Career Conversations by Ronald Tay

This is one of the best book I have read on choosing your career path. Ronald Tay compiles insights from 20 professionals on how they get to where they are today. It came at the right time when I was deciding on my career direction. I knew I love to do something else, and my character yearns for the same thing too. It is different from what I have been doing the last few years which pays well.

From reading this book, to speaking with people, I have decided on my career path. I would like to share the main insights I have gotten from this book. (Note: Different people may have different interpretations from reading it).

I sorted through the main points that captivate my interests and grouped them together into categories. There is a very strong agreement across everyone of them that following your passion and persevering is crucial for success. I have noted down the main points below so I can reference to them easily in the future.


INTRODUCTION

We never know how life will treat us. School results do not determine your future; your values and beliefs can always bring you to greater heights. It is about following your heart and it is also about what you want. My own ambitions have evolved over time. Now it is about making a difference, so that when I step out of public life, I will leave behind a system that sustains itself, and by then I can be forgotten.
Teo Ser Luck, Minister of State

The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.
Mark Twain, Author

三百六十行，行行出状元
明朝冯惟敏


FOLLOW YOUR PASSIONS AND PERSEVERANCE (14)
Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.
Confucius

Talent and smarts may get you to the door of the company but it is passion and perserverance that will lead you to the top. (x4)
Baey Yam Keng, MP for Tampines GRC and Chan Ee Mun, Architect

Better to be Number One in a seemingly less glamorous career that you are passionate about than to follow the crowd and do something you care less for and perform worse at.
Ronald Tay, Director at UBS Business University

You have to be excellent at something and you tend to be excellent at the things you like.
Nagaraj Sivaram, Partner in Ernst & Young

Do not choose a career or specialisation because of its glamour and reputation. Know yourself and your personality to determine the best fit for you and the chosen career.
Ivan Ng, Eurosurgeon

Do something that excites you, that makes you jump out of bed every morning for.
Damian Pang, Consultant at AIA

It's better to build your career to become the Number One expert in your chosen field - even if it's not the most lucrative one - than be the average Joe in the most popular field.
Eugene Goh, Regional GM of Aveda-Luxasia

As long as you get the purpose and motivation of your career right and act accordingly, rewards will come naturally.
Hon Chiew Weng, Principal of Hwa Chong Institution

Getting to the top of your career is not about impressing others. The true meaning of self-actualisation is being able to share your experiences and knowledge with others, and that is the true joy to be found in working.
Andre Chiang, Chef-Owner of Restaurant Andre

Learning and mastering a craft can be a lifelong journey but a very motivating one if you learn what you enjoy and enjoy what you learn.
Chan Ee Mun, Architect

You know you have found your career passion when you care less about the amount of time you spend, but more on how well you do.
Chan Ee Mun, Architect


LEARNING (7)
When you are at a place in the organization where you're no longer able to learn anything from your bosses and yet also do not aspire to work in their roles/positions, it may be time for you to consider possible exit strategies.
Azmoon Ahmad, Vice President of Desay SV Automotive

When starting out on a new career, always start with a blank piece of paper to learn and seek out mentors who are willing to teach. If you are too full of yourself, there will be no space for anyone to "feed" with you anything.
Patrick Liew, CEO of HSR Global

When entering an unfamiliar market to work or invest in, one can cut short the learning process by collaborating with a local partner who knows the environment.
Andre Chiang, Chef-Owner of Restaurant Andre

Do not be enticed simply by a job prospect promising a bigger salary. Consider whether there are opportunities for development and growth from within.
Louis Lim, Partner of Bain & Company

When making a career switch, don't be caught up with comparing norms of compensation and bonuses; instead, focus on the learning and development opportunities that the new career holds.
Baey Yam Keng, MP for Tampines GRC

Spend the first six years developing a strong competence, then three years broadening and finally six years deepending a competence, after which you are a true professional. This is the 6-3-6 rule.
Adrian Lee, GM of Shell Chemicals

Don't be intimidated by people who are better than you. Learn from them instead, and emulate their successful habits and behaviours.
Irene Ang, CEO of Fly Entertainment


