Prof Sattar Bawany

Building Resilience for a Sustainable, High-Performance Culture
By Januta Ribinskas In an era where disruption is the new normal, one quality separates thriving organisations from those that merely survive: resilience. But resilience today isn’t just about bouncing back; it’s about bouncing forward, with purpose, creativity, and cohesion. Resilient teams are not built overnight. They’re cultivated through the deliberate integration of four essential pillars: 1. Growth Mindset as a Foundation When teams adopt a growth mindset, challenges become opportunities, and setbacks become learning curves. Leaders who model this way of thinking empower their people to stretch, evolve, and remain open to new ways of working, which is critical in fast-moving environments. 2. Emotional Intelligence as a Core Skill Emotional Intelligence (EQ) is the glue that holds resilient, collaborative cultures together. Teams high in EQ communicate with empathy, regulate stress effectively, and navigate difficult conversations with grace. EQ also enables leaders to read the energy of their team and course-correct in real time. 3. Evidence-Based Tools & Healthy Habits to Manage Stress Having a practical, science-backed toolkit to navigate pressure and reduce stress is fundamental. From mindfulness and breathwork to physical well-being routines, sleep hygiene, and cognitive reframing techniques, these habits are not luxuries. They are resilience essentials, helping individuals stay centred, recover faster, and make better decisions during uncertainty. 4. Resilience as a System, Not a Trait True resilience is not just a personal strength; it’s a team capability. When individuals feel psychologically safe, inspired, and aligned with their purpose, the ripple effect extends to every part of the business. By embedding resilience into onboarding, communication rhythms, leadership training, and wellness initiatives, we create sustainable performance.   💡 The Ripple Effect: Performance, Innovation & Growth Resilient teams are more than just stable they’re creative, coherent, and future-ready. They pivot with confidence, co-create solutions, and foster a culture where challenges fuel collaboration rather than conflict. This creates not just a healthy culture but also measurable business impact:
✅ Stronger retention
✅ Increased productivity
✅ Higher innovation capacity
✅ Improved wellbeing and engagement In a world where adaptability equals survival, building resilient, emotionally intelligent teams with a growth mindset and a practical toolkit to manage stress is no longer a “nice to have.” It’s a leadership imperative.   I’m grateful to see and experience the benefits of my work… This picture was after  a” Building Resilience” workshop I delivered for a “Coles” Team at their  National Conference a few months ago. #Leadership #Resilience #Wellbeing #GrowthMindset #EmotionalIntelligence #Culture #FutureReady #SustainableSuccess

4

2 Comments

🎙️ "The future of hybrid work will be won by leaders who prioritise trust, outcomes, and continuous learning — not by those who double down on attendance mandates." 🔎 To date, no peer-reviewed research shows a benefit to a rigid five-day office model. Indeed, according to the latest Flex Index report, the average number of working days required in the office is 2.87 days. Those CEOs that are pushing for four or five in-office days are, Brian Elliott, Nick Bloom and Prithwiraj Choudhury argue, fixated on the wrong problem. Data from 8,500 U.S. companies show no link between stricter return-to-office mandates and improved performance. The real challenge isn’t hybrid policy — it’s leadership capability. High-performing organisations focus on how work is led, not where it happens. The authors outline four capabilities that distinguish hybrid leaders: 1️⃣ Know Your Talent Edge: 🔎 Understand what makes your organisation attractive and design flexibility around it, as seen at Allstate, the European Central Bank and Airbnb. 2️⃣ Measure Results, Not Presence: 🔎 Replace badge tracking with outcome-based performance management as companies like Atlassian and Synchrony have done. 3️⃣ Let Teams Lead the Way: 🔎 Empower teams to set norms for when and how they meet; companies like Microsoft, Teradyne and Atlassian use this approach to strengthen accountability and trust. 4️⃣ Invest in Getting Better: 🔎 Companies that succeed over the long term make sustained investments in three critical areas – infrastructure redesign (e.g. Dropbox), resource allocation (e.g. Zillow), and skills development. The authors’ conclusion (see quote at top of post) resonates. 🔗 The article is featured in the November edition of the Data Driven HR Monthly, which you can access here: https://lnkd.in/ekVuREn8 🔗 #humanresources #leadership #peopleanalytics #culture #hybridwork #employeeexperience #employeelistening

