Method M: How Leaders Grow: From Specialists to Generalists by David Tang

How Leaders Grow: From Specialists to Generalists

1. FROM TECH TO COMPANY LEADER
METHOD
IN THE
MADNESS
DAVID TANG

2. The definition of madness is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.

3. The 10,000 hours rule: To be good

4. Who will you be in your next 10,000 hours?
Technically, the most gifted player-turned-manager (after Cruyff).

5. BUT FIRST,TIGER VS ROGER

6. BUT FIRST,TIGER VS ROGER

7. S
T
A
R
T
F
I
N
I
S
H
WHAT MADE THEM SO GOOD?

8. S
T
A
R
T
F
I
N
I
S
H
‘BATTLE HYMN OF THE TIGER MUM … DAD’

9. S
T
A
R
T
F
I
N
I
S
H
‘WTF … ROGER?’

10. S
T
A
R
T
F
I
N
I
S
H
SPECIALIST VS GENERALIST? WHICH IS BETTER?

11. SPECIALIST VS GENERALIST

12. S
T
A
R
T
F
I
N
I
S
H
STRAIGHT GAME
WICKED GAME

13. THE FORECAST. TECHNOLOGY SHAPES THE FUTURE OF BUSINESS

14. THE FORECAST. TECHNOLOGY SHAPES THE FUTURE OF BUSINESS LEADERSHIP

16. THE CHALLENGE. FROM TECH LEADERS TO COMPANY LEADERS
OVER 30% OF FORTUNE 500 COMPANIES HAVE TECH CEOS

17. THE SCARY TRUTH. MOST TECH LEADERS ARE TOO SPECIALISED TO BECOME GREAT COMPANY LEADERS

18. THE CONTENTION.
IT’S A WICKED WORLD OUT THERE.
GENERALISTS TRIUMPH IN A ‘WICKED’ CORPORATE WORLD

19. ITERATIVE VS WICKED. SPECIALISTS THRIVE ON PREDICTIVE MODELS LIKE MATH, ALGORITHM, GYMNASTICS, CHESS AND EVEN GOLF.
BUT FOR A WICKED WORLD OUT THERE, YOU WANT TO HAVE MULTI-FACETED GENERALIST SKILLS LIKE ROGER.

20. BUT WAIT …LEADERSHIP IS BOTH AN INDIVIDUAL AND A TEAM GAME

21. SUPERMAN VS FANTASTIC FOUR
ACADEMY OF MANAGEMENT.ALVA TAYLOR, HEINRICH GREVE.

22. MULTI-MEMBER TEAMS WORKING TOGETHER PRODUCED INNOVATIONS WITH GREATER VARIATION, BUT INDIVIDUALS WERE ABLE TO COMBINE KNOWLEDGE DIVERSITY MORE EFFECTIVELY THAN TEAMS.

23. THE CURIOUS CASE OF STEVE JOBS VS SIM WONG HOO

24. The Model CEO: Generalist vs Specialist
Asian GeekCYCRobinsonsCreative Technology
AmericanInnovatorBlack TurtleneckBlue JeansApple

25. Oct 2001, iPod VS Zen
20-Gigabyte24 Hour BatteryFlash MemoryVideo/Music Microsoft
5-Gigabyte12 Hour BatteryHard DriveMusic only Apple

26. Intangibles
FunctionFeature-by-featureB2B Marketing
Fame U2FeelingB2C Consumer

27. THINK DIFFERENT. FEEL DESIGNER.SELL TO EVERYBODY.

28. When Tech meets Marketing450 mil iPods USD135 billion

29. The Untold Story: Crossovers
He was formally recruited to Apple as a full-time employee inSeptember 1992. Ive was initially apprehensive about joining Apple
given the move from the UK to California. His first major assignment in Apple's Industrial Design Group regarded the second
generation of the Newton and the MessagePad 110.

