“Mistakes — They set you up for success!”: Kenneth’s outlook in life and for his team.
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Meet Kenneth Leong, Associate Manager at Urban Company, Singapore.
Kenneth joined Urban Company 3 years ago in January 2020, and is currently managing the operations for 3 different business verticals in Singapore.
When Kenneth is not working, he’s mostly spending time with his wife and pups, constantly exploring latest technology, or enrolling for courses to upskill himself. He also loves to cook and try out new recipes all the time.
Read on to find how Kenneth leads and motivates his team.
What was your journey to joining Urban Company, and how have you grown since joining?
I started my career soon after finishing national service by joining an Apple-authorized service provider at an entry-level position. Later, I was promoted to a mid-level role and took up the opportunity to guide new joiners proactively. Soon after that, I was given the responsibility of managing another service center in a new location.
Later, I joined a telecommunications company in their customer service department and a little more than a year later, I was transferred to the Operations Support department to help out with training, development and process adherence.
I joined Urban Company in 2020, a little more than a year later, with the responsibility to build the Singapore operations team from the ground up. My work at UC involves donning multiple hats as per the requirements.
Currently, I lead the operations for 3 different business verticals in Singapore.
What is something unique about your team here?
Singapore being a comparatively younger venture of UC’s, is extremely fast paced. However, my team here is driven, smart and hard working and are constantly working towards setting up the best quality experience for both customers and partners.
What is the most common challenge that managers face while leading teams?
It is always a challenge for managers to provide empowerment, guidance, and the correct exposure for the team members, while simultaneously being able to meet team targets.
A constant chase for target achievement may lead to negligence of the team’s growth.
Managers need to understand and facilitate the alignment of the team member’s goals and the guidance and exposure they need to gain the required skill set to grow further.
What is your personal mantra, and where did it come from?
Mistakes are not what should bring you down, instead, they are what set you up for success!
Everyone makes mistakes and sometimes the price you pay for it is high. But only if you make mistakes, are you then equipped with the knowledge to prevent it from happening again.
What is a piece of advice you give to new managers at Urban Company?
UC provides you with a high level of ownership to set and achieve your goals. It’s important you find time to groom your team members since they will be your greatest asset to achieving the end goal together as a team.
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