More good news to be shared with our GIS Community – Our Alumnus Taranjeet Singh from Class of 1984 was recently selected as one of the ‘100 Most Inspirational Linkedin Icons In Malaysia 2020’.
Taranjeet Singh is highly knowledgeable in business and organisational transformation, performance improvement, value realisation and employee engagement exercises. With 25 years in the Management Consulting world, Taranjeet is the CEO of Quantum Steppe Advisory, a boutique Management Consulting Firm with a regional footprint. He is a Chartered Fellow and a Member of the Chartered Management Institute (UK) Regional Board and Chartered Fellow of the Institute of Managers and Leaders Australia. Taranjeet sits on the advisory team of several start-ups including Otherdots.com and BoomGrow. He is also a Co-Founder of JoOpps and a globally certified ICF Executive Coach.
He is not only active with his professional life but also always supports our school Alumni projects. His two children are studying at GIS and he himself had great experiences when he was a student at GIS. Along the way, Taranjeet has tried to support the School in various ways such as being a Keynote Speaker for the Graduation Ceremony and a Student Advisor for School Camp Week/Careers Day. Recently he organised the Class of 1984 Alumni reunion and invited all his form mates who came from many different countries.
How do you feel about getting this award and what inspires you in life?
In all honesty, it was totally unexpected. Doing the right things, for the right reasons has always been key in how I manage not only myself but also the people around me and the clients that we consult with. To this end, staying true to what you genuinely believe in is critical to pushing you further down the path of personal self-fulfilment and satisfaction. And that in itself is inspirational for me.
Whilst totally unexpected, it’s always nice to be recognised for the effort that one puts in.
What advice would you give to your younger self?
Several things I will say:
- Don’t work to be recognised, but instead let the recognition emanate from the great work and the standards that you set for yourself and for others.
- Don’t work for the sake of working, but instead find a path that is fun to do and in so doing, you’ll perform the best that you can because you want to do so and not because you have to do so.
- Find the passion and then it becomes a “light-footed, graceful dance” rather than a “trudge in the mud”.
- Finally, always look at the positive things in events and in life as it stares you squarely in the face. You make your life what you want it to be.
What is your view on life-long learning?
Learning never ever stops, no matter what you think nor how old you are. The moment you say I know it all, is the start of the end. Learning to unlearn is critical to our own sustainability. And this is fundamental to our very survival. The desire for learning should be ingrained at all times within our very DNA. That’s what differentiates those who merely do, to those who achieve.
I have always attributed my journey to the years that I had in GIS. The opportunities accorded to me by the then Principals Mary Arshad and Anne Ismail respectively have allowed me to experience new things and evaluate new perspectives as a budding “leader”/ Head Boy. Adaptability, agility, perseverance, resilience and empathy were traits embedded in us by teachers. I see those very traits playing out in my form mates who graduated with me from our Class of 84. Whether they be in New Zealand, Australia, Singapore, Thailand, India, Turkey, UK or the US, the bond that we shared and still share resulted from those formative years. And I am indeed truly blessed.