3 Characteristics of People-Centric Leaders — Lessons from the CTO of Microsoft Singapore
Edited by Jacob Yeo
Going into a 1h Fireside Chat with the CTO of Microsoft Singapore, I was admittedly nervous. It is not every day that I get to meet the CTO of a large multinational company (MNC).
My last conversation with Richard took place in May via an online call. Despite connecting with him through a competitor’s platform, I did recall the session being very informal. Richard’s humility and charismatic charm put me at ease instantly, and thankfully so during our Fireside Chat.
Held about a month ago, the exclusive virtual session was about discovering what it is like to lead an MNC at the forefront of technological innovation. It was originally planned to be conducted in-person but alas, COVID happened (Thank you, KTV-goers). Thankfully, despite the Phase 2 (Heightened Alert) restrictions, we managed to glean valuable insights (Yes, we used Microsoft Teams this time 🙂) from Richard, as a well-established leader at one of the top tech companies in Singapore.
Before we go on…
I should stress that this article, along with our Instagram post, serves to showcase the highlights of this session coupled with some personal insights. It is by no means a representative summary of the hour-long session. Additionally, all opinions expressed are my own.
What do you think are the skills and values that are crucial to being a good CTO, or leader in an MNC?
“What are you a leader of? You are mostly, if not all the time, a leader of people, regardless of whatever area you’re in. You will always be interacting with people, so bear in mind the leadership qualities you want to see in them.”
There is a concept called Management By Wandering Around (MBWA), involving proactive engagement with one’s team members by observing and actively communicating with them. However, these days, MBWA is becoming increasingly difficult, and almost impossible to implement, as work from home (WFH) remains the default for most companies. With the ever-increasing popularity of digital team management tools (GatherTown, Gatheround) and games (Garter.io, Skribbl.io), it is clear that managing remote teams is a real challenge.
Remote or physical, one will do well if they abide by some time-tested philosophies, “Think of yourself as an athlete coach bringing out the best in your athletes.”
Want a more specific example? Well, Richard shares that Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft, holds a monthly employee townhall together with his leadership team to address questions from employees all around the world — tackling real-world topics and issues such as racial injustice, climate change, etc.
“In Singapore, we stay close to our colleagues and keep each other informed on real-world challenges that we address among our customers and partners during quarterly all-hands sessions and annual kick-off events. We also regularly engage in diversity and inclusion and well-being activities as part of our wider commitment to building allyship in the workplace,” noted Richard.
Being a leader is about bringing out the best in your people.
What qualities do you look out for in deciding who to nurture as management talent?
Richard begins by sharing about the questions he likes to ask during an interview.
“How many trees do you think there are in Singapore?” Ever found yourself messing up so badly that you cannot help but laugh at your own predicament? I may not have been in an interview then but that was exactly how I felt.
Richard had a point that day though. “I like to give a mental test to see whether a person is able to use his or her intellectual horsepower to solve complex problems. I will see the person’s facial expression to determine how the person would approach a seemingly challenging question to have a precise answer.”
Is this harsh? Maybe, but it is certainly important. When it comes to solving highly complex, real-world problems, you will always be plagued with uncertainty, something which can never be taught within the confines of a classroom. What matters more than academic ability is for us to be able to think “very differently and expansively outside the norms of conventional problem solving”.
“Be more curious and question the things that have been done for 20 to 30 years. Does it make sense for us to continue doing this?”
Think critically, understand why things were done previously and seek to improve them according to your current context.
In the tech world, developments move fast. How can large organisations keep abreast of technological changes and ensure that their software/digital tools remain relevant?
Similar to this Mothership article, Richard shared with us about the importance of having a growth mindset.
I was confused when I first heard his answer. Did he hear my question correctly? What has staying relevant as an MNC got to do with having a growth mindset? I expected a deeper sharing on company best practices, shaping company culture, or fostering an entrepreneurial mentality.
However, Richard reminded us that the focus for every company should first be on its people. While it is important for a company to have favourable policies and a conducive environment for experimentation, the drive to continually learn and improve is arguably a necessity. Start-ups do not become successful because of trendy workplaces, sleeping pods and a game room within the four corners of their office. They become successful because of the team’s hunger to exact the change they want to see and empowering others to do the same.
“Have a growth mindset for almost everything. It’s often common to pigeon-hole job titles into certain categories due to our fight or flight mentality.” In other words, we tend to dismiss things that are not under our job scope too quickly instead of taking the initiative to learn more.
“It is not as simple as looking at the landscape and adjusting accordingly. Try imagining a colour you have never seen before. You cannot. It is the same with technological innovations. There is no way to build new relevant technology from our own set of experiences alone.”
How does one develop a growth mindset then?
Well, there are multiple online sources to help you with that! For starters, you may check out this article from Forbes, this article from Microsoft or this video from TED Talks (highly recommended).
After being equipped with a growth mindset, it is important to foster the same mentality within your team.
There is a Japanese proverb that exemplifies the value of an insightful conversation, “Better than a thousand days of diligent study is one day with a great teacher.”
Having had more than 10 sharing sessions with professionals ranging from Tech to Healthcare and even professional counselling for drug addicts, I fully concur with it. To take things a step further though, “Better than a day with a great teacher is one day reflecting on the experience gained.” Amidst the hustle of life and the abundance of information so readily available online, we may find ourselves having less time for ourselves. However, this is precisely why we need to consciously pause and take a moment to internalise our own lived experiences.
There were plenty more invaluable insights shared during our session, including perspectives on future technological trends, how Microsoft hopes to embrace this, tips on joining a Tech company, personal experiences, book recommendations and so on. If you are interested to learn more and be a part of our exclusive Fireside Chats, do consider joining our close-knit community of passionate Learners and Sharers here.
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