“I don’t really see him as a leader; rather more of a friend who is able to ignite passion, guide and influence people around him with his love for sports! Both Edmund and I believe that sincerity and passion should be at the core of whatever we do; be it kinship, relationship, work or sports.” – Edmund’s wife, Jess.
Edmund was clueless about the union when he joined seven years ago. He remembers clearly during one of his lunch breaks that he was ‘scouted’ by fellow union members of Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore Staff Union (IRASSU). “They approached me at the lift lobby and sold me the idea of joining IRASSU, I was supportive and accepted their kind invitation”, remarked Edmund as he shares how his journey began as a unionist, a leader and a friend.
Throughout his years in the Young NTUC Committee, Edmund was given many opportunities to build on his leadership capabilities. Be it through interacting and exchanging experiences with both fellow Singaporean or Global union leaders, Edmund felt transformed into a serving team leader with a passion for the labour movement.
In the recently concluded U Games, Edmund was the core member and leader in putting together a team to participate.
“The team practices twice every week, and it is never an easy commitment for working adults to come together and put in the time and energy for the trainings but the team has always made an effort to do so! For that, I am deeply grateful.” Edmund thoughtfully shares on the vigorous trainings the team goes through in preparation for the competition.
Sports remain an excellent channel to bring together like-minded youths with common interests. This is especially so when the team sport allows the development of synergy. “Strong bonds are also forged and players learn to collaborate and work with each other,” Edmund shares as he recalls the strong bonding of his team underwent through volleyball.
When speaking of future plans, Edmund is confident that the team is always spontaneous to contribute good back to the society and plans for projects are in the pipeline slated to begin in 2015.
On his role in the team, Edmund felt that he wasn’t as much of a leader as he was a mentor and buddy. Sharing his inspiration and motivation to press on, Edmund comments that being able to inspire others to take the step out of their comfort zones to experience and discover their passions became the greatest push factors.
Edmund has indeed come far in nurturing his leadership styles through various platforms with Young NTUC, and looks to continue to inspire those around him.
