Sou Fujimoto TOTO Lecture - 3 life lessons from an architecture superstar you might not have heard of

Sou Fujimoto is a young architect born in Hokkaido, based in Tokyo, famous for his 2013 Serpentine Pavilion and permeable private houses and currently working on competition projects his firm won in Paris, Budapest, Taichung, among other locations.


“You can feel a constant, gentle breeze,” marvelled Fujimoto-san at how the architects managed to regulate natural ventilation at The Star, where he addressed an audience of 3,000 at a lecture organised by TOTO, the leading bathroom brand from Japan.

His architecture lessons are best learned directly from him - conveniently he has a new book out titled simply "Sou Fujimoto Architecture Works 1995-2015."

But what struck me listening to Fujimoto-san was how articulate he was, even in English. When I was at MIT in 2007, I had the luck to listen to famous architects and designers including Zaha Hadid, Rem Koolhaas, Cecil Balmond (Arup), Ai Weiwei and Olafur Eliasson. Possibly with the exception of Eliasson, almost no one else was that gifted in speech. I had thought along the lines of “God is fair”, since he had already blessed them with the talents of expression and execution in architecture.

So here are three life lessons I learned this evening:

1. Be your own spokesperson and salesperson
Sou Fujimoto not only knows how to design, he understands how to communicate his designs in words. His stage performance (including constant remarks with the word “Amazing!”) reminded me of the ultimate speaker of our times - Steve Jobs. He made a few deliberate half-joking comments of “I’m looking for a client in Singapore. You can just send me an email.”  You have to be willing and able to be your own spokesperson and salesperson. Your method might differ, but this should never be a job beneath you.

2. Be endlessly positive
On his failed “Souk Mirage” project, he humorously lamented that he had proposed such an audacious design because he thought “anything is possible in the Middle East.” He also poked fun at his own “public toilet” project in Japan (it got so popular it required porta-loos to service the crowds). His positive energy was infectious and made him very likeable. And never underestimate the importance of likability.

3. Recognise that money matters
A lot of criticism directed at starchitects is about how they are obsessed about form making and creating the next spectacle while not caring about the commercial outcome. Fujimoto-san specifically discussed how he was grateful at how well the Montpellier residences he designed is almost sold-out. Some might think of their architecture (or their profession / work) as art. Again, making sure your works succeed commercially should never be beneath you.


Image copyright:
1) Serpentine Gallery (c) Iwan Baan
2) Souk Mirage (c) Sou Fujimoto Architects

Read my other posts about career tips or head over to check out my project on architecture-focused walking tours in Singapore.

Startup pantry (or How much can each employee eat?)

One difference between working for a big company and at your own startup is the direction in which resources flow. Employees pinch from a big company but donate to a startup. In a corporate environment, you probably would not feel guilty printing a personal document in the office. At your startup, you might be bringing snacks from home to feed your team.


We might explain it away as a function of how much financial damage your actions create relative to the budget. I’d rather frame it as how much you feel you are spending your own money versus spending other people’s money.

But not all startups are cash-poor. Startups can generally be split into two camps: venture-backed (sells equity to receive funding from institutional investors) versus bootstrapped (keeps costs low and reinvests profits). The exaggerated stereotype is that startups with institutional funding (other people’s money) splurge on perks from designer furniture to extravagant pantries while the self-funding startups are perpetually on a “frugal mode."

The truth is more nuanced. Regardless of whose money you’re spending, someone has to justify those dollars draining into the Nespresso capsules. No one wants to be bankrolling the next tech-Titanic.

But no thanks to tech companies like Google and Facebook, who wield stories about their ridiculous pantries as recruiting weapons (how many different types of dairy-free milk does your pantry have?), tech startups are also under pressure to also stock up. There are even startups focused on managing pantries.

So is it Google-does-it-so-it-must-be-right?

When I had the chance to meet Royston Tay, the CEO of Zopim, one of the most successful tech startups to emerge from Singapore (and bootstrapped - to boot), I asked for his opinion on pantries. His reply included the brilliant line of “How much can each employee eat?”

I readily understand the benefits - the conversations around the ‘water cooler’, the productivity boosts from the caffeine fix, sugar rush and time saved from queuing at Starbucks, not to mention being motivated and happier and delivering more of those emotions to users.  I guess I just never did the calculations of the costs.  And I imagine you don’t need cold-pressed juices, chia-seed flecked kale chips and vegan chilli-chocolate chip cookies.  16 mini-bags of Want Want Senbei costs only $2.05 on RedMart.

