Day 5 (8 Jan) Posting

What does everyone like to talk about most?

Themselves.

This may be a sweeping statement but it does work well as an aphorism. It was the principle I kept in mind when interacting with Professor Zachary during one of the activities for the Leadership Amazing Race. That principle was useful in self-introductions but it wasn’t as useful during the actual race. Our team had a good start since we were able to identify the locations by asking the receptionist at the hotel. We arrived at the first location and completed the assigned task relatively quickly. All in all, it was a good start.

I was leading the team for this race as I was supposedly the only member who had experience reading paper maps. It was a role I felt uncomfortable with since I never liked giving orders or directing others. When push came to shove though, I would lead if that was necessary for the completion of the task.

It was too early for a confidence boost for things started going downhill from there. We had located the next destination and I was tasked with bringing us there. Yet as we walked, I kept feeling that something was amiss. Everyone followed me without questioning but I was plagued by self-doubt. I paused to ask for confirmation at a cross-junction and told everyone to look out for a particular main road. We continued to plough eastwards until my intuition sounded alarm bells and I realised that we had overshot by a fair bit after seeking confirmation once more.

Chiang Mai, unlike Singapore, was built in a much more haphazard fashion and where it was difficult to differentiate an alley from a road. The streets were charming to look at but difficult to navigate. In my frustration, I could not help but appreciate the urban planning that Singapore is renowned for. I missed the conspicuous signposts and clearly-labelled landmarks. Many of us have probably complained about the lack of buzz back home and revelled in the vibrancy of Chiang Mai during our time there. At least I did. However, I realised that while Chiang Mai was wonderful for a short trip, I would prefer to live in Singapore for the modern conveniences which we often took for granted. This included being able to find one’s way around easily.

Even with the above excuse, guilt stayed with me for the rest of the race. We had lost whatever lead we had because of my misjudgement. Still, my team continued to entrust the map to me as we finally made our way to the second location. There were many occasions where I found myself way ahead of the rest of the team as I tried to look out for signposts in the unfamiliar territory. Regardless of how far ahead, I would still make it a point to wait for all of them before crossing the roads. My understanding was that no one got left behind. Amusingly enough, that would include me when the rest of the team decided to complete a general task and required me to backtrack to where they were.

At the end of the day, what was important was that this race was a team effort. Darren tried to keep all of us motivated. Eliza helped to double-check our location. Crystal managed the general tasks we had to complete. Fay approached the strangers and monks necessary for task completion. I was glad that my team did not blame me (too much) for the futile walking.

In retrospect, I struggled at more than one crossroad that day. Literally, this referred to my hesitation in deciding to go straight down Charoen Muang Road or turn left to Bamrung Rat Road. Figuratively, this referred to my choice to be a leader or a follower. In the face of uncertainty, I could have simply given up and let someone else take charge. That was tempting but it was not what I did. Instead, I told my team squarely that I wasn’t sure, shared with them the problem, and then tried to solve that problem by asking for directions. My course of action was aligned with my idea of what a leader should be: someone who may not always be right but is still willing to take responsibility for his team and do what he can to make things right for them (should things go wrong). I chose to lead that day and emerged a better man.

Later that afternoon, the realisation which I made at the café close to CMU was put to the test. This time, we were at the cinema at the Central Festival Mall and there were many youths lounging at the waiting area. They were seated on couches and there was usually a small table in front of them. As with the youths at the café, the youths at the cinema were just as receptive to responding to our surveys and interviews. Perhaps it was just plain luck or some other factor that contributed to these two observations. Still, I think I may have picked up a useful tip for future fieldwork.