1. Leadership For
the 21st Century
How you can become the Best
in the world leader
OCBC
Roshan Thiran
roshan.thiran@leaderonomics.com
www.facebook.com/roshanthiran.leaderonomics

2. Are the “world’s best” leaders
born or developed? Is
leadership genetic or learned?
Question

3. Growth
Time
My “Hard” Experiences
10. Johnson & Johnson
Industry : Healthcare
Function: HR
Global Role
9. GE Asia Pacific
Industry : Multi
Function: HR
Asia Role
7. GE Aircraft
Industry : Aviation
Function: Finance
CFO & ED 8. GE Crotonville
Industry : Multi
Function: HR
Learning Role
6. GE CIG
Industry : Multi
Function: IT
Project Mgmt Global
5. GE Capital
Industry : Financial Service
Function: Finance/Sourcing
Europe Leader
4. NBC Universal
Industry : Media
Function: Finance
Product Leader
1. GE Investments
Industry : Investment Banking
Function: Business Dev
Individual Contributor
3. GE GCS
Industry : Oil & Gas
Function: Finance
Inventory Mgmt
2. GE International
Industry : Multi
Function: Finance
Analyst Global
12. Leaderonomics
Industry : Multi
Function: CEO
Business leader
11. Star Media Group
Industry : Media
Function: CEO
Business leader

4. Key question: How did they become best?

5. But is a different leadership required for the 21st century?
Clearly,
because of high performance leadership

6. Question:
What is Leadership?

7. Leadership is . . .
Attentiveness
Assertiveness
Responsibility
Diligence
Dependability
Obedience
Loyalty
Thoroughness
Truthfulness
Initiative
Hospitality
Humility
Forgiveness
Tolerance
Compassion
Sincerity
CReativity
Having followers
Persuasiveness
Virtue
Vision
Deference
Discretion
BOLDNESS
Determination
Gratefulness
Self-Control
Sensitivity
Thriftiness
Generosity
Punctuality
Proactiviness
Purpose
Enthusiasm
Availability
Orderliness
Resourcefulness
Flexibility
Wisdomped
Innovation
Execution

8. If we invested in people and
taught every single skill listed on
the previous slide, would we be
able to “create” leaders?
Question

9. motherteresa
Her story in India

10. Time
Current Reality – Self Awareness
Ability/Achievement
Decision-making
GAP
Purpose/Vision
The Essence of Leadership is . . .
Learning/
Execution/
Action
GAP
Fuels our energy
Ensures reality

11. 11
How do great leaders
just know when and what
decisions to make?

12. The Research
In past 30 years scientists have looked into top-level performance in a
wide variety of fields. Findings:
- Natural talent doesn’t explain top-level performance – if talent even exists.
- In fields such as chess, music, business, and medicine, high IQ doesn’t necessarily
correlate with top-level performance.
 Some chess masters have below average IQ, for example.
Deliberate practice is the key.
- In England researchers studied music students. The only difference in the top
performing group and other students was not talent, but the amount of practice.
- Talent is an innate ability to do something better than others.
 If it does exist, it is irrelevant to superior performance.
 Practice is what counts – deliberate practice.

13. Which is more important?
People or process?
Question

14. The People vs Process debate’s winner is:

15. Investing in People may = PAMPERING
Best Athletes in the world we PUSHED, not
PAMPERED

16. Time
Current Reality – Self Awareness
Ability/Achievement
Decision-making
GAP
Purpose/Vision
The Essence of Leadership is . . .
Learning/
Execution/
Action
GAP
Fuels our energy
Ensures reality

