00:03What is in your hands?
00:03Well, with this saying in World Without Orphans,
00:05there's always this question,
00:06what is in your hands?
00:08Right?
00:08So, we believe actually that whatever is in your hands
00:12can be something that's used to contribute to this area of work
00:14because there are many people who can make life better for kids.
00:18For those who are able, maybe rise up to be foster families
00:21or adoptive families.
00:23Be there for the kids who can no longer be with their families.
00:26And this is so important because in Singapore, for example,
00:28there's a shortage of foster parents.
00:30And so, if people can do that, we can all together, together, together,
00:34we can make a better world for kids.
00:36So, start where you are.
00:37Remember what we said before about what's in your hands.
00:39So, what is in your hands is what you can use to start.
00:42And I will always say, you know, do not disdain the day of small beginnings.
00:46So, sometimes a small beginning doesn't look like much,
00:48but don't disdain it because actually, you know, it can grow,
00:52grow into something very, very big.
00:54Have faith, carry on.
00:57Start small, but start.
00:59Many people believe that they need a grand vision before taking action.
01:03But in reality, change often begins with curiosity and compassion.
01:08So, just pay attention to a problem that genuinely bothers you.
01:11Listen carefully to the people experiencing it.
01:15Learn continuously.
01:17Then take one practical step towards improvement.
01:20And remember that you do not need to change the entire world overnight.
01:23If you can improve just one person's experience, one community, or one system,
01:28you have already begun the journey of a change maker.
01:31There's a quote that started my dissertation from George Bernard Shaw, an economist.
01:37And it's something like this.
01:40I'm paraphrasing here.
01:42It said, reasonable people try to adapt themselves to the environment.
01:48Unreasonable people try to adapt the environment to themselves.
01:52That is why all progress depends on unreasonable people.
01:56But if you really want to do something meaningful in this field, you have to be unreasonable.
02:02Because you basically have to believe that whatever everyone else is doing is not good enough.
02:09And I would say not be daunted too much by the grand vision and the grand ambition.
02:17I think start with something tangible.
02:20Pursue something that is really achievable, but puts you in that right direction.
02:26And then take it from there, step by step.
02:28There's a famous Australian comedian who once gave a commencement speech.
02:34He said, don't have big dreams.
02:37Big dreams are for Americans.
02:41Pursue your passion in small and incremental steps.
02:45You're much more likely to be successful and happy rather than chasing that one big dream.
02:50And it always struck me.
02:51It's actually quite a good way of thinking about it.
02:54Anybody and everybody can be a change maker.
02:58One does not need to have a lot of resources to become a change maker.
03:03And one does not need a team to become a change maker, necessarily.
03:07One does not need a nation to become a change maker.
03:11You know, I can start, I can become a change maker in my very own place, just by myself.
03:18And that's very important.
03:20And I would give the example of Mother Teresa.
03:23She was a teacher in a school for Loretta Ponvent, from where I did my high school.
03:30And my whole schooling from there, actually.
03:32And she was a teacher and she left her job because she saw these, you know, people suffering from electricity
03:40on the streets.
03:41And she started on her own.
03:43She started attending because nobody would want to, you know, feed those people on the streets.
03:49Nobody would want to take them home.
03:50And she started bringing them to her own big place where she was living and serving them.
03:56And she started her journey herself.
03:58And then, of course, you know, when other people saw the value in that journey, they joined her.
04:04And then, she formed this association of sisters who tried to help patients suffer from electricity among them.
04:12And, you know, other parts of it.
04:14And so, I think, you know, as a change maker, you do not need any change.
04:19You do not need other people to believe in you.
04:21As long as you believe in yourself and you believe in your vision, your purpose in life, you can start
04:28with yourself.
04:29And that's where the change can happen in very small terms.
04:38So, I often say that innovation requires both hardware and hardware.
04:44It's because hardware gives us the capability, but the hardware gives us meaning.
04:52So, hardware is where things like empathy, trust, ethics, culture, relationships, and understandings forms all of it.
