Su Lin Wee: Executive Director, Head of Asset Management, Southeast Asia, Hong Kong & China, PGIM Real Estate

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Su Lin Wee“The thread that ties my previous roles together, and I am most grateful for, is strong mentorship,” says Su Lin Wee. “But it’s a two-way street: you have to show up, put in the hours and deliver results.”

Wee, who is based in Singapore, delves into the foundational experiences that influenced her approach to leadership and her dedication to uplifting others – especially women.

From architecture to asset management

From the outset of her career, Wee has been inspired by strong women leaders. After earning her master’s in architecture, she joined Singapore’s Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) and played a key role in shaping the modern urban landscape of Singapore’s historically-rich Bras Basah and Bugis districts in the heart of the city.

“Working directly with successful women leaders was a great start to my career,” Wee says. “I served under many high performing women who were in CEO, Chief Planner and department head roles during my time at the URA. Starting out in an environment with strong female leadership made it feel natural, and I was fortunate to have great role models who gave me many opportunities to learn and grow.”

When Wee transitioned from urban planning to real estate development and asset management, she again found the support of mentors to be instrumental to her growth.

As a development lead for Asian developer, CapitaLand, Wee signed up for the challenge of delivering a $1.2 billion USD retail and office development in Singapore from the ground up, while facing a tight budget, short timeline and a competing developer nearby who already had a head start.

“Despite my prior experience with previous projects, stepping into the role of a development lead for such a large project presented new challenges. Managing a team that included individuals senior to me, in both age and experience, required respectful navigation and was a two-way street.”

Wee adds, “I had to work hard to earn the trust of the team to show them that I was the right person to lead the project. I benefited from the great support from my manager who gave me invaluable lessons in building trust and leadership skills, through his advocacy and close mentorship.”

The project was completed on time and within budget, and Wee speaks fondly of the great team rapport and lasting relationships that she built throughout this experience.

Wee’s experience at CapitaLand helped prepare her for her current role as Head of Asset Management for Southeast Asia, Hong Kong & China at PGIM Real Estate, which manages $206 billion USD of assets globally, including $9.4 billion USD in Asia Pacific. She is thrilled to engage in fulfilling work across various geographies and diverse teams to make a positive impact.

“The funds we manage generate more than financial value–we deploy solutions to ensure that buildings we construct or enhance are more sustainable, energy-efficient and help conserve water.”

Committed to empowering her team

Given the pivotal role mentorship has played in shaping Wee as a leader, it’s unsurprising that she is a passionate advocate for others, taking a strong interest in her team members’ growth, even if it means that they might move on to another team or company.

“I encourage openness about career aspirations. If there is another role beyond asset management that they are interested in, then I provide honest feedback on their fit for the role. If they choose to leave because it’s what’s good for them and makes them happy, then I am happy, since I want them to be able to grow.”

Wee also makes it a point of ensuring that everyone’s voice is heard.

“I value the diversity in our teams and always encourage some of our quieter, more reserved team members to speak up. Going around the table and giving them space to express their points of view lets everyone benefit from different perspectives.”

Wee firmly believes that a positive, encouraging environment is key to getting women to speak up more and make their opinions heard at work. “There’s no need to wait until you’re in a leadership position to be an advocate. Simple day-to-day acts like showing an active interest in a colleague’s ideas on a call, or helping them develop these ideas, can go a long way.”

Recently completing a PGIM leadership training, Wee reflects on how the experience reminded her that asserting one’s viewpoint can be challenging, even for leaders.

“As women, we sometimes second-guess ourselves before speaking or voicing our opinions. It turned out that many of the attendees at the training sessions, regardless of gender, nationality, background or even how confident they looked to me, shared that they sometimes felt hesitant to speak in a group and would rather stay silent than risk saying something contradictory.”

Wee continues, “Once we get over that initial hesitation, we realize, ‘Hey, the world hasn’t come crashing down, regardless of what we’ve said. Now, it’s just muscle memory to focus on contributing to discussions and bringing everyone forward.’”

Quieting the inner critic

Wee admits to being the hardest on herself, often setting increasingly high standards for her accomplishments.

“I am my own worst critic, and I believe many women face this too. We tend to be hard on ourselves, but it’s important to also recognize when we’ve earned our place through hard work, skills and experience.”

Creating networking opportunities for current and future women leaders

Uplifting others beyond the workplace, Wee is the co-chair of the Urban Land Institute’s (ULI) Women’s Leadership Initiative (WLI), a non-profit that focuses on raising the visibility and number of women leaders in the real estate industry. In her role, Wee creates programs that provide opportunities for younger women to network with industry leaders in an informal environment.

“The WLI programs we plan aim to break down barriers and allow women to listen and connect with senior leaders.” She asserts, “Sometimes, all you need is a friendly face and an introduction.”

From her experience, Wee understands the impact that these relationships can have and is looking forward to continuing her work with the WLI in the future.

“It’s invigorating to interact with other women and help one another network and grow.”

