District 80 Toastmasters Leadership Incubator

Toastmasters is a programme that boldly states that this is where leaders are made.  This is a programme to make good on that promise.  The programme was organised under District 80 Division G, in collaboration with Division S and Division E.  The presenters of the programme are Eric Tan Shi Wei, Gerald Yong Kim Heong, Ng Kin Foong, Dr. Sivanesan K. Murugayan, Dr. Tan Kwan Hong, Zhuo Shu Zhen, and myself.  The overall moderator is Division Director, Division G, Margrette Lo Foong Quan. 

Inspirational leadership is a skill that may be acquired.  Leadership itself is an active, continual process of incremental improvement and striving.  Leadership does not merely happen.  It is a culmination of a lot of work and experience.  It is the sum of applied experiential knowledge.  Leadership is the art of providing direction, giving people a vision, and inspiring them to work towards that vision.  The best of leaders develop other leaders, nurture talent, and inspire them.  The best teams are teams of such inspiring leaders. 

Contrary to what most people believe, there is no one type of leader, or leadership style.  What we have are broad definitions of leadership, and even then, they have little relation to what actual leadership actually is, since these ideas are theoretical interpretations of reality without nuance.  Every single person is different, with their own historical baggage, own talents, and own prejudices.  Leadership is developed by taking it all down to the common denominator of humanity, and developing something within what each person is.  Leadership begins with values. 

To that end, we will have a series of presentations by established leaders in various fields within our Toastmasters community.  These are people who have lead at the corporate level, been successful entrepreneurs, and commanded others in the military; different types of leadership, in different types of environments.  All sessions will emphasise practicality, with case studies based on personal experience. 

At club and District level, the accomplishments of these individuals are beyond reproach.  They come from some of the most accomplished clubs in the Division, with decades of Presidents Distinguished Club awards, multiple contest wins, and have run some of the best programmes in the District.  Now, we learn how we apply that to our personal and professional life, and how the Toastmasters programme is more than just public speaking. 

Below is the synopsis for each session, as sent out in the marketing material.

Session 1: 23^rd October 2021, 1100h to 1300h

The Context for Success

Ng Kin Ng, DTM 

Leaders do not simply appear; they are there for a reason.  There has to be a context, a framework for leadership to be effective.  Success is always contrived, never an accident.  Kin Ng will share with us his vast experience in putting a context for eventual success.  Once we can frame where we stand, in our mind, we are in a better position to articulate that to others. 

Kin Ng is a former Commando Officer.  He is also a leadership and presentation skills coach for C-suite professionals and managers.  Kin is also currently the Chief Executive Officer of a technology start-up in the ESG space.  He manages a team that negotiates with different investor groups to set-up manufacturing of electric vehicles in the region utilising the latest graphene battery technology.

Picking the Winning Team

Terence Nunis, DTM 

Leaders never work alone; they have generals.  A good leader chooses his team carefully.  He picks generals, people who are leaders in their own right.  Leadership is a process, not an event.  Terence will share how leadership is a team game.  A good leader is only as effective as his team, and why it is important to invest in others. 

Terence Nunis is a former commissioned officer, in a vocation specialising in threat assessment.  He is the Chief Executive Officer of a strategic consultancy.  Their clients include politicians, governments, and state-owned enterprises in South and Southeast Asia.  He manages a diverse team based around the region.

Session 2: 13^th November 2021, 1400h to 1600h

The Courage to Lead

Eric Tan, DTM 

Leaders are not born; they are made.  Leadership begins with the realisation that someone needs to step forward, and seize control of events.  That person could be you.  It takes courage to face the fear of failure, the fear of disappointing others, the fear of making tough decisions; but no leader has ever tasted greatness without facing these fears.  Eric Tan will walk us though the steps to becoming that person through his personal experience. 

Eric Tan is an IBF Advanced Certified Personal Wealth Manager.  He specialises in risk management, and leads a team assessing political and financial exposure for ultra-high net worth families and Family Offices in Singapore and the region.  His team proposes and manages complex investment structures, including trusts, VCCs, and MFOs, with asset under management in the hundreds of millions. 

The R.I.S.K.Y. Leader

Kwan Hong, DTM

Leaders take risks; they never stick to the safe path.  Kwan Hong believes that a good leader must be resilient (R), influential (I), strategic in his thinking (S), hungry to acquire knowledge (K), and understand that “why” (Y).  Taking risks means qualifying them.  There is a thinking process to acquire those values that ensure success.

Kwan Hong started his strategy consulting business since 2012.  Since then, he has successfully scaled multiple 6-figure to 8-figure businesses.  As an International Speaker who is engaged to speak almost every day, Kwan Hong’s live talks and sessions have reached over 1.3 million people and 1,100 organizations in 50 different countries. 

Session 3: 27^th November 2021, 1400h to 1600h

Managers or Leaders

Gerald Yong, DTM

Leaders always manage; managers seldom lead.  There is a distinct difference between being a leader, and being a manager.  A manager supervises the events and actions of the moment, and juggles resources specific to it.  A leader considers the consequences of decisions, and plan for them.  Gerald will walk us through that distinction, and show us how to break that barrier.

Gerald Yong started his career in accounting and audit.  He spent seven years in a Big Four international audit firm, followed by another 10 years honing his corporate finance skills in multinational corporations as Regional Controller.  He is now transiting into the role of Chief Financial Officer of a technology company. 

Attributes & Disciplines of Leadership

Robert Ng, DTM

Leaders grow; they never stay still.  Growing as a leader means acquiring attributes and discipline.  This is an ongoing process.  A leader is only as good as his last success.  Just as water becomes fouled when still, Robert will share his experience and thoughts on the attributes a good leader needs to cultivate in himself and his team.

Robert Ng is a former systems engineer in the IT industry.  He subsequently moved to the shipping industry.  Not one to turn away challenging opportunities to learn and grow, Robert has undertaken various large projects and held various regional leadership roles during his more than 35 years career. 

Session 4: 18^th December 2021, 1400h to 1600h

Beginning with the End in Mind

Sivanesan Murugayan, EC5, MS5 

Leaders start at the beginning; they begin at the end.  A good leader begins with the end in mind.  He picks his team, he builds their capabilities, and he considers the consequences of the project.  He plans for changes in the market, and the environment, and is seldom caught out in a dynamic environment.  Siva will share his experience on how this is done. 

Siva is a management consultant with 20 years of people engagement experience at senior executive level.  He is a Certified Trainer (ACTA) and an executive mentor.  Siva is also a life coach in his private life. 

Building a Legacy

Zhuo Shu Zhen, DTM 

Leaders plan to the end; they manage for the moment.  Part of leadership is to mentor new leaders, and preserve institutional knowledge.  A good leader builds a system where he can step back, and it will still run.  He has the courage to trust the people he elevated.  Shu Zhen will share her experience building such a mentorship programme for leaders. 

Shu Zhen is an expert on group health solutions, and is a top producer with AIA Singapore.  She is renowned for her ability to train leaders, and impart knowledge.  Her specialty is creating mentorship programmes, and picking talent. 

Session 5: 26^th February 2021, 1400h to 1600h

Moderator of Champions

Margrette Lo, SR5 

Margrette Lo is the sitting Division Director of Division G.  These people here are largely her team, her leaders.  As moderator, she will demonstrate how to manage leaders.