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- Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
- Kategorie: Fachliteratur
- Sprache: Englisch
Eavesdrop on a top business leader to learn the secrets of great leadership Building People provides a glimpse into the mind of one of Asia's keenest and most effective business leaders. Before becoming Chairman of Changi Airport Group and Surbana Jurong, author Mun Leong Liew was named Best CEO in Singapore, Best CEO in Asia, CEO of the Year, Outstanding CEO of the Year, and more--but his successes are not based strictly upon the numbers. This book reveals the personal and professional philosophy behind this extraordinarily effective leader, in the context of frank and insightful emails to his staff. Touching on everything from honour and potential to training and mentorship, these messages paint a clear picture of the difference between good and great leadership. Effective leaders build companies, but legendary leaders build people--by strengthening the heart of your organisation, you enable robust growth and dynamic stability from the inside out. These emails go beyond mere public relations to lay open the true nature of a man who is honestly, deeply committed to his job, his responsibility, his organisation, and most of all, his people. * Learn why work-life balance is not a zero-sum game * Discover what pragmatism and commitment truly mean in business * Realise the importance of good partnerships and unsung heroes * Manage change effectively and employ it wisely for sustainable success By eavesdropping on a leader's communications with the people he serves, you get a real sense of the man behind the success. Great leadership is rooted in a philosophy of "building up" instead of tearing down, and motivated by the sincere belief that we bring our own purpose into everything we do. Building People brings great leadership to life, and inspires action over theory through the insights of Mun Leong Liew.
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Seitenzahl: 391
Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2016
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Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Preface
Chapter 1: Pragmatism in Business and Leadership
Work-life Balance – Is It a Zero Sum Game?
New Year Message – Building the New Changi Airport
New Year Message – Transformation of Surbana
Pragmatism – A Key to Successful Leadership in Singapore and China
Pragmatism in Business
Pragmatism in Business 2
Contractors are Our Partners!
New Year Message – Waste Not, Want Not
Chapter 2: Engineering and Infrastructure Business
Conscience of Safety
When the Stars are Aligned ()
Commencement Speech – “My Story Can be Yours Too”
Engineers – Our Unsung Heroes
Time to Make the Engineering Profession Shine Again!
Speech at PFI Best Asia Infrastructure Citation Awards
If You are Not Committed, Don't Do It!
Drama at the Last Farewell to a Close Friend and Colleague, Mr Somkiat
Eulogy for Somkiat Lertpanyavit, a Most Distinguished Professional Engineer
Chapter 3: World Outlook
A Journey of “Encountering Evil”
Survival – The Mother of Innovation!
Turning Sand into Gold!
Will Prime Minister Abe Launch His Bazookas Soon?
World Outlook – A Marine and His Beloved Dog
Will the Year of the Fire Monkey Have More Tricks For Us All?
Chapter 4: Talent Development and Core Values
Changi Airport – The Learning University!
Corporatisation vs Commercialisation – Are They Really the Same Thing?
Building CVs
Choose Our Troops!
The Top Chinese Talent that I “Missed”
Churchill and the Cleaning Lady
Corruption Management in Business – Some Practical Points
It Takes Leadership and Courage to Fight Corruption
TICS – The Way Forward!
Chapter 5: In Remembrance of Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew
How Changi Airport Has Transformed Singapore (and Me!)
The Big, Bold and Innovative Air Hub of Changi Airport by Lee Kuan Yew
Lee Kuan Yew, Truly the Father of Changi Airport
Some Qingming Thoughts
The Launch of
Up Close with Lee Kuan Yew
Chapter 6: Personal Reflections
Have You Climbed Mount Fuji?
A State of High Anxiety
Building Our Own Health Bank for Old Age
Building Lasting Partnerships
Of Music, Cranes and Friends
When Bosses Become Mentors
Some Thoughts on the World of Jack Ma
Young Birdie vs Old Bird
Appendix “What are you going to do after you retire?”
Mr Lee's continuous involvement with Changi Airport
Mr Lee's interest in people and talent
The pragmatism of Mr Lee
Mr Lee's concern for Singapore's commercial successes
Mr Lee's interest in retirement and the older workforce
Mr Lee's inexhaustible curiosity
The loving couple, Mr and Mrs Lee
Mr Lee in his later years
Index
End User License Agreement
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Guide
Cover
Table of Contents
Begin Reading
BUILDINGPEOPLE
Sunday Emails from a Chairman
Cover images: © Surbana Jurong Private Limited
Copyright © 2016 by Surbana Jurong Private Limited
Published by John Wiley & Sons Singapore Pte. Ltd.
