A lecturer turned banker, Dr Tony Tan Keng Yam never expected to become a politician, much less a president. Challenged to join Singapore’s nation building efforts in 1979, he set aside personal ambitions for a quiet life to serve the nation, beginning a political career that would eventually span nearly four decades and take him to the nation’s highest post at the Istana. Written from Dr Tan’s point of view, this book offers a personal perspective of policy- and decision-making on a national level, giving a behind-the-scenes look at key decisions and policy changes in the fields of education, finance, security and defence through his years in government and public service. Among other things, he reveals the deliberations behind the 1979 overhaul of the education system, the scrapping of the graduate mothers’ priority scheme, the 1986 Central Provident Fund rate cut, the management of investment losses at GIC, and his entry into the 2011 presidential race, while sharing his personal insights on the lessons learnt in the journey of building and growing a nation.