ULI Hong Kong’s Post

🌟 𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝐂𝐨𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 for Strengthening Bonds and Enhancing Success🌟   Fortune REIT always value investing in the well-being, collaboration and growth of our employees as a coherent team has been the biggest driving force behind our success 🙌.   To this end, our team recently spent a day together in Shenzhen with an array of activities curated to cultivate their coordination, communication and trust as a cohesive team. The team shared great excitements through a series of challenge-based activities - from pulse-pounding war games 🔫 and speed-riding competitions 🏎️ to collective problem-solving exercises.   Besides, we made it a point to immerse ourselves in Shenzhen’s vibrant lifestyle and dining offerings. This cross-cultural exploration inspired us with valuable insights to enhance our own retail spaces, offerings and services 💡.   The activities underscored the vital roles that cohesion and personal advancement play in driving workplace success and job satisfaction at Fortune REIT 💼. We firmly believe that a unified, collaborative team is essential for aligning on common goals and achieving our shared objectives 💪.   A shoutout to our organizers Queenie WONG and Zoe Wong who made this trip one of our most memorable cohesion events 🤝.   #FortuneREITTeam #TeamBuilding #WorkplaceSuccess #FortuneForAll

Early last week, I get to be up close and personal with Mr Ho Kwon Ping. Over a breakfast talk, I get to hear his story. His journey to becoming a leading figure in Singapore is a testament to his resilience and unwavering spirit. His early career as a journalist saw him championing social causes, a passion that landed him in jail twice. These experiences, far from deterring him, fueled his determination to create positive change. His subsequent entrepreneurial endeavors, particularly in the hospitality industry, have not only brought economic prosperity but also showcased his commitment to sustainability and community development. Most notably, Mr. Ho Kwon Ping is renowned for his instrumental role in establishing Singapore Management University (SMU) as the nation's first autonomous university. Serving as its Founding Chairman for an impressive 25 years, his visionary leadership was instrumental in shaping SMU's unique identity and academic focus. Under his guidance, the university flourished, becoming a leading institution for business and management education in the region. At 72 years, he is sharp and is a profound thinker. Here's nuggets of wisdom he shared: 📌 You are the sum total of what you do in life. Embrace the experiences 📌 Nobody likes to fail. But if you fail, what's the big deal, learn from it. (He did a lot of reflection while in jail) 📌 Our sense of purpose has nothing to do with success. It is what makes us wake up every morning 📌 If you are a business owner, purpose is bigger than your business. At Banyan Tree, sustainablity is built into the DNA. It is about uplifting the community (where they operate in), and empowering people (through jobs, upskilling) 📌 To drive innovation within the organisation, it can be both a top down and bottom up approach. At Banyan Tree, they organised a yearly "demo day" where each business unit could pitch a new idea that enhance customer experience, save cost or drive productivity. The winning idea gets funded and implemented throughout the organisation. This creates ownership and excitement at all levels within the organisation. And finally, we do not know when we will expire, live every day fully. There's a lot more nuggets of wisdom in his book "Behind the Banyan" authored by Aaron Low. I am glad I took time out to attend the breakfast talk. #growth #innovation #gratitude #brandbuilding #sustainability

NICHE SKILLS ANYONE? In the journey of life, most of us acquire naturally the necessary skills to function in our daily lives. We do the same in our career. Many of us develop special skills, and mastery of certain domains, developed over years of walking the same paths. Then there are those who go off the beaten paths, to develop skills in niche areas and become good at handling abnormal circumstances that others face difficulty with. Years ago in Shanghai, I became involved with an organisation that set up a joint venture with a minority partner to develop a retail project. Halfway through the project, the minority partner started to behave abusively during their regular meetings. He’d use profanities when expressing his opinions, bang on the table to make his point, and raise his voice when he disagreed with what’s being said by the others. His bizarre behaviour intensified over time, and the meetings became unpleasant to the point that everyone dreaded any interaction with him. The corporate managers in the Shanghai office were caught in a hard place between the objectives of the bosses in its head office in Singapore, and an insufferable minority stakeholder that they had to deal with. With careers at stake, damaged egos and highly charged emotions on all sides, the project was close to derailing. It took 2 months. Of emotions control, artful communications, a delicate touch to handle multiple egos, and a huge dose of thinking out-of-the-box. It was conflict resolution, geo-office politics, and strategic negotiations. In the end, I convinced the stakeholder to stage an offer to buy the project, so as to trigger the bosses in the head office to make a counter-offer, helped structure the buy-out, come to an agreement on valuation, provided a path for the corporate managers in Shanghai to navigate the bureaucracy of the organisation, and managed stakeholder mindset to cash out at a realistic level. It matters how plans are designed, executed, and how people are dealt with. It does. Ring the bell 🔔on my profile. I am #kennylim, an #LBFAlumni member, at #SkyHighTower, participating in the #SportofLife, with a few niche skills of my own. Send me an invite =>Kenny Lim Think => https://lnkd.in/gk6s343A Smile => https://lnkd.in/dey2akC7

