Global Health Asia-Pacific September 2020 September 2020 | Page 59

For example, get to know what the elderly have been going through in these trying times. How did they cope with it, and why are they not taking the advice to stay at home? It could be that they’re staying alone, or they’re scared and prefer to be surrounded with people to have social connections. For us and the younger generation, we connect through technology, but for the elderly, they may not, as this is not their way of life, and they may not have the abilities or resources to do so. The more we re�ect on how and why people might behave in a certain way, the more we can empathise with them and come out with a solution instead of being seen as forcing them to stay at home and not showing care and concern for them. In order to create positive experiences and get people to buy-in, we need to first understand their needs, frustrations, and pain points. This requires building empathy. To me, this is the starting point of anything we want to do. So what can your industry be doing and focusing on today that can prepare it for a post pandemic world? At Farrer Park Hospital, we’ve always been incorporating technology and infrastructure to expedite our processes. The hospital is designed and built with the pandemic in mind to minimise any risk and contact and ready to handle a pandemic. For example, we’ve set up telehealth from the inception and washable beds for ultimate infection control. In the healthcare industry, we need more robotics for logistics, such as drones. What gives me faith and courage to move through this crisis to inspire others, as a medical doctor, is simply saving lives and taking care of others, practising humanity and caring for all my staff. This has always been a way of life for me. During a crisis is when people are looking out to their leaders to lead them through the trying period. Therefore, as leaders, we must stay positive, stay connected with our people, provide them with encouraging words to motivate them, and stand by them on the same battlefield. With unity, we can weather any challenges and stay strong. I hope that through serving as a model everyone will show care and support for all their people who are sacrificing their lives for others. Your kind words and actions will inspire the healthcare personnel to press on, to stay safe. We need to embrace the evolving dynamics of the �ourth Industrial �evolution with a different and more adaptive style of understanding and leadership. To put the idea of industrial revolutions into context: The First Industrial Revolution started with the mechanization and invention of the steam engine (18th century). The second was brought about by production lines that were launched by Henry Ford’s automotive factories (19th century). The third was when the proliferation of electronics in telecommunications and computers became mainstream, giving rise to automation and robotics (20th century). Today, the Fourth Industrial Revolution is the cyberphysical systems that resulted in the full integration and connectivity with computers, networking devices, and cloud networks. One thing that’s certain about the industrial changes happening today is that the interactions between individuals, small companies, and large enterprises will be different. The way we conduct business and talk to each other will never be the same. Just like how the internet has dramatically changed the entire world, our environment will soon see the impact of disruptive technologies and trends such as the Internet of Things (IoT), virtual reality (V�), and artificial intelligence (AI). This means that our priorities need to evolve as well. In the industrial age (18th - 20th centuries), companies tend to focus in this order� �rofit as the Therefore, as leaders, we must stay positive, stay connected with our people, provide them with encouraging words to motivate them, and stand by them on the same battlefield. During crisis, people are looking out to their leaders to lead them through the trying times GlobalHealthAsiaPacific.com SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2020 57