#06. David Liew and his Values, Passion, and Purpose

Values are your non-negotiable foundation, passion is about what excites and motivates you, and purpose is your deeper reason for existence.
- Harvard Business Review

Whether you are a founder or creator, a leader or a gig worker, a consultant or a teacher, discovering and aligning your values, passion, and purpose will give you the best chance at having a fulfilling career, and more importantly, a meaningful life. On top of that, organisations can achieve their mission, and society and beyond will benefit in the long run. Wantedly’s mission is to create a world where work drives passion, and this is why we want to inspire reflections on what our own values are, and how we discover our passion and strive towards our purpose.

This year, Singapore celebrates our 60th birthday, and to honour this momentous occasion, we have launched a year-long content series featuring 60 individuals (or couples and groups) who have become who they are today because of Singapore, and who are making a difference in Singapore.

Introducing Dave

Dave at Dreiländereck (Three Border Point), Germany, 2024

In his own words

I likely have ADHD (I'm not officially diagnosed, but my wife and I have a high degree of certainty), and only discovered this fact in my mid-30s. Most of my childhood friends can't tell, as I developed strong coping mechanisms early on. Looking back, my ADHD traits were actually visible in how I tackled exams - for example, during my A-level Economics paper, I found myself naturally jumping between questions, writing a paragraph here and there as my thoughts flowed. I would let ideas simmer while working on other parts, creating a kind of mental parallel processing that worked surprisingly well for me. What I once saw as quirky academic habits were actually my brain's creative ways of maintaining engagement and managing attention.

Rather than viewing this as a limitation, I've fully embraced how my mind operates as a superpower, intentionally redesigning my lifestyle, interests, and career to align with my natural strengths. My love for technology and ability to hyperfocus on interesting problems has become an asset in navigating our AI-driven world.

System design has been key to this journey. For instance, I use a "BPM (beats per minute) pacer" - my own curated coding playlist - to help tune my mind to tasks like building a website, or completing this interview. I've also gained confidence in advocating for my needs, whether that's excusing myself from an open-office space to utilize a quiet corner for deep work, or creating specific environments that enhance my focus. Understanding ADHD has made me more empathetic to different ways of thinking and working, influencing both my parenting and professional relationships.

For anyone curious about understanding ADHD better - whether you have it, know someone who does, or are just interested - I highly recommend watching 'The Disruptors' documentary. It offers incredible insights into how ADHD minds work differently and can actually be a source of unique abilities and perspectives. It's a powerful reminder that what society might label as a 'disorder' can actually be a unique advantage when you learn to work with it rather than against it.

1. What are your top 3 values?

Unwavering Kindness - Despite life's challenges and setbacks, I firmly believe that defaulting to kindness is the winning long-term strategy. While you can't please everyone, you can be kind to anyone. Those who appreciate it may return the favour someday, though this should never be the expectation. Kindness is not just a personal virtue, but a powerful force in building lasting relationships and creating positive impact in both personal and professional spheres. As a simple exercise, when I go out with my daughter, we would look for a "thank-you" opportunity to a waiter/server to reinforce this value, such as returning the cutlery to the server's cleaning area. These small moments serve multiple purposes - they make someone's day a little easier, teach my daughter to notice opportunities for kindness, and create a ripple effect as others observe these small acts. It's about building a mindset where kindness becomes second nature, not just an occasional choice.
Disciplined Freedom - Inspired by former Navy SEAL Jocko Willink, I've embraced the power of building systems to surrender myself to, helping me better navigate both short-term and long-term goals. Living with ADHD has made this particularly meaningful - these structured systems don't constrain, but rather empower me by providing a framework within which creativity and spontaneity can flourish. Deliberately creating intentional constraints has paradoxically led to greater freedom in my life and mental arena.
A simple example of a system I use is to force myself to only have 3 items as my top priorities to do in a given day. I utilise the todoist app to break tasks down into 4 priority levels and snooze some tasks to later parts of the week. This system allows me to parallel process multiple projects effectively - instead of getting overwhelmed trying to maintain singular focus on each project, I can work with my natural tendency to switch between tasks while ensuring nothing falls through the cracks. What might look like scattered attention to others becomes structured productivity when supported by the right system. It's freeing to know that while my mind might jump between different projects, every important task has its designated time and priority level.
Humble Curiosity - In our current era where disruption is constant, I've found that the path forward requires a delicate balance: staying agile while maintaining strong convictions about core principles. This means embracing being wrong often, while having the courage to take high-conviction positions on skills and areas that will drive future growth. My guiding principle is borrowed from an old Ronin saying: 'when there is doubt, there is no doubt'.
This philosophy shaped my unconventional career journey. Throughout my 20s and mid-30s, I intentionally experimented across different domains and company sizes - from scrappy startups to working at Meta. While this path was often lonely with few playbooks to follow, each role taught me valuable lessons about where I could create the most impact. Now, instead of doubling back on paths that don't align with my strengths, I can focus my energy on the unique intersection where my varied experiences create maximum value. It's about having the humility to learn from each experience while maintaining the conviction to forge your own path, even when it doesn't follow traditional career trajectories.