1 Fusionopolis Walk, #07-01, Solaris South Tower, Singapore 138628
All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as expressly permitted by law, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate photocopy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center. Requests for permission should be addressed to the Publisher, John Wiley & Sons Singapore Pte. Ltd., 1Fusionopolis Walk, #07-01, Solaris South Tower, Singapore 138628, tel: 65–6643–8000, fax: 65–6643–8008, e-mail: [email protected].
Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: While the publisher and author have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales representatives or written sales materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation. You should consult with a professional where appropriate. Neither the publisher nor the author shall be liable for any damages arising herefrom.
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:
ISBN 978-1-119-28805-3 (Paperback)
ISBN 978-1-119-28807-7 (ePDF)
ISBN 978-1-119-28806-0 (ePub)
PREFACE
Why do I still spend Sundays writing emails to my colleagues and friends?
During my tenure as CEO of CapitaLand (from 2000 to 2012), I compiled all my emails which I wrote to my colleagues on Sundays and published them in three separate books with Wiley. After I stepped down as CEO of CapitaLand, I remain active in corporations as Chairman of Changi Airport Group and Surbana Jurong Group. Changi Airport Group has two roles—operations and development of Changi Airport; Surbana Jurong Group is a global consultancy group focusing on urbanization and infrastructure development in Singapore and over 30 countries. My active chairmanship of both organisations renders me ample opportunities to continue my Sunday emails but this time I penned them as Chairman and not CEO. Let me explain what inspires me to continue writing these Sunday emails.
“Will you continue to write your Sunday emails”? “Will you please include me in your circulation list”? These were the questions my ex-colleagues frequently asked when I stepped down as president and CEO of CapitaLand. I assured them that I would. I started the habit (which became more like a hobby actually!) of writing and sending Sunday emails to my colleagues in Pidemco Land (the forerunner of CapitaLand) in 1998. I don't write every Sunday, but if I do, it is only on a Sunday. Why do I write only on Sundays? Because it is only on Sundays that I have the luxury of three to four hours of uninterrupted and peaceful time to write, and it avoids giving the wrong impression that CapitaLand's CEO has nothing else better to do on busy weekdays! I usually try to make sure that the email is sent out before midnight on Sundays so that my colleagues can read it first thing on Monday mornings. That is, if they do read it!
HOW DID IT GET STARTED?
It all began in September 1998 when I wrote an email to my colleagues in Pidemco Land about my visit to Hanoi, Vietnam. I was in Hanoi to prepare for the official opening of our 5-star Meritus Westlake Hotel and I sent an email titled, “Opportunities in Lean Times”. I wanted to share with them what I had curiously observed in the city, which had then just opened her doors to foreign investment. Hanoi then looked like Singapore in the 50s and the city was going through difficult economic times. But the people were hard working, keen to learn, eager to improve their skills, resilient and very entrepreneurial. For instance, I observed a tall, lean woman with a weighing scale, who was providing a service to locals to weigh themselves for a fee of 500 dong (then 4 Singapore cents). I was puzzled by this trade. Unlike Singaporeans, who generally want to lose weight, the Vietnamese then were noticeably thin, so I didn't understand why they would bother about their weight. I was told, though, that rather than wanting to be thin, the Vietnamese actually wanted to be heavier in order to look prosperous. And they wished to keep track of their progress in gaining weight. I drafted that first email to my colleagues to stress that even in lean times there are opportunities to make money!
During my 16-year tenure as CEO of the CapitaLand Group, I wrote, in total, about 151 Sunday emails, plus another 11 reports of various interviews with local and overseas media, including the Chinese papers, Wall Street Journal Asia, CNA, CNBC and Bloomberg. I wrote and spoke about a wide range of business and social topics, including building people, talent management and leadership, business strategies, competition, overseas business experiences (especially in China, India and Vietnam), global crisis management, Chinese culture, ethics, core values, corruption management and lessons from some memorable successful and failed business projects. I touched on personal development issues, such as keeping fit and healthy, ageing and the Silver Hair programme, and even social topics like making sushi and writing calligraphy.
