THE LEADER, THE TEACHER & YOU: LEADERSHIP THROUGH THE THIRD GENERATION - Softcover

Lim, Siong Guan; Lim, Joanne H

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1783263776 ISBN 13: 9781783263776

Publisher: Imperial College Press, 2013

Synopsis

Former Head of the Singapore Civil Service Mr Lim Siong Guan now shares his diverse experiences and fresh insights on leadership in his exclusive new book, The Leader, The Teacher & You. As a former Permanent Secretary in ministries, including the Ministry of Defence, the Prime Minister's Office and the Ministry of Finance, and former chairman of the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore and the Singapore Economic Development Board, the indefatigable public servant has contributed greatly to Singapore's success, introducing innovative policies and practices at each turn, which have greatly enhanced drive and performance across the board. Most notably, he is known for his pursuit of excellence, especially in spearheading the Public Service for the 21st Century (PS21) movement, to develop organizational excellence. From Singapore's early years of government to its emergence as a prosperous metropolis, Lim has served the nation tirelessly through the years.In The Leader, The Teacher & You, Lim puts forth a fresh take on the notion of leadership as other-centered, with the focus on enabling others to be the best they can be. This noble vision of leadership is elaborated and built upon through the sharing of his experiences, in particular the memorable lessons and deep-seated convictions he has had while serving under Mr Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore's first Prime Minister, and Dr Goh Keng Swee, Singapore's First Deputy Prime Minister. Different types of leadership, such as personal and position leadership are touched upon as the author encourages leaders to take an active role in empowering those they lead and spurring them on to excellence. Coming from a man who has helmed many distinguished organizations, Mr Lim's insights on core values essential for organizational excellence are also not to be missed. The book offers practical and down-to-earth advice for leaders in all walks of life. For leaders who genuinely care for the people they lead and hope to make a difference in their lives, this book will be a crucial guide.

About this title

About the Author:

Siong Guan LIM has been the Group President of GIC Private Limited since September 2007. GIC is the Singapore Government's investment company managing the country's foreign reserves amounting to well above USD100 billion.

Prior, Siong Guan was Chairman of the Singapore Economic Development Board from 2006 to 2009, and Head of the Singapore Civil Service from 1999 to 2005. Apart from serving as the first Principal Private Secretary to Singapore's founding Prime Minister, Mr Lee Kuan Yew, Siong Guan was the top civil servant in the Prime Minister's Office, as well as the Ministries of Defence, Education, and Finance.

Siong Guan has been instructing on leadership and change management as an Adjunct Professor in the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore since 2005, as well as governance and policy development as a Senior Fellow of the Civil Service College since 2006.

Siong Guan has chaired the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore, the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority, and the Central Provident Fund Board. He has been a board member of the Monetary Authority of Singapore, the Institute of Policy Studies, and the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies. He has also been a Director of various companies such as Temasek Holdings and DBS Bank.

Joanne H. LIM is the Founder and Creative Director of The Right PerspectiveSG, a consultancy specialising in writing, presentations, branding, strategic communications, and collateral design.

Joanne was awarded a full scholarship to pursue an undergraduate degree at Princeton University, where she was awarded the President's Prize and was elected to the Phi Beta Kappa Society for outstanding academic excellence.

After graduating from Princeton, Joanne worked at PSA International Pte Ltd (PSA), one of the world's leading port operators, where she worked closely with Senior Management on strategic projects, and honed her skills in external and internal communications and branding.

Following PSA, Joanne was awarded a merit scholarship to pursue a Masters in Wealth Management and was awarded the Portcullis Wealth Management Prize. Joanne then worked at Goldman Sachs and UBS AG, before joining the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB).

At EDB, Joanne worked with leading companies in the areas of luxury fashion and watches, furniture, and toys. She solely helmed the logo design and collateral development for a national visual arts project, Gillman Barracks.