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🌟 Igniting Innovation: Deeper Insights from Kelvin Wong's Masterclass 🌟 "Imagination is more important than knowledge," said Albert Einstein. Kelvin, the technical director of Master Concept Group, brought this principle to life in his sharing at Generation Hong Kong. His insights encouraged our learners to prioritize creativity alongside their technical skills. During the session, Kelvin emphasized the value of 'Smart people'—those who apply critical thinking to their work. He shared stories of Generation alumni who have advanced within Master Concept, illustrating the real-world impact of our educational programs. Our partnership with Master Concept is a testament to our commitment to bridging education and employment. It's a practical example of how we're addressing the global skills gap and creating career opportunities for young professionals. We invite other corporations to collaborate with us. Share your expertise, guide our students, and open pathways for our alumni. Together, we can cultivate a workforce ready for the challenges of tomorrow. To explore partnership opportunities, please get in touch with us at generationhk@generation.org. #GenerationHK #EducationToEmployment #TalentBeyondBoundaries #YouEmployed #Skills #development #community #Workplace #jobsearch #students #change #learning #Talentacquisition #Employee #retention #Mentorship #Insights #technology #solutions #opportunity #Innovation #CreativeThinking #CriticalThinking #opportunity

𝘕𝘦𝘨𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘨𝘭𝘰𝘣𝘢𝘭 "𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸". Hard to beat the skyline views on the Maria Bay Sands Building at last week's negotiation bootcamp for investment professionals in #Singapore. In front of this hallmark view, we spent quite a bit of time talking about the impact of #culture on #negotiation and #communication in today's global economy. As a European, I feel like I am often in the middle: I look to the west and think "𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑡𝑡𝑦 𝑙𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑 ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒", and I look to the east and think "𝑠𝑜 𝑞𝑢𝑖𝑒𝑡". 🤗 Meanwhile, my colleagues from the east probably think of me as "the loud one" 😅. (I can see all my clients in SEA nodding heavily right now 🤣😘) The same is true between different countries in the same region where from afar you would club them all together (like what is really the difference between Germany, Austria and Switzerland? Or Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia? (duck, run for cover, brace for impact 🙈🤣) Of course, when you zoom in, the differences are big! The interesting thing is: it's all RELATIVE (thanks, Albert!). ➡ What is loud to one is quiet to another. ➡ What is direct to one is indirect to another. ➡ What feels flexy time to one, feels strict to another. And so on. To negotiate across a global community, we need to understand where we fall on that scale 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐰𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡. Then adjust and understand that they are not "shouting at us" or "ignoring us" but just working in their cultural default style. Erin Meyer's book "Culture Map" is a brilliant start for those of you interested. Let me know if I should write a 𝑁𝑒𝑔𝑜𝑡𝑖𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑁𝑢𝑔𝑔𝑒𝑡 (my newsletter) about this too and what you are interested in! To your Negotiation Success! Claudia Also, feel free to hit me now: what really IS the difference between #Germany and #Austria? How would you explain that to our friends further abroad? Go! 😝

