SPEECH: ADVANCED MARITIME LEADERS PROGRAMME 20TH
APRIL - 2015
Mr Andrew Tan, Chief Executive, MPA
Prof Bryce Hool, Dean Singapore Management University
Capt Khong, Dean MPA Academy
My fellow Participants
Ladies & Gentlemen,
I salute you.
I am humbled at the great honor and privilege bestowed by my fellow colleagues
in giving me the opportunity to speak on behalf of the Inaugural Advanced
Maritime Leaders Program,(IAMLP) and on my own behalf.
When I registered for the AMLP (after a bit of gentle persuasion to forget about
the office for a bit longer than I thought I could) I had no idea what lay ahead, as
I am sure neither did any of my colleagues.
To be honest with you, after what has been a month of five days I begin to
remember give credence to some brochures I have had occasion to leaf through
promising to deliver an MBA in five days! The quality, depth, content and
delivery of the ALMP has been like no other program that I have encountered.
Allow me therefore at this stage, to express our heartfelt appreciation and
commendation to the MPA for not only conceiving and putting together such a
first class Program, but also for administering it at such a high level of delivery.
We must also express our thanks to the Ministry of Transport and the MPA for
their generosity in facilitating our participation by paying for our travel and
accommodation expenses in Singapore. We cannot take that for granted. Thank
you so much.
Having said that, we appreciate that a successful programme of this nature can
only come about as a result of a collective effort of many people, some working
behind the scenes and we must therefore express our heartiest gratitude to each
and every person who was involved in making the program possible for all of us.
Some of them we know, beginning with Ms Sharon Wong from whose emails
there was no escape during the preparation period. The meet and greet teams and
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the Liaison Officers attached to us made sure that we lacked for nothing and all
we needed was to tune in our minds to study. That explains why our team gelled
so quickly together, that indeed by the beginning of the second half of Day One
an observer would have found it hard to believe we had all only met a few hours
earlier.
Ladies & Gentlemen
We have enjoyed a very friendly learning atmosphere, excellent concepts and
good teaching materials; our questions were generously answered.
The Programme has been quite interesting and informative. But what made it so
enjoyable and fulfilling was to learn from people who have invested their entire
lives in the industry and therefore have a wealth of invaluable knowledge and
experience. Allow me also to applaud the eminent faculty members from Human
Capital Leadership, the Singapore Management University, MPA – we have
learnt so much form you. The show stopper for me however has to be the live
case studies that were characterised with open discussions and exchanges with
Mr Theo Siong Seng (Paific International Shipping Line) and Mr Khalid Hashim
(Precious Shipping Line). That was such a rich experience, so deep, so much
wisdom, and yet such easy learning … that for me was really the most incredible
thing and something to be forever treasured.
And so I will walk out of this programme with the humility of realizing that
whatever I thought I knew before coming here is indeed like a drop in the ocean,
but with the renewed and firm belief that nothing is impossible. And I speak on
behalf of all the Participants when I say that we shall take with us renewed
enthusiasm and energy towards doing even more than we have done so far for our
respective industries. We leave with the confidence that we too can be the kind
of leaders who can catalyse the changes the industry needs at our different corners
of the world. That if we indeed engage wholeheartedly in the practice of the
lessons we have learnt from the Inaugural AMLP our shipping sectors can reach
the heights that we have witnessed here.
Ladies & Gentlemen
Allow me to list but a few of the gems of wisdom that I am taking away with
me;
a) Management is about people, not things and therefore as a leader my job
is to empower and make the best of whatever skills level that each of the
employees is bringing to the table. This came out very clearly in listening
to Mr Hashim, who understands the strengths and weaknesses of his team
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and yet works with all of them, to bring out the best in them – including
allowing them to make a few mistakes - yet in that process has also built a
multi-million dollar business;
b) We must genuinely listen to our colleagues
We must acknowledge that as leaders we do not have all the answers as
individuals. There is far more power when a team acts as a group -we
become far more powerful. And therefore we must learn to genuinely
collaborate and really listen to the opinions of others. We are often tempted
to engage external consultants for answers and then trying to implement
the recommendations over the top of tried-and-true employees – we must
learn and practice asking our own people first before going out to ask.
c) Celebrating diversity in the workplace
We must adequately recognise the value of overseas experience and people
from a variety of cultures. Diversity brings a richness to the workplaces
that benefits all of us. Overseas experience is real experience. We should
take every opportunity to inject new thinking into our workplaces. It is
where the magic begins.
d) Power isn't about control at all, power is strength, and giving that
strength to others. A leader doesn’t force others to make him stronger; a
leader is someone willing to give his strength to others that they may have
the strength to stand on their own. The words of John C. Maxwell came
alive for me in more ways than one during this program: "Leadership is
not about titles, positions, or flow charts. It is about one life influencing
another."
Ladies & Gentlemen
I am humbled by MPA’s vast efforts at working with such unwavering efforts
towards the goal of raising the standards of shipping worldwide. MPA has been
accessible, ready and open to teaching, sharing, inspiring, reaching out, giving a
shoulder, and showing the way how excellence can be attained and most
important - always benefiting others. Thank you for investing the time and
resources to make a difference through us. It is very humbling to know that we
are each a small part of the MPA’s great intentions. Thank you MPA, the Ministry
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of Transport and the Singapore Government for opening our eyes and our minds
to the true vastness of what is possible with the right kind of leadership.
Our very special thanks must go to the Singaporeans we have interacted with
daily in this program- the lone participant as well as other support staff. They
were always near at hand to provide valuable information – like finding lost keys
or an alternate bed, providing directions to Mustafa, or China Town, catching
taxis etc. Through it all they were always smiling. There has been a lot to learn
both in and out of class!
Ladies & Gentlemen
In conclusion, and on behalf of my fellow participants, allow me to assure you
that, we will endeavour, persist, and raise the bar, whatever the obstacles and
difficulties, until change is achieved and challenges met, for we now feel really
more empowered and equipped with this rich learning experience that we have
undergone. We are excited to share the lessons with our fellow countrymen back
home. Indeed we promise you that because of what you have done for us during
this training, that change will come to the maritime Industry in Africa, Middle
East, the Pacific and the Caribbean – our footprints will show.
We will also take back loads of fond memories of Singapore and the wonderful
people we have met and interacted with.
Allow me to end by quoting the words of Groucho Marx, the renowned American
Comedian and Actor who once said that
"Only one man in a thousand is a leader of men-the other 999 follow
women." Groucho Marx
I think a lot of those ‘one man in a thousand’ are to be found in Singapore.
We applaud your Country, we honour its citizens.
Thank you very much
Nancy Karigithu
Kenya Maritime Authority
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