Advance your career in Singapore by strategically using technology. Learn to leverage AI, combat digital fatigue, and maintain authenticity to stay competitive. Actionable insights from GJC.
Written by: Destiny Goh
In Singapore’s competitive talent landscape, retaining high-performing employees requires more than just recognition or compensation-it demands a holistic approach to workplace culture and employee growth. Key strategies include fostering open channels for innovation, empowering staff through trust and delegation (not micromanagement), consistently recognising achievements, providing clear career advancement opportunities, and ensuring strong alignment between company values and employee expectations. By addressing these critical factors, business owners can proactively reduce attrition, boost engagement, and create an environment where top talent chooses to stay and thrive.
George began as a junior at a reputable firm and was awarded the best employee two consecutive years. He worked long hours and took on miscellaneous tasks. His boss praised his reliability, and his colleagues liked him because he was the go-to person for help.
He took courses to upskill in hopes of receiving a promotion or raise because of the new skills he acquired and implemented. When the time for promotions came, he received another employee of the year award and a voucher for a free meal.
Defeated, he finally submitted his resignation letter to his surprised boss. When asked why, George claimed it was due to a lack of work recognition and career growth. As business owners in Singapore, you’ve likely poured your heart and soul into building your company. You celebrate successes, navigate challenges, and understand that employees are your greatest asset. So, what happens when those who exceed expectations and drive your business forward hand in their resignation that you didn’t see coming?
The reasons high-performing employees leave run deeper. Ignoring underlying issues drains talent, impacts productivity, team morale, and your bottom line. In a market where talent is mobile, understanding and addressing these issues is more critical than ever.
What are these underlying factors, amplified by the current job market dynamics, and what can you do about them?
High performers are often filled with ideas to drive innovation and improve processes. If their suggestions are constantly dismissed or resisted without reason, it sends a message that their contributions are not valued, which can cause frustration and stagnation. Why remain where their initiatives are suppressed when other companies may be more receptive?
Gabriel Chua, General Manager at Good Job Creations, shared that our employees use the one-on-one monthly meeting with their direct reporting managers to share their ideas, challenges or areas they need help.
Creating channels for employees to share their ideas shows that you value their input and fosters a culture of continuous improvement. Though not all ideas will be implemented, providing feedback about your decision is significant. Employees who feel heard can be a significant differentiator in a competitive market.
When micromanagers constantly monitor and control their employees’ every action, they send a message: ‘I don’t believe you can do anything without my constant intervention.’ Your actions dampen their productivity and disregard their skill sets, diminishing their trust and respect for you. An important point to note is that sometimes, it depends on the employees’ capability and experience. Some may require more parameters/guidelines/regular check-ins, but it does not mean micromanagement, though some employees may think that way.
To avoid this occurrence, it’s crucial to delegate tasks with clear expectations that empower your team. Leaders should define their expectations, provide resources, and then step back to give the team autonomy.
Psychologists Edward Deci and Richard Ryan theorised that intrinsic motivation is driven by self-fulfilment and genuine curiosity. When people feel empowered over their actions, they’re much more likely to be intrinsically motivated to engage. Employees who are given ownership of their work leverage their skills and take pride in their accomplishments
Most high performers are self-driven, and the lack of recognition of their contributions can be demotivating. It creates a feeling that their extra effort is expected, not appreciated. It isn’t about grand gestures every week; it’s about consistent, genuine acknowledgement of the impact of their work. Positive reinforcement impacts their morale and team spirit.
Public praise and acknowledgement from leaders make employees feel valued. Generic recognition may feel impersonal and less impactful. Understand what motivates individuals; genuine care and understanding create engaged and productive employees.
Most high-performing individuals are often driven by a desire for continuous growth and development, so if there’s a lack of advancement opportunities, they will look for it elsewhere. 43% of professionals in Asia cited a lack of future opportunities as a reason to leave, a significant increase from 35% in 2024.
Today, job seekers are asking about growth opportunities during interviews. If interviewers provide vague or unclear answers, these potential individuals will move on to the next company that does. The markets are evolving, and there’s a need to invest in employee development to keep the organisation competitive.
Employee development initiatives range from relevant workshops, mentorship opportunities with key leaders, to cross-functional projects. It’s important to make career progression pathways explicit.
Good Job Creations’(GJC) Recruitment Agency, Managing Director, Kimiya Shibazaki, said employees stay when they feel they make a meaningful contribution. This sense of purpose fosters a strong sense of belonging. Leaders should encourage employees to take ownership of their personal growth, creating confident and capable individuals.
Providing avenues for growth demonstrates your commitment to your employees’ future and keeps them engaged and challenged. It strengthens your talent pool and reduces the need to recruit externally, which can be particularly challenging given that 62% of Asian organisations experienced moderate to extreme skill shortages in 2024, with Japan and Thailand facing the most severe deficits (71%).