287

28 Comments

From Reactive to Ready: Building Organizational Resilience Through Proactive Talent Planning In today's volatile economic climate, Hong Kong businesses are in a constant state of adaptation, navigating transformation, mergers, and evolving business models. For HR, the traditional role of reacting to change is no longer sufficient. The new imperative is to build organizational resilience, ensuring the business isn’t just surviving disruption but is poised to capitalize on it. This requires a fundamental shift in two critical areas: succession planning and change management, moving from a reactive, C-suite-focused exercise to a proactive, enterprise-wide strategy. The limitations of traditional succession planning are starkly exposed in a dynamic market. A pipeline focused solely on the C-suite leaves vast stretches of the organization vulnerable. The sudden departure of a pivotal engineering team lead, a key sales innovator, or a regulatory compliance expert can cripple a critical project or market entry just as severely as a vacant CEO role. The modern approach, as forward-thinking companies are now adopting, involves building talent pipelines across all levels. This "democratization of succession" involves identifying critical roles at every tier of the organization, assessing the readiness and flight risk of incumbents, and creating dynamic development plans to ensure a deep and agile bench of internal talent ready to step up. However, a robust talent pipeline is only half the solution. Its value is fully realized only when paired with a disciplined approach to change management. As companies implement new strategies, the ability to guide people through the transition—managing resistance, maintaining engagement, and ensuring adoption—is what separates successful transformations from costly failures. HR must equip people leaders with a reusable "change playbook"—a set of tools for clear communication, resistance mitigation, and measuring employee sentiment—to turn organizational upheaval into a managed process. Mastering this shift from reactivity to readiness is the defining challenge for strategic HR leaders. This critical evolution in talent and change strategy will be a central focus at the upcoming HR Leaders Forum 2025 – Tackling Hong Kong’s Top HR Challenges. The forum, organized by AsiaHRM Ltd on November 27, offers an unparalleled opportunity to learn from APAC HR chiefs from leading firms like AECOM, Société Générale, and Mox Bank. Through focused roundtable discussions on building agile organizations, participants will gain actionable frameworks to future-proof their workforce and lead their companies through continuous change with confidence. HR Leaders Forum 2025 - Tackling Hong Kong's Top HR Challenges https://lnkd.in/g8MXff5N HR Leaders Forum 2025 - Tackling Hong Kong's Top HR Challenges By AsiaHRM Ltd Nov 27 from 2pm to 5pm GMT+8

1

This article, published by APAC Manage HR Magazin, quite accurately describes the connection between strategy and corporate culture and what that means for any organization that want to improve their business results through a culture transformation. Amit Chatterjee Xiaolan Zhou Regan Taikitsadaporn Jennifer Teo Jennifer Chen Siti Hinchliffe Joe Kong Andrew Ang Anita Lee Beng Koon Tay Wilson Li

4

✨ Day 2 Highlights | ICF Leadership Coaching Certification – Kuala Lumpur ✨ Coaching mastery in motion on Day 2 of our ICF Leadership Coaching Certification in KL! Today, participants deepened their understanding of evoking awareness and facilitating client growth through reflection, reframing, and feedback. 🎯 Today’s Highlights: 🌿 Evoking Awareness: Coaches explored how to use metaphors and powerful questions to unlock new perspectives and inspire self-discovery in clients. 💬 Delivering & Receiving Feedback: Through experiential activities, participants learned how to give feedback that empowers growth — and receive feedback as a mirror for self-awareness. 🔄 Reframing: Coaches practised shifting perspectives to help clients see challenges as opportunities, creating movement from limitation to possibility. 🚀 Facilitating Client Growth: The day culminated in integrating new awareness into action — supporting clients to anchor insights and commit to meaningful change. Day 2 was all about coaching with curiosity, creativity, and courage — embodying the ICF Core Competencies through real practice, reflection, and feedback. #Coachology #ICFLeadershipCoaching #ICFKL #CoachTraining #LeadershipDevelopment #EvokingAwareness #Reframing #Feedback #CoachingSkills #TransformationalCoaching

1

Business Transformation and Job Redesign are no longer optional in this age of AI disruption and uncertain business landscape. We need to continue to share and learn together, hence please join us for this meaningful series coming up !

