Smash hits from the court: 6 business leaders serve up lessons from badminton
IT remains the talk of the town: National shuttler Loh Kean Yew's stunning win at the 2021 BWF World Championships last Sunday (Dec 19).
The world No 22 upset India's world No 14 Srikanth Kidambi 21-15, 22-20 in the final in Huelva, Spain, effectively sealing his place in the history books as the first Singaporean to win the World Championships.
One can only imagine how much more Loh's win will do in boosting badminton's popularity as a sport in Singapore. Badminton court bookings have seen a surge in demand here in recent years, with reports of slots even being listed for sale on the black market.
But what's behind the enduring appeal of the world's fastest racket sport?
The Business Times speaks to 6 Singapore business leaders who are longstanding badminton enthusiasts to find out what the sport means to them, and how they've applied lessons learnt from the game to their business:
Wei Chan, managing director of Pine Garden's Cake
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Growing up, Wei Chan recalls spending his time watching the rallies of badminton greats Yang Yang and Rudy Hartono on television, in a bid to study their playing styles.
The managing director of Pine Garden's Cake was the vice-captain of the school badminton team at Victoria School and Victoria Junior College. While studying at the University of Calgary in Canada, Chan also represented the then Malaysian Singaporean Students' Association in competitions.
Now in China for work, the 49-year-old plays with the badminton group of the Hong Kong Chamber of Commerce every week.
For Chan, badminton requires stamina, grit, perseverance and strategy - elements he has applied to the running of his bakery, especially last year when their business took a hit from "circuit-breaker" measures.
Said Chan: "When you miss a good shot in a game of badminton, what do you do next? As with today's fluid business landscape, how do you claw back when you're down? It's about reacting fast, changing your game plan, and thinking about what other markets and sectors you can start striving for."
Ang Kiam Meng, executive director and group chief executive officer (CEO) of Jumbo Group
One might be surprised to learn that Ang Kiam Meng only picked up badminton in his mid-40s, especially when most of the peers he plays with have trained competitively since young.
The 59-year-old used to swim and jog regularly to stay fit. But he decided to give badminton a shot later on, taking on adult lessons at the beginning to learn the sport's techniques.
Now, playing badminton is more than just another form of exercise for Ang. The executive director and group CEO of seafood restaurant operator Jumbo Group plays thrice a week with different social groups - including 1 comprising CEOs - and has enjoyed expanding his network of contacts on court. On occasion, he even exchanges business-related ideas with other entrepreneurs over a game or 2.
Playing recreational doubles has reinforced Ang's belief in the value of teamwork - something he has always tried to inculcate in his employees.
"In badminton, both partners must work together to cover ground. If 1 person makes a mistake, we just need to accept that it happened, move on, and do better," he said.
"Likewise, when we receive customer complaints in the food and beverage industry, my kitchen staff can blame my service crew; my service crew can blame the kitchen staff. But there's no point in playing the blame game; it's our collective problem and we need to work together as a team to solve it."
Eugene Ang, managing director of JK Technology
In the past 30 years, Eugene Ang has competed in more than 20 doubles Masters tournaments in Singapore, which are badminton competitions held for participants aged 40 and above.
The 60-year-old was the vice-president of the Singapore Badminton Association (SBA) from 2016 to 2018, and has been a sponsor of the annual Singapore Badminton Open since 2006. He also organises the Singapore Swimming Club JK Technology Badminton Inter-Club Master League, an annual tournament which used to see a turnout of 200 players before the pandemic, and took place over a stretch of 6 to 7 months.
One of Ang's biggest takeaways from badminton is the importance of being resilient and having a fighting spirit, which he applies to his work at JK Technology, an information technology solutions provider.
"In business, you cannot win every deal. You might lose some battles, but you must plan to win the war. I always tell people that it's okay to lose a few points along the way - what counts is who reaches 21 points first," he said.
Daryl Neo, co-founder and CEO of DC Frontiers
With 12 years of competitive badminton experience behind him, Daryl Neo is perhaps the one to beat on court.
Back in his youth, he was once training 7 times a week - for the Tampines Junior College school badminton team, an inter-constituency badminton club, and under Sport Singapore's sports excellence programme.
The 36-year-old continues to play the sport today, organising his own badminton social groups at least twice a week.
Pointing out the nifty footwork the game requires, Neo - who is the co-founder and CEO of artificial intelligence startup DC Frontiers - said badminton reminds him to never lose focus of his business's core.
"When Loh Kean Yew plays, you notice that he always goes back to the centre of the court, so he has time to recover before his opponent's next attack," he mused.
"As a company, we know what kind of product we want to build, though it can be tempting to take on more. Always remember what your business focus is - in other words, the 'centre' of your business - so you don't get pulled in different directions and get caught off-guard."
Lawrence Leow, executive chairman and CEO of Crescendas Group
How Lawrence Leow fell in love with the game of badminton was completely serendipitous.
In 1975, a then 17-year-old Leow and his coursemates were looking to take up a sport to keep fit. They settled on badminton, found a secluded, run down indoor badminton hall along Portsdown Road managed by Singapore Polytechnic, and soon found themselves rallying for hours there every day.
The rest, he says, is history. Today, the 63-year-old is the current president of the SBA, a title he has held since 2018. Leow was previously SBA's deputy president from 2014 to 2016 and is presently the executive chairman and CEO of Crescendas Group, which has interests in properties, hotels, building materials, among others.
Before sustaining a recent injury to the hip, he continued to play the sport recreationally at least 4 times a week at Heartbeat@Bedok or Our Tampines Hub.
According to Leow, badminton requires "speed, agility, quick thinking and swift responses"; to win the game, one needs "good tactical acumen". In business, these are also principal ingredients for success, he said.
"In the new economy, speed is everything. It gives a business an edge if it can leverage speed to gain a first-mover advantage over its peers and competitors, whether it's commercialising an innovative idea, or launching a new product or service," he added.
Dora Hoan, group CEO and co-chairman of Best World International
Dora Hoan's fondest memories of her childhood revolve around playing badminton with her brother day and night in the backyard of their house. Despite not having received any formal badminton training, she played competitive doubles during her days at Nanyang University.
In fact, Hoan's passion for the sport spurred her to build her very own indoor badminton court within her bungalow, which she purchased in 2009. The 67-year-old used to invite friends over for rallies at least once a month, though she has not had the time to play as frequently in recent years.
In badminton, strategy is key, as is the need to know your competitors' strengths and weaknesses, said Hoan, whose company Best World International develops and distributes beauty, nutritional and wellness products.
"You need to judge your opponent well in the game. As in business, always make sure you are 1 step ahead of your competitors - have a strong marketing strategy, and ensure your product offerings are unique and differentiated enough to stand out from the pack."
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