WHAT NS HAS TAUGHT ME...

How does serving National Service (NS) help in being a CEO? PIONEER speaks to StarHub CEO Tan Tong Hai on how he has applied some of the lessons learnt to his current appointment.

To many Singaporean sons, NS is an inevitable rite of passage. But the key to gaining the most out of it is to have a positive attitude and to cherish the bonds made over the years.

This was the view held by Mr Tan, who had learnt many important skills during his then two-and-a-half-year NS stint and his In-Camp Training (ICT) as an Intelligence Officer.

Appointed CEO (Chief Executive Officer) in March 2013, he oversees the management of StarHub, one of the three big players in Singapore's infocommunications industry, which provides a wide range of mobile, Internet and pay television services.

Invaluable lessons

An Infantry Officer during his full-time NS days, Mr Tan was posted to the Specialist Cadet School (then known as School of Infantry Section Leaders) as a Training Coordinating Officer.

"It's important to train and work well with the NCOs (Non-Commissioned Officers, now known as Specialists) because they know the men on the ground better. The partnership is extremely essential."

He added: "This is similar to my current job as CEO. I have to work closely with my managers, who are in touch with the workers, to gain a better understanding of what is happening on the ground. With a fuller picture of the situation, I am able to make more informed decisions."

After completing his NS, Mr Tan went through a vocation change and became an Intelligence Officer in the 1st People's Defence Force (1 PDF), where he learnt how to analyse scenarios based on intelligence gathered, identify where the "enemies" are and predict their likely courses of action.

"What I've learnt is that situations were never static. Similarly, in the business environment, everything is constantly changing at a very fast pace," he said. "Our industry is very competitive. When we launch a product or service, we have to anticipate how our rivals are going to react, and try to pre-empt their reactions. My army training has taught me how to react quickly according to changes."

Lasting bonds

Thirty years on after graduating from Officer Cadet School (OCS), Mr Tan still meets up with his platoon mates from time to time. He also takes part regularly in the SAFRA Singapore Bay Run & Army Half Marathon with his fellow platoon mate, Mr Ong Chao Choon, the Singapore Advisory Leader of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP.

Recalling fond memories of his OCS days, the 50-year-old said: "The friendships that I forged back then were definitely my greatest takeaway If you can continue to foster the bonds between national servicemen, you can strengthen the team spirit within the unit."

He added: "This is especially important for platoons who go for exercises together. You need to keep that team spirit up and motivate each other along the way. The same applies in the working world!"

Mr Tan has also shared some of his NS experiences with Benn, his 15-year-old son, and is glad that the latter is looking forward to it: "I've told him that it's physically and mentally tiring, but it's something that you'll look back on with a smile."

He said with a laugh: "We've watched the movie Ah Boys to Men together, and he asked me about several army lingo that were frequently used. For example, he asked me what is keng (Hokkien term for feigning sickness), and I thought, 'Better not let him learn it!'

"But at the end of the day, I think he'll realise that the army is not just about weapons and firearms. It's all about teamwork. It's an important life skill that he will definitely benefit from."

"What I've learnt (from my time in NS) is that situations are never static. Similarly, in the business environment, everything is constantly changing at a very fast pace."
- Mr Tan