#SMCHikingLibrary Reflection by Jair Goh: A walk with renewed perspectives

“People are living books” and I have had the great opportunity to glean fresh perspectives from the mentors that I have been paired with. There was a wide spectrum of topics spanning Singapore’s International Relations, the current market climate to the importance of looking out for the welfare of others, which were generously shared by everyone. I am grateful towards SMC for organising the hike and the many mentors that have availed their time to come down to share their experiences.?

Mentors who have inspired Jair during this Hiking Library experience

After the walk, I truly realised how much the leaders here were willing to serve. I really admired the fact that they were availing time and energy to meet up with youths to talk, sharing their vast experiences and knowledge. Ms. Linda was this motherly figure who was humble yet made up of so much steel. She would volunteer in her free time because it was something that she enjoyed doing. An unexpected alumnus who also did programming in her university days, she shared about the hotbed we call the technology sector and how it has been growing in recent years. She also touched on the importance of China in relations to Singapore, questioning how we can make Singapore stand out in face of the ebb and flow of international economies. This was echoed by Mr. Lee Yi Shyan, the speaker of the day.

?

It has been amazing how China went from a country that looked up to us previously for our systems and governance ahead of time, to an independent powerhouse that would most likely dominate for the many decades to come. Ms. Linda also mentioned about how working with the Chinese would be inevitable. They could be our colleagues, business partners or even our superiors. This highlights the importance of understanding their culture and being fluent in Mandarin. The GDP of China is around 17 trillion compared to Singapore’s 0.4 trillion, a whopping statistic and one not to be taken lightly. While working with China, we are likely the ones benefiting more. Hence, we must stay relevant in all domains to attract investments and nurture talents.

?

Challenges & the way forward

A common theme across the mentors’ stories was that they all faced great challenges in their lives but they persevered on, to achieve their current success. This ranged from Mr. Spencer who was not always the brightest in class, occasionally making the wrong decisions, to Ms. Liang Yi who started from a very humble background. They worked hard and always held on to their beliefs.

?

I asked Mr. Spencer a question: “Why didn’t you give up?”.

?

?“I always believed I was special” was his answer and that really struck me when I realized that this was a belief that really guided his approach to life. From the beginning, he deviated from what his peers were doing and focused more on learning rather than chasing prestige. An example given was when Mr. Spencer chose a job where he could learn more over one that offered high pay and prestige. An investor by trade, he seized the opportunity when he realized that Web3 and blockchain were up and coming technological advancements with massive potential. He then rode this upside wave to where he is today.

?

A good reminder of how fortunate we are

Mr. Lee shared a story on how Chinese students would pay to get a low paying job in a bank. This was because of the prestige offered as a form of survival in China’s context. This is drastically different from Singapore, where demand for talent is high, and unemployment is generally low. On another note, Ms. Linda also mentioned about how foreign companies faced a lack of local talent, which has resulted in a push for upskilling of our local workforce. Singapore provides many programs to support entrepreneurship, particularly providing financial aid that we have become desensitized towards, and this is something we should capitalize on. There was an opinion that companies preferred to hire Malaysians because they are generally more hardworking, with some who can speak three languages, and are more willing to work on weekends. It is important that we understand this perspective and see the fortunate position that we have been blessed with, thereafter making the best of it.

Two key insights that Jair has taken away to continuously motivate him to Dream, Plan, and Act:

1) Asking good questions

“How can Singapore remain relevant in terms of our bilingualism and biculturalism in this day and age?” and “What are some of the practices you hope youths in Singapore stop, start and continue?” were just some of the many thought-provoking questions that were posed towards Mr. Lee. The ability to ask good questions is something that is of merit to the audience. Throughout the hike, I realized that the depth of the conversations relied heavily upon the type of questions that we asked and there is truly an abundance that we can learn from people all around us if we just know how to ask the right questions. Throughout these precious 3 hours, I got to observe, pose questions, and glean fresh perspectives from people from all walks of life. International business owners, CEOs, professors, and fellow students from other IHLs were present and I would never have had the chance to meet them otherwise.

2) Having a willingness to serve

One of my largest takeaways was this phrase Mr. Lee mentioned: If you are helping people and actively learning, you would not have time for other things. He challenged us to reflect on how we could add value as a person and shift our focus away from ourselves to others. He brought up a point from the book, ‘The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People’: To create win-win situations throughout our interactions, we cannot afford to work solely as individuals. He then spoke about the origins of Business China, which started as an initiative by our late PM Lee Kuan Yew. Late PM Lee felt that Chinese speaking Singaporeans did not know much about China and wanted to bridge this gap in understanding China better. Mr. Ignatius also shared on how we must work with people and not them with us. When I asked him who influenced him most, he mentioned he was inspired by his first superior who walked the talk and taught him the importance of it. Despite the large number of people that he has interacted with, his first superior was still the one that came to mind . I found this really interesting. This newfound focus on people and relationships in my life, rather than goals, has really impacted me. I am keen to act on this new belief starting today.