Leaders should equip themselves with coaching skills, OCBC’s outgoing CEO says
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Outgoing OCBC group CEO Helen Wong (left) at a fireside chat with Manpower Minister Tan See Leng at OCBC’s annual learning festival on Aug 22.
PHOTO: OCBC
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SINGAPORE – Coaching is not just applicable to sports teams, but can also be a highly effective way of moulding better leaders in the ever-competitive field of business.
That is the view of OCBC’s outgoing group chief executive officer Helen Wong, who noted: “I highly recommend coaching. It opens up so much about the way you learn how to communicate, understand people, and... also helps you to build a network.”
Ms Wong, who was speaking at a fireside chat at OCBC Campus on Aug 22, added that becoming a better leader does not happen overnight.
“As you gain more experience, you learn the skills and the communication, then you become a better leader,” she said.
“I learnt, through the years, that as a leader, you cannot just order or instruct. You have to communicate.”
Ms Wong, 64, will be stepping down on Dec 31
Her belief in coaching is being underpinned by the bank, which signed a strategic partnership agreement with the International Coaching Federation on Aug 22.
The aim is to train 100 senior leaders to attain the International Coaching Federation Associate Certified Coach accreditation by 2027. Participants will have to complete 60 hours of coaching education, 100 hours of coaching experience and 10 hours of mentor coaching, when experienced mentors provide feedback and guidance.
Ms Lee Hwee Boon, OCBC’s head of group human resources, said: “As organisations continue to navigate transformation and disruption, coaching has emerged as a vital driver of growth through the offering of personalised support that helps individuals and teams adapt with agility.”
Since September 2023, 52 senior leaders have started training to become certified coaches. They have also begun to coach employees in order to build up 100 hours of coaching experience.
About 300 staff have received coaching facilitated by these soon-to-be certified coaches.
Ms Lyn Lee, OCBC’s head of group legal and one of the bank’s first executives to undergo the training, noted: “Coaching has helped me become more intentional in how I listen, ask guiding questions and empower others to take action.”
Ms Wong said leaders undergoing coaching training need to be open and to communicate to the coaches about their concerns, adding: “Coaching is also two-way. So the coach is also learning from the coaching as well.”
Manpower Minister Tan See Leng, who was also speaking at the fireside chat, urged people to adopt an open mindset when managing their careers, noting that his own career path was a less conventional one that came with “a lot of twists and turns”.
Before entering politics, Dr Tan founded Healthway Medical Group and was its CEO from 1993 to 2002.
He was also CEO and managing director of IHH HealthCare from 2014 to 2019.
“Sometimes you think that path is going to lead you to huge success, name and all that, but that may not necessarily be the path for you, because along the way, as you move on, and if your mind is open, the next thing is really a process of self-discovery,” he said.
Dr Tan added that he never thought he would enter politics as his lifelong ambition was to be a surgeon, noting: “A lot of times, you never really know what the endgame is. It’s really the journey... learning, adjusting, adapting, reviving, learning new experiences.”
He also emphasised the importance of building networks: “The moment you step out of Singapore, within our small microcosm, our oasis, our cocoon, you will realise the power of networks, building the bridges.”