Employees seek workplaces where their values align with a company’s culture and ethics. When high performers recognise a disconnect between the company mission and core values and what it does, it could be their reason for departure if they witness unethical behaviours or practices.
Oversights often lead to toxic work environments, such as high competition and performance pressures–the ‘kiasu’ culture in Singapore, driven by the fear of getting left behind.
The overtime culture is still deeply ingrained in the minds of many Asian countries because of unspoken pressures to stay longer than required at work to show their commitment to the role.
In a globalised world where many demand transparency, strong ethical foundations have become non-negotiable for companies seeking to attract and retain top talent.
Leaders should clearly define and communicate their company values and practice what they preach to ensure those values are consistently reflected in their leadership decisions, company policies, and daily operations.
Gabriel Chua shares that our leaders prefer the ‘show, not tell’ method. ‘We prefer to openly communicate or dialogue in work settings, for example, communicating company values while practising what we preach to ensure those values are also reflected in our leadership decisions, policies or daily operations. This creates a ripple effect for the rest to follow. ‘
A strong and authentic company culture fosters a sense of belonging and purpose. When employees feel their values align with the organisation’s values, they are more likely to be engaged, committed, and willing to contribute.
Retaining your top talent isn’t just about preventing departures. It’s about cultivating a thriving environment. Understanding the real reasons why high-performing employees leave is crucial.
It’s within your power to create a workplace where your best people are retained and empowered to drive your business forward.
At Good Job Creations, understanding the nuances of talent management in this evolving landscape is our forte. If you’d like to discuss how our HR solutions can help your organisation’s recruitment or SEA hiring (Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Japan and Thailand), we’re here to partner with you. Let’s build a future where your best employees choose to stay and grow with you.
For business queries or finding the right fit, please email us at: enquiry@goodjobcreations.com.sg
As your talent enabler, GJC understands the importance of connecting talents to the right jobs and being compensated fairly for your skills and experience, so we created a valuable resource to walk you through this journey. If you’re looking to negotiate your salary or faced with a tricky negotiation process, download GJC’s 2025 Singapore Salary Guide for our data-driven insights.
Singapore’s dynamic economy presents both opportunities and challenges for job seekers. The city-state is known for its innovation and finance. But, global changes and new industry trends need a proactive way to manage your career. One crucial aspect often overlooked is salary negotiation. In a climate where the cost of living is rising and talent is valued, a reluctance to negotiate can be a costly mistake.
According to a recent survey by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), Singapore’s economy is projected to grow by 2.6% in 2025. While this growth is lower than the 4.4% recorded in 2024, it still presents opportunities for job seekers. Industries like transportation, healthcare, and IT are driving job growth.
The stigma and attitude toward salary negotiation have greatly shifted. Today, employers view negotiations as a sign of confidence in those who take charge of their careers.
Singapore’s job market is competitive, with a shortage of skilled talent. This situation allows candidates to negotiate better when salary data is available.
Salary negotiation isn’t approached the same way everywhere. Cultural background affects how people communicate. Some cultures value directness, but others prefer a more indirect style. Economic conditions can also impact confidence. Your research and using tools like our Salary Guide, can give you a solid, unbiased base no matter the background.
Negotiating your salary has positive implications for your career trajectory. Taking charge of your pay shows how much you value your work during your job. Good salary negotiations can significantly affect your career income and financial health.
Strategic preparation is key to successful negotiation. Research salaries for your role and industry. Use online resources, industry reports, and salary guides. Also, talk to professionals in your field. Doing so helps you define an acceptable salary, the ideal target, and a realistic range.
Most employers want to see results as numbers. So, take time to highlight your contributions and show your value. For example, you can say: ‘In this project, I proposed this initiative, which saved the company xxx amount instead of the usual xxx. That’s a difference of xxx%.’
Finally, practice the salary negotiation process with people who can give helpful feedback. This will help you gain confidence as you prepare and refine your opening statements and frame your counterarguments.
If you plan to negotiate a salary raise, thoroughly evaluate the company’s recent performance and overall financial health. This important context gives you insights. It can help you decide when to bring up the topic. It also allows you to adjust your negotiation strategy to fit the company’s current situation. Demonstrating an understanding of their financial position can also strengthen your overall argument.
Do your best to maintain a positive outlook and professionalism throughout the conversation. This reinforces the idea that you intend to have a mature conversation and not make demands.
Pay close attention to your employers’ responses and concerns. Often, their explanations might reveal their constraints or areas where they have more flexibility. When you see things from their point of view, you can gather information and respond in a way that is impactful during critical moments.
You may not get your exact desired salary immediately. Be prepared to discuss a range or explore other forms of compensation. This may include bonuses, career growth chances, or better benefits such as insurance and wellness programmes. Tactfully frame your negotiation as a way for the company to retain a valuable employee and for you to be fairly compensated for your contributions.