30. YOU NEED TO BE A GENERAL TO BE A GREAT COMPANY LEADER

31. Degree in Physics and Economics.
Co-founded X.com which became PayPal.

32. Degree in Law.PhD in Philosophy.
Founded investment banking company.

33. A specialist (tech) skill, with some knowledge of other skills.

35. METHOD M: FROM SKILLS TO SYSTEMS
Specialist
depth in
competencies
(Skills)
Collaborative
across domains
and levels
(Teaming)
Leadership
for innovation
and transformation
(Systems Thinking)
High-performance
to manage cross-
functional teams
(Managing)

36. Commercialisation
Innovation
1
Cross-over
Collaboration
3
High-Performance
Teams
4
Systems
Skills
2 3
METHOD M: FROM SKILLS TO SYSTEMS

37. METHOD MDEEP EXPERTISE: COMMERCIALISATIONCROSS-OVER COLLABORATIONHIGH-PERFORMANCE TEAMSSYSTEM TRANSFORMATION
NOT JUST MORE SKILLS, BUT SKILFUL IN INTEGRATION, LEADERSHIP AND TRANSFORMATION.

38. IMPACT OF INDUSTRY 4.0: THE SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME
TECHNOLOGY IS OUTPACING EDUCATION AND COMPANIES
• KEY TALENT CHALLENGE OF BUSINESSES: SIGNIFICANT MISMATCH BETWEEN CURRENT TALENT SKILLSETS AND THOSE NEEDED IN THE FUTURE.
• TALENT DEVELOPMENT. FUNCTIONAL AND TECHNICAL SKILLS ARE ESSENTIAL BUT NOT SUFFICIENT. MULTI-DIMENSIONAL SKILLS ARE INCREASINGLY CRITICAL.
• LEADERSHIP. BEYOND INDIVIDUAL SKILLSETS, LEADERSHIP SKILLS NEEDED FOR COLLABORATION, INTEGRATION AND TRANSFORMATION.
• A NEW MODEL DEVELOP HIGH-PERFORMANCE LEADER, TEAMS AND ORGANISATIONS TO BE FIT FOR THE FUTURE.

39. Skill
Application
Functional
Leadership
Skill
Collaboration
Inter-discipline
Leadership
Innovation &
Transformation
Company
Leadership
High-Performance
Management
Team
Leadership
Business Model
for Innovation
Agile Thinking
for Transformation
Systems Thinking
for Ecosystem
Human Capital for
High Performance
THE BIG FOUR PILLARS
InnovatorAgilist FuturistTransformer

40. Self
Skill
Substance
Coder
IQ
LEADERSHIP IS ALSO A SOCIAL REVOLUTION
Social
System
Style
Storyteller
EQ

41. SKILL APPLICATION
Functional LeadershipInnovation for Commercialisation
It’s not about the tech.It’s about the top-line.
Commercialisation
Innovation
1

42. The 10,000 hours rule: To be good

43. The 11th album by Fleetwood Mac, 1977
(40mil album sale)

44. First be good.Then be X.

45. Who will you be in your next 10,000 hours?

46. The NewChinaPlaybook

47. DIFFERENT KINDS OF INNOVATION
“IT’S VERY IMPORTANT TO DISTINGUISH, YOU KNOW, APPLICATION KIND OF TECHNOLOGIES VERSUS GROUNDBREAKING TECHNOLOGY.” - JIN KEYU, LONDON SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS
“China has over 4 million EV chargers. The US has only 140,000.”
INNOVATION. GROUND-BREAKING VS CONTINUOUS APPLICATION

48. “THE SOLE PURPOSE
OF INNOVATION IS
TO DEVELOP AND
SELL MORE
APPEALING
PRODUCTS TO
MORE CUSTOMERS
ACROSS A WIDE
PRODUCT RANGE AT
THE HIGHEST
POSSIBLE PRICES.
THERE IS NO OTHER
REASON FOR
INNOVATION.”
INNOVATION: SALES MUST FOLLOW SIZZLE

49. INNOVATION RULES THE WORLD

50. … UNTIL IT MEETS OTHER PRODUCTS, PRICES, PLACESAND PROMOTIONS
INNOVATION IS NOT ENOUGH. IT NEEDS A RICH DADDY CALLED MARKETING.

