Conversations with Social Impact Leaders: Jing Pei

With the continued focus to integrate ESG into Corporate Strategy & Operations, Page Executive is keen on playing our part to help draw stronger awareness within our business community by launching our latest Conversation with Social Impact Leaders online.

In every episode, we are going to invite one leader from the social impact sector (non-profit, public, social enterprise, education) to share more about his/her passion in this arena as well their advice and tips on the marketplace.

This time, Page Executive's Gabriel Nam speaks to Jing Pei Goh-Asmala from the Global Leadership Accelerator at Teach For All. Here are some of the key highlights from the conversation: 

Jing Pei's thoughts on keeping staff engaged in a successful international non-profit organisation... 

Reflecting on my career path, I am constantly on the lookout for stretched opportunities to continue broadening my impact and growing my capabilities. Despite having a lean footprint, Teach For All provides a platform for me to combine several “core pillars” of my academic and professional interests: human development, system change and regional history. 

We are encouraged to lead our growth and development within and beyond the organization. The constant growth of our global network also means that there are opportunities for new lessons to be learned and new practices to be adopted. For example, I recently expanded my portfolio from working directly with organisational leaders in the Asia Pacific region to designing and facilitating leadership programs across our global network.

Currently, I am most excited about working with our colleagues, partner staff, and alumni on three pilot leadership development programs covering Europe, Africa and Asia Pacific this year.

Jing Pei's advice to individuals who are keen on making a career switch to non-profit...

The differences between the high-performing organisations in commercial and non-profit sectors are not always as huge as they are made out to be. After all, you can find highly capable professionals and well-run organisations across both sectors, just as you can find similar people and organisation challenges. 

It is important to make the decision with clarity and to carry a growth mindset. Being clear about your reasons for making a career move will help you stay focused on what matters. Coming in with a growth mindset will help you anchor on your personal learning questions and be curious about what you might be blindsided by and let go of unhelpful assumptions that get in the way. 

The most successful career-changers I have met are the best listeners with the most strategic mind, they are attentive to the unspoken dynamic of the situations they find themselves in, and very inclusive in the way they seek input and advice.

Jing Pei's observations on young talent in Southeast Asia vs other regions in general...

ASEAN has about 686 million (and growing!) population, and the youth constitutes 30% of the population. I have had the privilege of meeting and interacting with so many young talents in the region travelling and working in the region. Like myself, many young talents I met are also first-generation graduates themselves, which means they are likely the first ones among their families to receive tertiary education. I have been absolutely blown away by the creativity, resilience and thoughtfulness I have witnessed.

In some ways, these young people will inherit a better world than our ancestors knew, with higher income potential, better health, increased access to education, more connected with the rest of the world, thanks to technological advancement.

They also face serious regional and global challenges, such as climate change and challenges to social and political freedom, etc. I became convinced that Southeast Asian (young) talents are unique in the sense that we are already blessed with our messy, beautiful multicultural region and it’s rapidly changing; there is a constant need to negotiate between the old and new. We also have more confidence and courage to look at some of the outdated practices and mindsets we inherited from our colonial masters more critically, and are willing to challenge them and build something entirely different.

While other regions might have more ‘workplace-ready’ talents given their institutional strengths, I’d say we have tons of hidden gems waiting to be discovered if we are willing to look beyond the conventional metrics.

Jing Pei's thoughts on key learning needs for the broader youth community, in view of this ever-evolving social environment...

Much has been made about learning how to navigate the increasingly chaotic operating environment young people are finding themselves in: from political polarisation to xenophobia to climate change to growing inequality, just to name a few. 

While relevant technical skills are essential, I believe the key to thriving in such a complex environment is an ability to stay centered and to fluidly move between multiple perspectives. 

When we get pushed off center by the inevitable stresses of life, we are prone to falling back on narrower views and knee jerk reactions.

If we are unable to see situations from the perspective of others who are very different from us, we find it hard to fathom their motivations, let alone collaborate on finding compelling solutions that work for everyone amidst uncertainties. Not surprisingly, it is extremely difficult to grow our capacity to be more tolerable and inclusive, it requires a lot of courage for us to unlearn our mental habits.

Jing Pei's views on how the business community can play a part in helping nurture our next generation for a better future... 

By role-modelling and practising what they need—growth mindset, centeredness, and perspective-taking—and by encouraging them to discover their own voice.

We can adopt a coaching approach, asking them for their views and guiding them with questions, rather than squashing them with our perspectives and answers. 

Offering high-quality paid internships for young people of all ages, giving them the direct exposure to real-time challenges you seek to solve, giving them the opportunities to work alongside you and your top leaders as equal partners is the practical key.

Essentially, seeing ourselves as co-learners is possibly the best thing we could do in nurturing our young people.