LIVE TO OUR BEST

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Everything can be achieved through hard work and perseverance

Nelson Mandela said, “The greatest fear in life is not that we are inadequate but it is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light not darkness that frightens us most. The knowledge we have makes us unsure because there are times where we simply do not know when or how to apply what we know. When we are liberated from our fears, our presence automatically liberates others. Our mentality dictates what we experience in life. It determines how we view and feel things. 10% of life is made up of what happens to us. 90% of life is decided by how we react. When a person is enlisted into the army with the mindset that it is a waste of two years of his life, anything fruitful that happens during this period will not be an enriching experience. This is where the 90/10 principle sets in. I believe two issues; the belief and the mindsets of the servicemen affect this mentality.

The extent of having a positive attitude towards National Service can only stem from one’s patriotism, which is controlled by his perception. His upbringing, friends, family and the environment, which he lives in, contribute to this perception. However, his perception is dependent on what he chooses to believe.

All of us have different perceptions or mindsets. We interpret everything we experience through this mindset, where we neither question the accuracy of what we have been told nor accept facts that exist. We must understand, whatever we see and comprehend is affected by the mindsets that condition our perception.

Most of us get enlisted into the Army with fears. These fears include, not being able to meet the physical and mental challenges, not forgetting the ability to fit into the regimentation and strict disciplinary lifestyle of the Army. In order to overcome these fears, we have to allow ourselves to step out of our comfort zone and change for the better.

Thus, at the end of the day, we relinquish the possibility of us having a positive and enriching learning experience, by looking through a tinted glass that makes every experience a negative one. There is no way we can learn and change in a positive manner as what happens inside the fences of our mind, can only lead to the depreciation of our commitment and loyalty to the Army. Life is about learning new things and if we are reluctant to make changes, nothing is possible.

Human beings are very powerful, as we are equipped with the skills to change and learn. However, we are sometimes tied down by our mindsets and fears. When an opportunity is given, all we need to do is to adopt a model or a guide to unleash our capabilities.

“Live your life each day as you would climb a mountain. An occasional glance towards the summit keeps the goal in mind, but many beautiful scenes are to be observed from each new vantage point. Climb slowly, steadily, enjoying each passing moment, and the view from the summit will prove to be astonishing.” (Earthscope, 2003)

Life is not about meeting targets; we have to enjoy the experience and benefits we take into meeting the objectives. Yes, achieving our set targets does indeed instill in us a sense of fulfillment, but how we get there is more important as that is where we will draw our valuable experiences from.

The L.I.V.E model consists of several basic principles, which brings about a positive mindset and strengthens one’s commitment towards the Army. This model is formed to start a revolution, which will instill the correct principles upon our servicemen and regulars in the Army.

The army is presently evolving into a 3^rd generation fighting force. The purpose of L.I.V.E is to strengthen the Army’s core values into a competent yet simple model. A model is simply an explanation of certain aspects of a paradigm in which we perceive.

The purpose of the model is to ensure that we meet the Army’s objective of creating a first-class Army with the highest standards of military professionalism and soldiers who are committed, confident and competent.

The L.I.V.E model consists of four main components, Leadership and Learning, Image and Identity, Values and Positive Army Experience. Firstly under the letter L we have leadership and learning which starts the ball rolling for things to come. Secondly the letter I represents image and identity a part and parcel of life. Moving on to the letter V we have value, the quality (positive or negative) that renders something desirable or valuable. Lastly, we have E that stands for positive Army experiences, which gives a fruitful and satisfying feeling when a job is appreciated and done well.

The model provides a holistic, integrated and principle-centered approach for creating a common language to strengthen the “heart-ware” of our people. With penetrating insights and experiences, I will show you the opportunities to take advantage of, brought about by the model. Having an effective model is the key to success, but we must be able to implement it.

A person learns from experiences; however how a person performs depends on factors from the society and him. “You cannot change the direction of the wind, but you can adjust your sail.” (Earth scope 2003), is very relevant. It means that we cannot change nature but we have control over our perception and mindset.

