6 Lessons from Global Leadership Programme
Quek Wen Jia Marcus
Make challenges fun,
Something to look forward to when you wake up; Something you will never forget.
As adults, we are expected to be mature and face reality with an iron fist. Yet, we yearn to unite with the excitement from childhood. This enthusiasm was evident in Leader Shape and Camp Challenge. The child’s mentality - cheering one other on, getting back on our feet, and treating ourselves upon success – was a (strangely) effective way to deal with the rigour adulthood. This positive outlook extended beyond these camps, from Boat Building to the day-to-day shenanigans in the States. The motivation is simple: fun activities leave stronger impressions, reinforce learning and build camaraderie. After all, the memories that remain with us for life is not so much as to what was done, but how it was done.
Laugh at how insignificant your problems become when seen from a
global perspective. Conflicts are central to being human. At times, we may feel that a problem is too complex to handle. However, on closer inspection, the issue is often simpler than we think. It could be a difference in expectations, a misunderstood act of tough love, or a matter of how we work – which was what my boat team learnt when poor communication led us to remove a bulkhead by force. The duality of our nature – that we are prone to the same emotions, yet struggle to connect due to different cultural upbringings or opportunities, was a key takeaway from Globalisation, Leader Shape and Boat Building. This helped us empathise, appreciate one another’s talents and put aside our differences. There is no universal stupidity, only universal misunderstanding.
Dare to be to express your beliefs, and to be who you are.
The American culture has taught me to speak and listen from the heart, rather than what is expected of me. The family cluster system in Leadershape, for instance, fostered an environment for sincere feedback. Being honest with others can be a challenge if we are not honest with ourselves. As such, to Lead in Integrity, we should first understand ourselves through reflection. When we become transparent to one another, we lose the assumption that everyone thinks like ourselves, and appreciate diverse views. Sadly, our differing work ethics made us overlook the our differing sensitivities to gender bias during Boat Building. Like the Americans, we should cultivate more inclusive environments like the family cluster to our homes, schools and workplaces.
There is no
learning
if all you do is ask.
Research, Experiment, Validate,
Try. There is a limit to how much advice can help us, as there may be multiple ways to do things. Moreover, it is hard to identify potential problems until a task is experimented first-hand. Since everyone made a different stove design for Wilderness, I was prompted to reconsider why my design did not work on my own. Iterating and trying several times was how I troubleshoot it. Expert advice also rarely resonate with us until we experience it the hard way. It was only after I lost my food at Pi Beta Phi that I became more diligent in labelling and positioning my groceries. Like the real world, communal living had uncertainties that required the fortitude to try, fail and try again. The journey to find a better way to do things is tough, but nevertheless rewarding.
A
b r o k e n window can become an open window, when expectations are lowered.
While it is good to seek perfection, it is more important to see reality and acknowledge limitations. In Ceramics, we found out that even a basic move like centring on the wheel takes weeks to master. Knowing this, my takeaway from the sessions shifted from seeking perfection to exploring possibilities. My pieces became stepping stones for continuous learning. Even with sufficient preparation, there is always a chance of things going wrong. Despite learning how to sail at the MIT Sailing Pavilion, our hopes to capture the sunset were dashed by cloud cover – something we could not prevent. Life’s misfortunes can only be remedied by a flexible change in mind-set – one that values learning over results, and process over product.
Get on board, Let mind
and body
meet.
The dazzling firework display on the 4th of July was a moment of wholehearted engagement. They were, metaphorically speaking, flashes of inspiration. Their brevity prompted me to hunt for opportunities as I became aware that life is short and there is much to experience. As such, I hopped on a Hubway bike and immersed myself into the culture of Boston and her neighbours. But how do I ‘live in the moment’? In Architectural Drawing, observation and creativity were used to capture the energy of place in paper. Similarly, by noticing how people and places made me feel and picturing how everyone falls in place in the universe, I engage my senses. Being in the present means making sure I do things not for the sake of doing, but because I want to do it.
6 Lessons from Global Leadership Programme
Enthuse
Empathise
Express
Experiment
Explore
Engage