51. TECHNOLOGY MAY HAVE WRITTEN THE CODE.
BUT IT’S THE SHREWD BUSINESSMAN WHO GETS ALL THE CASH.
“China has over 4 million EV chargers. The US has only 140,000.”
INNOVATION. GROUND-BREAKING VS BEST-SELLING

52. FOR LONG-TERM SUCCESS, YOU NEED BOTH INNOVATION AND COMMERCIALISATION.

53. INNOVATION
•TRANSFORM•LAUNCH ‘NEW’•MADE TO PROTOTYPE•PROFIT MARGIN•LONG TERM
COMMERCIALISATION
•PERFORM•SCALE ‘BIG’•SELL TO EVERYBODY•REVENUE & MARKET SHARE•SHORT TERM
THE LONG AND SHORT OF A CEO LIFECYCLE

54. “I was a tech leader from Accenture. Now I’m learning to sell like mad as a CEO.”- Newly-minted CEO of a leading company

55. CROSS-OVER COLLABORATION
Inter-discipline LeadershipContinuous Innovation for Commercialisation
Collaboration is more powerful (and less stressful) than isolation.
12
Cross-over
Collaborations

56. Inter-discipline. The power to transform with another.

57. The myth of the lone genius.
Sep 1992: Jonathan Ives joined SteveSep 1992: Tim Cook joined Apple

58. Collaboration is more powerful than competition.
isolation.alienation.

59. 10,000 hours + 10,000 hours = Transform

60. “So you’ve got an A for AI.But how good can you be in business strategy, finance, marketing, design and stakeholder management?”

61. The definition of innovation: Two seemingly unrelated things coming together - in a fresh, new, relevant way - to form a new idea.

62. Pick up a new skill. Develop a strong minor. Add to your strength. Overcome a weakness. Invest in a powerful partner. Blend with a new discipline. You’ll never work alone.

63. Tech+Design
Tech+Banking
Tech+Learning
Tech+Shopping

64. Steve did this.

65. Steve Jobs. And Jonathan Ives and Apple.
He was formally recruited to Apple as a full-time employee inSeptember 1992. Ive was initially apprehensive about joining Apple
given the move from the UK to California. His first major assignment in Apple's Industrial Design Group regarded the second
generation of the Newton and the MessagePad 110.

66. The intersection of technology and design with liberal arts as its heart.

67. Steve Jobs’ Legacy: Collaborative Culture that builds aCompany

68. LEADING HIGH-PERFORMANCE TEAMS
Team LeadershipPersonal Leadership Influence
Everybody loves a Jurgen Klopp.
3
Teams
High-Performance

69. Chances are, you’ll need to manage lone geniuses in multi-disciplinary teams.

70. StraightMickey MouseLone geniusLine-by-lineSpark innovation
WickedPixarMulti-disciplinaryCross-matrixIterative innovation

71. Wicked games ahead: Multi-disciplinary, specialised skills, innovate, commercialise, scale, speed, sync, partner, pixar.

73. MULTI-MEMBER TEAMS WORKING TOGETHER TO PRODUCE INNOVATIONS WITH GREATER VARIATION.
WANTED: SUPERMANLEADERS WHO COULD LEAD THE TEAMS TO MORE EFFECTIVELY COMBINE KNOWLEDGE DIVERSITY.
SUPERMAN VS FANTASTIC FOUR
ACADEMY OF MANAGEMENT.ALVA TAYLOR, HEINRICH GREVE.

74. GegenpressingSkillsSpirit

75. “When it comes to a team playing, it’s 30% tactic 70% tempo.”

77. Seriously?Welcome onboard.

78. INSPIRE CHANGE
WHY TELL STORIES?
RALLY PEOPLE
MOVE MARKETS

79. 1. Identify the problem statement, core issues and barriers.
2. Tap the knowledge of experts and earn buy-in of stakeholders.
3. Define and manage the path to success.
HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL ON LEADERSHIP
STORYTELLING IS HUMAN LEADERSHIP

80. Tell it in a story so clear and compelling, it pulls everyone’s energy toward change.

81. INNOVATION AND TRANSFORMATION
Company LeadershipEco-system System Leadership
From individuals to teams to company to industry. From skills to systems.
4
Systems
Skills

82. “I once asked him (Steve Jobs) what he thought was his most important creation, thinking he would answer the iPad or the Macintosh. Instead he said it was Apple the company. Making an enduring company, he said, was both far harder and more important than making a great product.” Walter Isaacson

83. The Untold Story: Crossovers
He was formally recruited to Apple as a full-time employee inSeptember 1992. Ive was initially apprehensive about joining Apple
given the move from the UK to California. His first major assignment in Apple's Industrial Design Group regarded the second
generation of the Newton and the MessagePad 110.