2. What keeps you up at night?

I want to learn how to teach my kids (and the future generation) how to harness the power of an increasingly digital and AI world, especially through the power of figuring out the right questions to ask. It's easy to have ourselves and our children fall into passive consumption traps (I've had many nights of doomscrolling Twitter and IG too!) - but the real challenge lies deeper.

The paradox of our times is striking: while I've never felt more empowered as an individual with all these technological tools at my disposal, I've also never felt more uncertain as a parent and career person about how to navigate this future. When I watch my 4-year-old intuitively interact with technology, I'm both amazed and concerned. It's not just about learning to use AI tools - it's about developing the wisdom to know what questions to ask, when to engage deeply versus when to disconnect, and how to maintain our humanity and creativity in an increasingly automated world.

The speed of change means that by the time our children enter the workforce, the landscape will be fundamentally different from anything we can imagine today. This urgency drives me to stay curious and engaged, not just for my own growth, but to help guide the next generation in developing both the technical skills and the critical thinking abilities they'll need to thrive. It's about teaching them to be creators rather than just consumers, to ask powerful questions rather than just seek quick answers.

Dave and daughter in a forest in Perth, Australia, 2023

3. What gets you out of bed in the morning?

There are an infinite number of things to learn, and that endless frontier of possibility energizes me every day. What gets me especially excited right now is exploring how to use cursor software and prompts to 10x my development skills through micro projects, while also learning to build my own AI agent. But it's more than just the technology itself - it's about the potential to transform ideas into reality faster than ever before, turning 'what if' into 'what is.'

What truly excites me is that we're living in an era where individual creators have unprecedented power to build and innovate. Each morning brings new opportunities to experiment with these tools, to push the boundaries of what's possible, and to discover novel ways of solving problems. Whether it's coding a new solution, experimenting with AI tools, or crafting more efficient workflows, there's always something new to discover and master. This constant evolution keeps me curious and motivated, knowing that today's learning could unlock tomorrow's breakthrough.

The beauty of this journey is that it's not just about personal growth - each new skill or insight becomes a building block for helping others navigate this rapidly changing landscape. Right now, I'm diving deep into AI Agents, strengthening my web development skills to create more intuitive user interfaces, and learning Python and APIs to better understand data analysis. These seemingly technical pursuits all serve a human purpose - my morning excitement comes from knowing that every day's learning could help someone else make sense of our rapidly evolving digital world. In an era where technology is often seen as isolating, I find joy in using it to build bridges and create value for others.

4. What fills your cup?

Adding value to someone or a team, especially being able to build something from zero to one, brings me immense fulfilment! As humans, we have such powerful imaginations, and bringing those ideas to reality, no matter how scrappy, feels as close to being a superhero as humanly possible. What makes it truly special is seeing the spark in someone's eyes when an abstract idea transforms into something tangible and meaningful - that moment of connection and shared excitement is pure magic.

There's a unique joy in those early stages of creation - whether it's supporting my wife's journey to launch her therapy practice (Ray of Joy Therapy), mentoring someone through their first startup journey, or coding up a proof of concept that proves what seemed impossible is actually within reach. It's not about perfection; it's about that exhilarating moment when possibility becomes reality. The scrappier the beginning, the more rewarding the journey, because it shows just how much we can achieve with creativity, determination, and the courage to start before we feel fully ready.

