How to identify people with strategic thinking?

FROM A BUSINESS ASSOCIATE:

Hi Kin Lian,

History has thought us that as leader of a Strategic Business Unit, we do recognize that there are basically two types of employee we need to run a business and to leap forward successfully; one that is doer and one that contribute strategic or creative ideas when needed.

The first type is most easily found in today’s world, but the latter type is almost hard to find. But we need them especially so when we are living in such a competitive environment. Not all leaders are creative.

In your many years of leading NTUC Income, I am sure many of the creative ideas were generated which have brought NTUC Income to such great success.

How do you go about sourcing for such type of employees who can contribute to strategies and great ideas? What criteria you would place upon to sieve out such people? Where do you normally source from ?

I found that if the existing employees do not possess such competency, many hours of brainstorming would not yield results. What is your opinion ?

SK

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Dear SK

Here are my views about creating an environment for creative and strategic thinking colleagues to come forward.

- strategic thinking is a process
- we have to try it and see if it works
- if it does not work, it is just theory
- the leader must be prepared to back the strategic thinking

I have to play this role in NTUC Income. I encourage my colleagues to think "out of the box". I encourage them to "do, learn, adapt". What is strategic happens only if it is tried and found to work. If it does not work, we try again.

My colleagues love this approach. So, we do have some great creative things that are done in NTUC Income, which contribute to our success.

I hope that these points are useful to you.

Tan Kin Lian