Leadership and Learning

There are different styles of leadership. My experience in leadership began during my overseas tour of duty in Thailand. I was appointed as the officer-in-charge for armament workshop at Sai Yok Camp. I had trouble being accepted by the workshop company due to the prejudices and perceptions they had harboured.

The whole company was against me during the first month. As an armament workshop IC, I had neither support nor trust as they thought I lacked experience. I was not able to bond and get respect from anyone there. Building friendship was a tough experience; fellow colleagues had doubts of whether I would be of any good use in the camp. Challenges were inevitable as I was not given any support from various departments, example; logistics. I felt miserable and often had thoughts to leave the camp. I wanted to give up what I was tasked to do, and go back to my comfort zone. However, I did not want to bring my formation and its reputation down, including the reputation of my commanders whom I worked for.

I felt despondent that my authority was undermined. I decided to earn the respect that I did not receive. I stood firm, grit my teeth and strive on. With sheer commitment and hard work, I earned the respect of my superior and subordinate. I always believed that we only lead through serving other people. Servant leadership begins with wanting to serve first then the conscious choice to lead. This differed from the leadership style where people who leads, demands first priority. I remembered that great leaders do not just follow through motions, but take on the initiatives themselves; I told myself that that would be exactly what I would do.

I tried to ensure that all the people in armament section were first to complete their IPPT before the deadline. This is to ensure that they perform well and achieve results of high standards. I always gave suggestions for changes ahead of time and assured comments are of high standards. As an armament workshop IC, I stressed that the workshop must be of excellent condition at all times. With service comes learning, when you reflect on what you have done, you would consciously adjust yourself to excel.

When I was down and felt lonely, I asked myself why I was doing all this when I had no reason to persevere. I pondered for a moment and told myself, “I want to lead a happy life, and ultimate happiness is achieved when you see a smile on another person’s face when you have helped him in one way or another, be it giving advice or guiding him with his work.” Most of us do not reflect on what we have done to others and ourselves. Why do we lead a life with no aim and purpose? To me helping someone is the greatest joy in life. The happiness are doubled when I learn from helping others, it makes life more meaningful. When was the last time you did something for others? If you tell me you had never done so or you cannot remember when was the last time you helped others, it is time for you to be happy again by helping others in the army.

Image and Identity

“Do not accept the roles that society foists on you. Re-create yourself by forging a new identity, one that commands attention and never bores the audience.” (Robert Greene, 2003). We must understand the right to choose who we want to be and how we are present ourselves to others. We have to be masters of our identity, rather than allowing others to define it for us. When we are confident that our identity is in our hands, there are no limits as to how far we can excel ourselves.

In order to maintain this good image and identity, we must ensure that our hands are always clean. This means that we must be the epitome of respect and success to others. Our hands nor minds must never be soiled by unethical deeds. We have to work to maintain a spotless appearance and to eradicate the possibility of tarnishing the image of SAF.

Image and Identity is important because it builds the confidence in people. As a workshop IC, I had to ensure that my armament section which overseas the equipment are serviceable at all times, thus giving people the confidence in their equipment. To maintain zero injuries and fault-free firing, we have to be confident that we are the best without compensating safety. We must not be labeled incapable and inexperience by society. We had to create an identity that would earn the respect and trust of people.

There was a very interesting incident that happened at Sai Yok camp that I will never forget. The 257^th battalion came down to Sai Yok camp for live firing training. This particular battalion had a phobia of live firing because in 1997 during a live firing exercise two people including a section commander were killed when a chamber explosion occurred. It took them seven years to gain enough confidence to fire and to have courage to move on from the tragic event.

We displayed excellent image and identity when we gave support to the live firing exercise. To heal the wounds of their past, we had to ensure our guns were in excellent serviceable conditions. The guns cannot fail during the mission. During the fourteen days, which included ten days of live firing exercise, we had to leave as early as four o’clock in the morning and be the first to arrive to make preparations. We also had to know the places at the back of our heads as changes in locations were sudden and we had to be prepared.

