Many may be apprehensive at the mention of foreign talent hires but little did one know that from an organisation’s point of view, hiring a foreign talent is more than that of possible cost savings. As an organisation, a middle or senior management role is a reflection of the company’s brand and reputation. So, what is it that Singaporeans need to improve on?
Singaporeans need not be ruffled at the thought of having foreign talent especially with the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) foreign worker policies in place. It is crucial for us to have an excellent workforce for the country’s economic good. Singaporean workforce has been known to deliver work at excellent standards, reliable. A thought-provoking infamous question of why are most organizations’ senior management team foreigners then? How to keep ourselves relevant and in demand? What and how important are the market trends? All these questions have been discussed and shared by our distinguished speakers.
The two main key takeaways from this session are:
· Singaporeans need to learn how to market oneself
· Addressing the fear of failure, resilience
In an Asian society, we are taught to excel and do our best. From young, grades are a great emphasis and yardstick of measurement of how successful a child may be in the future. Should one not do as well, in the eyes of the parents, teachers and society; the child may be labelled as not brilliant. Even with a slight drop in a couple of marks in the examination may cause the child great distress as it indicates failure, disappointment. Asian parents and society tend to push children in the wrong direction by sending them for numerous tuition lessons for subjects that they are not good at, instead of honing on those subjects, passion and skills that the child excels in. The fear of failure grips a child intensely that it causes a crippling anxiety in the mind to overcome challenges in the future, apart from studies. That may be a probable cause of higher depression and suicide rates in Asian developed countries. Mr Gavin Pathross, CEO and Founder of ROSS Digital shared his personal life story on how study grades does not define his future as he scored 180 grade point for his O’levels and went to the normal technical stream. But when he embarked on his career, he found his passion. Despite the failures he’s met at school or work, his resilience in pursuing his dreams made him successful. By casting his fear of failure aside, soldiering on in pursuit of what he enjoys and against all odds, is truly a real life inspiration. As youths, it is easier to try and fail. Don’t be afraid of mistakes and you may unravel your strengths through those experiences.
Humility, an often emphasis in the Asian culture, has caused us greatly especially in Singapore. By underselling oneself in the marketplace has cost us dearly the senior management roles in organisations. Ms Fernn Lim, Chief of Staff, Nexus, SC Ventures shared that Singaporeans are known to be reliable on delivering work excellently. Yet, how are we still short-changing ourselves? We need to learn in articulating our success that we have contributed to the organizations, not arrogantly, but firmly and acknowledging our value.
Life’s journey is a long runway, focusing on having degree is short-sighted. In the technology sector, Mr Arrif Ziaudeen, CEO, Chope shared that the difficulty in finding local engineering talents is real. The pursuit of continuous education, how different types of courses provided different skillsets enabling one to build up their portfolio is providing added value as an employee.
Past life experiences taught Mr Steven Tan, CEO, OrangeTee & Tie about discipline, financial prudence and applying them when he started his real estate agency. He shared on another Chinese idiom 失败是成功之母 (Failure is the mother of success) that we must not fear failures as it is just another method that did not work. Thus, we are able to progress on thereafter. Changes and challenges from the pandemic (e.g. virtual viewings for houses) have altered the perception of many agents and buyers that it cannot be done. But now, it is a norm.
Such life skills and pearls of wisdom imparted by our distinguished speakers would inspire us to become better persons in life, contributing to the economy of Singapore. Success boils down to hard work and effort as well as learning through hands-on experience. How do you bounce back from failures and mistakes? The answer is through continuous learning - learn from peers, bosses and not forgetting, yourself! Embracing a courageous spirit, knowing your true worth and dare to share your successes confidently would bring you to soar higher.
Banking & Finance - Hosted by Ms Fernn Lim, Chief of Staff, Nexus, SC Ventures
Technology - Hosted by Mr Arrif Ziaudeen, CEO, Chope
F&B - Hosted by Mr Gavin Pathross, Founder and CEO, Ross Digital
Real Estate - Hosted by Mr Steven Tan, CEO, OrangeTee & Tie
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