Outside of work, Wee enjoys running to stay fit and find time to think. Despite her busy schedule as a mother and professional, she regularly makes time for a run – even while on vacation with her family. No matter where she travels, she always packs her running shoes, ready to explore her new environment.

By Jessica Robaire

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The Benefits of Executive and Team Coaching for an Improved Workplace Culture

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leadership coachWorkplace culture plays a critical role in an organization’s success. A positive culture can enhance employee satisfaction, improve productivity, and foster innovation. Executive and team coaching are powerful tools that can significantly contribute to cultivating an improved workplace culture.

Here’s a look at the benefits of executive and team coaching in transforming workplace culture:

1. Enhanced Leadership Effectiveness

Executive coaching focuses on developing leadership skills and enhancing the effectiveness of leaders within the organization. Benefits include:

  • Self-awareness: Coaches help leaders understand their strengths, weaknesses, and impact on others, fostering greater self-awareness.
  • Decision-making: Improved decision-making abilities through better understanding of different perspectives and critical thinking.
  • Emotional Intelligence: Enhanced emotional intelligence, leading to better management of emotions and relationships.

2. Stronger Team Cohesion

Team coaching fosters a sense of unity and collaboration among team members, leading to:

  •  Increased Trust: Building trust through open communication and shared experiences.
  • Aligned Goals: Ensuring all team members are working towards common objectives and understand their roles.
  • Collaboration: Encouraging collaborative problem-solving and leveraging diverse perspectives.

3. Improved Communication

Effective communication is essential for a healthy workplace culture. Coaching enhances communication skills at both the executive and team levels by:

  • Clarity: Ensuring clear and concise communication of goals, expectations, and feedback.
  • Active Listening: Teaching active listening skills to understand and address concerns and ideas.
  • Conflict Resolution: Providing strategies for resolving conflicts constructively and maintaining positive relationships.

4. Increased Employee Engagement

Engaged employees are more productive, motivated, and committed to their organization. Coaching contributes to employee engagement by:

  • Empowerment: Empowering employees to take ownership of their work and make meaningful contributions.
  • Recognition: Creating a culture of recognition and appreciation for achievements and efforts.
  • Personal Growth: Supporting personal and professional development, leading to greater job satisfaction.

5. Cultivation of a Growth Mindset

A growth mindset encourages continuous learning and improvement. Coaching fosters a growth mindset by:

  • Encouraging Innovation: Promoting a culture where experimentation and innovation are valued.
  • Learning from Mistakes: Viewing failures as opportunities for learning and growth.
  • Continuous Development: Emphasizing the importance of ongoing personal and professional development.

6. Enhanced Problem-Solving and Adaptability

In today’s dynamic business environment, the ability to adapt and solve problems is crucial. Coaching enhances these skills by:

  • Critical Thinking: Developing critical thinking skills to approach problems strategically.
  • Flexibility: Encouraging flexibility and openness to change.
  • Resilience: Building resilience to handle setbacks and challenges effectively.

7. Stronger Organizational Alignment

Coaching helps to align the efforts and goals of individuals, teams, and the organization as a whole. Benefits include:

  • Strategic Alignment: Ensuring that individual and team goals are aligned with organizational objectives.
  • Cultural Consistency: Promoting a consistent and cohesive workplace culture across all levels of the organization.
  • Unified Vision: Creating a shared vision and purpose that motivates and guides employees.

8. Enhanced Accountability

Accountability is crucial for achieving goals and maintaining a positive workplace culture. Coaching enhances accountability by:

  • Goal Setting: Helping individuals and teams set clear, achievable goals.
  • Progress Monitoring: Providing regular check-ins and feedback to track progress and make adjustments.
  • Responsibility: Encouraging a culture of responsibility and ownership for outcomes.

9. Increased Innovation and Creativity

A positive workplace culture that encourages innovation can drive organizational success. Coaching fosters innovation and creativity by:

  • Safe Environment: Creating a safe environment for sharing new ideas and taking risks.
  • Diverse Perspectives: Leveraging diverse perspectives to generate innovative solutions.
  • Encouragement: Encouraging creative thinking and challenging the status quo.

Executive and team coaching offer a multitude of benefits that can significantly improve workplace culture. By enhancing leadership effectiveness, fostering team cohesion, improving communication, increasing employee engagement, cultivating a growth mindset, enhancing problem-solving and adaptability, strengthening organizational alignment, boosting accountability, and promoting innovation and creativity, coaching transforms the workplace into a more positive, productive, and dynamic environment. Investing in coaching not only develops individual and team capabilities but also creates a thriving workplace culture that drives organizational success.

Theglasshammer.com offers six distinct offerings via evolved people coaching so if you need 1) leadership coaching, 2) career coaching 3) team coaching or 4) mentor coaching, 5) business coach or 6) consulting not coaching – organizational development work to help with overall culture, performance or change, please book into Nicki Gilmour’s calendar here (CEO and Founder) to begin to explore and discuss you or your company’s needs. We have a team of 5 coaches and several Ph.D.’s in Organizational Psychology/OD and other disciplines to work with you.

