What Malaysian Government And Business Leaders Need To Learn From Singapore's PM Lee When It Comes To Crisis Management?

WHAT MALAYSIAN GOVERNMENT AND BUSINESS LEADERS NEED TO LEARN FROM SINGAPORE’S PM LEE?

While PM Muhyiddin was announcing the loan moratoriums for Malaysians yesterday, PM Lee Hsien Loong was addressing the Covid-19 situation in Singapore.

Having experienced the joke that Chairman (Oops! Forgot.. Now he is Ex-Chairman) Tajuddin displayed at Prasarana and the RM70 million AZ Registration System in the past 1 week, I must admit that I truly admire how the Singaporean Prime Minister is managing this crisis.

First, PM Lee posted on his Linkedin “Test, Trace, Vaccinate. These are the three things that we have to do more of, and faster, in the next phase of the fight against Covid-19.”

While most countries are doing it as well, PM Lee has made it so simple for you to remember what the Government is focusing on the right at the moment – Test, Trace, Vaccinate.

Second, while most Malaysians were playing puzzle games at the AZ Registration System, PM Lee made it clear that old folks need not do online booking to get their vaccination jab. He pitched the remaining 280K old folks to just show up and get jabbed.

This makes perfect sense because most old folks don’t even know how to manage a computer. Let alone register themselves on the Internet.

Third, PM Lee gave a new perspective on the crisis that we are facing. He said, “One day, this global pandemic will subside. But I do not expect Covid-19 to disappear. It will remain with humankind and become endemic.”

After listening to this, I had to Google what it means by endemic.

Basically, it means:

(A disease or condition) regularly found among particular people or in a certain area.

As the Covid-19 virus is evolving with news of Indian mutation. Then Thai mutation. And so many new sorts of mutations going on, I must say that I was pretty anxious reading such news too. But PM Lee painted a picture of Endemic after Pandemic. Getting Singaporeans to get ready to live with Covid – but it is going to be the new normal.

I’m writing this post not to mock our Malaysian leaders, but this post serves as insight on what leaders can learn from Singapore’s PM Lee.

My business partner Raymond Chou created a crisis management communications model. May this be a framework for business leaders to explore using moving forward when communicating crisis to your staff and employees.

1) Highlight the crisis situation

2) What is the company’s stance in the situation?

3) What is the company’s position financially?

4) What is the industry’s advice?

5) How does the company feel about its employees?

6) How do we make you feel safe?

7) What is the ask of you?

8) Thank them and ensure safety

At the end of the day, leadership is about empathy. It is about the ability to relate to and connect with people. When you’re able to show deep empathy towards others, their defense wall goes down and positive energy goes up.

People will forget what you said.

People will forget what you did.

But people will never forget how you made them feel.