CROSS LEARNINGS AND FORWARD LOOKING (6)
Taking a sabbatical away from work or a lateral transfer from your usual field of profession can help you recalibrate your career vision and invigorate your energies.
Nagaraj Sivaram, Partner in Ernst & Young

Never be complacent with current success but look for avenues and inspiration (from new projects and people connections) to reinvent yourself.
Royston Tan, Filmmaker

To deepen your mastery of your craft, look for ways in which you can learn from multiple disciplines and merge them and see if you can come up with something new and different.
Royston Tan, Filmmaker

To stay current and gain new ideas in your field of work, be sure to go beyond the boundaries of your field and explore diverse perspectives that can then synergise with what you know.
Andre Chiang, Chef-Owner of Restaurant Andre

Do not just be working in the industry but make it a point to know the industry - the movements, players, the history and the future.
Andre Chiang, Chef-Owner of Restaurant Andre

Do not blindly follow trends. Instead be observant of where society is moving, and look for the opportunity to be the trendsetter.
Chan Ee Mun, Architect


PRIORITIES AND CONTRIBUTION (6)
Learn how to manage priorities or else priorities will end up managing you.
Tung Soo Hua, News Presenter

Establish some of the key pillars of your life, know what the order of focus among these key priorities is, and let other issues fall into place.
Junie Foo, Banker

There are always things beyond your control - optimise what you can control and not excessively fret over what you cannot.
Teo Lay Lim, Senior MD at Accenture

If you sometimes feel that what you do at work is insignificant, think of it as a crucial piece of the puzzle in the grand scheme of helping the organisation and clients solve their problems.
Teo Lay Lim, Senior MD at Accenture

When you are feeling sorry for yourself or about the work you do, think of ten things you do that allow the world to be a better place or that make someone's life better.
Azmoon Ahmad, Vice President of Desay SV Automotive

Graduate with the intention not just to be successful and earn a good living, but also to find a way to contribute back to society.
Hon Chiew Weng, Principal of Hwa Chong Institution


ATTITUDE (5)
It is easy to teach someone the skills for the job but difficult to teach curiosity, humility and eagerness to learn.
Andre Chiang, Chef-Owner of Restaurant Andre

Develop these key attributes as a job candidate - strong drive, quick intellect, coming across confident yet still humble and willing to learn.
Louis Lim, Partner of Bain & Company

If you want people to take you seriously, show sincerity and effort.
Kit Chan, Performer-Producer-Creative Director

Do your best in every job, because your next job will depend on the current one.
Kit Chan, Performer-Producer-Creative Director

Your ability to "dare to ask" can create many shortcuts to successes in career and life.
Ivan Lee, Founder of ThaiExpress


CHALLENGE YOURSELF (5)
Dare to swim against the tide and it will take you to places you never imagined.
Royston Tan, Filmmaker

Saying "yes" to taking on additional projects or roles can literally pave the way for you to be scouted for another one. Hence taking on challenges and additional tasks are really favours you are doing yourself to strengthen your skills and resume.
Teo Lay Lim, Senior MD at Accenture

Volunteering for "unpopular" tasks and assignments not onl makes you stand out as a leader but also can give you the sense of control and choice to make that task and assignment a success.
Irene Ang, CEO of Fly Entertainment

There is more than one way to reach your final destination. Sometimes, taking a less conventional path or a less direct track can have unexpected takeaways.
Patrick Liew, CEO of HSR Global

You may not have to switch job to look for more challenges. In these days of constant change, most who stick around the organization may get the interesting assignments or even their bosses' jobs.
Hon Chiew Weng, Principal of Hwa Chong Institution


FINDING THE RIGHT DIRECTION (4)
Companies have different cultural norms. Ideally choose to work for one where your personality matches the institutional culture.
Junie Foo, Banker

Some opportunities are truly "once in a lifetime", and you may have to jump right in. Try to get as much advice as you can from trusted sources, and ultimately listen to your heart.
Baey Yam Keng, MP for Tampines GRC

Do not be tempted by short-term gains and lose sight of the long-term implications of the choices you make.
Baey Yam Keng, MP for Tampines GRC

Redefine the meaning of wealth in your life - do not let material possessions be the sole driver of your choices. Have a clear sense of how greater wealth can improve the lives of loved ones and society; otherwise it becomes a meaningless pursuit.
Damian Pang, Consultant at AIA


