Letter from my ex-colleague

Printed in Today paper on 26 April 2007.

Editor
Today Paper

I refer to Mr PN Balji's commentary, "Two good leaders who missed being great", (TODAY, 24 April 2007).

Mr Balji described Mr Tan Kin Lian's management style when he was the chief executive officer of NTUC Income. He stated that "Every press release, even an innocuous one-line statement, had to be approved by him. Every advertisement had to be vetted by him. It was central control all the way".

In my opinion, this statement is totally incorrect.

I have had the privilege to work with Mr Tan for more than 13 years in marketing, as well as in office support services. He believed in developing his managers, encouraging them to take responsibilities and make decisions within their job scopes. There was a system of escalation for higher-level decision making.

From my perspective, the officers and managers in NTUC Income were empowered to make and execute operational decisions. The functions I am familiar with, including advertising, do not function any differently.

Peter Ng Kee Choon
(I am writing in my personal capacity)