We ensured that the guns were of excellent serviceability achieving operational standard. In total there were 12 guns with 2 in reserve. Halfway, during the firing, we were requested to reattach a breech cable in a technical break exercise. As we opened up the breech mechanism to repair the faulty cable, it started to rain and all the gunners headed for shelter. However, three armament staff and I stayed out in the rain to repair the defect for more than two hours. Keeping in mind that the troops had a limited time to train, we did not want a technical defect to affect the training of the gunners. The guns were our responsibility and we did not want the gunners to loose faith in their equipment and us.

Those who witnessed us working in the rain were astonished with our persistence despite the downpour. Upon completion of the repair, we were overwhelmed by the applause of men and officers from the 257^th battalion. Letters of commendation were received from the Battalion CO and the ARTC Commander in recognition of our effort. This incident earned us the name of “The Gun Doctors” from the men of 257^th battalion. Even to date I am recognized and acknowledged by the men of 257^th battalion when they bump into me. These warm gestures are unexpected yet heart warming. This was an enriching experience. These experiences make me feel proud of being a professional Army technician.

Values

“Values often bring comfort to individuals and build bonds among people, but it can also drive a wedge between friends.” (David & John, 2003, p. 271) Each of us has a core of underlying values that contribute to our system of beliefs, ideas and opinions. Singapore being a multi-cultural society, we need values for building healthy relationships. A multi-cultural society, which means we come from different religious and cultural backgrounds, and not being able to understand and respect a person’s culture, we subconsciously raise comments that cause disagreements. Everyone has their individual perceptions, we can work efficiently with them only when we are to understand, respect and work with his values, thus creating stronger bonds.

In this current rat race society, how many of us are aware of whom we are and how do we communicate with others? The ability of having self-awareness enables us to improve and build stronger relationships with our subordinates.

We often overlook of being self-aware and thus become oblivious to our faults that lead us into blaming others. By understanding ourselves, we can make ourselves more competent by celebrating our weaknesses and consolidating our strengths. To resolve any issue, we have to first understand the person’s thoughts, fears, values and needs. When we lose the ability to understand the person’s thoughts, we become handicapped in the problem solving process.

With this thought in mind, I have concentrated to a great extent in ensuring that the workshop was in an excellent condition. During my birthday, I was given birthday off, but I decided to support the live firing exercise and forgo my off. My intentions were to stay through the exercise, and to clear my office work, which led me back to office at ten in the evening. My men had planned a surprise party for me among themselves, these actions made me feel touched, as I had only celebrated my birthday twice. One was with my wife and the other the surprise these guys threw at me. I least expected a birthday surprise, as I was strict and disciplined to my men, but I still respected every individual as a brother, showing care and concern to them. This has led them in looking at me with honour and respect.

The ability in making others work within your direction comes from an image of respect and honour. Leading people into trusting you with dignity and pride for their country comes with identity. To achieve this we had to master ourselves and work on individual’s strengths, weaknesses, and psychologies. Outrun their resistance by working with their emotions. Understand and appreciate their minds and work or they will grow to hate you.

In a marathon to an individual it is always about winning and completing the race. However when I was competing in a bilateral event which was organized by the Royal Thai Army, the thought of winning was not my first priority during the last one kilometer of the race. I valued bilateral friendship and fostering a stronger bonding with our fellow neighbours in the South East Asia region. As such during the last one kilometer my Thai Counterpart and I held hands to complete the race together. We could have outrun one another to win the race but we wanted to complete the race together to strengthen our bonding to a greater extent. Everyone including the commanders who witnessed this event were overwhelmed and in a dilemma why we did not outrun one another. This incident can be cited for valuing thoughts of friendship, care and concern for one another in times of crisis regardless of race, religion and language.