I wrote about how impressed I was by Han Cheng, then vice mayor of Shanghai, who personally visited our serviced apartment operation incognito on a Saturday night to find out more about us before he officially met with us the following Monday (He is now the party secretary of Shanghai). I wrote praiseworthily about the total unconditional commitment of the Japanese fighter pilots during the Second World War in their suicide “kamikaze” missions to destroy the US enemy fleet in the Pacific Ocean. Later, I realised that this was the forerunner of the tactics employed by the terrorists in the 9/11 suicide attacks in New York and other US cities. I painfully wrote about why we lost the two Integrated Resort projects in Singapore and the lessons learnt. I also wrote an email titled “Bird Porn” to encourage us as leaders to read more and to open our eyes to what is happening in the world. In another Sunday email, I condemned temple raiders and thieves who “amputated” the heads and arms of ancient figurines at Angkor Wat, Cambodia to sell to art collectors, for perpetuating the black market for these antique treasures. In urging people to be filial to their parents, I ended a Sunday email with a reminder, “Have you called your mother”? A senior Chinese manager in Beijing subsequently told me that he read the email whilst waiting for his flight, and called his mother whom he had never called before at the gate of the airport, saying that his boss reminded him about it. His mother praised the culture of his company. Nice compliments from the mother!
Re-reading these Sunday emails for me is still a pleasure. They have been published in three volumes titled Building People, Sunday Emails from a CEO. I wish to acknowledge Madam Ho Ching for writing the Foreword of Volume 1, and Mr S R Nathan, former president of Singapore for launching Volume 2. All royalties from the sales of these three books have been donated to CapitaLand Hope Foundation, a charity foundation I initiated in 2004 to assist poor and needy children in the areas of education, health and shelter, in the countries we did business in.
DON'T I HAVE BETTER THINGS TO DO ON SUNDAYS?
Although I have since moved on from the role and responsibilities of chief executive in 2013 (at age 67), l have continued with what has now become my hobby – to write my Sunday emails. I now address them to my colleagues in Changi Airport and Surbana Jurong Group, as their chairman. You may ask, why do I persist with this? Don't I have better things to do after my “retirement”? Golf, travelling, hobbies, grandchildren, smelling roses in the garden (I don't have a garden!), whatever luxurious entertainment that I deserve after working for more than 40 years?
THE IMPORTANCE OF COMMUNICATING WITH THE TROOPS
I strongly believe that a leader, whether he is a senior manager, CEO or chairman, must be prepared and able to pass on his knowledge, experiences and wisdom to his organisation. He must not keep these experiences and learning solely to himself, but must be willing to pass these on to the next generation of people. I believe that to lead, you must teach. And communication is key in this. With a click of my computer mouse I can reach every colleague, and there are literally thousands of them in our offices around the world, through my Sunday emails. This is proving to be even more useful in my role as chairman, since I am no longer involved in daily operations and do not interact as much with the troops as before. I see the current phase of my career as providing stewardship and guidance to the organisations under my charge to help them develop and grow.
It is important that everyone gets to understand the management's thinking. It is also useful to receive feedback from staff and to understand where they are coming from. I do receive responses from colleagues, but surprisingly, they are almost always from relatively junior staff. Maybe the senior folks are too busy with their work, or they find little in my writing with which to disagree! Some seek clarification and advice, and many express their appreciation. I will always reply to them personally and with priority, but I do not circulate our communication because I respect their confidentiality. It is definitely useful to have some form of informal and individual communications between staff and the leaders of the organisation, and my Sunday emails provide this channel for me. Some former staff who left CapitaLand still communicate with me and I am happy to stay in touch with them.
WRITING AS A REVIEW OF MY EXPERIENCES AND MY PRESENT THINKING
Another interesting finding is that as I continue to write, I am continuously refining my perspectives and thoughts. At times it even stimulates some new perspective or courses of action, and even policies. Putting my thoughts into words, especially on what we have been doing in the past, forces me to critically review and re-analyse my past thinking and perspective. For example, in the first Sunday email in my first book, I wrote about the three Ps – paranoia, perseverance and perfectionism – as the keys to success. I held on to these three Ps for many years until, more than 13 years later in 2011, I added another important key success factor as the fourth P – passion. And finally, in 2013, I incorporated another equally important P – pragmatism. I learned this last P, pragmatism, from Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew, when he quoted it as one of the four critical success factors (governance, meritocracy, anti-corruption, pragmatism) for Singapore. Actually, it took me some time to figure out what “pragmatism” really meant. In 2014, I wrote another Sunday email to explain pragmatism as a very important ideology for all leaders – political or business alike. Pragmatism is now one of my favourite lecture subjects at the NUS School of Business.
I am drafting this email to explain why I continue to write my Sunday emails. Someone told me recently that he noticed that my latest emails have shifted slightly in emphasis. Yes, it is getting longer – probably because I have learnt more and have become more philosophical and more “long-winded” with age! I am aware that some staff may not have the patience to read long emails, and strangely the junior ones seem to have more interest in them. A couple of them told me that they had to read it several times to understand my message!
