How to groom Asian leaders for the worldwide marketplace

As Asia becomes increasingly important to companies seeking business growth, Singapore has become an increasingly popular choice as a regional hub because of its strategic location and access to top local and regional Asian talent. In fact, it was ranked as the third most attractive city in which to establish an Asia-Pacific headquarters after Shanghai and Hong Kong, according the Asia-Pacific Headquarters Study 2011.Within this year alone, over 15 companies have either established regional headquarters in Singapore, or have announced their plans to do so.

Mercer's 'Future of Talent Management 2010' survey identified leadership succession as the top concern of Singaporean organisations, when thinking of talent management priorities over the next three to five years. Many companies expressed a lack of confidence in their ability to manage leadership succession smoothly.

In light of Mercer’s survey and Asia’s growing influence in the global economy, it’s no wonder that Asian talents who understand the complexity and dynamism of the Asian economy are highly sought after, especially by Western companies seeking counsel for growth strategies into Asia. Just as their Western counterparts are seeking growth opportunities on foreign shores, Asian companies are eager and ready to make their mark on the rest of the word. Now more than ever, leaders of Asia’s largest businesses will have to play a critical role as ambassadors and leaders of a region that the world is looking to for support, in this current period of economic turmoil.

As Asian companies establish more overseas offices and expand their operations around the world, Asian talents are being offered more opportunities to establish their presence around the world. To capitalise on their diverse skills and experience, companies need a unifying work culture that focuses on employee delivery and accountability, as well as guidelines to help employees adjust to a whole new culture and workplace. This emphasis on an authentic and relevant cultural model extends to leadership development initiatives as well.

While there may not be one accepted mould of a successful ‘Asian Leader’, a good leader needs to possess the right ABCs – Attitude, Behaviour and Competency.

Attitudes such as ambition and vision, Behaviour such as empowerment and walking the talk and Competencies such as self-awareness, reflection and change management are just a few of the key characteristics of a successful Asian Leader.

Grooming Asian leaders for a global marketplace is an essential part of human capital development, particularly as we head towards a world where Asia plays an increasingly important role in driving the global economy. A focus on performance and results is ingrained in the cultural and social make-up of Asians but with competition heating up in a globalised economy, companies must be vigilant in developing human capital.

The ‘Performance-Image-Exposure’ or PIE model is a useful framework within which to do this. This PIE model stresses the importance of ‘Performance’ first-and-foremost: making sustained contributions to the organisation. Beyond ‘Performance’, ‘Image’, how colleagues perceive you, is also important in cementing the organisations’ trust in you as a future leader. The third element of the PIE Model is ‘Exposure.’ Asian leaders of today must learn to embrace seeking the right visibility to strengthen leadership across a broader network. This will help Asian leaders succeed in the global marketplace.

Howie Lau, Vice President of Marketing and Communications at Lenovo, and Samuel S. Kim, Vice President of ASEAN and Asia Development Markets at Procter & Gamble Asia were both in Singapore last month to present their insights on Asian leaders for Global Markets at the Singapore Human Capital Summit 2011.