What can old people teach young people?

Speech by Eddie Teo, Chairman PSC, to NUS Business School/LKYSPP Commencement Ceremony on Thursday 8 Jul 10

NUS Pro Chancellor, Dr. Andrew Chew,

Distinguished Guests,

Graduates,

Ladies & Gentlemen,

I am acutely conscious of the difference between our ages. I studied and left university at a time when the world and Singapore were very different from today. Can anything I say about my experience be relevant to yours? In this fast changing technological world, having experience is knowing about yesterday and many believe that yesterday can no longer tell you as much about tomorrow as it could when the world was less complex and moving much more slowly. In this internet world, the younger you are, the nimbler and more agile your reflexes will be and the better you can use the gadgets that Microsoft and Apple keep producing. It is quite easy for the young to assume that the old have little to teach them.

2.         We are also told, from time to time, that for Singapore to move to the next level, innovation is the key, and sticking to the old ways and solutions can no longer generate the growth we seek. And innovation requires new, creative and imaginative ways of doing things. The buzz word I grew up with in my public service career – efficiency – has been overtaken by other buzz words. Making things work well is no longer enough. It seems logical to ask : “If the world has become much more complex and difficult to predict, can anyone really tell you what to do and how to live, after you graduate?”
  

3.         Besides, those of us who are parents realise that young people do not always listen to advice. The US Energy Secretary and Nobel Laureate in Physics, Steven Chu, in his recent commencement address to Harvard University had this to say about giving unsolicited advice: it is “rarely valued, seldom remembered, never followed”. The smarter young adults with higher EQ will pretend to listen. During PSC interviews, some candidates tell me that they put down “medicine” or “law” as career options only because they want to please their parents, not because they have a real interest. They thus fulfil their obligation as filial children but, at the same time, are signalling very clearly to the PSC that their passion lies elsewhere.

4.         I am also mindful that many of you here will be heading to the private sector, a world that is quite alien to me, since I have never worked there.

5.         Given all the above, I thought it more temperate for me to eschew too didactic an approach and merely offer you a few simple tips which I think apply to both the private and public sectors, are relevant to all ages and will not be circumscribed by how fast the world moves.

6.         First, I feel it is vital to know yourself. This is easier said than done. Sometimes, you find yourself not at work, but when you engage in activities outside your comfort zone. I know that the President of your University finds himself this way, when he pushes himself to the peak of his physical and mental ability, trekking in remote places in the world. Only a few people are lucky enough to discover their true calling or passion early in life. Most realise that they enjoy and are good at what they do only after having tried several jobs. A great many never do what they ought to do, either because of a lack of self-realisation or opportunity. I was one of the fortunate few to find a career in the Public Service which I enjoyed and found thoroughly fulfilling. But when I was in school, I wanted to be a journalist.

7.         Second, you are even more fortunate if you find a great mentor in working life to observe and learn from. My good fortune was to have Dr. Goh Keng Swee as my first Minister. He was someone who dedicated his life selflessly to public service, eschewing wealth for himself, but building great wealth for Singapore. You would have read about his frugality – tearing tissue papers into two, washing his underwear in hotel rooms, and not carrying money in his pocket. He was intrigued by ideas, read about anything that interested him deeply and voraciously, and applied his knowledge single-mindedly to making Singapore survive and prosper. Despite his brilliant mind and sharp intellect, he was always keen to learn from others. He was what I would term a pragmatic nationalist, applying what worked for other countries to Singapore’s special circumstances. What a teacher. What a mentor. Of course, a mentor need not only be a great man. You will find that there are many things to learn from your peers and your subordinates if you are prepared to listen and are open to other people’s views.

8.         Third, always make the most of what you find and give of your best. I have had a number of jobs in my career, some of which I enjoyed more than others. But I never found any one of them boring because I did my best to make them interesting, challenging and fulfilling. As a rookie, I would advise that you look at every task as a challenge and a learning opportunity. If things are not right, don’t just gripe but do something to improve the situation for yourself and the organisation. The ability to work as part of a team is absolutely essential for any member of an effective organisation, as this will ensure that your individual ability can unite with those of others and create something much bigger than each single person can achieve. As a leader, deploy people according to their ability and talent and give them room to grow and develop.  Appreciate diversity and listen to the ground. Difficult people with new ideas may be a pain to manage, but the time spent will be worth it if they truly have something useful and original to contribute. You yourself should know both the small picture and the big picture, but please try not to micro-manage. If you only see the small picture, you will get lost in the trees. If you only see the big picture, your staff will soon ignore you and take over real control of the organisation. If you micro-manage, you stifle initiative and discourage creativity.

9.         Fourth, always be mindful that if you are successful, no matter how that is defined, it is never due only to your own effort and achievements but to the support you have received – from your boss, your colleagues, your family and your friends. If you don’t succeed, try not to blame everybody else except yourself. It is human to do so, but if you are truly honest, you will often find that you must share the responsibility when something goes wrong. Taking responsibility for mistakes should spur you on to do better, not paralyze you with zero self-esteem.

10.        Fifth, do not be afraid to be critical and question assumptions, but there is no need to be nasty about it. Knowing when and how to criticize is as important as knowing what to criticize. That is called EQ, and more and more people now believe that EQ and soft skills will get you further in life than IQ. And always have balance and a sense of perspective. Nothing and nobody is all bad or all good. So if you see something that you think is not quite right about what is happening in Singapore, speak up, but never forget all those things that are going right as a result of good, honest governance and a first-class Public Service.

11.        Please do not get me wrong. Having a university education is about securing better pay, becoming gainfully employed and starting a successful business venture. Having the right university degree will help you start off. But whether you succeed in the university of life will require you to be mindful of other skills and qualities and I hope my few tips will be helpful in pointing you to some of them. In other words, what really matters is not how well-educated you are, but what kind of person you are. Let me end by again shamelessly borrowing from US Energy Secretary Steven Chu because I share his sentiments:

“Pursuing a personal passion is important, but it should not be your only goal. When you are old and gray, and look back on your life, you will want to be proud of what you have done. The source of that pride won’t be the things you have acquired or the recognition you have received. It will be the lives you have touched and the differences you have made”.

12.        My congratulations and best wishes go to all of you as you begin the next phase of your exciting journey. Thank you for inviting me to share in your joy today.