So what really drives me to write Sunday emails still? Writing, I finally found out, has evolved into a cherished hobby, a self actualisation of what I really love to do.
Chapter 1PRAGMATISM IN BUSINESS AND LEADERSHIP
“Corporate leaders should always remain pragmatic in their approaches for business dealings but at the same time not compromise their core values. They should not be constrained by dogmas, past practices, precedence or bureaucracies. However, corporate leaders will need courage to make some of their pragmatic solutions.”
Work-life Balance – Is It a Zero Sum Game?
Liew Mun Leong/Chairman CAG/SJ
SENT: Sunday, 8 December 2013 11:06 AM
TO: CAG Group; Surbana Jurong Group
Dear Colleagues,
Last month I gave a talk to several high-potential students from the engineering faculty at National University of Singapore (NUS). One student politely asked me, “Sir, you have great career achievements and you still shoulder many responsibilities. How have you achieved work-life balance all these years”? Wow, I thought, this young man hasn't even graduated or worked a single day and he is asking about work-life balance!
I jokingly replied that such a delicate question was previously only asked by people who did not wish to exert themselves in work and who only sought pleasure in life. But this is now a frequently asked question, posed not only by my working colleagues but also by many Singaporeans, especially the younger ones. As someone who has worked for 43 years, and who still wishes to work, let me give you my personal and frank take on this matter. I repeat, personal.
Remember, there are two components in the work-life balance equation. Let's first analyse the “work” side.
WORK IS A COMMON MEANS FOR LIVING
Let's face reality. Unless we are born rich with a “silver spoon” in our mouths, most of us have to work to make a living for ourselves, our families and the loved ones we are responsible for. For those with extended family, they may even need to take care of other family members besides their immediate family. No one owes it to us, as Singapore is not a welfare state. And remember, we have to work for several decades in our lifetime! If we start working in our early 20s and retire at, say, our mid-60s there will be some 40 to 45 years of work ahead of us before we can put our legs up and smell roses in our garden, that is provided we have even managed to earn one. Or, we may become so successful so fast that we can retire early, but to me that is not necessarily a good thing. That is another controversial subject.
If we sleep for an average of, say eight hours, and work eight hours a day (not including travelling time), we will be spending 50% of those waking hours at our jobs. It is therefore pragmatic that we make our working lives more sustainable, more comfortable and if possible, more enjoyable for the next 40 to 45 years. After all, these years constitute the bulk of our active lives. But how do we make our work sustainable, comfortable and enjoyable? I will just simply say this: find the right job (and company) that fits your training, aptitude and background; adopt the right positive attitude towards your job; then persevere, be engaged and enjoy the friendship and comradeship of your colleagues and associates. Also, try to find the extra meaning and purpose in your job, whatever that may be.
I once watched an interview with an American lady whose job was, for 40 years, to inspect the cleanliness of soft drink bottles continuously rolling out on an automatic conveyor belt. Nothing could be more monotonous. She said her mission was to make sure that children would be safe drinking from the bottles she inspected. Even after 40 years, she was not bored because she found meaning and passion in her job.
It is also about our personal attitude and work ethics. I was appalled to learn from a recent Gallup survey that the ratio of “disengaged workers” in Singapore is one of the highest in the world, at 76% (vs 52% in the US, and 57% in Great Britain). Three in four workers are “unmotivated” and are “sleepwalking throughout the day”. My suspicion is that many youngsters have not found any meaning in their jobs. They are easily bored. Strangely, the word “boring” did not exist in our vocabulary during our younger working days. We had to be self-motivated to keep our hard-earned jobs. The good (or bad, depending how you view it) news now is that we have full employment in Singapore and there is no sense of insecurity in our workforce. We seem trigger-happy to “fire our bosses” if we are not motivated by them. Motivation, to me, is a personal responsibility and we should not blame our lack of it on our bosses.
Clayton Christensen, one of Harvard Business School's most prominent professors, was suffering badly from chronic diabetes when I first met him a few years ago. Later, he was stricken with cancer and recently a stroke, which sadly disabled his vocal chords. However, he loves his job so much as a professor—he was a prolific international speaker before—that he relearned how to speak, one word at a time. He now speaks perfectly normal again. I met him when he was in Singapore recently to deliver several brilliant lectures. When interviewed by Channel NewsAsia, he inspirationally said, “If we love our work so much we don't need a holiday”! Someone also similarly said to me before, “Work isn't work if you like it”. I happen to agree.