18. Organisational
Responsibility
Individual Motivations
There are 2 responsible parties in
building great leaders :

19. Principle
Talent needs to be MANAGED
& DEVELOPED. This includes
enabling talents to maximize
potential and grow
Process and Tools
Succession Planning
Performance Mgmt
Career Paths
Talent Pools
Leadership Development
Programmes
Learning Curriculum
Talent Acceleration
Programmes
Feedback & Reflection
Principle
Identify & select leaders that
have the passion, desire and
ability to make a difference
in your organisation
Process and Tools
Entry Level Leadership
Program
Competency Model/Values
Enterprise Assessment
System
Interviews & Assessments
On-boarding
Cultural Assimilation
Principle
To retain talent, 2 key factors:
1. Internal motivations (comp/ben,
engagement
2. External factors (company brand
& mktg perception)
Process and Tools
External Branding initiatives
Mentoring Programmes
Engagement Programmes
Total Rewards Structure (Comp &
Ben)
External Perception of the
Organisation & Leadership
Culture of Organisation
1) Organisational Responsibility – are
we building the process?
Talent
Acquisition
Talent
Development
Talent
Retention
An Infrastructure to Enable
Leadership Development

20. “…Talent is like every other business process.
It is something that is very important as we go
forward. It’s really the leadership in the
organisation that makes the difference – it is
the people. Our ability to develop these
people and make sure we have the leaders for
the future will ensure the continued success
of Johnson & Johnson. It’s as important as
new products, as supply chain, or anything
else…”
February 2004 (Excerpt from the video on Talent
Management)
Bill Weldon, CEO, J & J

21. Talent development is A PROCESS
Leadership is A PROCESS

22. story…
is a
process
story…
wayne rooney
the

23. Organisational
Responsibility
Individual Motivations
There are 2 responsible parties in
building great leaders :

24. 2) Individual aspirations & motivations
Do you WANT to be a leader?
Are you WILLING to go through the
pain of leadership development?

25. So what does “high
potential” mean?
Question

26. Answer
NOTHING
absolutely

27. Potential
Determining the potential of
your talent
A measure of
demonstrated
desire to take on additional
responsibility and
motivation for progression
and growth
A measure of
skills and
capabilities to
learn and
grow in the
future
Future
Aspiration
Ability to
Learn
Potential
Demonstrates
ability &
aspiration to take
on tasks beyond
peers of same
level and track
record

28. How many of you like
to learn?
Question to the class

29. “Learning… the process by which change in
knowledge or skills is acquired through
learning or experience”
Key Questions:
1. Change?
2. Learning
3. Experience
Learning….

30. Why is learning so
hard?
Question to the class

31. LEARNING
= CHANGE
What is learning?

32. 1. What percentage of people reach their target weight ?
2. What percentage of people maintain their target weight?
3. What percentage of people quit smoking and never start again?
4. What percentage of people quit smoking after a physical crisis?
5. What percentage of re-engineering efforts are successful?
6. What percent of companies on the 1955 Fortune 100 list are still
around today?
7. What percent of Fortune 500 companies on the 1970 list had vanished
by 1985?
8. What percent of executives in Fortune 500 companies who had
financial losses in 1993-1994 attributed it to poor leadership and lack of change?
4%
1%
16%
43%
30%
32%
41%
>50%
Change Quiz

33. Learning is painful….
“I listen, and I forget; I see, and I understand; I do, and I can” – Confucius
Source: Pesquisa IBM; Whitmore, “Coaching for Desempenho”

34. Information/
Knowledge
Awareness
Skill
Advanced
Skill
Expertise
Context Content
Composition of Delivery:
90% Content, 10% Context
Composition of Delivery:
10% Content, 90% Context
But learning is contextual

35. If learning is so hard (and
nobody likes it), how do we
develop our talent?
Question to the class

36. • 70% of skills are learned from EXPERIENCE:
- challenging job-based development tasks
- special job-based assignments, including Talent Acceleration Programmes
(TAP) and other experienced based learning progs.
• 20% of skills are learned from FEEDBACK:
- 360 degree feedback, learning from others, observation based learning
programmes
- supervisors, coaches, mentoring programmes etc
• 10% of skills are learned from TRAINING:
- self-development, training programmes, classroom-based learning
- Coursework
“True” development combines all of the above
Development: What 70-20-10 really means

37. The Coach
Video Case Study

38. www.leaderonomics.org
www.leaderonomics.com
www.facebook.com/roshanthiran.leaderonomics
www.leaderonomics.com