This past week, the students of Associate Professor Marleen Dieleman’s Strategy Management module had the rare opportunity to meet with Founder and CEO of Singapore-grown supermarket chain Sheng Siong, Mr Lim Hock Chee, who graced the seminar class as a guest speaker.
Learning from the Success of Sheng Siong
Mr Lim sharing passionately to a seminar class of attentive students
The Sheng Siong Spirit
Mr Lim generously shared important learnings from his entrepreneurial journey, and the core principles he has built Sheng Siong upon. He spoke about how true charity begins at home, and encouraged the class to extend kindness from the heart, even when no one else is looking. On personal character and morals, he also touched on the topic of temper – about how a truly superior boss is capable but not temperamental. He opined that an even temper and clear conscience are the keys to attracting the right partners and employees. On family, Mr Lim encouraged students to learn from who he believes are the true influencers – our parents.
Annotating and teaching in Mandarin, with the help of student translator Yu Jing
“It was a meaningful and insightful sharing session in which I gained new perspectives on mindset and business philosophies from Mr. Lim Hock Chee. I have learnt the importance of one's values and principles as well as in an organization.”
Associate Professor Marleen appreciating Mr Lim with a personal gift
Left to right: Group photo with Mr Lim, NUS BBA students Regina Ho and Anni Lei and Associate Professor Marleen Dieleman (extreme right)
“Mr Lim sharing session has been really eye opening, and one of my biggest take-aways is that we need to pay attention to our actions and stay true to our values, even when we are alone and no one is watching.”
Giving Back Creatively – The Sheng Siong Show
Sheng Siong’s culture of care, kindness and sharing has also extended beyond the walls of its company, through the “Sheng Siong Show” initiative. The idea was born out of Mr Lim’s desire to give back in a fun way – providing good weekend evening entertainment to families, particularly the elderly. He intentionally engaged young performers from Singapore and Malaysia, thereby providing financial assistance to them while showcasing their talents. He also had the hope that this opportunity would give them a confidence boost.
He also adopted the idea of using Sheng Siong store receipts to distribute cash payouts of up to a thousand times of what his customers spent at his store, in a bid to give back to the community. At the advice of a member of his senior leadership team, this was adapted to a hundred times to spread the wealth across more people while keeping his business and the show feasible. Apart from performances, the Sheng Siong Show also incorporated games where people can earn bonus cash prizes. Needless to say, the Sheng Siong Show has successfully boosted the image of the homegrown supermarket brand, amplifying the values and generosity of its leadership, increased sales & ignited the heartlanders’ dream of one day winning the Sheng Siong prize money.
Sheng Siong’s humble and honest approach in bringing value to its community has contributed greatly to an increasing pool of happy customers, served by a team of passionate supermarket staff who have been inspired by a leadership who truly cares and shares.
Undergraduate Studies Vice Dean, Associate Professor Chng Chee Kiong presenting a token of appreciation after an exclusive board room session