If a higher base salary is not attainable due to a company’s budget constraints, you can still make room to negotiate secondary benefits. They could be more flexible in providing benefits like health insurance, transport allowances, or wellness programmes.
The most crucial part of the negotiation is your response to their offer. Start by showing your gratitude. Then, share your desired number: “Thank you for the offer! I’m excited to keep contributing to this organisation. Based on my recent research and my years of experience, I was hoping for a salary increment of xxx to my current salary.”
Understanding your value is key. It helps you provide a clear explanation of why you want a raise. You can frame your request like this: “My skills are in demand, and I have a strong track record of success in this area. Here are the key results to support this statement.”
Employers are primarily concerned with what you can do for the organisation. Frame your desired salary around the value you can and will bring to the company rather than your personal or financial needs.
Not all salary negotiations work out, even after inquiring about other benefits or flexibility. Being polite and courteous during the conversation is key. This helps you avoid burning professional bridges. It is your choice if you wish to revisit the subject at a later date or look for other opportunities that can compensate for your skills. Through this process, you will be well-equipped to advocate for your value.
Knowing your market value is key. It’s not about getting better pay, but setting yourself up for future career success. GJC’s 2025 Singapore Salary Guide offers the insights and data you need to kick off your journey.
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Written By: Rose Tan
The global workforce is undergoing a significant shift in HR modernisation. Compelling statistics highlight the urgency of this change. The 2024 State of the Global Workplace report from Gallup reveals that only 23% of employees worldwide feel genuinely engaged. This low engagement leads to a staggering loss of productivity, costing US$8.9 trillion each year. Companies with highly engaged employees earn 23% more profit and see a 14% increase in productivity compared to those with lower engagement levels.
In Singapore’s competitive market, keeping talent is essential. The cost of replacing an employee can reach 150% of their annual salary, especially for specialised roles. 46% of Singaporean employees may leave their jobs within a year. This disengagement can significantly impact finances. Companies need to adopt strategies to boost employee engagement and retention.
Disengaged employees drain resources and hurt productivity. Gallup’s 2024 State of the Global Workplace report shows a stark reality: only 23% of employees worldwide feel engaged. This disengagement costs the global economy US$8.9 trillion each year. The situation is as worrying in Singapore. Research shows disengaged employees are less productive. They also miss more work and increase turnover rates. This disrupts workflow and team spirit, leading to significant financial losses.
In contrast, companies with engaged employees enjoy many benefits. Gallup’s research shows these companies see a 23% increase in profitability and a 14% rise in productivity. Engaged employees care more about their work, are more innovative, and often go above and beyond. They help make the workplace better, and boost business growth.
In today’s job market, flexible arrangements and hybrid models are key to attracting and keeping talent. Employees appreciate the freedom and work-life balance these models offer. They can decide when and where to work. This flexibility cuts stress, raises job satisfaction, and aids in juggling personal and work tasks.
Hybrid models mix remote work with in-person collaboration. This approach balances face-to-face interactions and builds team unity. Companies that support hybrid and flexible work show they care about employee well-being. This approach also helps create a more inclusive and engaging workplace. This adaptability is key for attracting and keeping a diverse workforce. It also helps build a culture of trust and autonomy.
Technology is growing fast. This change is transforming HR practices. As a result, organisations are using new tools to stay competitive. AI tools streamline tasks, enhance decision-making, and improve the employee experience. They automate repetitive tasks, allowing HR professionals to focus on strategic goals. AI recruitment platforms expedite candidate selection and enhance hiring quality. Employee experience platforms support instant feedback and custom development. This helps create a more engaging workplace, which boosts productivity and keeps employees longer.
Creating a supportive and inclusive work environment is paramount in today’s competitive landscape. This means creating inclusive policies for all employees. We should promote work-life balance through flexible work options. We should aim to reduce stress with mental health resources and wellness programmes. These efforts create a workplace where employees feel valued and can do their best.
The Singapore Budget 2025 is a positive step for employee well-being and skills development. The SkillsFuture Workforce Development Grant provides significant financial support. It covers up to 70% of costs for companies that train their workers. This includes older staff and those using digital HR solutions. The Progressive Wage Credit Scheme encourages businesses to adopt progressive wage models. It rewards those that focus on employee growth and skills development. Organisations can use these Government Support initiatives to create a more engaged and skilled workforce. This also shows their commitment to a supportive and inclusive work environment.
1. Skills Development:
2. Personalised Benefits:
3. Holistic Wellness:
4. Feedback and Recognition:
Track key metrics to assess the effectiveness of your HR modernisation efforts:
Regularly analyse this data to make informed decisions and ensure your strategies are driving positive change.
Embracing HR modernisation and boosting employee engagement are key to success today. Companies in Singapore can create a more engaged and productive workforce by using flexible work options, applying new technologies, and creating welcoming workplaces. This journey of HR modernisation gives organisations a chance to adapt, innovate, and grow sustainably.
