and performance. The more, the merrier. I thought I could go on forever: Super-charged all the time without stopping. I would pack my life with one activity after another, without any pauses. On top of that, I slept late and woke up early. I hardly had more than 6 hours of sleep. My weekends were packed to the brim. That year, we had successfully executed a large leadership conference with about 1,000 participants from 30 countries. I was in the third heavens!

Personal Growth | 5 min read

Time vs Energy Management

Ask any Singaporean: “How are you?” Inevitably, the response is, “Very busy!” They might add, “Very tired!” This is also true among urban workers around the world. The new mantra of many high-achieving organizations is CBF (Cheaper, Better, Faster), which has added to the stress of today’s workers. This is because organizations are looking for ways to increase productivity as well as cut cost and reduce headcount.

Personal Growth | 5 min read

Why I am grateful for 2020?…My New Year Reflections

I went to Changi International Airport on Dec 21 to fetch my daughter, Meizhi, who was returning to Singapore from Shanghai. For over a year, I had not stepped into Changi Airport, which used to handle a whopping 68.3 million passengers in 2019. I have never felt so eerie. Air traffic had almost come to a halt, except for that solitary Shanghai flight.

Family | 5 min read

Over-Functioning Parents

Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong calls us “kan cheong” (over-anxious) parents. I was more than over-anxious. I was truly a typical Singapore parent who was over-compensating, over-controlling and over-functioning. Like many parents, I yearn for my children to be the best or be as perfect as they can be. I would not spare any effort or resources to give them the best. My intentions were good but my methods oftentimes were the opposite. To be honest, my wife Alison was less overbearing and less expecting of perfection compared to me!

Management | 5 min read

Re-Energizing Our People

LEADING organizations in the long term is a complex task, because as time goes by people become less and less energized. One of the keys for effective long-term leadership is our ability to renew the energy and morale of our people and teams in the organization. When we do this well, the eyes of our staff will light up in what Ben Zander calls ‘shiny eyes’. The question I frequently ask myself is: “What kind of leader have I been if the eyes of my staff are not shining?”

People | 5 min read

Understanding the Millennials

When asked, “How do you manage the greatest challenge of our time, the Millennials?” Mr Ngiam Tong Dow, one-time Permanent Secretary to the former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, replied without hesitation, “You must believe that they are the future of the organization!” I write this based on experiences living with three Millennials kids, managing a bunch of Millennials staff, and consulting with companies dealing with issues and studies on this generation of people over the last 10 years.