I’ve been lucky enough to have had a couple of heroes in my life who have changed me. When I was very young, it seemed to me that politicians had all the power because they were always in the news. So the first hero I ever had was Singapore’s first Prime Minister, Lee Kuan Yew. He was my hero when I was a kid because he spoke with so much power and integrity, and it was clear he got things done. I could see my country changing before my eyes as a result of his work. I would hungrily read and listen to his speeches because I just found them so impactful. But much later in my life, he was my hero in a more personal and meaningful way.
When I was 45 and lost my job, I had nowhere else to turn but to rent out my HDB flat and get some passive income. I was able to do this because of policies that he had put in place. It was because of his brilliance in insisting that Singaporeans should have some chips in the tables of their lives that I had the opportunity to be the owner of a HDB flat, renting it out when I needed to and eventually selling it later on. This gave me the means to survive even in the absence of a salary. So he was my hero for having made that possible.
As a trader, of course, I’ve had several people I’ve looked up to and aimed to emulate – George Soros and Jim Rogers among then. But my particular way of trading was taught to me very early in my career, when I was a commodity trader. In 1990, I joined a particular group in a firm that concentrated on technical and fundamental analysis. My manager then was a woman called Fiona*. I still remember her name clearly almost 30 years later. I learned to trade from her and she ended up becoming my mentor. The way she taught me to trade is still my trading style today.
I think what the various heroes I’ve had in my life have had in common is their strong leadership style. Leadership is so important if you want to make your mark in society, and it’s a skill I’ve been studying and trying to learn my whole life. It’s not something I’m naturally good at, so I needed to work at it, and often studied the examples of these various heroes. It’s taken me a lifetime to learn these skills – how to communicate, how to build good relationships with people, how to get people to relate to you and listen to what you have to say. I’m grateful to have had these great role models of leadership, because ultimately, that’s why heroes are so important for everyone to have. They give us high standards to work towards and help us become better versions of ourselves in the end.
*Names have been changed to protect the identities of individuals.
Authored by Kenneth Kam
Produced by Callio Media