Leading Technical Teams
Young Goh
© Young Goh 2015
This presentation has been prepared for the Actuaries Institute 2015 Actuaries Summit.
The Institute Council wishes it to be understood that opinions put forward herein are not necessarily those of the Institute and the Council is not
responsible for those opinions.
Outline• My personal journey • What about you? • Dimensions of effective leadership • Core skills of leadership • Adapting Your Leadership Style • Beyond the basics • Leading a technical team • How I (you) can grow in your leadership ability
My personal leadership journey• Mr Earl Roberts • Leadership experiences outside the life insurance industry • Leaders I have met along the way • Why I am excited about leadership
What about you?• Do you see yourself as a leader? • Are we all meant to be leaders? • Starting with definitions - What is a leader anyway?
Dimensions of effective leadership• Leadership is influence • Vision-caster • Direction-setter • Change-agent • Coach
Core skills of leadership• Character • Competence • Connection • Build a Team
10 Laws of Leadership• The definition of leadership: Influence • The key to leadership: Priorities • The most important ingredient of leadership: Integrity • The ultimate test of leadership: Creating Positive Change • The quickest way to gain leadership: Problem-Solving • The extra plus in leadership: Attitude • Developing your most appreciable asset: People • The indispensable quality of leadership: Vision • The price tag of leadership: Self-Discipline • The most important lesson of leadership: Staff Development
EV of Team= (Credibility + Reliability + Professional Intimacy) / Self Orientation Damien Mu, CEO, AIA Australia
Adapting Your Leadership Style• Situational leadership
– Command and control – Servant leadership
Beyond the Basics• Rosalind Torres • Simon Sinek • Charlene Li • McKinsey Quarterly – Lead at your best • Managing Oneself – Peter R Drucker • Autonomy, Mastery and Purpose – Daniel Pink
Leading a Technical Team
1. Is it a team, or a a working group?
“A team is a small number of people with complementary skills who are committed to a common purpose, set of performance goals, and approach for which they hold themselves mutually accountable.”
Tailor your leadership to your team
How can I (you) grow in your leadership ability
• Find your why (don’t just go into business for making money. Andrew Carnegie – find your area of service • Invest in learning about leadership • Seek out mentor(s) • Seek opportunities to serve/contribute (its not about you)
Conclusion and Discussion• The theme of this Summit is ‘Take the Lead’. In the very area of
leadership, are we as actuaries rising up to take the lead?
“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” ~Edmund Burke
Acknowledgements and DisclaimerI wish to acknowledge the generosity and support of my company AIA Australia for me in undertaking this work. I particularly wish to thank the many exceptional leaders I have had the privilege of knowing, particularly my former director, Mr Earl Roberts. All views expressed within this presentation are my own and do not necessarily represent the views of AIA Australia.
Bibliography and Resources1. What it takes to be a great leader, Rosalind Torres, TED Talks Feb 2014 2. Lead at your best, McKinsey Quarterly, April 2014 3. The Discipline of Teams, Jon R. Katzenbach and Douglas K. Smith, Harvard Business Review 4. Managing Oneself, Peter R Drucker, Harvard Business Review, Jan 2005 5. StrengthsFinder, Tom Rath 6. Situational Leadership, Kenneth Blanchard 7. Giving up control: Leadership in the digital era, Charlene Li, TEDTalks 8. Notes on DISC, DISC Insights 9. How to bring out the best in people, Alan Loy McGinnis 10. Developing the Leader Within You, John Maxwell 11. Developing the Leaders Around You, John Maxwell