Week 10 of 10. We have marked our 10th Anniversary in Hong Kong with a series of projects completed throughout the decade. We wish to thank our clients for their trust in us, our collaborators in delivering each of these projects with us and our people for their passion and dedication. Without whom we could have not done the work we do. There are many other projects that were not included but which are just as important to our journey. Our post pandemic world is without doubt different. Perception is reality. The forced adoption of digital tools and technology has enabled seamless teamwork across continents allowing us to work with our expanded #Okana family.   I have reflected on the here and now and the continuing slowdown in growth in the country’s economy. As China struggles to work out what to do with an oversupply of built assets and the distress caused to the investment market, alongside a shrinking and aging demography. From retail malls to residential towers and commercial office buildings. Location, location, location continues to be a factor in a place’s socioeconomic success from the micro level to macro level. People’s choices are informed by the quality of the environment, opportunities, community, safety and lifestyles available. Having binge watched how less than 1% of humanity lives through one of Netflix’s window on the world series 'Buying Los Angles', certain places thrive because of these factors. Placemaking and the associated quality of life. As cities continue to attract people due to the access to opportunities and services, they continually evolve to improve the perceived quality of life. However, they become overcrowded and subsequently fail. Resulting in no go areas and ghettos. The rebirth of places rests with its leaders. communities and creatives to recognize the onset of decay, listen to the people’s needs and define solutions that will support sustainable reuse, repurposing and regrowth. As stated previously I am unsure how the Northern Metropolis being promoted in Hong Kong embodies a futuristic vision for a new district, I do wonder whether it will just be more of the same, missing the once in a century opportunity to reposition Honk Kong as Asia's most attractive and livable city. With this people’s choices are eased.   The needs of people are in many ways consistent; however, they do change as we age and journey through life. We all recognize one day that life is short, we need to ensure we can all enjoy the gift of life equitably. 

We don’t decide based on what we believe. We made a decision, then create a story to tell ourselves over and over again to justify our decision. We then look out for “realities” to support our story. The “reality-reinforced-story” then becomes part of our belief system. Then it becomes our unconscious way, our limitations, our “cannot”. So whatever you feel you are limited by or cannot do, what if you went back to the point of decision to change it? What if in this moment of realisation and awareness you make a new decision about it? Start by questioning your story. Ask: “Is it really true?” “What if it wasn’t?” “What if the opposite was true?” What answers are you getting? DM me to share. (Thank you MDRT MCC Hong Kong & Macau for the chance to inspire minds to question stories and change decisions.) #jensenmotivates #breakthrough #mdrt

Our member Jeff shared his personal growth experiences and how he has overcome challenges in the workplace, finding self-confidence and direction💙 --------------------------- Overcoming Visual Impairment: A Hong Kong Professional's Journey to Success Jeff Ho, born with a visual impairment that left him with only 10-20% of normal vision, has carved out a successful career in corporate diversity and inclusion in the bustling financial hub of Hong Kong. Despite the challenges he faced from an early age, Ho excelled academically, consistently ranking at the top of his class and earning a spot on the Dean's List. The turning point came in primary school when Ho received access to magnification devices and accommodations, which catalysed his academic performance. Ho's quiet nature and visual limitations led him to prefer the library over the playground, and he developed a voracious appetite for learning. Transitioning to the workforce presented new hurdles, but Ho found his niche through CareER, an organisation promoting inclusive hiring. He now serves as a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer at Swire Group, where he conducts market research, analyses data, and organises inclusivity events. Ho's supervisor, Mia, who is hearing-impaired herself, praises his meticulous nature and keen analytical skills. Ho encourages others facing similar challenges to focus on their interests and abilities rather than limitations. As Hong Kong's corporate landscape evolves, initiatives like the "DEI@WORK" training program are working to promote workplace inclusion. Ho's story underscores a broader shift towards workplace diversity and inclusion in Hong Kong's competitive business environment, where professionals like him are shaping a more inclusive future for the city's workforce. #InclusiveHiring #InclusiveWorkplace #CareerDevelopment

A few weeks ago, supported by an initiative from CareEr and DEI@WORK, HK Economic Times featured an article about my colleague and direct report Jeff who has a visual disability since birth. My (positive) thoughts about Jeff's excellent work has been captured in the piece.  In this article, Jeff emphasises that hiring people with disabilities is a win-win situation. "I believe that everyone has their own abilities. The key is whether they are given enough opportunities and support." While I may be bias, I couldn't agree more. Ableism, which can be explained as a set of beliefs and practices that discriminate against people with disabilities, is unfortunately very common worldwide. It is rooted in the perspective that people with disabilities are inferior to people without disabilities and require “fixing” to fit in with or adapt to the norm. I question what is the norm anyway, and why should anyone strive for it?  My personal belief is that rather than asking disabled to "fit the norm", how about asking societies, including employers, to "embrace the difference"? Because while Jeff may not have 20/20 vision and I have far from 100% hearing, our differences enable us to view and, when offered, explain the world from a different perspective. This is why some companies are purposefully recruiting individuals with different (dis)abilities and skills - not to be "nice" but to capture those perspectives, which enables these companies to develop more diverse products, services and solutions to serve a broader clientele. Roughly 500,000 people in HK (7.4%) are disabled, with the number set to increase. It's time to embrace the difference.