By Nicki Gilmour, CEO and Founder of theglasshammer.com

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Jennifer Doyle: Managing Director, Co-head of Structured Products Group, Wells Fargo

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Jennifer Doyle“Life is about picking yourself up when you get knocked down. Those who do that the best are the ones who tend to be the most successful, however you might define success,” says Jennifer Doyle.

Tenacious in the face of challenge, Doyle is a leader who does not quit. She shares how this mentality of perseverance and optimism has helped build her career and shaped her life.

Moving Forward for Success

Starting as a temp more than twenty years ago, Doyle describes the opportunity of getting in the door working on the trading floor as “winning a lottery ticket” and paving the way to the career she has today. Being surrounded by intelligent people in a fast-moving, competitive environment that is also relationship-focused felt perfectly aligned with her personality and strengths.

“As a former college athlete, I like to compete, I like to win, and I like to be part of a team. I also enjoy making decisions and operating in a fast-paced environment. It was a fit from the beginning.”

Fast forward to today and Doyle is a Managing Director and co-head of the Structured Products Group at Wells Fargo’s Corporate and Investment Bank. However, she will be the first to tell you that success does not happen overnight.

“There is a certain tenacity and grit that is required to be successful in this business. If you can cherish the highs and reinvent yourself and pick yourself up when things get hard, that resiliency in time will keep you moving in the right direction.”

Doyle approaches her life outside of work with the same mentality of persevering when the going gets tough and recognizing that she has agency in the process. It served her well in dealing with the shocking experience of being one of the passengers whose plane crash-landed in the Hudson River 15 years ago while on a business trip.

She reflects, “If you went into that experience an optimist, I think you came out even more of an optimist. If you went into that experience as a pessimist, I think you came out even more of a pessimist. We all experienced the same thing, but everyone had a different interpretation of what happened and how it affected them.”

For Doyle, her optimistic outlook and belief that she needed to keep moving forward meant that she got on a plane the next day because she “did not want fear to rule my life.” She adds, “I tell my children happiness is a choice. I choose to be happy, and if I was unable to make that choice today, then I’m going to try to make that choice tomorrow.”

Sponsorship and Speaking with Authenticity

Beyond resilience and determination, Doyle points to having the support of others as integral to her career. She shares how the kind of support she needed shifted over time as she continued to build confidence, finding there is strength in speaking with authenticity.

“As I developed in my career, the sponsors that I acquired would later tell me that the reason they took an interest was because I brought a different perspective and opinion to the table.” She continues, “People wanted to hear what I had to say because they recognized that I didn’t have an ulterior motive, I was genuine.”

As a leader, Doyle mentors and sponsors others in both formal and informal capacities, often finding her calendar full of people interested in connecting to get her advice or opinion. Being sought after for her point of view is a direct reflection of others seeing she genuinely cares and takes an interest in their growth.

“My mission is to lead in a way that balances the needs of the business and our employees – and ultimately drives positive outcomes for both. I’m always thinking about what’s best for our team and what’s best for our clients. That approach has cultivated a desire for people to want to talk to me and get advice.”

Doyle has twice been the head of Wells Fargo’s WomenGoFar network, as well as its executive sponsor. She also is a sponsor for BOLD, a program designed to provide mentorship and sponsorship to high-potential talent at the firm.

Challenging the Norm

As determined as she is to persevere in the face of obstacles, Doyle is also unafraid to challenge the norm stating, “I do think I am a change agent. It probably took me 20 years to have the courage to say that.” She speaks to the recent experience of being a woman in a leadership role playing in the Wells Fargo Pro-Am Golf Tournament and what it meant for her to participate.

“I was blown away by the response that I got from women, so many of whom pulled me aside afterwards to tell me how inspirational it was seeing me play in what was publicly a field of men.”

One comment that was particularly touching to Doyle was a woman who said, “you’re breaking the mold.” Intentionally participating in the tournament to prove that a woman could do it, Doyle is thrilled by the response of her colleagues – both men and women.

“As a leader, I now have the opportunity to challenge and change what people consider to be the norm, and I actively do so.”

Using a Passion for Golf to Connect to Community and Family

Taking her passion for golf beyond breaking molds at work, Doyle is on the board of First Tee of Charlotte, an organization that provides opportunities for youth who would not otherwise typically have the opportunity to play golf.

“It integrates the game of golf with character-building learning experiences and emphasizes values such as honesty, integrity, confidence and perseverance. And of course, they have fun.”

Doyle is also passionate about bringing the game of golf to more women, not only because it is typically a more male-dominated sport, but because she herself has gained so much from the sport.

“It provides an opportunity from a business connectivity standpoint to play with clients or colleagues. I love being outside and in nature, getting exercise by walking the course, and it’s a chance for me to spend time with our children.”

Doyle admits that one of the reasons she got into golf was because her spouse and children enjoyed the game, and she didn’t want to be left out. Now that her children are teenagers, she is thrilled to have the opportunity to be active with them outdoors for an extended period without distractions like smartphones. It also ties into her approach of managing a successful career and time with her family.

“I am really present. It’s not about quantity, but about the quality in everything you do, whether it’s at work or being with your family.”

By Jessica Robaire

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