Also at the event was CEIBS Vice President and Dean Prof. Hellmut Schütte who, through his long engagement with INSEAD, has a special connection to Singapore. He gave an introduction to CEIBS and spoke about some of the new programmes available. There was also a brief welcome by Ms. Roxane Desmicht, EMBA07 alumna and head of the CEIBS Alumni Chapter in the Lion City. Lisbeth Sivertsen, Manager of CEIBS Global EMBA Programme, smoothly moved the proceedings along throughout the evening.

 

The responses to Prof. Wood’s icebreaking question showed that the concept of leadership is a universal one and leaders can be found throughout human history. Analysing the characteristics of those who lead, Prof. Wood pointed out that leadership stems from anxiety and a desire to change the status quo; dissatisfaction leads to passion and enables people to develop a vision. Under stress, the most anxious are the first to act and therefore emerge as leaders. The more anxious someone is, the faster they will become a leader, noted the CEIBS Professor of Management Practice.

He added that the next step in becoming a leader is communication. Once a vision is formed, it has to be communicated to motivate and inspire others. Affecting people’s spirit and getting something in motion is not a merely rational task, he stressed. Guidance and control play an important role, and the strength at which they are applied is crucial.

But how can leadership, and the charisma it requires, be taught? According to Prof. Wood, leadership needs to be developed through practice and insight. Maybe it can’t be taught at all, he said, but one can probably teach the skills needed to develop leadership. He explained that the core dimensions of leadership are:
“Tasks” – something has to be done.
“Relationships” – someone has to make sure that whatever is accomplished keeps being accomplished.

He pointed out that the importance of these dimensions varies greatly at different points in the leadership process. For the average career, first one needs technical skills to get certain tasks completed. Then, one progresses to a managerial position, and behavioural skills become very important. When one is at the top, strategic skills become important. However behavioural skills are still invaluable because without them, even the best strategy can’t be put into practice. Knowledge, however, does not necessarily help with behaviour as there are too many unconscious and irrational aspects to it. Prof. Wood used the iceberg metaphor to explain how people act: the rational part is supported by a much bigger unconscious one. Therefore, formal organizational charts have no value, because organizations are human systems that follow their own logic. In the same way, the agenda on the table often varies greatly from the agenda under the table. He ended his presentation with a quote from Spinoza: “I have made a ceaseless effort not to ridicule, not to bewail, not to scorn human actions, but to understand them”, concluding that leadership means being aware of the immeasurable and explainable aspects of what is going on.