I have now worked for more than 43 years since graduation. Frankly, I have never felt bored with my work, though there have been times where I've felt frustrated and challenged. During these moments, I would keep humming an old song, “Even the bad times are good”!, or remind myself of the saying, “When the going gets tough, the tough get tougher”. So, in the work-life balance equation we can make work a positive side of the equation if we adopt the right work ethics and persevere through the initial difficulties. It is not about being a work maniac but making our work more meaningful and interesting. For some of us, work can be our hobby. For me, writing an email to you, which can take a few good hours on a Sunday, is not work but my hobby. I have enjoyed writing every piece since 1998.
THE “LIFE” SIDE OF THE EQUATION
At any time, I will classify our lives into multiple parts. There is (a) our individual personal lives, (b) our lives with family and loved ones and (c) our social lives with friends, colleagues, community, etc. To me, we should balance all these “buckets” of our lives on an almost daily basis so that we can become more balanced people. People have different emphases and priorities at different stages of their lives. A young couple raising a family will rightly have to spend much more time with their children (but don't forget their ageing parents too), whilst a matured family with grown up children can probably spend more time with friends and the community, or on their hobbies. We need to adjust the balance as we, and the people around us, progress in life and when interpersonal dynamics change, albeit, sometimes even unnoticed by us.
There is a possibility, though, that some of us may “mismanage” the balance. Many of us may be so selfless that we rarely consider our personal individual lifestyles. In our zest to give top priority to care for our loved ones, we may even carelessly forget to live our own lives in the way we should. We should ensure that we are living healthily so that we are better able to care for others. If we are not in good health, not improving or developing ourselves and hence not progressing in our jobs, or not doing well in life in general, how can we care for those who may need it? I imagine this explains why, in an aircraft emergency announcement, we are strongly advised to secure our life jackets first before we attempt to do so for young children. Only when the adults are safe can they then attend to, and protect the young ones (my guess only).
I have a recommendation for achieving some equitable balance in life. As an individual, we should spend a small part of our daily life in complete privacy, alone and doing what we love best to do. I call it the “third place”. It can be a daily workout, a hobby, a distraction or something for self actualisation. I have a daily routine, if I am not travelling; I rise every day at 6 AM, drive myself to East Coast Park to jog for 5-6km, followed by another drive to the gym to do a few minutes on the strengthening machines, before returning home to have a nice warm bath then have my breakfast comprising a bowl of cereal and a cup of black coffee whilst reading my spread of international newspapers (Financial Times, Asian Wall Street Journal and International New York Times). I am at the office by around 9 AM. These first three hours (6 AM to 9 AM) are truly the best time of my day. It is refreshing, healthy, and therapeutic. I reflect and problem solve while jogging (this is called the “third wind”) and efficiently update myself of the world's events first thing in the morning. This energises me for the whole day. That is my simple, healthy, economical, educational “third place” in my life. No contact with anyone, no phone calls and no meetings. I wouldn't trade it for the world.
My point is that work need not be a necessary evil or a chore or something we must just get over speedily as a means to make a living. It can be a fun, enriching and meaningful occupation. It is how you make it out to be. Our jobs make us what we are at any point in time. The only way for us to flourish in our jobs is if we develop ourselves to handle larger jobs. If you try hard enough and it still doesn't happen you may not have the right job or the right company. Switch jobs, but don't be a rolling stone. It is bad for your CV. On the other side of the work-life equation, nobody says you cannot have a good life. Live your life with fun and happiness. But merry making should not be the only goal in life.
The trick is to balance and harmonise the different aspects of our lives, including ourselves, and then balance them with work, which itself can be fun. Work-life balance is not a zero sum game. It is not one against the other.
New Year Message – Building the New Changi Airport
Liew Mun Leong/Chairman CAG/SJ
SENT: Tuesday, 31 December 2013 10:59 AM
TO: CAG Group
Dear Colleagues,
Tomorrow we will welcome a fresh new year. Let me wish every one of you and your family a Happy and Healthy 2014.
Changi Airport Group has ample reasons to proudly celebrate the successes of 2013. On a rolling, 12-month basis, Changi Airport handled 53.4 million passenger movements (+6.2%); 1.85 million tonnes of cargo (flat growth) and 339,000 flight movements (+5.6%). We served about 140,200 passengers per day, with 980 flights a day. On financial performance for FY 12/13, we chalked up a profit after tax of S$751 million. With only 70,000sqm of commercial space we generated over S$1.9 billion in concession sales, a remarkable performance compared to other commercial properties in Singapore. I should know that! In 2013, we have won 30 “best airport” awards, giving us a total of 452 of such “best airport” awards since we opened Changi Airport in 1981. Some have acclaimed us as the “Most Awarded Airport in the World”! Thank you all for making this happen.
