There Are Organisations That I Love to be a Part Of, and Some I Don't. This is Why...

One of my favourite roles to play is devil's advocate.

I've done this in almost every organisation I've been a part of, though never as a formal role.

(If anyone wants to hire me to play this role, I'll be very happy to take it on).

Their response to my roleplay determines how invested I become in that organisation.

So far, the only ones I continue to be invested in have a few similar traits:

They are generally de-centralised, open, and have leaders who are, themselves, often "misunderstood" or unconventional.

In my view, the latter traits are highly desirable.

The other organisations, most of which I have either withdrawn from or exist in their books in name only, also have their own similar traits:

1) They pay lip service to innovation, but shut down new ideas that don't come from their inner circle(s).

Worse, some of them have inner circles who claim credit, but never give it.

2) They lament problems in their organisation, meeting after meeting, but never seem to get any closer to solving them.

This happens in spite of good suggestions and ground-up initiatives.

3) They give little to no support to anyone who's trying something new, and are quick to pounce on mistakes and teething problems.

It's not hard to guess whether the people trying things out continue to do so.

I could go on and on, but this post will turn into a rant. So, I'm going to stop the list here.

If you're in an organisation that exhibits these traits, are you still with them? Why / why not?

I'd love to hear from you, especially about how you handle(d) the situation(s).

A Meeting With Interesting Minds and Intriguing Methods

A couple of days ago, I had a face-to-face meeting with someone I met at a face-to-face networking event.

We discussed an initiative that he first mentioned in passing during that networking event - to bring business education to a number of Asian countries.

That in itself may not sound novel, but the method model with which he wants to do it is.

And I got to briefly meet a couple of his business partners, who have very interesting backgrounds and ways of thinking about things.

So does the person with whom I arranged the meeting.

I'll be doing some hard ideation and connecting in the coming days, to come up with something to contribute to this initiative.

Thinking back, this incident was a stark reminder to me that this is all different, with new ways of thinking, and of doing things.

Just look at my first sentence. 2 years ago, I wouldn't have had to add "face-to-face" to that sentence. Twice.

It's a new world out there. And I'm gearing up to meet it.

Science and Research Have Trends Too. I Think It's Problematic. This is Why.

In view of the current pandemic, I imagined that there would be a surge of interest in the fields of microbiology and immunology.

And there was. To a certain extent.

Unfortunately, unlike about 15 years ago, biology and biotechnology are no longer ‘trendy’.

It’s most visible in the way the term STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) is used by schools (in Singapore) today.

Today, it is almost always used to refer to AI, programming, and robotics.

And if this is what the students grow up with, they will continue to automatically associate STEM with these areas.

There is no doubt that these are important fields to advance in and educate the next generation in.

At the same time, I wonder why there is so much focus on them and so few resources dedicated to other areas of STEM - chemical sciences, biological sciences, etc.

And then, I heard a comment on a program on TV that mentioned that science, like all other fields, goes through trends. And this happens because the scientific landscape is heavily influenced by the mighty dollar.

Whatever makes money becomes what the scientific community is pushed towards.

This is why I have great respect for scientists who work in fields that are “non-money-making”.

Think scientists deep in the rainforests collecting and cataloguing beetles, or out for weeks at a time on research vessels peering at fuzzy screens for signs of elusive denizens of the deep, or maintaining and attempting to grow endangered plants.

They may be poking into the quantum mysteries of the universe, tinkering with substances to come up with better insulating material for jackets, even testing new ways of preparing bouncy, sustainable fishballs.

Some research seems mundane, others feel incomprehensible.

Whatever the case, I feel that science should really be less about money and more about exploration and testing.

Yes, by all means bolster efforts to advance in the "current" things, but give some coverage and attention to the other areas of science as well.

There are so many, you'll never run out of things to be awed by and fascinated with.

I'm Leaving the School Enrichment Market. Here's Why.

If the market you've been in for over 10 years is deteriorating into a race to the bottom, and showing increasing instability, on top of a refusal to do things in new ways (i.e. innovate), would you stick it out?

Or would you look into a new one, possibly even create your own?

This was a dilemma I started to ponder upon 3 years ago. Things were so unpredictable, that I sometimes went months without substantial projects.

And then, the pandemic hit. And projects vapourised, with only vague promises, constant postponements, and non-committal nods.

This was the kick I needed to decide to get out of a market that I'd been clinging on to, both because of fear of the unknown and fond memories.

And thus, I am exiting the school enrichment market (in Singapore).

I would have loved to stay, but there are too many things wrong with it, and too little being done to rectify them.

Perhaps I'll expound on these things in a future post and hope for improvement for the sake of those still in it, but, for now, I'm looking towards a future that is, though still clouded, full of potential.

To those I've worked with, and are still in it, I wish I didn't have to go, but I cannot be part of this swirling maelstrom anymore.

Take heart. Things will eventually look up.

And I'm sure we'll meet again, though likely in different capacities.

This isn't really goodbye.