Transcript
G LF Global Leadership Forum
A Presentation on
Leadership Challenges for the 21st Century - A Singapore-Nepal Collaboration -
by
Low Siew Thiam Chairman
Global Leadership Forum Singapore
G LF Global Leadership Forum
Guardian of Singapore’s Prosperity
G LF Global Leadership Forum
Learning from NepalSingaporean’s Quest to climb Mt. Everest
David Lim, newspaper executive fromsea-level Singapore, leads team to climb Mt. Everest & other mountains
G LF Global Leadership Forum
From 1994, David Lim planned and led a series of mountaineering expeditions in preparation for the eventual Mt Everest climb in 1998 which succeeded after a nail-biting series of setbacks and mishaps.
One week after the team`s triumphant return, he was stricken with the rare and mysterious nerve disorder, Guillain-Barre Syndrome. Within days, he was near death as the disorder paralysed virtually all his limbs and shut down his respiratory system. Speechless, unable to swallow or move and racked with virulent forms of pneumonia, he endured a "hellish" six weeks in an intensive care unit before stabilising.
He spent six months recovering in hospital, including a rehabilitation process in which the re-learning of simple tasks such as writing, dressing and walking were enormous challenges compared to the Everest climb.
Now, David Lim has developed into a motivational trainer who inspires his audiencewith tales of his mountaineering conquests. He acknowledges that he could never have made his conquests without the guidance of his Nepalese sherpa guides.
The Grit to Overcome Adversity!
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Are you ready for two types of change?The Parableof the Frog
Tsunami Effect
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20th & 21st Century OrganisationsAssumptions 20th Century 21st Century
PEOPLE Theory X - A COST to be Theory Y –An asset to be monitored & controlled valued & developed
WORK Segmented, industrially- Collaborative, knowledge- based, individual tasks based projects
TECHNOLOGY Designed to control work Integrate with social systems & minimise human error for knowledge-based work
LEADERSHIP Role of senior managers Multi-level – up-down and & technical experts across
GOALS Focus on returns to Multidimensional – focus on shareholders value to multiple stakeholders
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How many pathways lead to the summit?
Even if the paths are well-trodden,how shouldeach new teamprepare?
How many ways –Strategies,Tactics –can a team choose fromfor an assaulton the summit?
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Four known pathways to business success
1. Sell more – at the price that already yields a profit
2. Increase Gross Profit Margin – by buying at lower or selling at higher price
3. Reduce costs – of Overheads and other expenses
4. Any combination of the above
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It’s the HOW that makes a team/organisation unique
Organisational Achievement depends on:
1. The Character and Personality of the Leader2. The Uniqueness of the People that makes up the Team3. Environmental Factors such as
i. History and Culture/Valuesii. Educationiii. Natural Resourcesiv. Geographic Location
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Basketball Game DVD
G LF Global Leadership Forum
Old & New Ways to Learn about Success
From Ancient Philosophy,to win, the Leader needs to:(i) Know Thyself(ii) Know Thy Enemy (Others)(iii) Know the Environment
From Modern Neuroscience,we learn how the brain formsnew patterns as it experiencesnew sensations all through life.There is no limit to continuouslearning
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How the Brain Works1. The Brain is a Connection Machine
It learns through linking information from all its parts
2. It hardwires everything and files them in patternsThis enables easy recognition for quick response e.g. fight or flight
3. This hardwiring drives automatic perceptionThis makes life easier because it enables us to carry out dailyroutines without having to think e.g. riding a bicycle, driving a car
4. It’s impossible to deconstruct the wiringOld habits die hard!
5. It’s easier to create new wiringThe neoplasticity of the brain enables it to learn new thingsand suppress old constructs. Yes, you can teach old dogs new tricks!
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Me
Company
Nation
Nature
Driving Forcesof economicPerformance….
Self-interest
Corporateinterest
National interest
Selfishness
Shareholdervalue
Xenophobia
….become…. …negativewhen drivento extremes
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ValuesBeliefs
People born equalPeople are differentPersonal freedomWu Lun governs all
Employee as resourceEmployee as familyContractual rights
Fairness
Paradigms
The Roots of East-WestDifferences lie beneathValues and Beliefsto the Paradigms or Mindsets of thetwo people
From ObservableValues toUnseeen Paradigms
Values
Beliefs
Power Distance
IndividualismCommunitarianism
Femininity- Masculinity
UncertaintyAvoidance
Short-term – Long-term
Truth –Harmony
Mercy – Justice
Reductionsim - Holistic Thinking
Guilt –Shame
Socrates stood for TRUTH
Confucius preachedHARMONY
Western and Asian Business Paradigms What Western and Asian businessmen expect from a relationship – one seeks Balance based on Equality, while the other is looking for Harmony
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Western scale of Justice depends on Equality of Rights
In Asian (Chinese) thinking, Harmony is balancing Duty with Responsibility.Emperor and Subject enjoy a relationship of harmony – no way are they equal!
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Manana
Haute coutureSelf-deprecating humour
Epicurean culture Famine & poverty Mysticism Discipline
ChineseHOR IZON
USA H O R I Z O N
Different Civilisational Perspectives – China & USA
Justice, Consumerism, New is Best Pride in Revolutionary Heritage, Aspiration for World Leadership Focus on Learning Profit Motive
Fast food Culture Libertarianism Loose morality Me First
Hegemonism Hyperpower hubris
Authoritarianism Obsessed with history and culture Corruption
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Typology of Business Relationships
Shallow Deep
Dependent
Interdependent
PreferredWesternDirection
Preferred Asian Direction
GUANXIA relationship based on theWu Lun which balancesRights with Duty.EmphasisesHarmony over Equality
TRUSTA partnership based onrecognising that the valueof the relationship trumpsshort-term cost-benefitcalculations
SOCIAL CAPITALEquality matching – based on matching what each party
can get out of the relationship
STARTING POINT Impersonal market-pricing relationshipbetween buyer and sellerbased on cost-benefitanalysis
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How Communication is built up in traditional Chinese
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The Singapore Story:Do you sincerely want to be rich?
From Third World to First, Singapore rose from a GDP of US600 per annum in 1959 to US$27,000 per annum in 2006
The Singapore Formula for Success:1. Assemble the best talent for your team2. Open your mind3. Learn from the world4. Be guided by pragmatism –
(i) Retain what works(ii) Abandon what doesn’t
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IMF’s View of Singapore’s Success
1.Budgetary discipline2.Delayed gratification (savings)3.Market mechanism for
efficient resource allocation4.Social inclusion through
providing economic opportunities5.Capable and honest government6.A long-term vision7.Policy of win-win relationships with MNCs
- Henry Ghesquiere, ex-Director of IMF-Singapore Regional Training Institute
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Learn from the World A Philosophy of Pragmatism
Knowledge is universalCulture and civilisation are embedded in the memory of people Leaders learn how to blend the universal with the cultural
Deng Xiao Ping, China’s moderniser:“It doesn’t matter whether a cat is black or white,So long as it catches mice”
English poet, Rudyard Kipling:“But there is neither East nor WestBorder nor Breed nor BirthWhen two strong men stand face to faceThough they come from the ends of the earth”
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Global Business Leaders from South Asia
C.K. Prahalad,Academic& Author
Indra Nooyi, 1st
Asian ChairpersonOf Pepsi
Mohd. Yunus,Founder of Grameen Bank,Bangladesh
Ram Charan, Consultantto Fortune 500 companies & Author
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