From Tariffs to Teamwork: How Global Trade Teaches Us to Break Down Silos and Grow Together

Inspired by Lee Hsien Loong’s remarks on U.S. tariffs, this article draws parallels between global trade dynamics and workplace collaboration. Discover how businesses can shift from siloed KPIs to cross-functional teamwork to drive sustainable growth.

Last night, as I listened to Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s remarks on the recent U.S. tariffs, something clicked. As someone who has spent my career in growth and performance marketing, with roots in finance and analytics, I couldn’t help but reflect on the parallels between international trade dynamics and the inner workings of today’s companies. 🌏➡️🏢

In his speech, SM Lee highlighted the United States’ shift from a cooperative multilateral trade system to a more unilateral “America First” approach. He pointed out how the foundational principle of the World Trade Organization — Most Favoured Nation (MFN) treatment, which ensures all countries are given equal trading terms, is being increasingly replaced by the U.S.’s push for “reciprocal tariffs.” In short, it’s a tilt from a win-win collaboration to a zero-sum mindset, where power dictates terms and size trumps fairness.

That got me thinking: this same dynamic often plays out within organizations.

Just as nations face challenges when dominant players prioritize self-interest over cooperation, companies can suffer when individual departments chase their own KPIs at the expense of shared success. The pursuit of isolated wins may boost short-term metrics, but it can also erode long-term growth. In contrast, cross-functional collaboration, much like healthy trade partnerships, creates leverage, unlocks synergies, and drives sustainable performance. 📈

In this article, let’s explore what businesses can learn from global trade diplomacy and why shifting from “me first” to “team first” might just be the growth strategy your organization needs.

1. The Shift in Global Trade Dynamics 🌍

a. Traditional Global Trade System: Leveling the Playing Field

For decades, the backbone of international trade has been the Most Favoured Nation (MFN) principle — a rule that ensures countries treat all trading partners equally. Under this system, if one country offers lower tariffs to another, it must extend the same terms to all other WTO members. This has helped even the smallest nations compete on a fair playing field, empowering global trade to become more open, predictable, and inclusive.

In a recent Ministerial Statement by Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, he reinforced that such multilateral frameworks have helped countries like Singapore thrive despite our size, fostering a stable, rules-based global economy that encourages mutual growth.

b. The Rise of ‘America First’: Power Over Principles

But that balance is shifting. The current U.S. administration has adopted a more transactional approach, favoring “reciprocal tariffs” over multilateral agreements. Instead of playing by established global norms, the U.S. now seeks to leverage its economic might to negotiate bilateral deals that favor its own interests, even if it means bending or breaking the existing rules.

As SM Lee Hsien Loong candidly observed, this strategy disrupts the global order. It’s no longer about fairness, it’s about who holds the bigger stick. And for smaller nations like us in Singapore, this creates vulnerabilities. Our economic model depends on open access and fair competition. A shift away from multilateralism could undermine not just Singapore’s competitiveness but global economic stability.

2. Organisational Parallel: Departmental Silos vs. Cross-Functional Collaboration 🏢

a. Siloed Departments: The Internal ‘Tariff War’

Much like nations, departments within companies often operate in silos — marketing, product, finance, and ops, each with their own priorities and KPIs. These internal borders may not be guarded by tariffs, but they’re just as obstructive.

For instance, a performance marketing team might be laser-focused on ROAS, while the product team prioritizes shipping features quickly, and finance scrutinizes every budget request. The result? Misalignment, duplicated efforts, internal competition, and friction over shared resources.

b. Cross-Functional Collaboration: Unlocking Synergies

Now imagine a scenario where marketing, product, and data teams come together with shared OKRs to improve customer LTV. Instead of finger-pointing, there’s open dialogue, data sharing, and joint ownership of results.

🔹 Example: Apple’s iPhone Development: Cross-functional teams of hardware, software, and design worked closely under “Project Purple,” with even engineers leading marketing efforts, resulting in the launch of one of the most iconic growth-driving products in tech history.

🔹 Example: IKEA’s Sustainability Mission: Diverse teams from across the business, including franchisees and corporate, collaborated through a Strategic Sustainability Council to achieve shared goals like 100% LED lighting and sustainably sourced cotton, powering IKEA’s long-term growth through purpose-driven innovation.

When departments collaborate, innovation accelerates, efficiency increases, and employee morale rises. Just like countries in a cooperative trade agreement, everyone wins.

3. The Pitfalls of a Win-Lose Mentality ⚔️

a. In Global Trade: Short-Term Wins, Long-Term Pain

The U.S.’s “America First” stance may offer short-term gains like better trade balances or domestic political wins. But the long-term risks are mounting: trade retaliation, loss of trust, supply chain disruptions, and a weakened multilateral system that once guaranteed stability.