During the year, we secured approval to proceed with the construction of T4 and the unique and sensational Project Jewel. Both will enhance Changi Airport as an attractive air hub in Asia serving both international passengers and Singaporeans alike. Our expansion projects including T4, Project Jewel and Changi 2 were prominently featured in the National Day Rally speech by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. These expansion programmes will cost tens of billions of investment dollars and constitute millions of square feet. The massive development works ahead of us is unprecedentedly daunting.
The new icon of Changi Airport: Jewel Changi Airport will enhance the overall passenger experience with its myriad range of lifestyle offerings.
Source: Jewel Changi Airport Devt
We have been discussing, promoting, planning, designing and seeking project approvals for the last three years. And in 2014, building will commence. We have serious work cut out for us for many years ahead. We have to keep operating Changi Airport as the best airport in the world and sustain this position, hopefully, infinitely. This means, and many of us may not realise it, that we now have two related but quite distinct businesses on our hands. In addition to operating and growing our international airport with more than 53 million passengers, we now have to grow, in parallel, a huge property development company. Both require different skill sets, and indeed different talents. Although we have been running Changi Airport all these years and at the same time building new terminals and airfields, the scale of development is now vastly different. Are we ready for the dual challenge of maintaining ourselves as the aviation hub of the region while building another Changi Airport in our midst, starting from 2014?
Seamless integration with Changi Airport terminals: Jewel Changi Airport will be connected to Terminals 1, 2 and 3 and the MRT station via pedestrian bridges.
Source: Jewel Changi Airport Devt
To answer this question I can't help but look back almost 38 years ago, to 1975, when construction on Changi Airport first commenced. I was then a young 29-year-old executive engineer in the Changi Airport Development Division (CADD) of the Public Works Department (PWD). So, what experiences and lessons can be drawn from that pioneering national project? At that time, the whole aerodrome was to be completed on reclaimed land in six years to meet the opening deadline of 1st July 1981. There was no looking back. Changi was championed by the no-nonsense and demanding then—Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew and supervised by his really tough top civil servants like Howe Yoon Chong1 and later, the very savvy Sim Kee Boon2. The development team consisted of about 400 in-house engineers, architects, quantity surveyors and other technical staff in CADD and PWD. The team was relatively young; many were even fresh graduate rookies. There were some reservations and scepticism as to whether we could deliver that “national project”. Fortunately, our heads of department were experienced hands, though not so much in airport development work. With high spirits, we were fully committed to completing the project on time. And we did. The airport was opened on target, precisely on 1st July 1981.
We are now starting all over again, but without the in-house 400 PWD engineers, architects and technical staff. We managed to recruit half a dozen of the former professional people who were working together with us in the 1980s at Changi. They are now senior hands in their 50s, having already accumulated more than 30 years' experience from when they first started in the “pioneer team”. Still, we need to build up the rest of our professional and development forces quickly to execute the much larger-scale and more sophisticated projects coming our way. Our top priority is to focus on building up capabilities within a strong professional development team.
Another serious challenge, which I have alluded to, is that whilst we are focusing on our large-scale development programme, we cannot afford to slip up on Changi's current airport operations, which our efficiency is so accredited to. Our core operational team must maintain close dialogue with the development team to give feedback from their operations in order to continuously improve on our planning and design. I have gone through the whole gamut of building real estate projects—from condominium homes, skyscraper offices, hotels, serviced apartments, and shopping malls to mixed, large-scale developments like Raffles City. I can firmly say that building an international airport like Changi is far more difficult and challenging. An airport has to function with the high standard of a factory's efficiency to handle passengers and baggage while at the same time be able to pamper users with the aesthetics and comforts of a luxury hotel and widespread attractive retail offerings. Plus, of course, the exacting demand for aviation safety. Operational inputs are important to get the design of the airport right.
It sounds formidable. But I am very confident that we can deliver what Senior Minister of State (Transport) Josephine Teo labelled as a “once in a lifetime project”. We have a very dedicated and committed management team and colleagues passionately led by CEO Lee Seow Hiang, a strong board consisting of a good spread of expertise from various commercial sectors as well as a very supportive shareholder, the Singapore government and its ministries of Finance and Transport. And we can draw on the experience of the first Changi team. Much of Singapore's interests—not only in aviation—will depend on our efforts and success in building the next Changi Airport to the highest international standard, which we have been associated with for the last three decades. So much is at stake for us to do this well!