LANGUAGES (2)
Having additional language skills is an asset but far more valued if you are able to speak, read and write fluently rather than have just conversational abilities.
Tung Soo Hua, News Presenter

If you learn a foreign language, learn it very well, so that it can be a distinguishing advantage that sets you apart from others, especially if you apply to a foreign MNC from that country.
Junie Foo, Banker


FAILURE (2)
Do not be afraid to say you have failed before. Be afraid instead to have not even tried at all.
Patrick Liew, CEO of HSR Global

The key to success is to fail often enough to accumulate enough lessons in order to make more than one shot in life.
Ivan Lee, Founder of ThaiExpress

Acupuncture Point Massage [Feb - Apr 2016]

With the launch of SkillsFuture, I started looking through the list of courses which are being covered by it. One of the courses provider is PA. Only a small percentage of courses by PA are covered by SkillsFuture. The rest of the courses are not. But I noticed there are several interesting courses being offered by PA, and the course fees are not as exorbitant as the private providers.

I made a list of courses which I would like to sign up for. One of it is the Acupuncture Point Massage, which are held in several community center. It cost $110 (without PA membership) or $98 (with PA membership). The center which starts the earliest and which is convenient to me in terms of time and location is at Bishan CC.

There have a free introduction course on the 15 Feb which I signed up for it. And it is followed by the 6 formal classes which run from 7.30pm to 9.30pm every Monday.

The trainer is TCM doctor Mr. Liu.

The course I signed up for is actually part 2 of the Acupuncture Point Massage. There is no per-requisite to Part 1 or Part 2. 

The first method we learnt is Gua Sha (刮痧) . It is a method of using a special comb-like tool to rub against our skin to stimulate blood circulation in that area. 

The second method we learnt is Ai Jiu (艾灸). It involves using a herbal stick to warm different parts of our body. As the herbal stick has smoke generated, we had the activity outdoors.

The last 3 lessons cover the different veins that link to our body 5 main organs (心肝脾肺肾). There are many applications of massaging the different veins for health purpose.

In our last lesson, we had a group photo below. 

The entire 7 lessons are interesting. It offers a perspective into Traditional Chinese Medicine. One of the most memorable period is when the teacher directly show each of us the veins and apply pressure to it.

One of the main takeaway from the course is the importance of having a healthy body, especially to have more regular exercise. There are several healthy practices such as not having heavy meals at night, sleeping early and watching our diet.

I'm not continuing with Part 1 of the course as I find myself not incline towards the study of medicine.

Only the Paranoid Survive by Andrew S Grove

 
This is my first completed book from the online national library. There are pros and cons to reading on a tablet as compared to a printed book. It's easy to bring a tablet anywhere and just start reading it. But it feels different from reading on a paper-printed background. It took me 5 days to complete it - while waiting and during my daily morning commute.

The title is something which I strongly agree with. In this fast-changing modern economy, only those who are constantly evolving, on the look out for changes - befitting of a paranoia character will survive.

The book is mainly on how Intel evolve over the decades to be a leader in microprocessor business. The main concept it convey is the 'Strategic Inflection Point' which we need to keep a lookout for. It mentioned about the 6 different forces that will affect business and the 10X force which is something will change the playing field altogether.

The computer industry is used to illustrate the strategic inflection point - on how it evolve from a vertically integrated industry to more horizontally integrated.

At the end of the book, it brings the topic closer to us by mentioning that 'Your career is your business'. We have to keep a lookout for strategic inflection point ourselves.

Do Over by Jon Acuff

Rescue Monday, Reinvent Your Work, and Never Get Stuck wrote the sub-title by Jon Acuff.

The title to this book caught my attention. Perhaps Jon Acuff could give me new insight on how I can perceive my work.

In his introduction piece, he related on how his neighbor Nate lost his job on a Friday. The people liked Nate, and he was great at his job, hitting his numbers for 8 years in a big company. But things changed and his role was no longer needed.

What happen if career ceiling starts coming in? The few options available include:
1) Getting a job at another company (delay tactics)
2) Doing a job that you do not want to do (becoming worst off)
3) Play along and die inside as long as you remain in the company (reality for most)

We all have this career repository known as the Career Savings Account. In it there are 4 elements (relationships, skills, character, hustle) where Jon explained in greater detail throughout the book.