History has shown that trade wars rarely have winners. The 1930s Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act worsened the Great Depression. In today’s hyperconnected world, unilateralism is even more dangerous.

b. In Organisations: Hidden Costs of KPI Turf Wars

The same applies internally. When departments chase siloed KPIs, it may look good on paper until the company stagnates. You see:

  • Product launches that miss the mark because marketing wasn’t looped in early.
  • Inefficient media spend because data insights aren’t shared across teams.
  • Burned-out teams working at cross-purposes and duplicating work.

Worse, it breeds a scarcity mindset — hoarding insights, resisting feedback, and eroding company culture.

4. Embracing a Win-Win Approach for Sustainable Growth 🚀

a. Strategies for Organisations:

Let’s shift the game from “my department wins” to “the company wins.” Here’s how:

  • Integrated KPIs: Set shared goals across marketing, product, sales, and ops — like revenue per user or net promoter score.
  • 🔁 Regular Cross-Team Syncs: Encourage functional teams to meet, align, and adapt plans in real time.
  • 💬 Leadership-Led Culture: Senior leaders must reward collaborative behavior, not just individual performance.

b. Lessons from Global Trade:

  • Just as Singapore thrives in a fair, multilateral system, organizations grow stronger when every team is empowered to contribute and collaborate.
  • Diversity of thought, like diversity of nations, creates stronger outcomes. Each department brings unique strengths, and when you blend them, you get exponential returns.

Final Thoughts: From Trade Wars to Team Wins

In both geopolitics and business, the difference between stagnation and sustainable success often comes down to mindset. As we’ve seen from the recent shift in global trade with the U.S. leaning into an “America First” strategy — prioritizing self-interest over collective progress can destabilize even the most established systems. The same is true within organizations: when departments operate in silos, chasing only their own KPIs, they may win battles, but risk losing the war for long-term growth.

Whether it’s the MFN principle in global trade or integrated KPIs in a business, the goal should be the same, which is to create structures where everyone has a fair shot at success and where progress is shared, not siloed. Because here’s the truth:

💡 Growth isn’t a tug-of-war. It’s a team sport.

So here’s your call to action: Take a hard look at how your teams work today. Are your departments building bridges or walls? Are KPIs aligned, or are they breeding internal competition? As leaders and collaborators, we have the power — and responsibility — to shift from a win-lose to a win-win mindset.

🌱 Let’s stop pulling in different directions and start growing together.

Are You Seeing Miracles or Just Missed Metrics?

Discover how a mindset shift inspired by Einstein’s quote can transform your approach to setbacks, growth marketing, and performance metrics. Learn to see challenges as opportunities—and even miracles.

Truth is… It’s easy to become jaded when you’re neck-deep in dashboards, campaign reports, and feedback loops that sound more like criticism than coaching, it’s natural to focus on what’s not working. The ad that flopped, or the conversion that didn’t happen.

In performance marketing (and in life) it’s easy to get trapped in the “nothing’s working” loop.

But what if the problem isn’t the problem? What if the problem is how we see the problem?

Sometimes the difference between burnout and breakthrough is a mindset shift: choosing to view even setbacks as learning opportunities… or dare I say it, miracles in disguise. 🧠💡

“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.”

Albert Einstein (aka the original growth hacker)

💼 From Chasing Perfection to Celebrating Progress

Here’s the thing: perfection is a trapdoor.

What if we stopped treating every failed campaign like a failure… and started treating it like data? Like a signpost? Like a slightly annoying, but incredibly honest friend who just told us what doesn’t convert?

Split-test mindset, meet life:

There are two ways to live:

  1. As if your test failed.
  2. As if you just discovered what doesn’t work, and now you’re smarter for it.

🧭 What If This Is the Miracle?

What if the underperforming campaign is pointing you to your breakthrough strategy?

What if the client pushback is training you to communicate with more clarity and confidence?

What if the delay, the detour, the U-turn… is the reason you avoid something worse?

We miss a lot of good things by only looking for perfect ones. The growth mindset isn’t just about being open to feedback. It’s about being open to the idea that what’s happening right now, even if it’s frustrating, is part of something valuable. Something miraculous.

Even if it doesn’t come with a 6x ROAS.

🧠 Your Turn

Pause for a second. Take a breath.

Now ask yourself:

🔹 What’s one recent “setback” that might actually be a miracle in disguise?

🔹 Where could you reframe failure as feedback or as a next step forward?

Because yes, you can live like nothing is a miracle. But that sounds… exhausting and sad.

I’d rather live like everything is (even the messy bits).

How about you? 👇

Drop your thoughts. I’d love to hear your story.

Biohacking the Workday: High-Performance Hacks for Energy, Focus and Resilience

Discover data-backed biohacks to supercharge your workday. From intermittent fasting and cold showers to wearable tracking and nootropics—learn what actually boosts energy, focus, and resilience for busy professionals.