Our team of experts at Good Job Creations specialises in providing tailored HR solutions to help organisations navigate the complexities of HR modernisation.
Contact us today for a complimentary consultation and discover how we can empower your organisation to build a thriving and engaged workforce for the future.
Written By: Destiny Goh
First, understand the purpose of reskilling and upskilling: what is there a need for you to do so, and what benefits will it bring to your career or personal life?
People prioritise and intentionally set aside time for what is important to them. Here are some actionable steps you may want to consider as a busy working adult:
Making a mid-career switch requires careful consideration of various aspects, here are some key pointers before you make the bold switch:
Assess your skills and interests: Identify your transferable skills and hard skills. This self-reflection can reveal potential new career paths that align with your strengths and interests. You may consider building a skill based on interest or what you’re already good at; however, knowing what your individual ‘burnout’ skill (skills you excel at but do not use often) and try to avoid or minimise placing it as your core skill in the role you are doing if possible.
Research growth sectors: Look into industries that are sustainable with strong future prospects. You may see the full list here.
Analyse and assess your financial implications: Career changes often result in salary adjustments that may affect your idea of financial stability, and for some, they may impact your family who are dependent on you.
Assessing your financial implications will lead you to create a realistic budget for potential income fluctuations, any new expenses incurred and whether if it will cause an impact on your long-term financial goals.
Seek professional guidance: Consider consulting with a certified career coach who can help you evaluate and identify suitable options based on your profile, skills and aspirations. They have the potential to offer you a range of helpful advise and insights that can help you create a strategic pathway of change.
Explore training opportunities: Research programs like the SkillsFuture Career Transition Programme (SCTP) offers training in in-demand fields such as project management, cybersecurity, and sustainability. See our list of learning platforms here.
Ministry of Trade & Industry (MTI) reported Singapore’s GDP (gross domestic product) at 3.5% in 2024; the economy was primarily driven by manufacturing, wholesale trade, and finance and insurance sectors. There is a continued demand for job in sectors such as Agritech, Financial Services, Green Economy, Healthcare, Infocomm tech, Maritime, Semiconductor, Construction, Wholesale trade and transportation and storage.
For the full list of exact job titles, click here to see the full list.
Navigating gender-based favoritism, especially in promotions, can be challenging. We believe every individual should be rewarded based on merit and not social construct.
Here are some insights we can offer to help you navigate through this situation.
Keep a detailed account of your work accomplishments, projects and success. These can act as proof of your contributions to support your claims and counter against biased statements or decisions.
This is not an opportunity for confrontation but rather to handle the situation in a tactful manner. Instead of fronting your conversation with accusation, try framing it toward asking for new opportunities or offering to contribute your skills in different areas of work. Don’t hesitate to advocate for yourself; you can exercise diplomacy by saying, ‘I’m committed to our team and the company, and want to be part of an organisation that values my contributions; I may need to explore other opportunities if we cannot align on this.’
Take proactive steps should you feel that you are constantly overlooked for new opportunities. Schedule regular check-ins with your manager to discuss your performance and career goals. You may want to inquire if there are any concerns regarding your ability to handle new responsibilities.
Should the problem persist, you may seek professional advice from trusted colleagues. Remember that your discussion focuses on finding constructive solutions rather than criticising the party.
Read our article to find out how you can best navigate through this situation.
To stay adaptable while prioritising valuable skills in a fast-changing market without constantly chasing trends, professionals should develop a balanced skill set that combines technical expertise, essential & transferable skills, and a growth mindset. Here are some actionable you can consider:
Develop a strong foundation of core skills: Focus on building fundamental skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving, data analysis, and digital literacy. These skills are transferable across industries and roles with its ability to help you adapt quickly and remain relevant.
Cultivate your essential (soft) skills: Invest in developing skills such as communication, creativity, leadership, and emotional intelligence; these are valuable and can be challenging to automate, but also crucial for long-term career resilience and overall job satisfaction. You can build these skills by interacting, observing, and acquiring feedback from trusted aides, then put what you have learned into practice.
Focus on adaptability and learning agility: Develop your ability to learn quickly and apply new knowledge where it’s needed. You can build this skill by putting theories (what you learned) into practice, whether it’s through quizzing yourself, teaching someone, or sharing what you learned. Foster a habit of curiosity by trying new things, seeking feedback for your work, and learning from reliable sources and from the experiences of others.
This habit helps you master new skills and knowledge at a faster rate and helps you adapt to new situations/environments much easier without the need to constantly chase trends.
Align your skills with long-term career goals: Through self-assessments, you can identify your career aspiration, interests, and existing and required skills to create a development plan.
You may do so using psychometric tests such as RIASEC or Knowdell Card Sort. If you need professional perspectives, speak to trusted aides or a career counsellor for a clearer interpretation. Then, focus on developing and refining the skills that align with them, you may choose to engage in professional development activities such as certification courses, workshops to elevate your skillset. Doing so strategically propels you toward your career trajectory.
