Back in my elementary school days, I can't quite recall whether it was my class guardian or one of my classmates, but someone mentioned to my parents that I asked way too many questions in class.
Of course, I ended up getting scolded, and it left me with the notion that asking questions was a no-go — something I should never do, for whatever reasons.
From that moment on, I started shaping myself into a “yes-man”, hesitating to let my curiosity show…
A wake-up call
Even as I entered college, this pattern persisted, even though I observed my college mates from mainland China fearlessly asking numerous questions about every little detail they were unsure of.
Although I knew my perspective had shifted slightly, deep down, I still found myself playing the role of a yes-man, pretending to grasp things I didn't fully understand.
But all that changed when I crossed paths with my Chinese-Malaysian boss during my first job right after graduation. He's the kind of person who genuinely values independent thinking and has so little patience for yes-men like I was back then.
“If I ask you to jump off a cliff, I have no doubt you’d do it without asking me why. ARE YOU A ROBOT OR WHAT?!” my ex-boss shouted at me one day when he had already reached his limit with my attitude.
It was truly a powerful wake-up call when he angrily told me how much he disliked how I agreed with every task he assigned, without questioning the reasons behind them.
I still remember how I trembled from shame and frustration due to being yelled at like that. I even had to skip my lunch as I felt really unwell inside.
But I didn’t hold a grudge against him, not in the slightest. I knew it was entirely my fault for behaving like a robot, and I should be ashamed of my actions.
The awakening of dying inner lion
My ex-boss indeed had saved my critical-thinking self that was already on the verge of death back then. Had his intervention arrived just a bit later, I might have turned into a real robot, just as he said.
During those days, I worked as a process engineer at a multinational manufacturing company headquartered in Singapore. My role mainly involved maintaining and improving manufacturing processes, investigating inefficiencies, and collaborating with different departments to solve issues.
Although I understood that problem-solving involved countless trials and errors to find the root causes, my own approach was a bit of a paradox.
Instead of actively trying new things, I ended up waiting passively for my boss to provide pre-designed testing procedures. I assumed the role of a silent observer, lacking initiative — almost like an operator, to be honest.
My contributions merely consisted of receiving complaints from other departments, reporting them to my boss, then carrying out tests as he instructed, collecting data, and reporting the results to him.
Looking back, I'm filled with shame for being such an incompetent engineer. What the hell kind of engineer was I like that?!
After that “shock therapy”, my “inner lion” underwent an abrupt revival. It's as if I've experienced a personal reawakening, emerging as a new person.
I began thinking independently, devising my testing methods with my ex-boss’s approval, and sometimes even challenging his ideas, which he totally appreciated. Our relationship really got better after that.
My ex-boss was a perfectionist like me, though way sharper and quicker in handling things. Because of that, he often invited me to collaborate on creating “comprehensive” reports for his boss and notifying the reporting department of the findings and proposed solutions, especially since they involved the results of tests I designed and conducted.
The fault of education system?
After that embarrassing moment when I was scolded like a helpless robot awaiting commands, I underwent some serious self-reflection. In all honesty, I deserved it.
Thinking back, I could understand why my ex-boss was so frustrated with me. He might have tested me several times, trying to see if I just said “yes” to everything he asked me to do without asking him anything. Even though he dropped hints numerous times, I remained clueless, eventually pushing him to the point of losing his patience.
As I pondered this at home, I realized that some blame could be attributed to our different educations. Our countries' education systems are worlds apart.
In my country and in Malaysia and Singapore, schools emphasize education in different aspects. The schools I attended put strong focus on memorization and following teachers' instructions. In contrast, schools in Malaysia and Singapore prioritize observation, analysis, and problem-solving.
I clearly remember a schoolmate who moved to Singapore for his high school sharing his experiences with me. He mentioned something quite unusual: open book exams.
I had never heard about open book exams, at least not until I entered college, so I asked him at that time, “Doesn’t that make exams there easier?!” His answer surprised me. He said open book exams were way tougher; he would gladly choose closed book exams if he could.
Curious, I asked, “Why’s that?” He explained the questions were often “extraordinary” and required thorough understanding. The open book format wasn’t a shortcut; he had to use everything he’d learned to argue his points within very limited time frame. Many times, there wasn't even enough time for him to open the book and find the supporting theories or formulas.
His answer left me stunned. Cowardly, I thought to myself, “Thank goodness I didn’t attend high school there!” My English wasn’t great back then. I had already imagined how I would have wet my pants if I had to quickly understand and answer questions in English!
I realized my boss, who went to schools in Malaysia and continued his college in Singapore, probably came from an education system where asking questions and understanding deeply were crucial. Witnessing the level of “obedience” in my country must have dropped his jaw.
Confirm, confirm, confirm!
It’s a lot, lot better to look foolish than to end up as a true fool. I learned that the hard way.
Be critical! That’s what I keep reminding myself of since that “incident”.
Ask: why do we have to do what’s assigned to us? Ask: what’s expected from us with that task? Ask: what outcomes are wanted?
Confirm, confirm, confirm! Don’t assume and just passively agree with people, even if it’s our boss. Keep confirming until we fully grasp the what and why behind our tasks.
I also had an internship at a Japanese company back in college, but back then, I was only responsible for the tasks my supervisor gave me.
At another Japanese company I joined after leaving my job at that Singaporean company, my job already required me to keep in close touch with the staff at Japan HQ. It was there that I noticed the culture of “confirm, confirm, confirm!” was very evident among the Japanese.
Every request I made underwent thorough confirmation, and I had to provide them with detailed explanations for the many questions they asked, along with all the supporting data they requested.
I could truly relate to their condition, as they were answerable to their superiors, who anticipated thorough reports and detailed explanations before giving their approvals.
I couldn't begin to imagine the number of questions they had to answer only to obtain approvals from their bosses.
And so, I did whatever I could to ease their job by providing detailed explanations in my responses, even if it seemed laborious. Otherwise, I would never get my job done.
Yes, the saying “better safe than sorry” might describe this situation perfectly. Above their bosses, there were still higher authorities and so on, and all of them possessed a keen sense of critical thinking at such levels or even higher.
Without the experience I gained from my previous job, I can only imagine enduring even harsher “shock therapy” had I kept my passive and yes-man tendencies.
I'm now thinking, if workplaces are already demanding us to think that critically, what about the broader world out there? Especially in this age of information overload, where a blend of truths and half-truths come flooding in?
Once we step outside the office, there won’t be a critical boss safeguarding us from missteps. Can we figure things out by ourselves, sifting through what we hear and see for potential pitfalls?
I’m starting to have this feeling that training ourselves to think critically might play a far more crucial role than I ever imagine... And this should start from, with, and towards our own selves, our own thoughts, and all the information we receive...