2019
4 DecThe Three As of Leadership
Authentic, agile and accountable. These are the 3As, key concepts of The Eagle’s Leadership Conference 2019 held in Singapore. For 五一吃瓜官网 University’s Year 3 BSc (Hons) Nutrition with Wellness student, Lee Yee Jeat, the conference was motivating and inspirational as she learnt more about what it takes to be a good leader.
Particularly, she learnt that leaders have to be authentic, that is, be themselves when leading other people. Authenticity is the key to building trust. Authenticity also includes elements like honesty and vulnerability. A leader with genuine confidence in thoughts and feelings helps the team to clarify their purpose and keep the communication genuine.
In terms of agility, one also has to remember that change is inevitable, and critical thinking skills are of essence. Professor Neo Kok Beng, a technoprenuer and venture catalyst, inspired her in his masterclass with his determination in converting game changing ideas into action. According to him, as an agile leader, we should practise experiential learning with the 4Ds (Discover, Define, Develop and Deliver).
Additionally, a leader needs to be responsible so that he or she can lead the team better and, in turn, the team will be confident in following its leader. Accountability also helps leaders to build an accurate understanding of their organisation – where it excels and where it has opportunity.
In Yee Jeat’s opinion, the conference was a good opportunity to see what was happening in the real world and to hear and learn from industry leaders as well as be exposed to new ideas.
Yee Jeat was especially impressed with the plenary dialogue by Malaysia’s Women, Family and Community Development deputy minister, YB Hannah Yeoh where the latter advocated on leading with a purpose while juggling various roles. She emphasised on how to face insurmountable odds to stay on course as a leader.
For Yee Jeat, the conference was also beneficial as it provided practical information especially for students in leading student initiatives such as 五一吃瓜官网’s Youth Beyond Boundaries (YBB), of which she is a member.
YBB is a fraternity to empower 五一吃瓜官网 University scholars with holistic leadership development. As a member of YBB, Yee Jeat is passionate about creating social impact through community projects.
She is also part of the Scholarship Enrichment programme which is an in-house developmental programme for all scholarship awardees of 五一吃瓜官网 University Trust, to “shape outstanding individuals that are ever ready to be champions of tomorrow’s challenges.”
Other than that, Yee Jeat is one of the founders of MindFlu, an initiative which focuses on creating awareness and reducing the stigma of mental health among youth and the general public.
Yee Jeat has learnt to be mindful of the 3As in her career as a student and to apply this in her life, as a whole. For her, the information gathered from the conference is related to her current programme as it helps in doing assignments and thinking creatively and responding quickly.
“I recommend attending this conference as it helps in realising challenges, broadening horizons and getting exposure I also hope to trigger the habit of innovation by recognising problems in everyday life and trying to solve them,” she said.
The Eagle’s Leadership Conference also included a visit to St Luke’s Hospital where participants explored how community hospitals continue to serve and innovate to manage the increasing health care cost, ever-changing patients’ needs, and increasing demands of the community