Footnotes:
1) I met Royston in July 2014. I need to get my post out a little faster.
2) I assume Royston’s comment was not a discriminatory statement against people who are always hungry (that’s me).
3) Not all big companies spend on pantries. I worked at Singapore Airlines, where the luxury on board your flights does not translate to fancy offices. The company believes spending heartily on customers (rather than employees) helps it stay profitable. I have also visited startups dethroning Google.

Image by Adam Foster (paperpariah) on Flickr.

Helping introverts network, strategically - Backstage Pass by Peatix (Thu 27th Feb)

"Fears unfaced become your limits." Robin Sharma

We start fearless as children, but as we mature, we shy away from what we are weak at. Over time, our weaknesses become our limits - out of habit.

Introverts are naturally more averse to networking than extroverts.  But I learned early on as an introvert that avoiding or even looking down on networking is a defence mechanism. We are just denying that networking can be meaningful and powerful - but secretly jealous.

Not that introversion can really be shed. I am still uncomfortable with small talk, and I still feel overextended when I dive into networking events where everyone else seems to already know each other. I still prefer one-on-one conversations and the company of close friends.

Instead, organisations and networking events should help everyone, including introverts, network. Even when an organisation tends to be born from a commonality, like the university you went to or the company you used to work for - its true power is in its diversity.

One big but simple lesson I learned from attending TED Global is - no one came here to be alone. The TED team remarked that there should be no reason you are standing there alone when someone else is pretending to look at a display. No one came here to look at a display either. That simple comment gave me courage to keep initiating conversations.

So I am a firm believer that the event format and organisation structure matter, more so than whether the people within are seasoned networkers or taking their tentative first steps. 

Improving the way networking is done at and between events is the exact topic at Peatix Singapore's next Backstage Pass event on Thursday. It might seem like I am being incredibly biased or sneaky to be writing this, but truth is that the three speakers we have are amazing and truly believe in what they are teaching. And it would be awkward for them to promote themselves, so here goes.

I knew Grace Clapham from TEDx circles four years ago, and everyone who meets her goes away impressed by her passion, sincerity and abilities. In addition to her own projects (like Change Ventur.es), she is always involved in organisations that give back to the community - Creative Mornings, TEDx and more. Like many of the wonderful speakers we have had before, she readily agreed to our invitation for Backstage Pass in spite of her crazy schedule. And she brought in Solonia Teodros, another amazing lady who co-founded community-driven initiatives including The Hawker Sessions and The Feast Worldwide Singapore.

I am very excited that Grace and Solonia will be conducting a hands-on session that teaches you what interactions to "force" to kick things off, and what activities to do to build trust and transfer knowledge.

We found Jonathan Kwan via Audacity 2014, and meeting him just once convinced me that he has lots to share on getting the strategic structure right for organisations so it can grow. One specific example is how it is easy to attract people who are not yet influential but are enthusiastic about your organisation to show up. But they actually want to network with the influential people who might not be as enthusiastic about showing up. Strategic issues like that make a difference to the networking experience, and he has lessons from building his university local alumni community to share.

Everything else is gravy, but look at this gravy: there are already many other interesting, friendly and accomplished people who have already confirmed their attendance. For $15 entry you also a tasting platter of Carribean food and rum punch from Lime House and $30 worth of Spotify credits.

What we learned at Peatix Singapore is that Singaporeans are really last-minute ticket buyers. People scramble right before the event asking us to save some space for them. But don't worry - we provide refunds if something really crops up, and you can always transfer your ticket.  (Get your Backstage Pass tickets here).

"Dogfooding" (i.e. using our own product, or in this case, also organising events) really teaches me what organisers experience. Any organiser would tell you it isn't easy, and is often a humbling experience. But they'll also tell you that the people who come and benefit keeps them going.

On that note, please also come to my talk about Product Management / Community on Friday, March 7th at the Paypal office (Millenia Tower, at lunchtime). Thank you Calvin Cheng (organiser of Hackers and Painters for inviting me).  I don't really like giving talks, but I realised it is an important way of sharing knowledge for the community to grow.

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NTUC Fairprice Just Wine Club - Seems fail-safe, actually mostly a fail

Memberships always appear like good deals. The NTUC Fairprice wine club - $20 a year gets you 8% off wine at any Fairprice supermarket and invitations to wine tastings and pairing dinners. And I have Fairprice Finest within walking distance from home and work.