1) Relationships
One of my take-away from the relationships segment is to continue to maintain good relationships with people we meet in our life. It can be from our school days, our ex-colleagues, people we met in professional or interest groups. It's good practice to keep in contact with them every though many people may be busy with their family or careers. In our relationship, there are some which we can regard them to be our mentor (advocate) in our career.

After reading this piece, I looked through my phone contact and started messaging some of my good old friends which I have not contacted more than a year.

2) Skills
Jon started by explaining on some key invisible skills such as the below:
Main:
1) Go to work, showing up on time
2) Adding value
3) Own your attitude
Others:
A) Exceed expectations
B) Be diplomatic
C) Express gratefulness
D) Show consideration for others
E) Focus on what matters (quality of work)
F) Play to your strengths and everyone else
G) Be flexible (environment)
H) Respect their gear (gadgets)
I) Continue your education

When we want to develop new skills, is it out of necessity of curiosity. It is at this point of the book where I started to think through the skills which I need to do my job better. Two necessity skills pop into my mind, they are 'Change Management' and 'Knowledge Management'. I immediately made my way to the library to borrow books on it. And moving forward, I will be attending a course on Acupuncture Pressure which is something of a curiosity learning for my side.

To develop new skill, the following need to be in place: Time, money, gear, access to experts and knowledge. Knowledge can be obtained from the library or the internet. But time maybe something which working professional may find lacking. There's two way in identifying time. One is a macro perspective of looking at our calendar year/month and setting aside time for learning. The second is the micro perspective where we look at the days and hours where we can squeeze out time for learning.

If we look at our time, we will realize we can get time from activities that are requesting resources without providing anything in return - such as Facebook, online gaming, watching TV, etc.

3) Character
He mentioned some typical bad character traits such as narcissism, dishonesty, pessimism, apathy. Good character includes generosity (which creates loyalty), empathy (how do we make people around bigger), being present (manage phone, computer and meetings).

The character portion is something that is linked to morality and an individual value system. For those with religion, their character are often guided by beliefs.

4) Hustle

Last is working hard. It means putting effort on our Relationships, Skills and Character. But do note that there are seasons to hustling. There are good times to hustle and certain times to not hustle. We have to be flexible on our dreams as we hustle. As we acquire more skills, strengthen our character and develop our relationships, we start to know our dreams better. It is important to note that focus important. As such, sometimes doing less is better.

Understanding HR in the new economy

During my final year in NUS, we have to take this new module called "Understanding HR in the new economy". This module left quite a deep imprint on me that up till today, I still remember it vividly. One of the main focus of this module is on the new economy and how we need to adapt to this new economy.

In there it mentioned that we need to accept changes to change our individual paradigm. It includes:
- Adaptable (Be prepared for changes)
- Multi-skilled (Transferable competencies, Specific job skills, Career development skills)
- Continuous learning
- Emotional Intelligence (Interpersonal skills, teamwork)
- Self-pace and self-discipline
- Resilient (To recover quickly from misfortune)

It also mentioned to accept organization changes which includes the below:
- Business structures
  - Intellectual changes (Knowledge as a competitive advantage)
  - Virtual organizations (Strategic alliances, outsourcing, contingent workforce)
  - Organizational learning
  - Focus on customer perceived value of products and services

- Management philosophy
  - Knowledge management (Information as a product on its own right)
  - Organizing around teams (Shared vision, social synergy, team learning)
  - New employment relationships (Core employees, contingent workers)

Singapore just recovered from the Asian Financial Crisis (1997), dot.com bubble burst (2001) and SARS (2003). Through this module, we were inculcated with a mindset that job stability is a thing of the past. To survive in this new economy, we have to keep learning and providing value to the organization.

It mentioned one can have many jobs in a life-time but have only one career. In the past, there used to be linear progression of upward promotions along predictable career path. There is a clear distinction between work and non-work roles. Now in modern days, we have reached a boundaryless-career which can span countries, industries, companies and professions. Individuals will go through a period of learning, unlearning and relearning over and over again. We have to take responsibility for our own career futures.