Having self-awareness and the ability of understanding others are equally important. Equipped with these skills, our perception to life would be a clear and not tinted. Relationships would no longer be clouded with doubts and uncertainty. Having awareness improves and builds better relationships. However, despite knowing that having awareness is effective, we must understand that how much a person discloses himself depends on factors in the society and his background. By equipping ourselves with this skills will only lead to have a greater value to serve and protect our nation, when the time calls for.

Experience

Experience is something that cannot be described in words; it has to be felt. What we experience in life determines how we treat people and portrays an image of a particular place. I believe that to demand high standard in discipline and turnout, we have to be able to motivate them. We have to be courteous, friendly, tactful and professional in our job scope so as to create a healthy working environment for others. One has to care and be filled with passion to preserve in every obstacle he meets. Positive experience can be achieved in a working environment when we work with effective people who share a common goal thus reaping greater benefits and getting the work done in half the time.

An incident that I believed etched into the hearts of my men happened during the festive season of Deepavali when we were attached to Sai Yok camp. All of us, applied for home leave but only my request was approved. Upon knowing this, I decided to give a surprise to my men. I borrowed a video camera and video taped the festive lights decoration along Little India, I did this to give my men a chance to view the celebration since they were not allowed to return home. I took a step further and paid a visit to all my men’s family members capturing moments of what their family wanted to convey to them.

When I got back to base, I played the video of their loved ones. Seeing them cry, laugh and celebrating as one unit was a heart whelming experience. Even though I went through lots of trouble to videotape, I felt that at the end of day my effort was appreciated as everyone in camp was touched. The commander commended me. This is the experience I want my men to feel in the army. My aim was to change the concept of army being a place where cold-blooded people exist. An old saying goes, you are only as strong as your Achilles heel. The respect earned by a commander depends on how much positive experience his men have received.

I hope what I have done for their welfare would give them a positive perspective of our army. With a positive outlook, they should be able to feel proud of themselves and be a responsible, efficient part of the SAF.

In conclusion, it is important to incorporate all these values in the model to encourage people in the army to strive for their best. It is only when you have a meaningful and memorable experience than you would have a sense of pride to serve the nation. Duty and honour must be complimented with L.I.V.E to achieve the 3^rd Generation Army. Keep in mind the power is in your hands how you L.I.V.E your life.

The End

HELPING SOLDIERS

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My work gives me opportunities to meet people of different genders, diverse age groups and different types of personalities in the army. I am an extrovert, and never got tired of talking to people whom I meet. I came into contact with paracounselling back in 2006 and that was when I was exposed to the power of listening; the rewarding experience of helping other when they facing difficulty. This was when my narrative began.

So what was really going on for me? I have to admit before I was exposed to the realm of counseling, I dealt with personnel issues which any methods that I felt comfortable with, which are not the standard methods. No framework to follow and no mentor to guide me. I had to manage with the soldier’s problems almost every other day during my stay in OETI as Wing Sergeant Major. It is challenging and somewhat exciting for me as the servicemen approach me with deep trust in me to help them solve their problem. Now I feel confident that the soldier’s have placed their trust in me despite me being their superior as I could provide them with positive solution and help them with their problems

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So what do I want actually? I see my extrovertness as a strength not everyone has. By making full use of this strength, I felt that I could be very open with the issues raised by the soldiers. However, the soldiers may not understand and feel that my tone and approach is too intimidating for them especially when I am their superior. Thus, I have to regulate the “energy” level when communicating between my soldier and me. By being constantly conscious of this aspect, I feel that I can improve on this weakness.

My ability to be able to exercise critical thinking is another strength of mine. It allows me to think deeper into what the client is trying to tell me and establish a hunch easily in the early stages of the counseling sessions. However it can be my weakness as well because having too many hunches is not healthy for the relationship between the soldier and me. I establish hunches based on my personal experiences of the similar kind. Thus sometimes this may at the same time contradict my thought process which may lead to blind spots that I may not be able to bypass. My role as a paracounsellor is to help soldiers move out of their blind spots and not to get into one myself.

