We concluded our Supernova event for May at Lifelong Learning Institute, and it's taken some time for me to consolidate my thoughts and write about it.
Alvin Poh
and I had the pleasure of hosting the CEO of Singapore Institute of Directors and a good friend,
Terence Quek
in a fireside chat, and boy was it fun. Not only did Terence bring the exuberance and energy that livened up the audience, he was also unreserved in his sharing about leadership, team dynamics/culture, and a unique philosophy of collaboration. In this edition, I thought I'd focus on the concept of Impactful Leadership, which I think will enable a frictionless, scalable company
.
Impact: The Core of Business?
There is a generation of leaders who are now recognizing that impact is a central focus for leading a scalable business, largely because millenials favor socially responsible companies
. Some people might think that impact is about strength such as generating a strong reputation, having clout and huge revenues. Conversely, the insights about impactful leadership appear to be stronger today because of service.
And I think it depends where one begins.
Making an Impression vs Making a Difference
If one thinks that creating impact is trying to create a strong facade, or to puff myself up, then it almost becomes a turnoff in the expanding flywheel of leadership. I mean, who wants to network or interact with someone who is doing a puff piece all the time?
I've had the privilege of coaching some of the most dynamic people in the world. I've also had clients who challenge my limits of patience and generosity.
But that's also a struggle I was stuck in for a very long time. Truth be told, as a youngster, "making an impression" was more important than "making a difference". So, as a young and ego-driven person in my earlier days, I'd get upset when my facade was broken. But the universe has a way to completely break it down through my experience with near bankruptcy, bad times, betrayals and bad decisions. And then, as long as one is open to learning, this cycle can reverse itself.
To be truly able to find out how to make a difference, I think it is about the following.
- Full circle experiences. You have situations that you have risen above before. Often, those contain meaningful experiences. A string of these experiences could thematically help you to see where you can contribute most to. After all, having been there, you could function as a guiding light for others dealing with these problems. For me, it was the fact that depression, inferiority and anxiety were things I had to fight. Until I learnt how to be more gracious and develop my own modes of learning through skillsets in Neuro Linguistic Programming, I would not have had the chance to grow through many of these pains. As part of my own executive coaching process, I now have the experience to help people who undergo such problems simply because I have had insights about how to resolve emotional challenges in life and in business myself.
- Social Gaps or Injustice. Because feelings are core to your feelings of injustice, it makes sense that you seek out what is unfair in the world. What gaps and pains do you feel for that if resolved, brings you a sense of contentment and satisfaction? Very often, these will be also rooted in values, and a reason why you want to do it. For example, there may be a frustration in the market, and because it is a frustration that you feel, you might end up creating a solution to deal with this problem, resulting in significant business growth.
Figuring Out Your Core Purpose
For the longest time, people have confused Vision, mission and purpose. Vision is the what. Mission is the how. Purpose is the why. Purpose is grounded in values. For instance, you may be unhappy that a particular brand treats its customers in a negative way. When you reflect upon your reaction, why was it so important that the customer be treated better? This allows you to uncover your values, which strengthen your clarity of direction like a compass.
Terence was quick to highlight significant values.
- Doing good work. This is fundamental. I think he hit the nail on the head by suggesting that his networks opened up not because he deliberately wanted to build a network. Instead, he was able to let his work speak for itself. By being consistent in doing good, high quality work even when it was free.
- Help people to succeed. Leaders who serve a clear purpose, often bring people who are suitable into the company, and find ways to make them succeed. On deep reflection this sounds much like you have to pander to every request of the employee. I mean, it really deserves another thought article, but you should not give employees a swimming pool, bowling alley or gaming room just because they asked for it. I know a client who did something similar and it ended up as a white elephant. Conversations are necessary to clarify such invesments so that they are purposeful and meaningfully aligned to the vision of the organization.
- Collaboration is abundance. A key point Terence brought up is the wisdom of building collaborative interaction, even with competitors. The interesting thing about competition is that as long as they are in existence, they probably are good at what they do in some areas. A number of pointers were raised about how cross collaboration can be possible even if you are smaller entity, collaborating with a larger entity. I can understand the apprehension of working with others, but often simple signs of trust such as signing an NDA and working in good faith can go a long way to extend collaborative efforts. In the end, it is all about helping others to succeed, especially when they are also rooted in the same feeling.
- Remembering your roots. Giving back is about making sure that one remembers who was with you when times were tough, and they gave you a chance. I think what makes a heartfelt moment of gratitude is when you really marvel at the fact that when you first started in business, only people who believed in you would actually allow you to try. These are the people you stick with and continue to serve as best as possible.
I believe that the ability to focus on key principles highlighted by Terence, could completely transform your world view of leadership! Connect with me on DM to find out how you can elevate your leadership and your business.
