Above all else

How often have you seen this: some kind of problem situation arises, and then the people outside the problem swiftly produce lots of insights about all the things that the people in place did wrong. Classic examples include shaking wise heads at the board and management of Kodak, which failed to respond to the rise of digital photography; Nokia and Research in Motion (Blackberry), which failed to address the threat of touchscreen smartphone competitors; and Blockbuster, which didn't anticipate the pivot from physical video rentals to online streaming. Or the financial crisis of 2008-2009, and the failure of banks, insurers and regulators to recognise the deadly cocktail of low interest rates, lax lending standards, conflicts of interest with ratings agencies, and more, and the "inevitable" crash that followed. Somehow we think that, if we had been there, we would have been the canary in the coal mine. We would have had the foresight to identify the risk. ...

The internet in Singapore has been abuzz with the story of Nisar Keshvani and his family, who were evacuated from Riyadh in the wake of the war with Iran. His heartwarming story evokes the feeling of having returned home the moment he boarded the RSAF aeroplane, and how the passengers even broke into an impromptu rendition of the Singapore national anthem.  What an amazing thing it is to return home! Our home on earth has a special place in each of our hearts. I definitely feel something special when I return from travel overseas, and I know my children feel the same way, especially those years when they're living overseas. Returning home is not necessarily just an emergency rescue (though sometimes it can be!).  The Bible famously records in Jeremiah 29:10-11, "When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give...

Many years ago now, I had the great opportunity to go back to school. It was a little nervewracking, since it had been years since I had been in a formal academic setting. It was also unfamiliar. I was going to a U.S. business school, with clever and experienced business people all around me - CEOs, CFOs and other C-somethings from all over the world, who were often leaders of thousands of people. By comparison, I was just a technician. But the experience was great! I saw how many people were willing to speak their mind, whether they were ready or not, and not immediately worry about whether they were right. A lot of thinking was wacky - and that was the point - I started to understand why that country has so many moonshot successes, and why their innovation culture is so strong, even amidst the many bad ideas and failures. This concept of "success amidst failure" brings me to the present day. When I returned to Singapore, I joined the local alumni club of the bu...