So, I’ve spent the last 6 months playing human guinea pig, testing one of the most talked-about biohacks out there: intermittent fasting. That meant skipping breakfast entirely and sticking to a protein-only lunch 🍗. The first couple of weeks? Absolutely brutal. I was hungry and constantly fantasising about KFC.

But by week three, something shifted. My mental fog lifted 🌤️. I started powering through the days with sharper focus, more consistent energy, and a surprising bonus: I gained 💪 12% more muscle and lost 🔥 28% body fat.

It got me thinking what else out there might actually work?

In today’s high-octane digital world 💻, where Slack pings don’t sleep and burnout is just one missed deadline away — energy, focus, and resilience are the real currency. The 3PM crash? All too familiar. But maybe the secret to peak performance isn’t grinding harder. Maybe it’s about tweaking your biology smarter 🧬.

That’s what this article is all about. I’ll unpack the science 🔬 (and the real-life impact) behind some of the most buzzed-about biohacks: from cold showers 🚿 and wearable trackers 📱 to nootropic stacks and sleep optimization. Some worked. Some didn’t. But here’s the truth: not every hack is for everyone—and that’s okay.

What matters is the mindset. The habit of self-experimentation and continuous improvement is what separates reactive professionals from resilient leaders.

Welcome to the era of data-driven self-optimization 🚀. Let’s get into it.

🧠 1. Intermittent Fasting: Brain Boost or Hype Diet?

🔍 What It Is:

Intermittent fasting (IF) is a time-restricted eating strategy, typically fasting for 16 hours and eating within an 8-hour window (e.g., 12–8PM). Outside the window? Just water, black coffee, or tea. No snacks. No sneaky bites.

🧪 My Experience:

I went all-in: no breakfast, protein-only lunch, dinner around 8-9PM. The first week? Hanger was real. But by week three, mental clarity mid-morning skyrocketed 🚀. I was more alert, less bloated, and surprisingly productive. The usual post-lunch crash? Gone. And yes—I gained 12% muscle and lost 28% fat 💪🔥 (with my usual workouts).

🔬 The Science:

  • Fasting increases brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a protein that supports learning, memory, and neuroplasticity 🧠.
  • It can also reduce inflammation, regulate blood sugar, and improve overall mood.

📖 Source: BSW Health – IF & Brain Health

⚠️ Caveats:

Not for everyone. If your mornings are physically demanding or you’re prone to energy dips, Intermittent Fasting might backfire. It also makes social lunch meetings awkward (unless your friends like watching you sip black coffee).

✅ Verdict:

Totally worth experimenting with. Start with a 14:10 fast (14 hours fast, 10 hours eating) and track how your mood, focus, and energy shift over 2–3 weeks.

❄️ 2. Cold Showers: Free Willpower Training & Mood Elevator

🔍 What It Is:

A cold shower, literally. 30–90 seconds of cold water (no heater and turn all the way to the most cold), especially first thing in the morning. No warm-up, no excuses.

🧪 My Experience:

I started this just two weeks ago. And yes, it felt like screaming into the void 😱. But after the initial shock, I was awake, alert, and weirdly calm 🧘. The mental “reset” was real.

🔬 The Science:

  • A Dutch study found that people who ended their showers with cold water for 90 days had 29% fewer sick days.
  • Cold exposure is linked to improved mood, reduced anxiety, and even a lower risk of depression.

📖 Source: UCLA Health – Cold Shower Benefits

⚠️ Caveats:

It’s 90% mental. And while it boosts alertness, it’s not a substitute for real recovery. If you’re sleep-deprived or run-down, start slow.

✅ Verdict:

Powerful, free, and fast. Cold showers deliver instant energy and long-term resilience. It’s uncomfortable, but so is growth.

📊 3. Wearables & Self-Tracking: Measuring to Manage

🔍 What It Is:

Using tech like Ultrahuman, WHOOP, Fitbit, or even a simple journal to track sleep, movement, heart rate variability (HRV), and work rhythms. Think of it as your personal dashboard 📱.

🧪 My Experience:

My tracker showed my late-night Netflix binges 📺 were cutting into my deep sleep. After setting a no-screen rule after 11PM, my sleep score improved, and so did my morning energy.

🔬 The Science:

  • 1 in 3 Americans are already using a fitness or sleep tracker to optimise their sleep.
  • Studies show that self-awareness leads to behavior change. You can’t improve what you don’t measure.

📖 Source: AASM Sleep Tracker Study

🛠️ How to Use:

  • Track ONE thing at a time like sleep, steps, or focus hours.
  • Don’t obsess over daily fluctuations. Look at weekly trends.

✅ Verdict:

For data-driven people (like marketers), this is gold. Use your wearables to spot blind spots, build habits, and tweak routines that actually move the needle.

