The Team matters more than who the next PM will be

Leadership is a responsibility to be borne, not a position to be sought, said Minister Chan Chun Sing in a dialogue with foreign correspondents on Oct 30 last year. 

It's a view shared by the 4G leaders. 

Since PM Lee Hsien Loong said during a CNBC interview in Oct 2017 that he was ready to step down in a couple of years and that his successor was 'very likely' already in the cabinet, speculation has increased over who the next PM will be. 

The pressure to name the next PM stepped up one notch when ESM Goh Chok Tong said in a facebook post on New Year's Eve that he hoped the 4G leaders would choose one amongst themselves to lead, and support him. He hoped that the 4G cohort would do so in six to nine months' time. 

The 4G leaders, comprising 16 office holders,  responded a few days later in a joint statement that they were conscious of their responsibility and would work together as a team to settle on a leader amongst them 'in good time'. 

Seen as a front runner, Minister Chan Chun Sing spoke at the inaugural SR Nathan Hard Seats Lecture organized by the Oxford & Cambridge Society of Singapore on Thursday 11 Jan 2018. 

Among the range of issues, Mr Chan spoke on the leadership traits that will take Singapore into the future successfully. 

It does not go without notice that in his speech, Mr Chan once again emphasized on the team. 

To quote him,

“If we want to remain successful, we need leadership teams that are just as committed, decisive in their actions and yet able to keep faith with our people,” he said.

While Mr Chan seems to have a higher public profile and is often not afraid to share his views on difficult policies, Mr Chan has not said anything at the lecture that left any room for people to assume that he would be shouldering greater responsibility eventually.

So we are none the wiser who the next PM will be. Guess we will still have to wait till the end of this year  to know who the next PM will be if we go by a 9-month wait.

Whoever our next PM, as Mr Chan had said, it is more important to look at the team than to look at the individuals. 

How so? 

This is because whatever policies that are in place are 'thought through by the team, carried by the team, and owned by the team', Mr Chan had said at the Foreign Correspondents Association Lunch last October.

Regardless of who the next PM will be, one thing is guaranteed, and that is 'continuity'. 

The focus on who the next PM will be is over intense. 

As ST editor Chua Mui Hoong said, no one person will define Singapore. An increasingly complex society like Singapore requires a group of leaders who are capable and honest and can pull together as a team. 

"To me, it matters less which individual will become PM, and more how the rest of the team will rally around him or her. The PM can be the captain, but he will need strikers, defenders, goalkeepers and midfielders - not to say a supportive audience - to nurture a winning team that can bring in the goals," she said.

Indeed!

So, to the team we say, "All the best!" And all the best to Singapore! 

S R Nathan Hard Seats Lecture by Chan Chun Sing: Each generation of leaders in Singapore needs to gain the trust and confidence of the people

Laying out the leadership qualities needed for Singapore's future, Minister in Prime Minister's Office Chan Chun Sing said that gaining the trust and confidence of the people is key.

He pointed out that the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew had called it his team's "greatest asset".

It has enabled leaders to make difficult but necessary decisions such as introducing mandatory National Service when Singapore needed a credible defence force, or making land acquisitions so that land can be redeveloped and used more efficiently.

The leaders did not shirk from their responsibilities to current and future generations.

Mr Chan said these leaders had the mettle to make difficult but necessary decisions when the need arose, and kept faith with the people.

“If we want to remain successful, we need leadership teams that are just as committed, decisive in their actions and yet able to keep faith with our people,” he added.

BUILDING TRUST

FIRST, to build this trust, Mr Chan said leaders must be upfront with the people on the challenges and options, the minister said.

“Help Singaporeans understand what’s at stake and the trade-offs involved. Let them know how they’ll be affected directly, and spend more time on the ‘why’ rather than the ‘what’ or ‘how’,” he elaborated.

Mr Chan suggested working the ground and sharing as much information “wherever possible” so people can become better informed and trust that decisions were made only after careful consideration.

SECOND, leaders must keep finding new ways to communicate with different generations.

With a more diverse population, with different expectations of the government and in a fast-paced, digital age that has “social media influencers”, he said there is “no shortage of ideas, views and, of course, criticism”.

“At times, inaccurate and misleading information can ‘go viral’, possibly clouding a person’s view on an issue. The challenge then is to find ways to manage this, and get citizens to understand the matter at heart,” he said.

"If we do this well, we will harness the collective power of our thinking and actions."

THIRD, leaders must be accountable and responsible.

"That means making good on our promises," said Mr Chan. "And when there are problems, we work hard to put things right immediately."

People would also give their trust when they see the Government has been “responsible, anticipates and are responsive in meeting their needs” and there is an overall improvement in their lives, Mr Chan said.

Some policies may take longer to bring about results, and these must be made clear from the start so that Singaporeans know what to expect, he said.

“Each generation of leaders would therefore need to be consultative yet nimble in meeting these needs while managing finite resources responsibly. These are important so that we do not face a trust deficit, and run the risk of citizens disconnecting with or being disenfranchised by the government.”

KEEPING SINGAPORE UNITED

Mr Chan said apart from trust, each generation of leaders would also have to keep the country united to tackle challenges together.

He said in order for people to be united, they must have “a sense of a common threat, challenge, mission and vision”.

Younger Singaporeans may not face the existential "life and death" struggles that had brought the country's pioneers together in their common goal to see Singapore succeed in the early years of independence.

Yet, this generation must "similarly understand that we too have our share of 'life and death' struggles to keep this country going," said Mr Chan.

For instance, Singaporeans face the common challenge of economic restructuring and global disruption, and businesses, workers and the Government will need to adapt to a new model of doing things.

Singaporeans also have to maintain a keen sense of the wider and deeper geographical forces that impact them.

While the contest for influence among global powers will grow, Singapore must remain principled and "not waver for short-term gains".

Time and effort should be invested into helping Singaporeans understand such dynamics, so that "we will be able to stand united in the face of overt pressures and covert influences".

"Ultimately, people and government must work together to keep Singapore successful," said Mr Chan.

"So long as we have this trust, and stay united in facing the challenges, there's no reason for us to not be able to succeed as a country."

“Our challenge, our mission, is to continue to defy the odds of history - that a small country with little common past, and no conventional hinterland, can survive and thrive with a common future and a common set of values. Indeed, I would argue that a forward-looking national identity is perhaps even more powerful than a backward-looking identity to help us bond together to overcome the challenges of tomorrow."

Mr Chan Chun Sing was speaking at the inaugural S R Nathan Hard Seats Lecture organized by The Oxford and Cambridge Society of Singapore on 11 Jan 2018.