Review:

"Everyone — regardless of profession — will benefit from reading this uniquely designed and highly original book. It is full of human insights, and it has a deep understanding of successful leadership, an appreciation of selflessness as the key to our collective future, an awareness of history's relevance to our lives and an unflinching emphasis on excellence. Siong Guan Lim is one of the most outstanding public servants in any country, and after finishing this book, you will know why." -- Senator Bill Bradley,Former U.S. Senator and a Managing Director at Allen & Co, United States of America

"The Leader, The Teacher & You is a riveting and thoughtful study on leadership based on theory, principles, and experience by a former Head of the Civil Service and one of Singapore's most successful and admired public servants, Siong Guan Lim. It should be read by every student of politics and public policy, and anyone who aspires to play a leadership role.
The book which as the author says is 'part biography, part commentary, and part exposition,' is loaded with insights into how to work with people, deal with reality, motivate an organization, achieve results, anticipate change, and ensure relevance of the organization.
For those who have long puzzled over how Singapore has been able to achieve so much with so little and in short time, it is public servants such as Siong Guan Lim who have made the partnership between the civil service and the elected politicians so fruitful.
Through his fascinating account of how he started in his first job as an engineer in the Sewerage Department, went on to be the Principal Private Secretary to Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, worked with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Dr Goh Keng Swee, and became successively Permanent Secretary of Defence, Education, and Finance, he recounts the crucial mentorship and inspiration provided by Singapore's leaders. He thoroughly examines what true leadership is all about. Lim moved on to become Chairman of Singapore's Economic Development Board and then Group President of GIC Private Limited, the wealth fund of Singapore.
I have not read such a clear analysis of the function of leadership written so succinctly and in such practical terms. It should be on the required reading list of university courses not only in Singapore, but major universities everywhere." -- Professor Chan Heng Chee, Chairman, Lee Kuan Yew Centre for Innovative Cities, Singapore University of Technology and Design, Singapore

"The Leader, The Teacher & You makes us aware that what we do is not just for ourselves, but also for future generations. It is full of a wisdom born of a vast experience and a propensity to take the long view, while remaining acutely relevant for the immediate. Siong Guan Lim is the consummate teacher and role-models the title of the book. While there are suggestions on how to skim through selectively, I would encourage readers to read the whole book to get the true gist of the thinking that has helped to make civil servants people that count in our nation." -- Mrs Belinda Charles, Dean, Academy of Principals, Singapore

"A remarkable book ... after I started reading it I simply couldn't put it down. It has great insights, is fun to read, and deserves to be widely read. It is full of practical wisdom for a wide range of people — from full time mums to business leaders. It sets out a framework for leaders based on values and culture, but also on lessons learned by having to take tough decisions. Siong Guan Lim had an outstanding career in the development of Singapore. The ability, motivation, and vision of the author and his colleagues are clearly one reason why Singapore and Lee Kuan Yew were so successful. Because of this, the book is a great insight to understanding the phenomenon of Singapore." -- Lord Griffiths of Fforestfach, Vice Chairman, Goldman Sachs International, UK

"Siong Guan Lim has led and managed at the most senior levels of the Singaporean government. Any leader would love to have him at his/her side, advising, counselling, provoking, and reminding. We cannot have him with us in person, but we do have this book that extracts the lessons that he has garnered from his many years of experience. We are fortunate that he has chosen to share his wisdom in writing.
I have used some of his wisdom in my Harvard Kennedy School course on Effective Implementation for more than ten years. It has stood the test of time. Now, with the advent of the book, I will borrow even more from him. My students and I are grateful." -- Mr Francis Hartmann, Adjunct Lecturer in Public Policy and Originator of the Kennedy School course on Effective Implementation, Harvard Kennedy School of Government, USA