But supermarkets stock only wines from the giant corporates. Jacob's Creek, Wolf Blass, Penfolds, Banrock Station, Hardys, Lindemans, Wyndham Estate - safe and boring wines.

I tried it anyway.  No surprise - the wine club is poor value for buying everyday bottles. Put another way, paying $20 for 8% discount means discounts start only after $250.  With so many alternatives, how many of us want to be tied to one place? The same brands are stocked at Duty-Free, while Wine Connection offers cheap Chileans and Australians too.

Doesn't help that the wine tastings are almost as expensive for members as non-members.

Not everything is bad though:

  • The bottles are in good condition - they were stored / transported with care, unlike Denise / Straits Wine
  • Some of the branches, particularly the Finest versions, have wine sections large enough to include smaller vineyards
  • As the dominant supermarket chain here, Fairprice can offer deep, loss-leading discounts

To make myself feel like I made better use of my card (ugh, another classic pitfall of memberships), I bought half a dozen bottles today.

One of the gems I returned to buy is the Ashbrook Estate Cabernet Merlot 2008 ($26 SGD after discounts). There are claims that Margaret River is similar in climate to Bordeaux, and this claret is the classic blend of Cabernet Sauvignon - Merlot - Cabernet Franc - Petit Verdot.  Being able to buy a ready-to-drink 2008 vintage off the shelf is a joy.  Most being sold are 2012s - way too young to be drunk. And I'm way too lazy to stash away.

This bottle is worth cellaring, but there's already plenty of bouquet to smell, layers of berries to taste and structure structure that lingers for just long enough.  

It makes me think of hosting a wine and cheese party soon.

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Read this next:
L for Loire Valley, M for Muscadet
A surprise of the "L" themed wine party Li Jen and I hosted near Valentine's Day was that the first two bottles were both Muscadet (a French white wine).

The first bottle, "Lobster & Shrimp" from the Barton & Guestier Pairing Collection, continue reading...

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Suggested reading: Not Brown Brothers Moscato - Then What?

How to think like your Singapore attendee

I've never really had problems finding exciting things to do in Singapore.  After I joined Peatix, the challenge became having to choose from events happening in the same evening or over the same weekend.

So the events are there in quantity and quality.  But the group of people seeking adventurous things to do seems pretty small - events with strong content still fail to attract a crowd when they deserve to.

And often, organisers do not have the time, patience or commitment to communicate their event's value clearly.  If you go to the root of it, often the organisers are so immersed in their own event, it is hard to step back and are think like the attendee.

Here are my suggestions of "How to think like your Singapore attendee":

  1. You're up against all the free events that are *free* AND have free food & booze
    Yes, you're up against better-than-free.  Deep-pocketed brands and government funded agencies are running loss-making / loss-leading events that heavily distorts expectations.  

    So if your event is free, please don't be shy - shout it out.  If your event is paid, it is your responsibility to explain what the attendee gets for paying.  Better yet, invest time in building a relationship with sponsors - it will be worth it in the long-run.

    And don't judge behaviour - everyone loves free, it's just whether they embrace it or scorn those who embrace it (out of jealously).
  2. Think from the attendee's perspective, not your own.
    You the organiser deserve to be paid for your efforts, and content is still king - but don't think of yourself.  Think of why the attendee would bother travelling to your event, spend time and money.  That makes the whole difference of how you describe your event.  And it isn't complex - for live experiences people generally want 1) knowledge - for work or themselves 2) new friends or new business contacts 3) to have fun!
  3. Tell people what they're getting.  List it out.  Tell a story.
    People want unique experiences.  They want a good deal.  If you don't bother describing the speaker, the venue, the other attendees, the food catered, the view, your personal story of why you're doing this - how would they know?
  4. Create a sense of a good deal
    It is common knowledge that in the United States, stores mark-up the price of goods leading up to Thanksgiving, so they can make a deeper cut for Black Friday.  I'm not asking you to lie or mislead.  All I'm saying is that people want to feel like they got a good deal.

Now it's time to get everyone who complains Singapore is boring of the bloody malls and cookie-cutter chain restaurants.  We've got lots of great events happening all the time.  Do we need another Uniqlo, JEM Mall or cinema showing the same Hollywood movie?  You've put together the wonderful content - time to hook the Singapore attendee in!