5

When leadership transition frameworks are absent or delayed, the impact is structural: – Oversight exposure increases – Strategic execution loses continuity – Decision velocity declines – Capital allocation becomes short-term oriented Leadership change is inevitable. Unprepared leadership change is avoidable. A structured succession process preserves strategic direction, protects institutional stability, and strengthens board optionality. Succession planning reflects governance maturity. #SuccessionPlanning #CorporateGovernance #BoardLeadership #CLevel #ExecutiveLeadership #LeadershipContinuity #BoardAdvisory

17

1 Comment

Many subject matter experts are capable of teaching their expertise to others. But does learning really happen? In my HRD Corp Train-The-Trainer Certification Program, some participants begin the journey thinking it’s about earning the “license” to teach. Along the way, a powerful realisation often emerges, being a subject matter expert alone is not sufficient. One of the key reference books I use is 'Telling Ain’t Training' by Harold D. Stolovitch and Erica J. Keeps. The message is simple, yet transformative: telling is not training. The principle of constructivism, as explained by John Biggs, reminds us that learning is constructed through meaningful activities. At the core are three connected elements: learning activities, desired learning outcomes, and assessment. Designing these effectively is a key focus in my TTT program. I find it deeply rewarding to see this shift in participants. Because in the end, training is not about what we deliver… but what learners are able to do. #hrdcorp #trainthetrainer #TTT #learningtransfer #learninganddevelopment

26

Skills Hollowing: The Hidden Risk Indian Boards Can’t Ignore Most organizations rigorously track financial, operational, and market risks. Yet one of the most critical threats to long-term success often goes unnoticed—Skills Hollowing. Skills hollowing happens when organizational structures remain intact, but critical capabilities quietly erode. Roles are filled. Experience is retained. But the skills required to lead, decide, and execute in today’s fast-changing environment fall behind. This isn’t about talent availability—it’s about capability relevance. At the Board and CEO level, its impact is clear: • Delayed or reversed strategic decisions are often early warning signs of leadership readiness gaps—not market uncertainty. • Transformation programs stall when skills fail to evolve, even with strong intent. • A few individuals become organizational bottlenecks when capability isn’t scaled across teams. • Succession charts can be misleading—real readiness is revealed by capability depth. Experience alone is no longer a proxy for readiness. What Indian Boards and Talent Committees Must Do 1️⃣ Shift from Role Assurance to Capability Assurance It’s no longer enough to ask, “Do we have leaders in place?” The right question is, “Do our leaders have the skills our strategy demands today—and will demand tomorrow?” 2️⃣ Elevate Executive Education from Training to Strategic Enabler Executive education shouldn’t sit at the periphery. When designed right, it becomes a direct lever for strategy execution, leadership renewal, and organizational resilience. 3️⃣ Demand Learning That Delivers Business Outcomes Executive education should be: – Aligned to strategic priorities – Anchored in live business challenges – Measurable in terms of capability uplift and decision quality Call to Action: 1. If your strategy has evolved but your leadership capability agenda hasn’t, it’s time to act. 2. Invest in executive education that keeps critical skills current, sharpens leadership judgment, and safeguards your organization against internal capability erosion—or risk Skills Hollowing. “Assuming current leadership skills will meet tomorrow’s challenges is a silent threat which Indian boards cannot ignore.”

19

INSEAD Knowledge - Beyond ROI: The True Impact of Executive Coaching A simple tool can track both the scale and substance of behavioural change spurred by good coaching.

2

Gratitude for the connection — leadership development and identity alignment in motion. #CynthiaChan Leadership Coach. Business Strategist. Emerging Psychotherapist. Helping high achievers align identity with leadership and purpose. Catalyse • Monash University. Singapore, Singapore. Leadership deepens when identity and purpose move in alignment. Clarity of self strengthens clarity of vision, influence, and decision making. Leaders who invest in personal growth often build organizations and cultures that grow with them. How does identity alignment influence leadership effectiveness in today’s evolving professional landscape? #LeadershipDevelopment #ExecutiveCoaching #PersonalGrowth #LeadershipStrategy #ProfessionalDevelopment #ProfessionalNetworking #SacredRhythm Grateful for the connection. If you find value in my work and contributions, your endorsement of relevant skills is appreciated.

6

Agentic leadership learning programs focus on developing leaders who act with agency. Agency means the capacity to think independently, make intentional choices, and take ownership for outcomes rather than reacting to circumstances. In practice, these programs are designed to build leaders who: • Set direction without waiting for permission • Navigate ambiguity and complexity • Make informed decisions with incomplete data • Use technology, including AI, as a thought partner • Influence systems, not just manage tasks • Take accountability for results The term “agentic” is also showing up more in conversations about AI. As organizations adopt AI tools and agent-based systems, leaders are expected to operate with greater autonomy while orchestrating both people and intelligent systems. So agentic leadership programs often combine human capability development with digital fluency. What these programs typically include: 1. Decision intelligence Training on structured decision-making, risk assessment, and scenario planning. 2. Systems thinking Understanding how functions, incentives, and culture interact across the organization. 3. Adaptive leadership Leading through uncertainty, change, and shifting business models. 4. AI and digital capability Using AI tools for insight generation, workflow optimization, and strategic thinking. 5. Psychological ownership Building accountability, resilience, and self-leadership. 6. Ethical judgment Making responsible decisions in environments shaped by automation and data. How this differs from traditional leadership programs: Traditional programs often emphasize communication skills, performance management, and team engagement. Agentic leadership programs go further. They focus on autonomy, strategic action, and leading within complex, tech-enabled systems. From an L&D perspective, these programs are usually experiential. They use simulations, real business challenges, AI-enabled case analysis, and cross-functional problem solving rather than classroom-only learning. #AILiteracy #AIAdoption #WorkforceDevelopment #LearningAndDevelopment #FutureSkills #HumanCenteredAI