"Academics often think of themselves as being like monks in a monastery, each person being responsible only for themselves and advancing their own careers. This book by Siong Guan Lim shows what real leadership can do to collectively achieve far more than can be done individually.
This book contains the lessons and reflections of an outstanding practitioner of the art of leadership. Siong Guan Lim served in many senior positions of the Singapore Civil Service with great distinction and effectiveness. The fact that he was moved repeatedly from one senior position to another is a testament to his ability. In a society dedicated to promotion on the basis of merit, he was clearly meritorious.
The book contains many important lessons and challenges based on what the author has learned and practiced himself. As he points out himself, the true testament of a leader is to look at what remains after he is gone. By that measure he did exceptionally well since the Singaporean public service and Ministry of Defence are models of efficiency and effectiveness. He points out that organizations need to change in good times and in good time so that they are not overtaken by the future. He clearly succeeded in the ones that he ran. I trust that the current leadership in these organizations will take his lessons to heart.
Relative to other books I have read on leadership, this is one of the best. It is full of practical wisdom, insights and challenges. The focus on values as critical is what I have observed in the organizations I have led. I could not put it down once I started reading it. I would put it as a must read for any leader of an organization of any size. I certainly intend to use it in my leadership challenges." -- Professor Daniel Hastings, Cecil and Ida Green Education Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics and Engineering Systems, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and Director/ Chief Executive Officer of Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and T

"This book is truly unique: it is written and packaged like the numerous self-help books on leadership with tips and challenges, but its objective is not to teach someone how to get ahead and be successful by learning leadership techniques.
At its heart is a simple and yet profound message — that to lead, one has to inspire people to aspire beyond themselves. Messages like 'at the heart of every human being is a desire for meaning and purpose in life' is a call for true values-based leadership, and a selflessness that is reflected by the book's fundamental premise: to be a good leader, one has to be a great teacher.
Through examples from his own very public record of service to the nation and written in a way that is very accessible to young people, Siong Guan Lim is himself a teacher-leader.
The one message that resonates through the book is his observation that 'time passes and people die, but principles and values are what live on.' Young Singaporeans should absorb the book's messages into their daily lives, and by so doing they will become the selfless teacher-leaders, which Siong Guan Lim is the best example of." -- Mr Ho Kwon Ping and Ms Claire Chiang, Founders, Banyan Tree Hotels and Resorts, Singapore

"We live in a wicked world. The conventional wisdom is that, in order to succeed, one has to be ruthless and unprincipled. Siong Guan Lim's extraordinary success is proof that a man with deep religious convictions and high moral principles can be a successful leader. What is Siong Guan Lim's leadership style? He is a leader with a tough mind and a warm heart, a leader who teaches and develops those who are members of his team. This is a wise and inspiring book." -- Professor Tommy Koh, Chairman, Centre for International Law, National University of Singapore, Singapore

"As a life-long student of philosophy, I have been struck how scarce wisdom is in our world, even though it has been revered throughout the ages. This is why Siong Guan Lim's book is special. It is probably one of the wisest books I have read about the Singapore experience. At the same time, its principles have universal applicability. Hence, I have no doubt that every reader will benefit from reading it. And the world will become a better place if his wise insights are universally applied." -- Professor Kishore Mahbubani, Dean of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore, and author of The Great Convergence: Asia, the West, and the Logic of One World Singapore

"Siong Guan Lim's book is a fascinating and uplifting read. He evolves an original exposition on the many facets of leadership from his more than 30 years of distinguished public service to Singapore. I recommend it as essential reading for managers be they placed in the private or public sector. Of greatest relevance to me personally was 'Part I: The Teacher' culminating in the chapter on 'Culture and Values' — valuable for those of us leading organizational change and development. Siong Guan's conviction that today's challenges demand values-driven solutions resonates sharply and persuasively. This book is organized to lovingly teach you how to lead yourself and your people to be the best that everyone can be." -- Mr Philip Ng, Chief Executive Officer, Far East Organization, and Chairman of the Singapore University of Technology and Design Board of Trustees, Singapore

"An extensive collection of great quotations and life principles by Siong Guan Lim has provided me with personal inspiration and valuable professional insights as a CEO of a company whose continued success depends on its people. As every principle is intelligently articulated, reading this book will surely motivate and encourage all leaders." -- Mr Takeshi Niinami, Chief Executive Officer of Lawson, Inc, Japan

About this edition

• Publisher: Imperial College Press
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 1783263776
• ISBN 13: 9781783263776
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 304