What truly fills my cup is when this creative process intersects with kindness and curiosity - when a small act of support or a shared learning journey opens up new possibilities for others. Sometimes it's as simple as asking the right questions to help someone unlock their own solutions, or bringing technical skills to help manifest someone else's vision. That's the real superhero moment - being part of that transformation from 'what if' to 'what is', and helping others discover their own capacity to create and innovate.

Dave and family apple picking in Perth, Australia, 2023

5. In your current season, how do you define success? What will it take for that to be realised?

Success in this season of my life is about creating authentic impact through vulnerability and connection. The word 'season' is particularly meaningful to me - over the last decade, I've learned that everything in life has its seasons, and there's wisdom in both embracing change and finding stability within it. Rather than being paralyzed by constant transformation, we can learn to flow with these natural cycles of growth and transition.

I've discovered this truth by opening up about my own challenges and journey - whether it's navigating ADHD, facing career uncertainties, or supporting my wife's new venture. Each time I share these experiences, I'm creating spaces for others to do the same. When I receive messages from people saying my sharing helped them feel less alone or gave them courage to take their next step - that moment is incredibly powerful because it makes me feel less alone in my own journey too!

This reciprocal nature of vulnerability has shown me that success isn't just about individual achievements anymore; it's about building bridges of understanding and support through different seasons of life. I hope to inspire communities of mutual growth where we can all bring our authentic selves to whatever we're building, whether that's a business, a career transition, or personal growth.

To realize this vision of success, it takes consistent courage to share openly, even when it feels uncomfortable. It requires trust in the process - understanding that each season brings its own challenges and opportunities, and that by being genuine about both our struggles and victories, we create ripples of positive impact that extend far beyond our immediate circle. Most importantly, it takes a commitment to showing up as our true selves, believing that our stories, however imperfect, might be exactly what someone else needs to hear to take their own next brave step forward.

6. Please leave us with your advice for working parents.

As a dad of a 4-year-old and 1-year-old, I'm deeply aware that this intense season of caregiving, while challenging, is also fleeting. My wife and I have put in very deliberate plans to trade off typical careers to bank precious time with them, believing that these early years of connection will build the foundation for lifelong bonds. YMMV but I think parenting is an unspoken primary job for any parent - though what this means for each family can look vastly different.

Looking back at our journey, the key was deep self-reflection and honest assessment of our family's unique structure, capabilities, and needs. What works for one family might not work for another, and what works in one season might need adjustment in the next. Sometimes this meant turning down seemingly attractive career opportunities that would have consumed our family time. Other times, it meant being creative with how we structure our work - leveraging technology, remote work, and flexible hours to be present for those irreplaceable moments in our children's lives.

The most important thing isn't finding the 'right' answer, but maintaining awareness and constant reflection as your family moves through different seasons. Time with young children is finite and precious - no promotion or project can give you back these early years. That said, it's also important to maintain your own identity and growth outside of parenting. For us, this meant creating a tag-team approach where we support each other's professional development while ensuring our children always have a parent present.

In this age of AI and rapid technological change, we have more options than ever to design our work lives around our families rather than the other way around. Don't be afraid to challenge traditional career paths and create arrangements that work for your family's unique situation. Every season brings its own challenges and opportunities - embrace the flexibility of modern work, stay attuned to your family's changing needs, and be ready to adapt your approach as different seasons require.

Dave and daughter in Bali, Indonesia, 2022

I'm in an exciting season of building and exploring - while my path might seem non-linear, I've never been more confident about the intersection of skills and experiences I bring to the table. If you're interested in discussing AI development, strategic technology implementation, or creating systems that help people thrive in our rapidly changing world, I'd love to connect over coffee!

You can find me on LinkedIn, where I actively share insights about technology, personal growth, and the future of work. For a more complete picture of my journey and the unique value I can bring to projects, visit daveliew.com. Whether you're navigating career transitions or building meaningful things in this AI-driven world, I'd love to exchange ideas and explore how we might create positive impact together.

This series was brought to you by Wantedly Hire - an application tracking system optimised for modern hiring practices. Experience seamless hiring with tailored workflows designed to align with your recruitment structure, automated interview scheduling, and actionable insights to optimise hiring performance!

SG60’s theme is a refreshed spirit, and by celebrating Singapore’s journey to date, Wantedly is glad to spotlight those who have contributed to the past, and will be shaping the next chapter of the Singapore story. And as a nation, we reflect on our shared values of multiculturalism, boldness, resilience and openness, which allowed us to prosper.