In June this year, over 450 executives representing more than 40 nationalities and 18 industries converged in Lausanne, Switzerland to experience IMD’s signature Orchestrating Winning Performance (OWP) program. For nearly three decades, OWP has served as a forum for global executives looking to take a step back and reflect on business and economic trends as well as changing leadership paradigms. With OWP Singapore set to take place in November this year, here are the takeaways of five leaders who were at Lausanne in June.
Future-forward, yet immediately applicable insights
“I’ve enjoyed the breadth and depth of the topics. I found it hard to choose (which sessions to attend), and I have found that they’ve all been very future-focused, and definitely pushed my thinking. At the same time, I feel like I have some quality tools and frameworks that I can apply right now back at work,” said Claire Carroll, Chief People Officer at Fletcher Building, a major construction and infrastructure company with a strong commitment to sustainability operating in New Zealand, Australia, and the South Pacific.
Carroll especially loved the variety in the sessions. “Some of them were case studies, some were discussions, but there was one experience I really enjoyed. The keynote speaker discussed exploring business through music, and, through a classical string quartet and jazz band, showed the similarities and differences and how they could come together. It was a refreshing reminder of the different roles in a team, and how chaos can be good but also go off track. It’s made me reflect on my own leadership as well.”
A unique networking experience that brings the world to you
“Refreshing our leadership skills is mandatory,” said Merisa Darwis, Operations Director at Bank BTPN, a leading privately-owned bank in Indonesia and part of the SMBC Group. To do that, it is critical to broaden our perspective. “With several hundred people here, it’s a great opportunity to get to know the participants and trainers and hear their views and experiences,” she said.
“The sessions are run by very knowledgeable professors as well as business leaders, who bring real-life examples and practical learning points to us. Content-wise, this program is unique as it doesn’t just explore the theoretical left-brain aspects, but also focuses on you as a human being, as a leader, and how to balance between mind, soul, and body.”
It’s like having your own advisory board
Manpong Senanarong, Senior Executive Vice President and Head of the Issuer & Listing Division at the Stock Exchange of Thailand, found his first OWP experience illuminating. “Sometimes, with more seniority in an organization, it might be difficult to find people to talk to and get advice from. Most of the OWP sessions are structured as discussions rather than lectures, prompting many ideas and further thinking,” he said.
“While much of what I’ve learned is already being done at our organization, some of the sessions have brought to light how I can improve our strategy and action plans when I’m back, especially when it comes to digitalization, which has no set formula. The sessions act more like an advisory board than an academic class for me.”
Breaking down hierarchy and learning as a team
While many participants attend OWP as individual participants, some organizations send handpicked teams to make the most out of the over 30 sessions in the five-day program. For Kenta Teramoto, a Vice President at the Development Bank of Japan (DBJ), and Yuka Tatsuzawa, an Associate, OWP has been a valuable experience that enabled them to see DBJ objectively and think outside the box as a team.
“If I had joined this program as an individual, I would reflect only on myself and what I learned. But coming as a team, we get to discuss our takeaways for the day together, which spurs creativity and helps us see how we can apply the learnings to our company, which brings us to the next level,” said Teramoto.
“We’re able to step back from daily work and have discussions freely, in a flat feeling. It makes us more innovative,” added Tatsuzawa. “Beyond building relationships within our team, meeting so many people from different backgrounds helps to broaden our perspective and enable us to think outside the box. Living and working in Japan, this is a rare and valuable experience.”
Keen to experience OWP and bring your leadership abilities to the next level? The next session runs from 20-24 November in Singapore. To learn more or register, visit https://www.imd.org/owp/sessions/singapore-2023/
