By DSFP Candidate Dr Tan Kok Heng (Business, ’89)

When I first began the Distinguished Senior Fellowship Programme (DSFP) journey, I imagined it would be a programme encompassing frameworks, theories of sustainable development and the opportunity to find my Purpose (Ikigai).

What I did not anticipate was how profoundly experiential the learning would be.

The recent trip to Smiling Gecko in Cambodia brought that realisation into sharp focus.

Smiling Gecko is not just a community development project; it is a living ecosystem of Purpose. What began as a humanitarian initiative has evolved into an end-to-end impact enterprise that integrates education, agriculture, craftsmanship, hospitality and social entrepreneurship.

Walking through the fields and workshops, seeing how local communities are empowered to build livelihoods with dignity, I was reminded that sustainable leadership is not about scale or sophistication. It is about stewardship and continuity.

From Models to Meaning

Much of what we discuss in DSFP — Theory of Change, adaptive leadership and social innovation — came alive during this visit.

I recall observing how the Smiling Gecko team connects multiple moving parts: schools nurturing the next generation, farms feeding families, and enterprises generating local income. Each part reinforces the other, creating resilience through interdependence.

It was a humbling reminder that development cannot be taught; it must be lived. The trip reframed many of the management concepts I had studied in the past — strategy, governance, and sustainability — into something more human. It showed that leadership is not only about making decisions, but about staying present, listening deeply, and building trust in communities that often have little reason to offer it.

The Human Face of Systems Change

What struck me most was the quiet dignity of the people. There was no grand rhetoric of transformation, yet every brick laid, every child learning, every meal served carried, the imprint of Purpose. The founder’s vision was clear, but equally powerful was the sense of shared ownership among the community members.

It made me reflect on how leadership, at its heart, is about creating conditions for others to thrive.

In Smiling Gecko, success is not measured by quarterly results or donor reports, but by lives changed — by a child attending school for the first time, or a family gaining stable income. That grounded, human-centred approach to impact is something I hope to internalise in my own professional practice.

Learning to Unlearn

Another important insight for me was the need to unlearn — to let go of assumptions about what development should look like.

Coming from a background in structured management and financial systems, I often default to metrics, efficiency and scalability.

Smiling Gecko reminded me that meaningful change is often non-linear and messy — more akin to nurturing a garden than executing a business plan.

The DSFP programme itself encourages this kind of reflective unlearning. Our cohort discussions have been rich and diverse, challenging each of us to examine our blind spots and biases. Our many project dialogues further reinforced that sustainable leadership requires inner work — clarity of purpose, empathy, and the courage to act amid uncertainty.

Moving Forward

As I look ahead to the rest of the DSFP journey, I carry with me a renewed sense of humility and curiosity.

The Smiling Gecko experience was not merely a field trip. It was a mirror, showing how values, vision and practical execution can align in service of humanity.

Leadership, I’ve come to realise, is less about directing others and more about holding space for possibility.

It is about being grounded enough to see the whole system, yet compassionate enough to care for its smallest parts.

If the DSFP experience so far has taught me anything, it is that sustainable futures are not built overnight — they are cultivated, one mindful act at a time.

Join us at the DSFP Preview on 17 Nov 2025 (Mon) at NUS Kent Ridge to meet Dr Tan and other seasoned leaders of the inaugural cohort, and hear how the DSFP is helping them shape a purposeful and productive Third Transition in the era of longevity, with renewed clarity and conviction. Visit our website to download the DSFP brochure and get invited to the Preview.