(P) Singapore: It's the Caring, Not the Caning

Yeah, we know, the corporal punishment. But Singapore's economic dynamism stems from a service culture based on pragmatic kindness and consideration Singapore is not known for being soft. On crime, drugs, graffiti, and corruption, the country is world-renowned for its tough stance, punishing offenders with fines, jail time, and yes, the occasional caning. But in the softer business of delighting customers, Singapore is now beating the naysayers and proving that great service equals cold, hard prosperity. Retrace Singapore’s financial history just a few decades and you’ll notice a very different picture from what you see today. Singapore has few natural resources other than people and location. In the 1980s and 1990s, Singapore’s industrial base was moving to China where land was vast and labor inexpensive. Administrative tasks were being outsourced to India and other low-cost locations. Like many organizations today, the country was seeing its expected future disappear. And it needed to do something about it fast. Consider these statistics about the country of Singapore today: Foreign Reserve: $300 billion-plus Population: about 4.5 million Economic Growth: 14.7 percent in 2010, according to Standard Chartered Bank Those are impressive credentials—a relatively small group of people, living on a small island, creating a massive impact. And considering its current government was born in 1965, Singapore is merely a baby. It’s like the highflier at your workplace who catches the eye of leadership. It’s the player on your team who constantly challenges the status quo. It’s the fearless meeting-attendee who speaks up and shares new ideas, even though he or she doesn’t have rank. It’s the person who, without question, will go above and beyond. Singapore is a maverick. And it has become a beacon of hope in the past few years due to a simple strategy called "service." I’m not talking about niceties like a fake friendly smile or a cheesy tag line that many companies promote as their customer service policy. Instead, Singapore embraces service as an area for constant focus and improvement, with a mindset that digs deep into the fiber of the country. Here are four examples of how to follow suit: 1.Entice the Best and Brightest. You may not relate superior service to recruitment. But Singapore understands the nation’s strength depends on the people who live and work there. With only 4.5 million residents, how do you bolster your primary resource—people—and develop it into a world-class phenomenon? Singapore does it by recruiting and retaining the best and the brightest. The country wants all-star residents and innovative workers. So it offers A-players a warm welcome to make the island their home, including friendly service at Immigration and concierge-type attention even in the Employment Pass office. 2.