Leverage professional certifications: Consider pursuing relevant professional certification or specialisation in your industry. Curated and strategic learning paths provide structured skill development and improve your employability in the market.
To balance investing in employee development and getting immediate results can be challenging, but here’s what we think can strike a balance between the two:
Employee development initiatives should be aligned with the organisations’ strategic goals. This ensures that all development initiatives will contribute to the desired short and long-term results. By weaving the individuals’ development and company’s growth, employees will be aware of how their learnings will support the organisation’s objectives and growth.
OKRs differ from key performance indicators (KPIs) as it functions to identify the desired targets and the required metrics to help the team stay on track instead of solely focused on performance. They serve encourage teams to strive for outcomes that may seem impossible through better communication. OKRs will act as a guide to help align an individual’s overall development with organisation goals while focusing on results.
Employees experience confusion when they are met with unrealistic or unspoken expectations, leading to a loss of sense of direction and role identity within the company.
Organisations should focus on communicating clear career trajectories, such as charting concise career paths and achievements that lead to progression and defining the skills needed for each role. All discussions with employees should be transparent.
By making L&D opportunities or mentorship programs accessible, you effectively empower your employees to take responsibility for their professional development. Efforts like these enable them to understand how their learning and development efforts contribute to immediate results and future organisational opportunities.
It’s important to provide equal L&D opportunities to all employees regardless of their achievements and rank, such as creating structured L&D processes to ensure accountability and bias. Organisations can take a step further by offering diverse learning options to support different learning styles and schedules. To promote transparency, employees should be made aware of the available L&D opportunities and benchmarks used for assessment.
Through focusing on equal but accountable development opportunities, companies can foster higher employee engagement and increased overall job satisfaction.
By Destiny Goh
We just wrapped our workshop, Building a Resilient Career: Thriving Amid Singapore’s Rapid Globalisation workshop on 11 January. This was a co-pilot program with Workforce Singapore (WSG), meant to help local job seekers thrive in today’s competitive scene.
Our speaker panellists were Sharon Pock, an HR leader at Voyager Worldwide;
Ivan Choong, a certified job and career transition/development coach;
Rena Oh, HR head at Easmed and Volunteer Career Advisor (VCA) at WSG;
Gabriel Tan, our team leader and moderator.
Singapore once had a poor economy with high unemployment and inadequate infrastructure, but it has since undergone rapid globalisation and emerged as one of the world’s most prosperous countries. To bolster such advancement, the growing workforce is expected to evolve and adapt to drive the nation’s progress; upskilling and reskilling will become the forefront of this movement.
Upskilling and reskilling can help individuals build or enhance their competitive skills and craft a resilient career. Before embarking on this journey, conducting a career health check-in through psychological tests is advised to help identify areas requiring further development and nurturing. This enables you to make informed decisions that result in career growth.
Riasec test and Knowdell Card Sorts are two tools mentioned that serve as a guideline to evaluate career health. They help individuals understand their strengths, skills, priorities, and interests. Some test results are straightforward; however, if you want to make significant changes to your career, such as a mid-career switch, you should seek a second opinion from a professional career coach or speak to someone with the same experience to help you make wise decisions and provide you with perspectives.
One of the key challenges individuals who undergo mid-career switches face is the difficulty of positioning their relevant transferable skills. Although job-specific technical skills are crucial, demonstrating your soft skills is essential to ease into a new transition. Leadership, communication, creativity, decision-making, and problem-solving skills are necessary in roles that require collaboration, innovation and initiative-driven. Transferable skills are not confined to a specific industry or role but are relatively sustainable in the long term.
Next, interests and concerns in technology have increased consecutively; artificial intelligence (AI) is the most prominent and widely discussed. AI brings plenty of benefits, from reducing human error to increasing productivity by consolidating tasks into simpler steps and having the ability to optimise, innovate, and improve various functions—AI was meant to make life easier and not necessarily replace it.
It’s important to note that AI’s knowledge is dependent on the data and information we feed it. The idea is to make technology work for you to create efficiency and enhance productivity. Those who fail to wield it will fall behind.
There are some principles and considerations before the journey of upskilling and reskilling; for instance, it’s advised against taking up a new certification or course due to trends or one that pays well in the job market. ‘You can consider building a skill based on interest or what you’re already good at and like to do and then, make a career of it. However, you need to know what your individual ‘burnout’ skill is: a skill that you can do well but do not like to use often and try to avoid or minimise placing it as your core skill in the role you are doing if possible.’ Certified coach, Ivan Choong says. Or else, you could end up experiencing ‘burning out’ in your role with the inability to sustain.
