[Featured photo: ESM Goh Chok Tong, SMU Chairman Ho Kwon Ping, MAS Managing Director Ravi Menon, EDB Chairman Beh Swan Gin, ISL Board Member Dr. Noeleen Heyer and Executive Director Martin Tan with other guests and delegates of the inaugural Singapore Summit Young Societal Leaders Programme.]

What are the common traits of effective leaders? ESM Goh Chok Tong, who was Singapore’s second prime minister from 1990 to 2004, shared his candid advice and perspective with 18 young leaders from around Asia who were in Singapore for the Singapore Summit Young Societal Leaders Programme.

Speaking at the Hilton Singapore hotel on 13 September 2017, ESM Goh emphasised the importance of young leaders working together to address the needs in society. Drawing on experiences from his personal journey, ESM Goh advised young leaders to have a sense of gratitude for how other people had helped them, and to be ready to serve others when called upon.

"I belonged to a generation that could see the work done for us by (founding prime minister) Lee Kuan Yew and the 'old guard' leaders. We just felt we had to carry on," said ESM Goh at the Programme’s Welcome Dinner. 

The newly launched Singapore Summit Young Societal Leaders Programme was conceptualised to promote the exchange of multigenerational perspectives among young societal leaders with apex influencers from the private and public sectors. Through dialogues and field visits to sites such as the Newater Visitor Centre, Geyland Adventures and Healthserve, Samsui Central Kitchen at Singapore Changi Prison and Launchpad at Ayer Rajah, the four-day Programme aimed to catalyse networking and collaborative opportunities, as well as challenge young leaders to embrace creative approaches to pertinent issues impacting society.

The Programme featured 18 outstanding professionals under the age of 40, who were nominated from 10 countries across the world, representing the next generation of leaders demonstrating a strong commitment towards the work of making societies better for all. Among them was 29-year old Lotfullah Najafizada from Afghanistan, an award-winning journalist; Myanmar’s 28-year old Nang Lang Kham, Deputy CEO of Myanmar’s largest private bank KBZ Bank; as well as Singapore’s 31-year old Rebekah Lin who is Co-founder of Chloros Solution, a consultancy that provides solutions for environmental sustainability design. Rebekah is also Co-Founder of The Social Co, the team that initiated the 50 For 50 project in September 2014 where they brought together more than 80 young people under the age of 35, and 70 corporations, to raise awareness of and funds for lesser-known causes such as mental health, suicide prevention and charities that serve those with physical and mental disabilities.

During a one-hour dialogue, ESM Goh underscored how the energy and idealism of society’s young leaders, within and outside government, contributes towards a vibrant society. He then answered questions from delegates on a range of issues from the ways of working effectively with leaders of different ideologies to the evolving state of Singapore’s political leadership, to name a few.

ESM Goh explained that leaders of different ideologies could nevertheless find common ground as long as they shared common goals of wanting to improve lives and society. Hence, focusing on shared objectives, instead of ideological differences, would allow progress and engender win-win outcomes. 

Another message conveyed by ESM Goh was that leadership had to be relevant to its time. In the context of Singapore’s politicial leadership, the decisiveness and strong personality of Mr Lee Kuan Yew was well-suited for the period of building Singapore from scratch in a newly post-independence era. With a population that was more educated, ESM Goh moved towards a gentler and more consultative form of government when he became Prime Minister, emphasing the values of a gracious and inclusive society.

It was a leadership style that worked for him. “It was more comfortable walking in my own shoes.” On this note, Mr Ho Kwon Ping, the Singapore Summit conference chairman and SMU chairman, who moderated the dialogue, commended ESM Goh for being an authentic leader. He lauded ESM Goh for never bowing to the temptation of leading in Mr Lee’s style. Mr Ho noted that when succeeding others in leadership positions, "there's always the temptation to try to be someone you're not because you think there are expectations of you". Simply put, it was a message for every leader to listen to their own inner voice and be confident of who they were.

On what could be done to sustain a leaders’s legacy, ESM Goh said, "Firstly, find good people who can succeed you - not just in politics, but all over. Secondly, build institutions and structures - Youth institutions, the civil service, the judiciary, universities, corporations, the business sector, the social service sector – which are manned by able, honest, sincere people. Thirdly, instil the right values in people and in society."

To find out more about the Singapore Summit Young Societal Leaders Programme, please visit https://www.singaporesummit.sg/content.aspx?sid=44

You can also read The Straits Times Op Ed penned by SMU Chairman Ho Kwon Ping on The Case for Societal Leadership here.