05:02And these are the invisible types of factors that determine whether people will embrace the solution or reject it.
05:10And the future will not belong to those who simply build the most advanced technologies,
05:14but it will belong to those who care how to integrate this technology excellence with human wisdom.
05:23We are in the age of, you know, huge data, AI technologies.
05:26They are here to stay. They are not going to disappear too much.
05:30So, without empathy, it's going to be very hard to even understand what humans really want in the first place.
05:37Amidst the data and slew of information that you get, how do we make sense out of it so that
05:44if you're still human,
05:45you're still humanising in the world probably.
05:47So, whatever degree or whatever study major that you are in today, never be pigeon-holed to it,
05:56because there are always, always transferable skills that you can use it to match and use it to really expound
06:03on your next venture
06:04or something else that you are doing. It's all integrated. That's really what education is.
06:09It's actually integrated and not siloed thinking.
06:11I always believe that as leaders, we need to begin with at any point.
06:15What is the angle that you have in time? What is the vision that you have in time?
06:19I think leadership without vision, without action, is just a dream.
06:24But I think it's important to dream, but that dream must come to some level of direction and some level
06:29of action.
06:31When you are in the position of leadership, you are in the position of influence.
06:36Some people may say that when you are in the position of leadership, you are in the position of authority
06:41of power.
06:42But I choose to look at power as a way of influencing people around you.
06:50Whether it's stakeholders, whether it's the beneficiary themselves, or whether at the government level,
06:55or whether it's the leadership position with a very clear vision of how you want to help the people that
07:03work for you or the people that you are benefiting,
07:06then you need to use your leadership position to develop this circle of influence.
07:12And I think it's through this influence, through the small dialogues that you have with people around you,
07:19getting people to see what you see, so that they believe in what you see,
07:25so that people are willing to partake the vision that you have.
07:30So leadership is about enlisting others to partake that vision that you have.
07:35So I think if we were to reach our goals by 2030, we really need to expand on the people,
07:41the stakeholders around the table,
07:43and really be more inclusive, and to proactively invite people into conversations.
07:47And secondly, to have that political will, individually and collectively, to put theory into action.
07:52You may not always be right. Be very humble in taking views.
07:56For me, I always ask people for feedback. And I have quite a thick skin, so I don't mind comments
08:02or criticisms or feedback.
08:04I generally take them quite well.
08:06Because I think when a person gives you feedback, at least they bother and they care,
08:11and you should honor that by respecting those views and at least pondering on them.
08:17I think support is important. Always surround. I'm not saying, you know, create echo chambers for yourselves
08:23and surround yourself only with people who agree with you.
08:27I think it's important to sometimes have people that you trust who will have the best intentions for you,
08:35who will be that feedback channel for you. So support doesn't mean agreement.
08:39Support means support, despite disagreement.
08:43Be comfortable holding back conviction and humility.
08:47You have enough conviction to pursue your vision, but also have enough humility to adapt
08:53when new information comes along.
08:56What is important for me as leaders is to be able to challenge the process.
09:03Sometimes we are very comfortable with moms, but sometimes we do need to challenge the moms
09:09to ask ourselves how can we make things happen.
09:11In that breakout exercise with my team, I was basically telling them to look at the same products with Fresh
09:18Lens.
09:18It's really about making positive changes by constantly being curious and by constantly challenging your own assumptions.
09:28And I also told them, you know, you may be dealing with these products for the longest time already,
09:32but try to broaden your mind.
09:35So I think it's important for aspiring change makers to challenge your own assumptions sometimes.
09:40I am a mid-career switch from my other disciplines to tech.
09:47I had to practice that humility that I was talking about as well,
09:50and just really learn from anyone more senior, more junior, younger, older, different walks of life.
10:15What is a great deal?
10:16I am a campus student.
10:17I am a campus student, and I am a campus student.
10:31Seconds.
10:36Seconds.
10:37Seconds.
10:53I'm in.
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