Learning and development (L&D) opportunities differ from one workplace to another. While some organisations can afford to allocate a portion of their budget to support their employees’ development due to high-value output and productivity levels, others offer this opportunity through other means, such as learning on the job through other skilled personnel or role swapping between departments. This proves that L&D can be done through an assortment but requires individuals to give it the value and effort it deserves. To promote lifelong learning and enhance individuals’ skills, Singapore has offered SkillsFuture credits to ensure continued economic success and competitiveness amongst the workforce.
Career resilience hinges on continuous learning and adaptability in today’s rapidly evolving global economy. Successful professionals will view their careers as dynamic innovation projects, seamlessly integrating technical skills with profound human capabilities.
Individuals prioritise and intentionally set aside time for what is important to them. Start small and leverage microlearning, break down your learning into small pieces and practice what you learn. This way, you will create a career trajectory that is resilient and transformative.
by Destiny Goh
By 2030, Gen Z (1997 – 2012) will make up a third of the workforce, taking over leadership and paving the way for the next generation. Progressive, bright, and vocal, they keep the older generation on their toes, ready for another debate or discussion.
Like most businesses where speed, scale and scope matter, Gen Z’s workplace expectations contrast traditional ways; work-life balance, salary expectations, face-to-face communication, mental health, and inclusivity are regularly discussed.
What the older generation such as millennials (1981 – 1996), Gen X (1965 -1980) and above considers as work taboo topics, the younger ones bring up to strike a balance and understanding between both parties, allowing them to make the most out of their chosen careers.
When unfamiliar changes challenge the status quo, it takes away that sense of security and what feels ‘right’. Some might think these younger individuals constantly question and challenge their authority and leadership. In return, the young people at the workplace might feel unheard and unacknowledged.
Here’s an analogy: though a parent forces their opinions or advice on their children, it doesn’t necessarily mean their child will take heed; some might rebel to experience things independently. However, it’s also the parent’s responsibility to educate, nurture and advise their children the best way they know through their experiences of what’s worked well for them.
Similarly, when a child shares their perspectives or the changes they want to be made, parents might pick out some good pointers and do their best to accommodate (though it would not happen immediately), but not everything that needs to be changed should be changed, in effort to maintain order at home.
Change starts when we want to see improvement; to capture any opportunity for growth is to be open to it.
Gen Z quickly observes the culture, dynamics, working style, leadership and how things are run in any workplace.
Consultant and fellow Gen Z, Zia Xin, says organic growth was her opportunity to build on intangible and stakeholder management skills; it also taught her independence.
Experienced individuals should make intentional nurturing a priority. Realise that we all got to where we are now with the learning opportunities and the guidance we received.
Sharing with them your past learning experiences and the values you’ve learned could help them avoid certain pitfalls; make room for errors and guide them through it; highlight areas for improvement.
Career growth comes in many aspects—knowledge, skills or even entrepreneur-based. The younger generation ought to be specific in what growth they desire to build on, be actively open-minded to change, ideas and feedback, and be humble and teachable, as this helps them be better learners.
Why not leverage a two-way collaborative mentorship instead of a standard, take-and-take relationship?
Firstly, it’s important to note that compatibility matters between mentor and mentee, so consider these aspects before building a two-way collaborative mentorship:
Illustration by Author
Mentors are people who have already achieved significant milestones and are aligned with organisation goals (and they don’t necessarily have to be in the same company as you).
Why you should be a mentor?
Mentors are a great way to learn from those you mentor. Doing so allows you to build on your interpersonal skills, such as emotional intelligence, effective communication, wiser conflict resolution and more.
A mentor is likened to a leader; when you provide professional guidance and development, you’re helping one gain actionable and valuable skills to progress in their career. It’s an excellent opportunity to acquire new perspectives, rethink (self-reflection) and re-strengthen your existing skills and knowledge through practising what you preach.
Team Leader San Li, who works with and manages Gen Z on his team, says, ‘The young ones challenge me to be logical and to get my facts right—providing me with alternative and enriching perspectives that help me see my blind spots.’
A mentor should seek to create value in those whom they mentor.
Why do you need a mentor?
Know what you’re looking for before you get someone to mentor you. If you’re starting your career, mentors can provide insights, knowledge or even how to develop valuable skills that enable you to succeed.
If you’re looking for career growth, seek mentors who help you set reasonable goals and keep you accountable. This makes it easier for your mentor to track and assess progress, build on your strengths and iron out weaknesses through constructive feedback.
The mindset you adopt for yourself affects the way you lead your life. The difference in mindset between the generations has illuminated what Carol Dweck, author of Mindset, has previously discussed: a growth mindset is a starting point for change.?
A growth mindset is about personal development, believing abilities, skills and excellence can be cultivated and developed. Minds as such seek challenge, curiosity and the hunger to explore.
Regardless of the generations, here are some actionable points to shape a growth mindset:
Illustration by Author
Ultimately, we have much to learn from one generation to another, and the shared common goal is to educate, contribute, discuss, exchange, empathise and support.