3

AI is reshaping HR! From skills-based strategies to agentic AI, the future workplace is human-centric, intelligent, and interconnected. #HRTrends #FutureOfWork

9

𝗖𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗺𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗿. When OCBC Bank partnered with the International Coaching Federation (ICF) Singapore to credential 100 senior leaders as coaches, it wasn’t just another HR program. It was a bold statement: 🔑 Coaching transforms leaders. 🔑 Coaching strengthens organisations. 🔑 Coaching delivers measurable ROI. If an institution as forward-looking as OCBC sees coaching as a strategic advantage, what could it unlock for you? 👉 This post kicks off my series of thought pieces based on 𝗢𝗖𝗕𝗖 𝗕𝗮𝗻𝗸’𝘀 𝗘𝗻𝗱𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗖𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴, exploring how coaching is fast becoming the leadership skillset of the future. 💬 In your view, is coaching in organisations a cost, or an investment? #ExecutiveCoaching #OCBCcoachingseries #LeadershipDevelopment #CoachingCulture #DrCCTan

5

As an ex-DDI Malaysia team member, I’ve always found DDI | Development Dimensions International ’s leadership forecasts research and reports incredibly sharp and practical. And this year’s 2026 trends hit harder than ever. Here's the Leadership Reality Check – Heading into 2026 1) 71% of leaders say stress is rising — 40% have thought about quitting. 2) 77% of CHROs lack confidence in their leadership pipeline. 3) Frontline leaders are 3× more worried about AI adoption than senior leaders. Three trends you can’t ignore: 1) Human + AI Leadership – Leaders must combine judgment, ethics, and AI fluency. 2) The Great Flattening – Less hierarchy, more influence without authority. 3) Quiet Cracking – Not quiet quitting… but leaders silently burning out inside. What stands out most? For leaders: The future won’t belong to the fastest… but to the leaders who stay human, clear, grounded, and adaptive in an AI-accelerated world. For HR & L&D: Build AI-ready leaders, not just tool-ready leaders. Here's the link for a more detailed article and access to Leadership Forecast Report from #DDI https://lnkd.in/gtPVErz8 How are you spotting “quiet cracking” in your teams and organizations before it’s too late? DM or drop us an email at Letstalk@aspirerup.com and lets chat!

8

Most SMEs Don’t Have a Learning Problem. They Have a Strategy Problem. Many organisations struggle with learning strategy because they start in the wrong place. They begin by asking what skills people need or what training programmes to roll out. But learning strategy only makes sense when it is anchored in business strategy. Without strategic clarity, learning becomes fragmented, reactive, and disconnected from performance. This is why the strategy lens proposed in Playing to Win by A.G. Lafley and Roger Martin is especially helpful, not just for large corporations, but even more so for SMEs. Strategy, at its core, is a set of deliberate choices about how an organisation intends to win. It is not a vision statement, a list of goals, or a collection of initiatives. Strategy answers a small number of hard questions: What does winning mean for us? Where will we play? How will we win there? What capabilities must we build? And what systems must reinforce those choices? Strategy is as much about what you choose not to do as what you commit to doing. This discipline of choice is what creates focus and coherence. SMEs cannot afford unfocused investments. Every hire, system, and learning initiative must pull in the same direction. Strategy provides that direction. It helps SME leaders decide where to concentrate scarce resources, what capabilities truly matter, and which activities must be deprioritised. When strategy is clear, learning strategy becomes clearer too. Consider a Singapore SME in facilities and engineering services that chooses to win not on lowest cost, but on being the most reliable long-term partner for its clients. That winning aspiration immediately shapes learning choices. The organisation decides to focus learning where reliability is created: frontline technicians and supervisors, working on real jobs, under real conditions. It chooses to win by embedding learning into daily work through structured on-the-job learning, peer coaching, and short after-action reviews rather than relying on classroom courses. The capabilities that matter follow naturally: engineering expertise, customer communication, supervisory judgment, and the ability to learn quickly from service incidents. Management systems are then aligned to reinforce these capabilities, such as job aids, coaching expectations for supervisors, and performance conversations that value knowledge sharing, not just speed or utilisation. In this SME, learning strategy is not a catalogue of programmes. It is a capability system designed to execute strategy. This is the shift many organisations need to make. When learning is grounded in real strategic choices, it stops being an HR or L&D activity and becomes part of how the business wins. If you are interested in exploring what strategy in learning means, come on board the Learning Enterprise Initiative by IAL https://lnkd.in/g9Q8sxpf

