Grooming socially responsible leaders

When Mr Theodore Teo founded social impact training firm Field Experience in 2016, he was already thinking big. He wanted to create an impact on the community - by building and nurturing a socially responsible and sustainable ethos.

The 52-year-old was then a corporate social responsibility (CSR) professional and he found himself wrestling with several questions: "Am I doing what I was born to do?", "Am I really giving my whole self to the world that I have influence in?"

Mr Teo says: "Field Experience was started because I sensed a need to pass on, equip, multiply and ripple out the little that I know, to add to the many things that younger people already have, so they'll know even more than we'll ever know, and have the heart to restore the world to a better place.

"That's because for me and my generation, we won't be able to complete this goal in our lifetime."

Field Experience equips and trains leaders to serve in their companies and organisations, so they can make a positive impact through CSR policies or selected United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

The brand was an Honouree in the Brands For Good 2020 awards, under the Leadership For Good category.

What sets Field Experience apart from its peers is Mr Teo's depth of expertise. "My experience in inter-cultural social impact partnerships started in 1992, and I have been consistently involved in this field since 2002," he says.

His training methods are also unconventional. "Unlike most team-building companies that facilitate the reflection conversations for clients, we coach leaders to develop the skills to lead and facilitate reflections for their team members - that's practically giving away the secrets of the trade!" he says.

"And we do that because we want to fully equip leaders over the longer term, and this is one way they would be able to effect real change in their respective organisations."

People, planet, and only then profits

Field Experience is equally committed to its social missions, by equipping leaders with sustainable decision-making skills that prioritise people, the planet and profits - in that order.

"The human being is a powerful creature - the decisions we make have consequences," Mr Teo says. "We can decide to be conscious of what we leave in our wake, and this goes for every business decision, which has both an upstream and downstream impact."

Corporations of today are not just defined by their glossy annual reports - they also need to teach their employees to develop a sustainable vision, he adds.

"That's where Field Experience's strength lies - equipping mid-level leaders with the skills to boost cohesion in teams and help their team members embrace the shared values of sustainability throughout their organisation."

Essentially, the firm believes in creating a positive social impact. "Leave every place better than when you found it. The 'we' is always bigger and better than 'me', and the only ones among us who will be truly happy are those who have sought and discovered how to serve," Mr Teo says.

He adds that at the end of the day, every leader can make decisions and act in ways that are more socially responsible and sustainable, and team members can achieve a positive impact from the work they do.

"When team members find deeper meaning and purpose in who they are and what they do, and connect with it, they not only perform better, they're also happier, and the whole organisation is able to achieve positive results with meaningful profit."

https://www.brandsforgood.asia/field