SMU’s growing reputation in the role of thought leadership is set to increase over the coming months as the third season of the Channel NewsAsia (CNA) popular topical talk show Perspectives goes on air, with SMU as the host and venue sponsor, and with some of our most senior faculty members as panellists.

The first episode, “Leadership Beyond 2015”, recorded in the Li Ka Shing Library was broadcast on CNA on 29 August 2014. It was the first time that the show had been recorded at a venue outside CNA’s studios; the first time it had been recorded with a live audience; and the first time that SMU had collaborated with a broadcaster to produce a major television series. There will be five further episodes in the series to be recorded at SMU and broadcast on CNA in the remainder of 2014.

On the panel for the first episode were SMU President Professor Arnoud De Meyer; Mr Piyush Gupta, CEO & Director of DBS Group; Ms Gill McLaren, General Manager (Singapore, Malaysia & Brunei Region) of The Coca-Cola Company; Professor Kishore Mahbubani, Dean of Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy; with veteran international journalist Mr Teymoor Nabili as Presenter & Moderator. In the specially invited audience were several of SMU’s most senior leaders, faculty and staff members, students and VIPs in the SMU community.

The discussion addressed the question, “What makes a good leader?” Mr Nabili suggested to the panel that the essence of leadership has been debated since time immemorial and remains salient especially after the recent spate of economic and political crises exposed a perturbing trend – a global leadership deficit. He asked, “How should companies, governments and civil society respond to this crisis in leadership? And how will changing global trends influence perceptions of leadership?”

Professor De Meyer led the discussion by saying that “Leadership is situational...we will have to groom leaders for a different world.” He emphasised the need for a "collaborative leader that can collaborate, that can listen, that can convince and seduce people, and that is also very adaptable" as the world becomes more complex.

To Mr Piyush Gupta, the fundamental tenets of leadership are immutable but he explained how the means of providing this leadership are changing dramatically in the increasingly networked workplace. “Yesterday’s command and control hierarchical organisational structures are no longer the norm,” he added, however “In times of crises, you have to have the courage to stand up and take responsibility.”

Ms Gill McLaren shared what she believes are three key aspects of great leadership: authenticity, a compelling vision and adaptability in this rapidly changing world. You learn more from your failures than from your successes, she said.

“All the leadership gurus are in the West but all the leaders are in the East,” said Professor Kishore Mahbubani . However, he said “Asia is remarkably blessed” and that the leadership of China, India and Indonesia will give Asia's growth a huge boost in the coming decade. He also explained how social media has transformed the nature of leadership.

When the debate was opened to the floor with a Question & Answer session, SMU Professor of Economics (Practice) Augustine H.H. Tan raised the issue of the effectiveness and style of leadership in China. Another SMU faculty member, Professor of Organisational Behaviour & Human Resources (Education), Academic Director, MSc (Innovation) Thomas Menkhoff said that, as a German, he welcomed that German Chancellor Angela Merkel had been identified by the panel as one of the greatest current leaders and he also joked that German-style leadership had secured the FIFA World Cup for the nation in July 2014.

The next episode of Perspectives, “The Global Ageing Challenge”, will be broadcast on 26 September and will feature the Dean of the SMU School of Economics, Professor Bryce Hool on the panel.

Main photo: Discussing “Leadership Beyond 2015” on Channel NewsAsia were (L—R) SMU President Prof Arnoud De Meyer; Prof Kishore Mahbubani, Dean of Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy; Mr Piyush Gupta, CEO & Director of DBS Group; Ms Gill McLaren, General Manager (Singapore, Malaysia & Brunei Region) of The Coca-Cola Company; with veteran international journalist Mr Teymoor Nabili as Presenter & Moderator.

Professor Arnoud De Meyer (L) initiated the debate as the first panellist to speak.

Many of SMU’s most senior faculty and staff members were in the invited audience, including (L—R) Vice Provost (Special Projects) and Professor of Finance (Practice) Francis Koh; Senior Vice President, Finance and Administration Mr Sim Teow Hong; Provost and Deputy President (Academic Affairs) Professor Rajendra K Srivastava; and Professor of Information Systems Robert Kauffman.

SMU Professor of Economics (Practice) Augustine H.H. Tan questioned the panel on the style and effectiveness of China’s leadership in the past and present.

Watch the video here.