I feel very gratified to be involved in Changi Airport's development again. I am sure you will be too. During my first involvement with Changi Airport, I sometimes reminded myself that as an engineer, while I may have built roads, bridges, and tall buildings, helping to build a national airport was a rare opportunity. I feel privileged to “re-live” such similar experiences today and to contribute again to this new phase of development, albeit in a different role.
In time to come, the current younger team will no doubt experience the same sense of pride and fulfillment when they look back at this rare “once in a lifetime” national project. I am confident that they will have abundant opportunities in the years ahead to build a rewarding career, as I had in my younger days, in Changi Airport. Aviation will continue to grow and so will Changi Airport!
Have a great 2014!
New Year Message – Transformation of Surbana
Liew Mun Leong/Chairman CAG/SJ
SENT: Tuesday, 31 December 2013 11:19 AM
TO: Surbana Jurong Group
Dear Colleagues,
Tomorrow we will welcome 2014 as a brand new year again. I wish all in Surbana and your family a Happy and Healthy 2014.
In 2013, we happily celebrated our 10th anniversary. I sent a rather sober email on that occasion, commenting that whilst we had been a company for 10 years, regrettably we still have not become “commercialised”. However, in 2013, things changed for the better in Surbana. Pang Yee Ean3 was appointed the new CEO on 1st January, whilst I took over as Chairman of the Board on 1st April. Many changes have since taken place, making 2013 a year of “inflexion”, as Yee Ean likes to put it. Let me make some observations on the challenges ahead in 2014 and some proposed changes in 2014 and the coming years.
First, I am not optimistic that 2013 will deliver good financial results. The generous master service agreement (MSA), which was awarded to us in relation to HDB planning and design projects, had, after being in place for so many years, expired two years ago. Unfortunately, Surbana has forgone the opportunities over the last few years to aggressively market itself for jobs from the non-HDB and other private sectors. We have failed to replace the income stream from HDB and these losses will deliver a “big hole” in our revenue. But we can't cry over spilt milk. I have given Yee Ean and the management team some strategic directions and several stretch targets to achieve over the next three to five years.
Surbana has the potential to become a leading building professional consultant firm, not only in Singapore but also in the region. Our planners, architects, engineers and project managers should be the most sought after in the region, making Surbana a strategically important force to help Asia's urbanisation and national development. We have 50 years of hard-earned experiences in building public housing and townships and their related infrastructure, including massive reclamation. Our experience in “housing a nation” is arguably one of the best successes in the world. We should gainfully transform such experiences into commercially exportable IP (intellectual property) to assist emerging countries in Asia and other continents in their much-needed drive for national development.
After much deliberation and brainstorming we have concluded that Yee Ean and the management team will grow Surbana with additional business areas to achieve the following targets:
New businesses
Whilst we must maintain our pole position in the area of public housing, we should also deploy our generic engineering and design talents and capabilities to expand other development sectors where demands are growing, namely:
Aviation
Medical care
Underground geotechnical engineering.
We will, of course, make public housing our main strategic strength to support the Housing Development Board (HDB) housing programme and to assist in Singapore's reclamation and other infrastructure projects. At the same time, we will continue to closely support our “sister” (formerly Surbana's development projects) township programs in China and other private sector development projects for shopping malls and hotels, both in Singapore and overseas.
New geographies
Whilst Singapore and China constitute the major part of our business, we will also expand our presence in SE Asia and Africa. In SE Asia we have secured new clients and businesses in Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and Myanmar. Besides Malaysia, we have started permanent representation in Myanmar and will likewise soon do so for Thailand and Indonesia.
New financials
I have challenged the CEO and his management team to deliver the following targets within the next three to five years:
To increase overseas business from the current 18% to 50%
To double the current revenue from S$220 million to S$450 million
In the long term, Surbana should be a S$1 billion company.
Parallel dual professional track
Surbana is a professional firm and our assets are our talents. We must grow our professional talents, look after their development and make sure they stay with us. I have asked management to review the training and career development of our engineers, architects, planners, quantity surveyors and other technical staff. One idea is to clearly establish a “dual track ladder” career path for our technical and professional staff. Professional and technical staff should have equal opportunities to climb the corporate ladder as successfully as others, both in terms of remuneration, engagement and status. In 2014, we should push such schemes through. I will personally be involved.