In my previous article of this series, I wrote about Grit vs Talent: What’s The Difference and Why Does It Matter? has unravelled what sets apart high achievers and their counterparts and how they exude excellence effortlessly.
In this article, I would like to explain that although we’re all gifted with different talents, born with different genes and into different family backgrounds, these should never be the deciding factors of one’s success.
The journey to excellence is a road less travelled, and not many are resilient enough to stay on that path. But there’s always a small group of people who do, those are the ones who took the time to figure out their interests and stuck to them with deliberate practise. They are the grittier ones.
Have you ever wondered how Chairmans, C.E.O.s, and Directors of a company get to where they are? What about those colleagues of yours who get yearly promotions, and exude nothing short of excellence? You can’t help but wonder out loud if you had half their brains, genes, support system or even their degrees…perhaps you might be in the same position.
There was a period of time when academic performance was the determining factor to what higher education one pursues and in return, which career they end up in. Parents with financial means were able to afford extra tuition and enhancement activities, providing their children with a head start in life, while the rest with less were placed at a disadvantage.
But, there were also countless stories of children who defied all odds despite their limited resources and poor living conditions, pushed through with grit and created something out of nought, the unwillingness to allow their circumstances to define their future. They changed their destiny.
Rewiring your mindset and changing your perspectives on how you perceive difficult circumstances and limitations determines the actions you’ll take.
Contrary to popular beliefs, personal interests do matter—it’s what starts your job search, and what you ultimately decide to settle for, it also influences how you perform on the job.
Not everyone has the luxury of choosing from an array of occupations. Circumstances prevent most from doing so, and the rest take what they can get just to get by. And while we may envy those who proclaim they love their jobs, we shouldn’t be too quick to assume they have started from a different place.
Here’s the thing: Interests are not discovered through soul-searching, instead, it’s sparked by interactions you make with the outside world.
Before hard work, comes play—it’s something fundamental that’s long forgotten. Long before committing to the ‘real deal’, you should go about experimenting and get your hands dirty in everything you find yourself drawn to because you’ll never know what you may find.
It is only through experimenting, you’ll eventually figure out the interest that sticks, and eliminate the ones that won’t. And when you decide on what you intend to pursue long-term, don’t be quick to abandon the pursuit that you chose to invest in.
Take a marriage commitment for example. After some time, romantic feelings between the couple eventually fade. But we both know that what keeps the marriage going is the effort invested by both parties that keeps it going.
Just like interest, it must be triggered over and over again, exercise patience to see it develop into something great and keep showing up.Because falling in love is one thing, sticking with it is another.
Always be bold and ask plenty of questions, seek those who share the same interests and goals, build meaningful relationships, and get a mentor with expertise to lead, challenge and encourage you.
Expect growth in your knowledge, expertise and skill and don’t be afraid to put them to the test. Be hungry for more.
Practice is an assiduous desire to do better. It resides in the minds of optimists who only look forward and want to grow further. Management consultant expert, Peter Drucker suggests to be effective is to “concentrate on the few major areas where superior performance will produce outstanding results…“
Grit isn’t purely devoting a large quantity of time to your passion and interests, it’s the quality of time—it’s what you do with your time and to focus on the things that bring you one step closer to your goal.
A simple illustration is this: Remember when you had your first bike ride, you had exactly four wheels, including those pesky training ones you despise so much the second you get the hang of riding.
But then, dad tells you that you’re not quite ready and that you need to work on your posture and stability, and especially to keep your eyes peeled on the road ahead. Once the training wheels are off, you’re riding freely. And one fine day, on your usual bike ride, in an effort to avoid some crazy cat that sprung past your lane, you hit the brakes a little too hard and fell from your bike.
What do you do then? Get up, keep riding or give up bike riding altogether for the fear and pain it caused you?
The first half of the illustration shows that we all start somewhere and from the bottom. The training wheels are the resources we have, the knowledge we acquire as we deliberately practise.
Soon, you’re riding with ease, there’s a certain flow—a feeling of spontaneity that comes with it. You feel exhilarated because you know all that hard work has finally paid off, and your work is bringing you to places you never thought you could go.
But success is hard-earned and it’s not in the absence of challenges and setbacks—those things come at you unexpectedly (like that cat). You break down, your ego gets bruised and you feel demotivated, but remembering why you got started in the first place gets you back up and to keep going.
Learn to embrace the failures and setbacks instead of shunning away from them. Make it teach you how to improve your pursuit of success and keep moving forward.
Consider another story of the famous inventor Thomas Edison who invented the lightbulb. No one expected to see him go far in life. In school, teachers labelled him stupid, at work, well, he was fired from multiple jobs.
But what’s intriguing was how determined he was to not let failure and people define his worth and future. This man clearly knew what he wanted and went pursuing it. Edison was a great example of grit and resilience.
