'The skill that becomes essential in business is “Por Lamba,” or “Angkat Bola” (the Hokkien and Malay, which roughly translates to “carrying balls”)' — Tang Li, OPINION
"The skill that becomes essential in business is “Por Lamba,” or “Angkat Bola” " — Tang Li, OPINION
However, if you look beyond the headlines and live in Singapore, you’ll notice that meritocracy is a very loaded word. If you compare us to other places, you’ll notice that gender, race, and religion play a relatively minor role in promotions. However, what does play a major role in things is academic qualifications. As long as you are from the right junior college, scored significantly well in your exams and went to the right university, you have achieved “merit.
Funnily enough, one of the most prominent examples where this plays out is in the military. We have generals who get the top jobs in their early 40s. None have seen any form of action. All have great paper qualifications. Are our generals clever? The qualifications our generals have, imply that they have brains. However, are those brains good at leading men on a war front? Nobody knows because nobody has been tested.
Two men proved they had “merit” to do the job assigned to them, but they failed to meet the official definition of merit, so they were demoted. The problem here is not only the definition of merit but the fact that the system tends to waste brains by placing them in bureaucratic silos. Scholars who prove their intelligence and ability to study are placed in environments that ensure they never face challenges. The brain, like the other muscles in the body, has a way of rotting when it’s not challenged.
However, the problem sets in when the man on top only values the skill of ego pumping. There are, for example, times when the man on top needs to be told that his idea is downright suicidal. When I worked freelance, I had to make the clients feel good. However, I also needed to have enough respect from the client to tell them when they were being ridiculous. I am pleased to say that I had clients who respected that.
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