So the next question is how do I get what I want? There are many avenues to learn the skill of counseling. Books, internet, courses, etc are many sources of information to tap on. And I chose to go for the paracounsellor preparatory course in SAF. I believe that the knowledge of the counsellors in the SAF counseling centre would benefit me. With theory sessions, facilitating the discussions on case studies and, best of all, with role plays, I can effectively learn, discuss differences and later on apply them to gain a better understanding. Going for this course is definitely a SO SMART goal. I take ownership of my keenness to pick up the skill (Subject Owned), which is a specific course that I targeted to attend (Specific). There are frameworks or models to guide me through (Measurable) and my superior is encouraging enough to approve my application to attend this course (Attainable). Getting away from work for five days to pick up an invaluable skill seemed fair enough (Realistic) and, last but not least, within five days, I get to learn the skill which I have been longing to (Timely).

Some of the learning points that I have taken back were:

1. Counseling is a form of support for the needy client. It was never to advise the client on what to do but to listen to the client’s story and facilitate him or her to go through a systematic thought process. This helps the client to straighten out his or her thoughts, move past any blind spots and later come up with action plans that he or she can take ownership of.
2. The need to respect the client as a normal person. One who is in need of help or even just lending a listening ear is not a weakling, he or she is just confused or unsure of him or herself usually due to uncertainties, several issues bothering him or her. With this respect in mind, then the relationship between the counsellor and the client can be drawn closer, usually so when the client can put his or her trust completely in the counsellor.
3. The need to care for the client as I would to my friends. I have to be genuinely concerned of the client’s troubles before I can open up myself to listen actively to the client. Without this sense of care and concern for the client, the trust factor may never be felt between the counsellor and client.
4. To show empathy and not sympathy. I can never understand thoroughly how the client felt of what he or she had undergone. The only thing is to empathise with him or her, to identify with her the feelings and thoughts that might be within the client. In order to respect and care for the client, I must not attempt to sympathise with him or her. This will only make the client feel weak and helpless.
5. Last but not least, whatever I do for the client, I must do nothing to harm the client or society. This might come about as a struggle within the counsellor’s mind. On one hand, I have to respect the confidentiality of the issue, however when the need arise e.g. actions or planned actions by the client signifies certain illegalities, I have to report him to the authorities. This then, perhaps if the client does not understand, leads to mistrust by the client.

"The Army recognizes these Soldiers the flexibility and allow them the time to handle all the personal business. At the same time, I have the responsibility to bring them back up to speed to be a productive Soldier .These Soldiers who are serving compassionate reassignments - temporary tours of duty where the Soldier continues to serve their Nation while also taking care of serious family issues. And, as the first sergeant major of EWTW, is there to help them through the tough times. These Soldiers are facing significant challenges. Their father, mother, child or another loved one is dying," he said. "There might be financial problems caused by the situation that they also have to deal with. I basically play mom and dad for these Soldiers. I help them get through the emotional part of life. I help them get financially back on their feet. At times, it is somewhat overwhelming for them and I'm here to help them. They have special needs. I make sure their needs are fulfilled so they can go on to be successful in their Army Life .Sgt. Maj. to oversee the administrative needs of the 200 Soldiers assigned to the wing. I work with several government, volunteer and community organizations that support Soldier needs. A career Soldier, my self is known for the compassion and generosity I show toward Soldiers - all the way from privates to officers -- who serve at Army. Recently, I was the recipient for the SAF counselor appreciation dinner. Describing how I have helped several of my young Soldiers deal with personal issues - such as driving them to medical, financial and educational appointments, providing them with money from my personal funds to cover sudden expenses, and helping out Soldiers and their families during their criss situation. Going the "extra mile personally gave of my experience and time in a self-sacrificing means of mentoring to make sure that young Soldiers receive valuable lessons learned and guidance in their development in becoming future WOSE crops . In my opinion, there are no better people on earth than Soldiers and that's what's kept me in the Army," he said. "I enjoy the camaraderie and the challenge of the job. I love serving Soldiers and that's what my job is. Basically, I look out for Soldiers When I first became a sergeant Major, which was the first time I was put in charge to managing of young boys’ .To me, which was where it was at - developing someone who will take your place. A Soldier will mess up, but he doesn't do it on purpose," he said. "He wants to do a great job, the best job ever, 100 percent of the time. I don't think you will find that kind of work ethic in the civilian work force. As with most Soldiers, my years in the Army have left their mark on. I know for a fact that the Army has made me a better leader, a better man. "It's exposed me to all kinds of people from all different walks of life who learn to get along with each other and work together to accomplish the mission. Today, with nearly 25 years of service in the Army, I believe the best leaders are Soldiers who are firm but fair, who are smart and educated about the world, who have a wealth of experience to draw from and who, most of all, have compassion for Soldiers and other people. I hope others see those qualities in them and in their role as a leader. Since I took over this job, I go home every night and look myself in the mirror. That's my check. I ask myself ‘SARA, today did you do everything you could for those Soldiers?' The promise I've made to myself is to try to do everything in my power to help my soldiers out. Being a counsellor is not an easy job, with guidelines and codes of conduct to abide by. However, I will stand firm in abiding by all these rules, lest I violate any of the ethics and conduct of being a paracounsellor. I am glad that despite these, I am able to help people.