His interest lay in inventing, and he certainly put it to work. He relentlessly improved one failed lightbulb to the next, figured out what went wrong and changed his tactics, and after what seemed like forever, he succeeded. So, imagine if Edison had given up on his second or third try, the course of history in this modern lifestyle would forever be altered.
Your interest is what gets you to the starting line, but deliberate practice, resilience and grit are what get you to where you want to be.
Written & Illustrated by Destiny Goh
Marketing Communications Executive
At times, exceptional performances at the workplace leave some wondering whether it’s a matter of talent or grit. The article series on Grit will unravel how high achievers succeed and why they stay successful, with part one helping you understand what true passion and perseverance can do for you.
Many will recognize talent from a mile away. When we see someone perform a task almost effortlessly, we often conclude that they’re extremely talented. But what most of us fail to see is the arduous hours spent in toiling, preparation, and practice that’s invested behind the scenes.
Academic Psychologist Angela Duckworth, who wrote Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance, has done extensive research on thousands of individuals ranging from military cadets to salespeople to students at a public school and spellers at a Spelling Bee contest.
Duckworth’s research has pulled back the curtains and unravelled what made high achievers so successful and also staying successful. After fine-tuning the results of her research, she concluded that a combination of passion and perseverance is what makes these people stand out from the rest; in other words,they have grit.
Grit, in simpler terms, means perseverance and effort—to demonstrate an unusual ability that combines exceptional zeal and a capacity for hard work that strives beyond excellence. It’s a ‘never-give-up’ attitude.
More often than not, our passion for certain interests dwindles mainly due to a lack of commitment and perseverance. If we are looking for a certain outcome or success yet only put in meagre effort, chances are, we might also miss out on the improvement that slowly trickles in. And what’s worse, is that our impatience causes us to walk away just as quickly as we started.
When we start something, the end goal is always to get the job done. But as for high achievers, they don’t just want good; they want to produce the best work. What separates excellent work from mediocre ones is this: High achievers tend to think they are not good enough; they are satisfied being unsatisfied—a huge contrast to being complacent.
However, some would argue, the ones who are naturally talented are just as capable of producing equally excellent results. So, what are the factors that set the gritty and the talented apart?
William James, a Harvard psychologist, declared “human individual lives usually far within his limits; he possesses powers of various sorts which he habitually fails to use. He energizes below his maximum, and he behaves below his optimum.”
What James was trying to say, is that we humans are only making use of only a small part of our possible mental and physical resources. Hence, merely having talent without investing an ounce of effort, discipline, and perseverance will only remain stagnant—it will never reach its fullest potential. It’s almost as if there’s a gap between potential and actualization.
Therefore, talent alone is no guarantee of success.
Journalist and author, Malcolm Gladwell suggested that talent promotes narcissism in some—a behaviour that encourages short-term performance but discourages long-term learning and growth. We risk leaving everything else that matters in the shadows by placing talent on a pedestal. By doing so, we inevitably send a message to the other factors—including grit—are less significant that it ought to be.
Nietzsche, a German philosopher, once wrote “Our vanity, our self-love, promotes the cult of genius. For if we think of genius as something magical, we are not obliged to compare and find ourselves lacking…To call someone ‘divine‘ means: ‘here there is no need to compete.’”
Grit behaves the opposite, it challenges why must we emphasize plenty on talent and fixate such extreme limits on what we might do, rather than the actual effort put in that will decide where we would end up in the long run.
The ‘natural bias‘ is this: There’s a prejudice hidden against high achievers because they worked so hard for it but we would rather be inclined to those who we think arrived at their destination merely by being naturally talented.
By now, you would have understood thatgrit is not something built but practiced—it’s a high level of consistent effort and discipline. It’s about acknowledging your weaknesses and finding ways to improve. It’s not to yield to setbacks no matter the temptation but to press on despite unfavourable circumstances and challenges that come your way and to take rejection as merely a stepping stone to extraordinary achievements.
Grit, or talent, there’s no one better than the other, but rather, it intertwines with one another because what it does, is produce skill. To develop a skill is to spend hours upon hours beating your craft to create something refined.
One thing to take note of about skill is this—it isn’t the same thing as an achievement. To further illustrate this, in the absence of talent, your effort is barely anything more than your unmet potential. In the absence of effort, your skills are nothing more than what you could have achieved but didn’t.
The takeaway is this: A skill is produced when talent and effort intertwine, and at the same time, effort makes a skill valuable.
It’s no secret that there are no shortcuts to excellence. After all, Rome wasn’t built in a day.
Grit pivots ‘This is all you can do’ mentality to ‘Who knows what you can do?’
Written by Destiny Goh
Marketing Communications Executive
Photo by David Köhler on Unsplash
In this article, we discuss the average annual income in Singapore, theaa occupations where you can quickly increase your salary by relocating or changing jobs, and tips for raising your income in Singapore.
