What is the work of leadership?  I believe leadership is about encouraging people to focus on the real problems faced by the organization and measuring progress on those problems. 

Today it was my pleasure to share these thoughts and more with the wonderful folks at Singtel.  A special hat-tip goes to Mike Barclay, CEO of Sentosa Development, for sharing his thoughts on leadership.  Key for me was the importance of values. If someone has the right values then you invest in their skills and get them up to speed.  If the values are wrong, then better to help them find a good fit.  Either way, both are very optimistic views of people and no harsh/punitive behavior should be displayed because of the symbolic message this would send the rest of the organization (which is watching).  Firm and fair, but always optimistic toward people.

Here are my slides from today’s session.