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
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