3

💕Double the Insights, Twice the Inspiration!! A full day of powerful conversations starting with how to step into #board leadership, and ending with how to make that leadership more #inclusive and impactful. 🟦 SID Board Readiness Programme (#BRP) 2025 kick-off by Singapore Institute of Directors Chair Oon Jin YEOH 🚀An energising start with over 50 aspiring #directors, guided by seasoned #board leaders Su-Yen Wong, FSID, CSP Soon Hock Lim and Ah Cheng (AC) LIM. Their candour and wisdom set the tone for the board journey ahead. Here are my favourite takeaways from the panel: 1️⃣ Board roles are onerous—they come with real accountability and legal duties. Ask yourself: Why do I want to serve? #Motivation matters. 2️⃣ #Curiosity and impact go hand in hand—those who approach the board journey with a mindset to learn and a heart to serve often find it deeply rewarding. 3️⃣ #Resilience starts with anticipation—too often, boards don’t spend enough time asking “what could go wrong”and be ready to steer through uncertainties 4️⃣ Support without overstepping—guide management, but resist the urge to micromanage, don’t take over their roles, but never abdicate your duty of #oversight. 5️⃣ Add value by asking the right questions—to broaden perspective, guide management, and lead to better decisions. Don’t question for show. 6️⃣ Boards must be seen as assets by Management. Don’t make them look bad or do their job for them. 7️⃣ Be clear-eyed about shareholder dynamics—especially with dominant founders or major investors. Only say yes if you can truly contribute. 8️⃣ Culture matters—sometimes the best way to understand a company is through casual conversations over #makan. That’s where relationships and insights begin. ——— Later in the afternoon ——— 🟨 #SGX and The Conference Board of Asia | Advancing Women in Leadership, kicked off by SGX CEO Boon Chye Loh and Matthew Godfrey Grateful to be part of this session featuring accomplished women leaders: @Claire chiang, Vivian Cao Angela Ryan Sandhya Karpe Together, we explored difficult questions that don’t get asked enough: 🔹 Why are leadership traits still framed as masculine or feminine? Are we unintentionally reinforcing stereotypes? 🔹 Do we unconsciously accept gendered expectations of what a leader “should” be? 🔹 Why do women still feel they must choose between being competent and likeable? 🔹 Why do women often view their choices as “personal sacrifices” instead of simply making short-term trade-offs to have it all over time? 🔹 How do upbringing, role models, and dreams shape the women we become—from insignificant beginnings to significant impact? 🔹 What does intentional leadership look like in driving inclusion? 🔹How does inclusion start at home—and why choosing who you build a life with may matter more than who you work with? Also thankful for a few enlightened male allies with us Ryan LIM 😁 I hope these questions spark some reflection as you head into the weekend.

67

5 Comments

𝗔 𝗯𝗮𝗱 𝗲𝘅𝗲𝗰𝘂𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗵𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘆. It can derail strategy, culture, and momentum. That’s why data-driven decisions matter, especially in Asia’s complex leadership landscape. Psychometric assessments - combined with local experience - help reduce hiring risk by revealing how candidates lead, adapt, and align with your organization. At FES Partners, we combine: 📊 Behavioral analysis: How do they handle uncertainty? 🎯 Leadership simulations: How do they lead under pressure? 🔍 Culture-fit mapping: Will they align with HQ and local teams? We’re certified in OD-Tools and Hogan Assessments, and we use these tools for both recruitment and leadership development. Send us a message to learn more about our assessments and how we support executive hiring across Asia. #ExecutiveSearchAsia #ExecutiveSearch

15

#ToughTopic : ORGANISATIONAL CHANGE Resistance to change is fostered from Broken agreements and Trust* violations...added with mis-communication, it can lead to high inertia for change in organizations (Ford et al., 2008). A number of factors for/against change : - the organizational structure, - availability of resources, - vision and mission of the organization, and - employees/member's willingness to work towards the change-related goals (Brisson-Banks, 2010):readiness , commitment, openness . Discuss more with: https://lnkd.in/gHbibAsu #organisationaldevelopment #organisationculture #manjuviswam

4