By Fawwaz Baktee
Professional, patient and passionate: these are three qualities that Skyline Luge Sentosa employee Gary Tiah portrays.
Soon after completing his National Service (NS) in 2011, 26-year-old Gary Tiah joined Skyline Luge Sentosa as a crew operator, encouraged by his love for the sun, sand and the sea.
Need To Upgrade
After a few months of working at the company, Gary’s good performance and attitude was noted by the management and he was eventually sent on upgrading courses to develop skills to take on a supervisory role at work.
Having completed the Executive Development Programme provided by Devan Nair Employment and Employability Institute (e2i), Gary learnt the ropes of running a business, and how to deal with different situations at work.
He also took other upgrading courses such as people management, leadership, crisis management and resource planning.
“Some of the things you learn, you apply them not only at work but in life as well. The courses helped me prepare mentally for what to expect in different work situations instead of having to learn how to handle these situations as they come,” he continued.
Like anywhere else, unexpected challenges do occur from time to time and Gary credited his seniors and managers who have helped him face them.
“We maintain a very good and healthy working relationship. Whenever I encounter problems at work, they would be more than happy to help. If something happens and I’m not too sure of what to do, I’d seek advice from my managers and pick up the skills and knowledge they impart,” said Gary.
Gary also took upon himself to undergo an external Diploma in Commerce (Marketing Management).
“I took the diploma in order to have a sense of achievement for myself. Instead of just working and going through the motion in the operations side, I wanted to learn how the business is run from a marketing and sales point of view as well,” he said.
By remaining positive and keeping up his enthusiasm despite the challenge of managing his full-time job, courses and a steep learning curve, Gary eventually landed a supervisory role in the company.
As A Supervisor
Now, Gary is in charge of the day-to-day operations of the luge, the safety of the guests, and conducting the training for new staff.
His experience has allowed him to mentor and guide his junior staff in dealing with challenges of the job and help them progress in their career.
Going beyond his job scope, Gary has also used his marketing knowledge to help the marketing department promote and negotiate corporate deals with clients.
Recognising Performance
Due to his stellar performance and leadership qualities, Gary is one of the nominees for the May Day Model Partnership Award. He is one of the youngest to be nominated this year.
Speaking of Gary’s performance at work, Skyline Luge Sentosa Operations Manager Rab Sadir said: “Gary is a very optimistic person. He portrays an image which is approachable to the junior staff, which is very important…. He is also a person who can think out of the box to solve problems. That has left me with a lasting impression of him.”
Source: NTUC This Week
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