85. CULTURE EATS STRATEGY FOR BREAKFAST

86. THE HARD AND SOFT OF SYSTEMS THINKING

87. FIVE PILLARS OF SYSTEMS THINKING:OBJECTIVESMETRICS PEOPLENETWORKS COMMAND
1. DEFINE THE PROBLEM AT HAND TO SOLVE. 2. FORM A HYPOTHESIS THAT EXPLAINS THE PROBLEM. 3. TEST THE HYPOTHESIS USING MODELS. 4. COMMUNICATE YOUR FINDINGS AND IMPLEMENT CHANGES.
THE HARD

88. SOFTER CHALLENGESTHE 5 C'S:CURIOSITYCOMPASSIONCHOICE COURAGECREATIVITY
THE SOFT

89. SYSTEMS THINKING: OUT BEFORE IN
The traditional model, whereby teams focus on internal processes, roles, and goals, is no longer enough, according to MIT Sloan leadership professor Deborah Ancona.The model that organizations need now is an x-team.
X-teamsare built on the concept of “out before in”, with team members externally oriented to learn and discover what’s happening in their world out there through ambassadorship, sense-making and innovation hubs.

91. 1.BUILD WITHIN. BEYOND SELF 2.GET IN THE CENTRE. JOIN A TRADE BODY3.LOOK OUT. BUILD ECO-SYSTEM OF BEST PRACTICES
TRANSCEND FROM SKILL TO SYSTEM

92. 1.BUILD WITHIN. BEYOND ONE SELF AND SKILL.
ACQUIRE VERY DIFFERENT GAME-CHANGING SKILLS (YOU DON’T HAVE), ESPECIALLY FROM OUTSIDERS.
‘JOBS + JON IVES = APPLE’. 1 + 1 = 3
AVOID EMPEROR EGO, RUSSIAN DOLL SYNDROME, SLAVES AND MINIONS.

93. 2. GET IN THE CENTRE. JOIN A TRADE BODY
GET OUTSIDE THE BUBBLE, THE ECHO CHAMBER.
INNOVATION HUBS. AMBASSADORSHIP.
BENEFITS: TALENT HUNT, LEARN BEST PRACTICES, PROFESSIONAL MOBILITY, LEVERAGE AGAINST BOARD
In December 2015, OpenAI was founded bySam Altman,Elon Musk,Ilya Sutskever,Greg Brockman,Trevor Blackwell,
Vicki Cheung,Andrej Karpathy, Durk Kingma, John Schulman, Pamela Vagata, andWojciech Zaremba, with Sam
Altman and Elon Musk as the co-chairs. $1 billion in total was pledged by Sam Altman, Greg Brockman, Elon Musk,Reid
Hoffman,Jessica Livingston,Peter Thiel,Amazon Web Services(AWS),Infosys, andYC Research

94. 3. LOOK OUT. BUILD ECO-SYSTEM OF BEST PRACTICES
BRING ON THE OUTSIDER EXPERTS. CORPORATE UNIVERSITIES. BEYOND SG.CONTINUOUS INNOVATION.COMPANY CULTURE.

95. Skill
Application
Functional
Leadership
Skill
Collaboration
Inter-discipline
Leadership
Innovation &
Transformation
Company
Leadership
High-Performance
Management
Team
Leadership
Business Model
for Innovation
Agile Thinking
for Transformation
Systems Thinking
for Ecosystem
Human Capital for
High Performance
THE BIG FOUR PILLARS
InnovatorAgilist FuturistTransformer

96. Skill
Application
Functional
Leadership
Skill
Collaboration
Inter-discipline
Leadership
Innovation &
Transformation
Company
Leadership
Managing High-
Performance
Team
Leadership
Business Model
for Innovation
Agile Thinking
for Transformation
Systems Thinking
for Ecosystem
Human Capital for
High Performance
THE BIG FOUR PILLARS
InnovatorAgilist FuturistTransformer

97. Self
Skill
Substance
Coder
IQ
LEADERSHIP IS ALSO A SOCIAL REVOLUTION
Social
System
Style
Storyteller
EQ

98. FIND YOUR OWN STYLE

99. Seriously

100. Leaders
The Next 1,000 as regional and global corporate leaders.

101. “Ring the bells that still can ring. Forget yourperfect offering. There is a crack, a crack in everything. That's how the light gets in.” Leonard Cohen, Anthem

102. “Mr Speaker sir. No, I’m Singaporean.”