People, Discipline, Trust: My Leadership Journey from the Army to Design

Twenty years ago, I was commissioned as an officer in the Singapore Army. This was the beginning of my evolving career – from the military to design school to starting a consulting business. Looking back, I find myself reflecting on the leadership lessons that have stuck with me all these years.

People: The Heart of the Mission

In the military, I was taught Sun Tzu’s Art of War principle, “Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.” And at the heart of it all were people. What’s the point of winning the battle if no one is left to celebrate the victory?

I’ve learned that leadership is not just about achieving results. It’s about nurturing the team that makes everything possible. People do their best work when they buy into a clear mission with roles that best suit their strengths, and investing in a strong team allows us to better serve our clients.

Discipline: The Foundation of Mastery

Soldiers train tirelessly until their responses become second nature because in the heat of battle, there’s no time to think about how your machinery works. Only survival matters. Training ensures that a soldier has the mental capacity to respond confidently, especially during life-or-death moments.

Fortunately, the design world is not that dangerous. But for me, military experience only reinforced that discipline paves the way to mastery. We are constantly honing our craft at Giant Shoulders. We’ve built solid processes and systems into our workflow – testing, debriefing, improving, and repeating. No matter how a project may change or pivot, we know our team is ready to respond and deliver consistent results.

Trust: The Cornerstone of Leadership

The difference between management and leadership is trust. Whether you lead soldiers or a design team, trust is necessary for your team’s long-term success.

To build a high-performing team, I’ve learned it’s not enough to hire someone I can only trust enough to follow marching orders. Instead, I look for people with different strengths and perspectives who fill in our gaps and add to our culture. When we find the right people to join our mission, we find them the right role and honor what makes them unique. This is the key to a vibrant, creative, and adaptable team that can overcome any challenge.

Let’s Evolve Our Leadership Together

I would not be who I am today without my time in the Army and the lessons I learned there. Focusing on people, pursuing discipline, and building trust are core principles in everything we do at Giant Shoulders. I’d love to hear how your past experience informs your work today.