tribute to JB JEYARATNAM

My sincere condolences to his family and other loved ones. I had  one ocassion to meet Mr. Jeyaratnam, and that was when I took part in the Anson road run and received a prize from him. It was a honor to bought  took the opportunity to shake his hand and thank him. He is People's voice and stand to fight  for his Singaporeans . He will be always in our thoughts and hearts as JB.

CARE FOR SOLIDER

I would like to share some thoughts about the recent passing on of a very close friend and mentor, late 1WO Fatipah Anthonysamy.
The help rendered by the SCDF really touched my heart during the period of his wake, as he was a close friend and mentor to me over the past 23 years. When I joined the army at the age of 14, 1WO Fatipah Anthonysamy was there to guide me and lead me. He was just like a second father to me in the army. I recall a time when I was involved in an out-field exercise which coincided with my 18th birthday. 1WO Fatipah Anthonysamy personally bought a small cake for me and surprised me in the jungle. Although the conditions in the jungle were far from what it would have been in a restaurant back home, it was the thought that really counted. The effort that really touched me, and of course, the character of this great man that really shone through.
Though he was a superior, he never bossed us around, but taught us in a firm but reasonable way. This brought about the strong bond between the men and him. He served the army for many years, rising to become a RSM before being transferred to the SCDF.
In my 23 years serving the nation, I never once doubted the credibility and never once wavered in my respect for this great man. And never have I seen a military funeral conducted with such efficiency and respect for the servicemen that have been called from this earth.
Also, in my 23 years of service, even though I have seen off for myself numerous servicemen of different ranks who have passed on either in the line of duty or due to acts-of-God. However, never have I seen that much sincere effort being put into reducing the burden of the family of the deceased. Never have I seen genuine concern being shown upon the relatives and loved ones. Especially not for lower-ranking servicemen.
Being a Wing Sergeant Major myself, with all due respect, I can only hope that the other leaders of the other branches of the SAF would indeed look upon this as a fantastic example of paying the final respects and homage to these men who have so selflessly dedicated years of their lives to serving our Singapore. Surely ensuring that their final journey is one that is smooth flowing and grand would show the people whom he had left behind that indeed, his services rendered to the nation were well appreciated and were recognized?
This in the long run, would allow people’s attitudes towards how the SAF treats its servicemen to turn for the better as well. In the past few years, there have been more than a couple of major accidents involving servicemen of all levels. While many branches of the SAF stress greatly on the core value of Care for Soldiers, I personally feel that not enough is being done to show that we really care for our soldiers. We ought to care for them not only when they’re under our wings in service but also when they have moved on to other avenues of life.
Thank you for your kind attention.
With warmest regards,
1WO Saravarnan