Surbana Jurong's award-winning design for Dawson Estate—Redefining Singapore's Public Housing skyline with Super-Highrise Living.
Source: Surbana Jurong Pte Ltd
A new management team has been formed including appointing Low Cher Ek and Loh Yan Hui as deputy CEOs to assist Yee Ean. Several managing director positions have also been appointed and a formal announcement will be made later. In the months ahead, more changes will be made and there will be plenty of opportunities for career growth for those who are willing and able to shoulder more responsibilities. With this beef up in the management team, I am confident that we can face the challenges head-on and meet the targets mentioned above.
The new management team is working very hard with the board and shareholders to transform Surbana. There are tremendous prospects in building Surbana to be the largest and strongest professional firm in the region. We have started this process and have already gained some traction in 2013. In 2014, we must accelerate our trajectory. Our success will depend on all of you to make this happen. We can if we think we can!
Have a great 2014!
Pragmatism – A Key to Successful Leadership in Singapore and China
Liew Mun Leong/Chairman CAG/SJ
SENT: Sunday, 3 August 2014 07:01 PM
TO: CAG Group; Surbana Jurong Group
Dear Colleagues,
Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew was once asked by a foreign participant at a global conference:
“How did the almost bankrupt island city state of Singapore, without any natural resources, succeed in transforming herself from a third world to a first world country in 35 years? What made Singapore successful and allowed her to continue to be successful”? At an international conference the following year, another international participant asked him a very similar question on what contributed to Singapore's leadership success.
The phenomenal success of Singapore, it seems, is very much a mystery to many foreign observers. At both global conferences, MM Lee consistently gave the same four critical factors:
Good governance
Meritocracy
Anti-corruption
Pragmatism
As a former civil servant (for 22 years), I fully appreciated what “good governance”, “meritocracy” and “anti-corruption” were in practice. However, “pragmatism” went over my head. I analysed, reflected and did some research on past management and leadership literature. Not much has been written on pragmatism, although I have come to conclude that it is indeed a very critical element of successful leadership. My findings on pragmatic leadership in both the public and private sectors are now part of my pet management lecture at the NUS Business School and Faculty of Engineering.
Here is a summary of my lecture on pragmatic leadership:
WHAT IS PRAGMATIC LEADERSHIP?
Briefly, it is the driving element in leadership formulating policies and focusing on practicable actions to achieve certain desired results, even in a crisis; without blind adherence to past practices, rigid doctrine, theory, ideology or dogma. Except for core values which should not change, no social, political, business, investment or management strategies or doctrines are sacrosanct. Pragmatic leaders are prepared to accept solutions that may not make everyone happy but could largely solve the current problems. Pragmatic leaders are neither pessimistic nor optimistic.
How has pragmatism helped in the success of both Singapore and China? Here are some examples.
PRAGMATISM IN SINGAPORE
For many years, the country has been hard-nosed on many national issues, and adopted various pragmatic solutions to solve economic, political and social issues, especially during our formative nation-building years. Pragmatism reigned and it was never about satisfying populism. Certain well-known pragmatic policies and decisions come to mind.
Pragmatism in building a defence force with National Service
After independence, Singapore urgently needed a credible defence force. National Service was the fastest and most affordable solution to build an effective defence capability. It became compulsory for every young male Singaporean to serve, upon reaching the age of 18. It was a pragmatic answer but was also a political hard-sell to convince parents to send their 18-year-old sons to serve in the country's newly formed defence force for two years at the peak of their youth. I fulfilled my duty too, although I did it under the compulsory Institutes of Higher Learning call-up scheme, and not as an 18-year-old.
At that time, all graduates from universities or polytechnics were liable for National Service. I was a 24-year-old graduate employed as a private-sector engineer with a monthly salary of $900 when I was suddenly drafted to serve with a $90 monthly salary. No questions asked, because we understood that Singapore really could not afford a regular army.
Pragmatism in family planning policy
Believe it or not, Singapore in the early days had one of the world's highest population growth rates. As part of our population control strategy, we were “encouraged” to plan our families to have only two children, male or female notwithstanding. The national slogan was “Stop at Two”. If we had more, the third child onwards would face some disadvantages, such as lower priority in school admissions. This family planning policy was so successful that our fertility rate dropped below replacement levels. Pragmatically, a new national slogan “Have Three or More” was then introduced. Today, Singaporeans are offered financial incentives like tax rebates to encourage families to have more children. A pragmatic solution itself may have a shelf life and must be reviewed and, if necessary, changed even if it means adopting an opposite stance. That is pragmatism.
Pragmatism in language policy
