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Executives are an important variation on this theme: they have a broader understanding of the company's business and its context, but at the expense of some depth. In other words, their wingspans are wider and their tails are shorter. This lateral thinking allows them to help businesses anticipate the unexpected, spread ideas, and share resources to achieve scale. Becoming a generalist with some depth is not easy. Executives in Southeast Asia need to understand that the region's economic systems range from socialism to capitalism, and political ideologies range from absolute monarchies to liberal democracies. To understand the challenge, consider this.
A bridge connects the island nation of Singapore to its nearest neighbor, Malaysia, but the two countries have very different national and business cultures. Executives also need to understand each sector’s capabilities and talent base, as well as each sector’s potential to contribute to the national development agenda. Therefore, they must periodically rebalance the abilities and knowledge they must possess with those that can be left to experts. They have more say than do, a term former GE Vice Chairman and Job Function Email List President John Rice often uses to mean that they are good at following through and getting things done. This characterization is not a cliché: As generalists, executives must work internally and externally with professionals who have substantial expertise in specific areas, and since many experts distrust generalists.
This relationship is often fraught with suspicion. Executives network by being willing to talk to anyone with expertise, regardless of the title on their business card. This is a big deal in ASEAN because local organizations often have strict hierarchies. To gain the expert's trust, they listen carefully to understand what the expert thinks is important. In response, they make only commitments consistent with resource constraints. This means that they prioritize what is possible.
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