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Wee Joo Chng: As I reflect on my 9 years as the Executive Director of National University Cancer Institute, Singapore, I realised that we all need guardian angels, people whom we can trust that belief in us and what we do.

Photo taken from Wee Joo Chng/LinkedIn

Sep 12, 2023, 17:40

Wee Joo Chng: As I reflect on my 9 years as the Executive Director of National University Cancer Institute, Singapore, I realised that we all need guardian angels, people whom we can trust that belief in us and what we do.

Wee Joo Chng, Yong Loo Lin Professor in Medical Oncology, and the Vice-President of National University of Singapore, recently shared on LinkedIn:

“How do you do it All?
At the National University Cancer Institute, Singapore ‘s (NCIS) Dinner and Dance last night to celebrate our 15th Anniversary (Hollywood theme), I was given a plaque for my 9 years of service as the executive director. There was an accompanying tribute video which was a surprise. In the video, a number of staff spoke positively of what I have done for them. I am comforted that my work has impacted positively on people.
Indeed, when I took over 9 years ago, my main goals were to:
1)    Not disappoint the leadership including Prof John Wong, who had put their faith and trust in me;
2)    I wanted to leave a positive legacy, for NCIS to deliver a unique model of care that benefit patients and also continue to develop us into a research powerhouse;
3)    I wanted to build a strong sense of belonging and Identity for our staff; and
4)    I wanted to do my best to help the people in NCIS grow.
I believe we have made positive strides towards these goals. But I wanted to use this opportunity to address a question that I am often asked: How to you manage so many portfolios (Research, ED of NCIS, group director of National University Health System Research Office and ED of the @Singapore Translational Cancer Consortium)

As I reflect on my 9 years as the Executive Director of NCIS, I realised that we all need guardian angels, people whom we can trust that belief in us and what we do. For me these are my guardian angels:
Guardian Angels 1: My long-suffering wife and children, who never question my time away from home, and the endless hours on the computer even when at home, because they know what I am doing is important and meaningful. So it was fitting that my wife was presented with a bouquet and the children were invited to the tribute.
Guardian Angels 2: my 2 secretaries over the years, Agile and Nicola, who help organise my schedule and take care of my travels and claims so that I function efficiently and effectively. As we get busier, do not underestimate how much a good secretary can help.
Guardian Angels 3: Colleagues in the haematology team who covers and help with your patients when you need to be away dealing with non-clinical matters.
Guardian Angels 4: Senior members of my research team who ensure that the day to day running of the lab is taken care of and the students are supported. I am blessed to have very loyal and excellent senior members that have been with me for more than a decade.
Guardian Angels 5: Good deputies that you can share the work with. One of the key skills is to identify the right people and then to trust them and delegate well. This is important for succession and developing talent in the organisation as well.
I am blessed in my time to have all 5 types of guardian angels. How many do you have and are there others that have helped?”