It includes:
- Knowing-why (career motivation, personal meaning and identification)
- Knowing-how (job skills, job-related experience, education)
- Knowing-whom (networks of people)

The new career is about building a self-designed career. We develop our career capital and establish a portfolio of skills by continuous learning. It is essential to be flexible and adaptable in accepting/expecting frequent job changes (high mobility).

This new career and economy arises because of the information technology revolution. Computers and networking technologies brought about this change. 

Reading

Reading is often the best approach towards lifelong learning. You can read anywhere and anytime at your convenience.

I read an article recently on how many successful entrepreneurs spent their free time reading. It came as a pleasant surprise and it also serve as a reminder to myself that lifelong learning is not just about attending courses.

Here are some of the books recommended by them:
- Bill Gates
- Mark Zuckerberg

Learning in the evening (生命的三分之一)

I always remember this particular article from my Secondary 4 Chinese textbook - 燕山夜话一篇文章 : 生命的三分之一. The article source is here.

　　一个人的生命究竟有多大意义，这有什么标准可以衡量吗？提出一个绝对的标准当然很困难；但是，大体上看一个人对待生命的态度是否严肃认真，看他对待劳动、工作等等的态度如何，也就不难对这个人的存在意义做出适当的估计了。
　　古来一切有成就的人，都很严肃地对待自己的生命，当他活着一天，总要尽量多劳动、多工作、多学习、不肯虚度年华，不让时间白白地浪费掉。我国历代的劳动人民以及大政治家、大思想家等等都莫不如此。
　　班固写的《汉书》《食货志》上有下面的记载：“冬，民既入；妇人同巷，相从夜绩，女工一月得四十五日。”
　　这几句读都来很奇怪，怎么一月能有四十五天呢？再看原文底下颜师古做了注解，他说：“一月之中，又得夜半为十五日，共四十五日。”
　　这就很清楚了。原来我国的古人不但比西方各国的人更早地懂得科学地、合理地计算劳动日；而且我们的古人老早就知道对于日班和夜班的计算方法。
　　一个月本来只有三十天，古人把每个夜晚的时间算做半日，就多了十五天。从这个意义上说来，夜晚的时间实际上不就等于生命的三分之一吗？
　　对于这三分之一的生命，不但历代的劳动人民如此重视，而且有许多大政治家也十分重视。班固在《汉书》《刑法》里还写道：
　　“秦始皇躬操文墨，昼断狱，夜理书。”
　　有的人一听说秦始皇就不喜欢他，其实秦始皇毕竟是中国历史上的一个伟大人物、班固对他也还有一些公平的评价。
　　这里写的是秦始皇在夜间看书学习的情形。
　　据刘向的《说苑》所载，春秋战国时有许多国君都很注意学习。如：
　　“晋平公问于师旷曰：吾年七十，欲学恐已暮矣。师旷曰：何不炳烛乎？”
　　在这里，师旷劝七十岁的晋平公点灯夜读，拚命抢时间，争取这三分之一的生命不至于继续浪费，这种精神多么可贵啊！
　　《北史》《吕思礼传》记述这个北周大政治家生平勤学的情形是：
　　“虽务兼军国，而手不释卷。昼理政事，夜即读书，令苍头执烛，烛烬夜有数升。”
　　光是烛灰一夜就有几升之多，可见他夜读何等勤奋了。象这样的例子还有很多。
　　为什么古人对于夜晚的时间都这样重视，不肯轻轻放过呢？我认为这就是他们对待自己生命的三分之一的严肃认真态度，这正是我们所应该学习的。
　　我之所以想利用夜晚的时间，向读者同志们做这样的谈话，目的也不过是要引起大家注意珍惜这三分之一的生命，使大家在整天的劳动、工作以后，以轻松的心情，领略一些古今有用的知识而已。

Since ancient times, successful people always give their best in work and continue to learn. They do not waste their time aimlessly. It is recorded in the book of history that people worked 30 days in a month. If the evening time is well-spent, they will have 45 days available. This is based on the assumption that a day of work is 8 hours. If the evening is well-spent, they have half a day more (4 hours more). This gives our life an additional 50% more time. There are many examples of great leaders who spent their evenings reading and studying. In this way, life becomes more fulfilling.