If Anne Can

Guest: Daan van Rossum 

 Daan van Rossum is a shining light in the world of designing workspaces fit for the 21st century. He is Chief Experience Officer of Dreamplex a co-working space based in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam and he believes your work experience should be one where you learn, grow, have fun, connect, be well and thrive. 

Daan is also Chapter lead Vietnam for Stories of Asia, a platform to empower the Asian community with a voice through storytelling. Focusing on workspace, entrepreneurship and community, Stories of Asia seeks to inspire, change share lessons and connect people. 

If you are interested in co-working spaces and the future of work then tune in to hear Daan talk about how community does not create itself; the importance of designing experiences to entice people from behind their computer screens. 

Other topics covered include; the importance of rituals both on and offline; fostering casual collisions; finding the right mix of HQ/flexible/remote workspace; updating work experience for Gen Z; moving out of offices and into neighbourhoods.

Links:

The Art of Gathering: Why We Meet and Why it Matters, Priya Parker https://www.amazon.com/Art-Gathering-How-Meet-Matters/dp/1594634920

Daan van Rossum on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/daanvanrossum

Our Community Podcast

You can find more information about the podcast here: https://ourcommunity.buzzsprout.com/

Andee Chua is a starburst of energy, entrepreneurial and innovative, he pours his considerable talents into roles as diverse as community builder, digital marketer, teacher, mentor, fundraiser, dancer, model and host.

He is the Co-Founder of Kampung Collective;  a community for Community Builders across Asia whose mission is to educate, gather, connect and build to achieve their vision to elevate Community Building as a credible professional career.

Join us for a  conversation about Andee's philosophy on life, community and contribution; how exploring new things will reward you with the magic of opportunity; how skills are interconnected and how being a dancer has made his thinking more flexible.

Andee believes that when people come together to collaborate within a community everybody can find a role. There is a great diversity of skills and not everyone has to be front of house. Those who are quieter and are present to listen carry out a valuable role.

Andee also believes that experiencing failure is a great learning opportunity and good preparation for when inevitable difficulties are experienced again.  

You can find out more about Andee on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andeechua
You can find out more about Kampung Collective on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/kampungcollective 

Dr. Jovina Ang is a hugely successful corporate leader and has worked for multiple Fortune 500 companies including Microsoft, Dell and Cisco Systems. Throughout her career she has been interested in evaluating the contributors to career success and she studied this topic academically for her Ph.D.  

Jovina has also spoken widely and written a book about the importance of career lifelines; what are they? Why they are so important for establishing a successful career and how do you go about in developing them? 

Jovina began our conversation by describing the difference between a career sponsor, a mentor and a coach. All are important but there is a hierarchy and the real career lifeline is the sponsor because they will advocate for you and take active steps to propel you forward. A sponsor is vested in your success. 

Building relationships is a key skill in any occupation and for those not keen on networking it is especially important to build a strong relationship with a line manager. Part of this relationship includes being prepared to discuss career aspirations. The magic of asking for help and establishing a clear career pathway is a huge step forward.    

There are a few key reasons why people take the step of becoming a career sponsor; some do it to give back; some to cement their own position and some because it makes them feel better. However, in order to benefit from a sponsor’s vital career lifeline the sponsee must engage and be prepared to be an active partner and above all deliver in their role. 

As a global corporate leader, Paul Woolley travelled the world opening, growing, merging and sometimes closing businesses. From a $3m Revenue single-site operation base in 1994 through to a 21 entity $600m Revenue business by the time he stepped back from his Global President and COO role some 12+ months ago.

Leaving any close community is hard. Hear Paul’s thoughts on how stepping away from over 25 years of corporate leadership felt like being cast adrift without a map. How, in order to help him craft his future he sought advice and objective feedback, both from others who had been in the same position and those who had worked with him. 

Paul’s advice to others is to plan early for your life after your corporate role. Have a clear idea of what you don’t want to do; keep learning, networking and connecting so you remain relevant and can draw on these resources when you need to.

Finally, Paul believes that companies need to offer more help and guidance to those who are leaving, to help them to use their wisdom and knowledge to thrive after they leave their corporate community.  

Curious to learn more about the role of a Community Manager?

Tune in and hear Alex talk about the Kampung Collective; an initiative he co-founded to establish a trusted tribe for community builders across Asia. He discusses the motivation and mission behind the Collective and how they are channeling the energy of the community.      

Nobody gets left behind; Alex has also represented Singapore in Water Polo at the Asian Games, Commonwealth Games and SEA Games. He tells us about his fascinating life and how he has used the strategies learned from being a full-time sportsman to help him overcome setbacks and refocus on changing direction. Alex also comments on the importance of trust and how fatherhood has given him a new perspective.   



Links:

Kampung Collective: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2419861348342034

Alex Loh on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-loh-%E5%8A%B3%E6%98%9F%E8%A3%95-9495294a/

Our Community Podcast

You can find more information about the podcast here: https://ourcommunity.buzzsprout.com/

Have you ever found yourself ‘screaming on the inside’ as you find yourself in a position where you don’t understand the unspoken rules, roles and belief systems around you? If so you are certainly not alone!