🧪 4. Bonus Hacks Worth Testing (with Caution)

💊 Nootropics:

Smart supplements like L-Theanine + Caffeine, Alpha-GPC, or even Creatine can enhance mental clarity and memory.

⚠️ Start slow. Test one at a time. Effects vary widely from person to person.

🕶️ Blue Light Blockers:

Wearing blue light glasses or using screen filters in the evening can improve melatonin production 🌙 and support better sleep. Especially useful for screen-heavy professionals.

⏱️ Pomodoro Timers + Movement Breaks:

Using a 25/5 or 50/10 work-rest cycle, paired with quick stretches or walks, prevents cognitive fatigue 🧠. It’s a simple hack with proven impact on productivity and brain function.

💭 Final Thoughts: Upgrade Your Operating System (No Implants Required)

Biohacking isn’t about becoming some kind of tech-augmented cyborg 🤖. It’s about something much more human: awareness, experimentation, and optimization. Think of it as upgrading your internal operating system—one small tweak at a time.

Not every biohack will be your magic pill. And that’s okay. The real win lies in the growth mindset 🧠 — the willingness to test, reflect, and evolve. That’s what separates the reactive from the resilient.

So go ahead — try a cold shower 🚿, skip breakfast 🕒, track your sleep 📊. These aren’t radical lifestyle changes. They’re low-risk experiments with high potential upside.

💬 What about you? Which hack helped you perform better at work?

Drop a comment below—I’d love to hear your experiments and results!

⚡ “High performance isn’t about doing more. It’s about doing smarter—and sometimes, colder.”

Fall in Love With the Work, The Wins Will Come

Discover how a simple mindset shift—from chasing outcomes to embracing the process—transformed my approach to performance marketing, creativity, and long-term growth. A thought-provoking take on the quote: “Fall in love with the process and the results will follow.”

💡 Quote of the Week: “Fall in love with the process and the results will follow” — Bradley Whitford

I’d be honest. I used to chase end results like a man possessed — more income, more leads, more conversions, more possessions. It felt like progress. And in some ways, it was. But looking back, I realised I was constantly chasing the next high, hitting one target only to move the goalpost. It became a loop of short-term wins that left little room for joy, creativity, or meaningful growth.

Then I came across this quote:

“Fall in love with the process and the results will follow.” — Bradley Whitford

That hit differently.

What changed the game for me wasn’t a smarter hack or a better framework, it was a mindset shift. When I stopped obsessing over outcomes and started genuinely enjoying the work itself, something clicked. I found more clarity, more peace of mind, and ironically, better long-term outcomes.

Turns out, when you fall in love with the craft, the scoreboard starts taking care of itself.


🛝 Process is the Playground of Growth

Real, sustainable growth doesn’t come from one big breakthrough. It comes from showing up, testing, learning, and tweaking — day in, day out.

I’ve seen this play out in my work with A/B testing gaming video creatives. Sometimes the “ugly” variation outperforms the polished one. Sometimes what you think will convert ends up flopping. But every test is a data point, and every insight sharpens the next move.

Same with building growth loops — they rarely take off on the first try. But when you treat the process as a playground for discovery rather than a pressure cooker for instant wins, that’s when compounding magic kicks in.

Small daily inputs, repeated over time, create massive momentum.

🎨 Obsession with Outcomes Can Kill CreativityWhen you’re glued to dashboards and only chasing KPIs, it’s easy to default to “what’s safe.” You end up recycling what worked instead of exploring what might.

But when you genuinely love your product or your craft, something shifts. You start taking smart risks. You lean into curiosity. You play more, experiment more, and that’s when performance marketing actually gets exciting and effective.

Some of my most successful campaigns didn’t come from chasing the perfect CTR. They came from being fully immersed in the storytelling, the customer journey, and the creative process.

Loving the process made the work better and the results followed.

🏃🏻 Habits > Hype

Anyone can launch a flashy campaign. Not everyone can show up every day when things get hard or boring.

The best growth I’ve ever seen, both in business and in life, comes from unsexy consistency: tracking what matters, reviewing performance, asking better questions, making small tweaks, and doing it all over again.

Fall in love with those tiny actions, and you’ll build the resilience and systems that scale.

In the long run, quiet consistency beats viral hype every time.


💭 Final Thoughts

The best founders and marketers I know don’t just chase results — they live the process. They obsess over customer problems, they get excited about small wins, and they treat every test like a new opportunity to learn and grow.

In doing so, they don’t just build great businesses—they build unfair advantages.

Because when you love what you do, you don’t burn out chasing metrics. You build momentum that lasts.

📣 If you’re a fellow marketer or founder stuck in outcome-obsession mode, let’s connect.

I’m building a community of growth lovers who care more about the craft than just the clicks.

Let’s grow together — the right way.