Vidvaan Consultants explore the facts of emerging leadership and digitalization Vidvaan Consultants, an organization established for changing brains for better performance, in association with Excellence Edge International (EEI), Singapore, and Training Sri Lanka (TSL), conducted a very successful discussion forum at Colombo Hilton residences with nearly one hundred participants who are top/ senior managers of the corporate sector, entrepreneurs, heads of educational & Training institutions and professionals in different fields. This was a CSR project of both parties, where participants had to spend only their valuable time. Mr Linton Fernando, The founder/ Partner of Vidvaan Consultants welcomed the participants’ and explained the objectives of the discussion forum. He highlighted the importance of establishing the “entrepreneurship” culture in Sri Lankans and to encourage them to identify their own values, their products and their organizations. He emphasized the fact that people must get used to think that the resources and funds used by them for any activity as their own hard earned funds. Defining entrepreneurship as “a person who takes risks at uncertain situations using their own money”, he said that methods of spending our own money and somebody else’s money is always different. But if we have the entrepreneurial mind-set there will be no difference.. Mr Fernando requested the gathering to understand the scenario clearly and educate their organizations’ stakeholders to think as an entrepreneur for a better output, to produce a future generation of modern “digitized” entrepreneurs. Mr Jeffrey Williams, a senior trainer for many Singapore based and other international organizations, and Mr Gustin Low, who has experience in developing many organizational including defence and educational sector worldwide, participated in the forum on invitation of Vidvaan Consultants and Training Sri Lanka. Both are form EEI conducted two interactive sessions on “Emerging Leadership in the New Business Environment” and “Bring Your Organization to the Next Level with Digital Transformation” respectively. Mr Jeffrey Williams explained that the requirement of agile leadership to meet the challenges of anticipating changes in future and showed that 70% of employees report that the most stressful aspect of their jobs is the interaction with their immediate boss. He said that the rapid rise in complexity and change in human activity during the last 200 years has now resulted the requirement of correct leadership who connect agile values within the work-culture having work-life balance. Therefore, without being an “I”-specialist, or an expert leader or an achiever leader, it is important to be a “Catalyst Leader” who can guide people for change, focus on growth, and creative & adaptive. Mr Williams stressed that at high level strategic planning, researching yourself, researching people, researching research & development, and execution methods are to be focused and attended. He strongly suggested Sri Lankan leaders to ensure that they build up their successors with latest knowledge and skills, and allow them to take the organizations forward with required changes. He highlighted that the Human Development is the number one priority of the Singapore government, and the government is lavishly spending significant amounts of funds for training to bring all citizens including Senior Citizens, to be compatible with the modern “Knowledge-Economy” of the digitized world. Mr Gustin Low, working with practical examples, showed how the new developments in digital technology can be used in improving organizational performance. During his presentation he showed that the use of advance technologies has allowed Singapore to be one of the world’s most efficient first world country and a top nation. Further, he pointed out that form the entrance at the airport and up to the time you leave Singapore anyone can experience the discipline, efficiency and the effectiveness of integrity of the country as a whole. His explanations on the use of digitisation covered all areas of an organization and proved with lots of practical situations. The use of big data, robots & bots, internet of things etc. were very clearly explained by him with warning of using these for
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unethical transactions. The use of “Block Chain” concept as a practical solution for the development of businesses was one of the very important systems he took for combining the world together in organizational team work. Both Mr Jeffrey Williams and Mr Gustin Low were enthusiastic to work with the Sri Lankan business community, and stated that they are prepared to share their knowledge and experience for the benefit of both parties in a win-win atmosphere, both in Sri Lanka and Singapore. Dr Kumara Hirimburegama, the President of the International Innovations Consortium (IIC), former Vice Chancellor of the University Colombo, and the Founder Dean of the Faculty of Management & Humanities, Kotalawala Defence University (KDU), as the Guest of Honour, delivered a very timely speech on “Why Sri Lanka still cannot match Singapore?” He explained that we do not need to match Singapore, except for matching the people which could be done very easily as both countries have people with common “Gene pools” inherited from great civilizations of Asia. He showed that still Sri Lanka’s educational systems produce “servants” for both government and private sectors, and not people with “entrepreneurial” mind-set, while telling that he was a Semi-government “servant” respecting “academic freedom and responsibility” while in the University system. He challenged the participants to come forward to change the mind-set of people, especially of younger generation, from a “servant” to “entrepreneurs”. One has to start work life as a “servant” in either Government or Private sector, to get the feeling of being a “servant”, and next he/ she must take a risk and become an “entrepreneur”, although a few will be competitive. He clearly showed that governments are formed by the private sector, and the government servants remain as private sector’s or caretakers’ servants until they leave or retire and then join the private sector (majority cannot give up their servant mentality). It was proved that all politicians, ruling or opposition, are in the private sector (having their own businesses to survive when not selected to the legislature), but all others including students, in the private sector do not understand and make use of the fact that they should make the private sector stronger and ethical. But the majority of the private sector does not have a control over their representatives who formed governments in developing countries. He requested the private sector as the so-called “engine of the growth” and as “government caretakers’ partners”, and those who are capable of “Corporate Governance” and “Strategic Governance”, to take the leadership in developing people to understand these hidden facts which no one wishes to announce. Comparing the demographics of Singapore and the Colombo District of Sri Lanka, he showed that they both have lots of similarities and asked the participants, “What would happen, as we could assume, if the total population of Singapore exchanged with the total population of Colombo District, except all resources?” Thereby he explained that the development is not a matter of resources, and it is the people, their leaders and their mind-set. He challenged with facts that the decisions made in the so-called democratic process are not reflecting the “right”, “correct” or the “required” solution where the majority of voters as reflected in the Normal Distribution Gaussian Curve, are not capable of analysing or even understanding the situation. Therefore, he requested the participants to start working on this “Transformation” from their own organization, family and finally the country, in whatever the way they can if they want to match Sri Lankan people to those of Singapore one day. In conclusion, Mr Linton Fernando informed that Vidvaan Consultants are ready to work with any organization who is ready to take this challenge of “Transformation” at every level. While thanking the participants, he appreciated the contributions made by Mr Milinda Wijayasekera, founder of Training Sri Lanka and EEI for sponsoring the Forum which concluded with a networking session during lunch before the end of the program. If anyone needs further details of the programs conducted by Vidvaan, Training Sri Lanka or EEI they can contact linton@vidvaanconsultants.com, or by visiting the website www.vidvaanconsultants.com