Mr Charles Tan
Executive Director
The Challenge
Sunray has a wide variety of staff from different backgrounds in terms of age, generation and education. Even their work environment is different, with some in working the office and others outdoors. This leads to a different understanding of issues.
Unlike other industries such as banking for example, where its staff come from a homogenous background, the construction industry has obvious gaps. The variety, complexity and challenge for Bootstrap is to handle participants from such a wide-ranging background.
The challenge: How to equip ground-up employees to lead in their new roles as leaders?
The Catalyst
Bootstrap was able to reach out to the different groups, through its approach and people skills. “When people go to courses, they doze off. With Bootstrap’s courses, at least you can see changes in the attendees—their attitude, approach and drive. These changes are very driven by their new leadership understanding,” says Mr Tan.
He goes on to say, “An effective coach is always convincing and you see a change in people. Dr Lynda Wee is a very people person, very effective in communicating. That is key to being a good coach.”
The Change
Right after the leadership course, Sunray could see an immediate and effective change in staff attitude. “They have a different point of view on leadership—leading by example. Good leadership is very much a “mindset” thing, not just a “doing” thing,” explains Mr Tan.
After Bootstrap’s workshops, the company continued to re-engage and remind its staff of what they have learnt by putting up posters to reference the teaching.
“Our staff are more responsible, accountable and able to understand leadership requirements better after their training,” says Mr Tan. The company plans to move from training to mentoring and imparting skill sets, so as to bring its people forward.