Tune in to hear Kyle Hegarty’s refreshingly frank and funny take on the delicate art of cross-cultural communication. His stack of real-life stories breathes life into a subject that can be dry and academic. He’s not been described as ‘the Indiana Jones of International Business for nothing!

 Kyle’s book, The Accidental Business Nomad: A Survival Guide for Working Across a Shrinking Planet has been published in Asia on August 27th.

 References: 

Kyle Hegarty https://www.linkedin.com/in/slapdragons/

https://www.amazon.sg/Accidental-Business-Nomad-Survival-Shrinking/dp/1529329078

Sam Neo is the founder of one of APAC’s top 10 HR and Employer branding consultancies; People Mentality Inc. whose mission is to help organizations become an Employer of Choice. 

His recent venture is Stories of Asia, a story-tech platform set up to empower the Asian community with a voice through storytelling. 

We started our conversation by discussing how important it is for HR to craft effective internal communications. Too often employees are hugely disappointed when they realise the promises made in external branding are totally different from the actual experience of working for the company. Now is the time for organisations to honour their promises to their employees.  

Never has it been more critical for businesses to be clear about what they stand for and have perfect alignment between the internal and external communications. 

For some business, it is difficult to let go of control and allow authentic messages and give employees ease of access to express themselves.  

There is a change in the air. Stories of Asia is an inspirational platform where people can share what they are thinking and give expression to their emotions. Peeling back the layers and exposing what would normally have remained unsaid.  

Sam’s journey of fatherhood is an example of sharing stories that are rarely heard – those of working fathers. Sam signed off by reiterating the message that HR needs to be communicating in a more empathetic way- truly connecting with the different needs of the employees.   

References:
People Mentality Inc: https://peoplementalityinc.com/
Stories Of Asia: https://storiesofasia.co/

   

Blair Hall’s long and distinguished career in the U.S. Diplomatic Service led him to hold key roles in the U.S. Embassies in Tokyo, London, Copenhagen, New Delhi and Singapore. Blair was also at the forefront of many global high-profile missions including the Northern Ireland Good Friday Peace Agreement.  

Since retiring from diplomatic service Blair holds several senior advisory roles and is the Managing Director of Westminster Minato LLC where he provides strategic advice to international business organizations on political climate, market and investment conditions and facilitates relationships with governments, potential business partners and stakeholders.

Our conversation began with Blair’s fascinating insights into building trust as part of the negotiation team for the Northern Ireland Good Friday Peace Talks.

Blair then talked about taking a break to decompress after thirty-five years in the diplomatic service; how he  drew on his experience to shape his new career; building a sense of connection lashed to purpose; the importance of maintaining connections and cultivating a sense of belonging to a community; looking forward to new opportunities in the future.

References:

You can learn more about the American Association of Singapore here: https://www.aasingapore.com/

Most Events Managers have had to fight fires but not many have been Firefighters!

Helen Starr is Head of Events at the British Chamber of Commerce and has overseen the Chamber’s recent rapid transformation from offering face to face events to a multifaceted digital offering.

In order to help her do this Helen has drawn on the skills she has developed in her previous diverse roles, one of which included being a firefighter for the London Fire Brigade.   

We began our conversation with Helen talking about the fluidity she needed to learn new applications as she and her the team quickly adapted to offer a series of podcasts and online webinars; none of which formed part of the chamber’s previous offering.  The major upside was the strengthening of the team’s relationship and an increase in their knowledge and understanding of each other’s roles.   

Helen also felt that over recent months the Chamber’s members were drawing closer together to support each other in an open and human way. The crisis making them more comfortable to reveal themselves.

Another upside was that the new digital platforms greatly made it easier to add the sheer volume of content available as many members offered to help and provide valuable information for others to benefit from. Being digital has also given the Chamber the opportunity to strengthen links and actively collaborate with other Chambers in the Region.

Federico Folcia is an entrepreneur who is passionate about contributing to improving the quality of life of the ageing population and their perception in our society.

He is the founder of Crane; a multi-generational community for lifelong learning; a social space where likeminded individuals gather for fitness, workshops, lifestyle events, and co-working. Through the Crane community, members are encouraged to share life experience and professional expertise, particularly in the fields of sustainability, social impact, and holistic wellness. 

Federico is also the Managing Director of Powerhouse; a one-stop-shop providing startups and mature companies with the expertise and resources to drive innovation.

During our podcast, Federico talked about his interest in exploring the use of shared resources in the wider community and how he is creating a vibrant mixed community of content creators willing to share a breathtaking range of expertise and passion.

Curiosity and open accessibility are key as the community is built by people using the space in different ways.

If you are interested in communities, engagement, and life- long learning then Federico is well worth listening to.   

References:

You can learn more about Crane here: https://www.crane.club/

Get Together; How to build a community with your people:  https://www.amazon.com/Get-Together-build-community-people-ebook/dp/B07TXDDNPR