PURPOSE & IMPACT

Month: January 2025

What Siemens President & CEO, Roland Busch, said about Key Leadership Qualities in the Intelligence Age

When a leader of a large, successful enterprise like Siemens shares perspectives, it’s valuable to listen, reflect and act. This is the gist of how Siemens President and CEO Roland Busch responded to the question, “What leadership qualities are most critical in the Intelligence age?”, during a LinkedIn event, from Davos on January 23, 2025.
Coincidentally, I was discussing Growth Mindset and Psychological safety during a session with a group of experienced managers on the same day.

1. Growth Mindset – Constant learning, trying new things, keep on going even after failing, learning from mistakes. (Belief that everyone can learn and push the limits).
2. Collaborative spirit, build a network, especially important while working in a virtual world.
3. Empathy, with strong communication skills to communicate, connect with people.
4. Especially in management, Empower people. Let them do what they are good at, and that goes together with Accountability.
Last but not least, having a solid set of values.

Couple of additional notes:
* He also said in his experience, diverse teams deliver better results than those that are homogeneous.
* Also, emphasised the importance of staying curious, open.

From the Siemens website:
Siemens Limited is a technology company focused on industry, infrastructure, digital transformation, transport as well as transmission and generation of electrical power. Globally, Siemens employs 312,000 people. It had a revenue of EUR 75.9 billion in fiscal 2024.
Siemens’ long-term commitment in India began in 1867, when the company’s founder Werner von Siemens personally supervised the setting up of the first telegraph line between London and Calcutta. Today, Siemens has a strong manufacturing footprint across the country, various Centres of Competence and R&D centres as well as a nationwide sales and service network.

The Potential Impact of China’s New AI Model, DeepSeek 

If you have seen the news about DeepSeek in recent days (including rattled financial markets) and are wondering what the noise is all about, why this is disruptive, important and relevant, this video below from CNBC is a helpful watch. It includes an interesting interview with Perplexity CEO, Aravind Srinivas, with pertinent questions and inputs (from early Jan ’25).

In this week’s Business Standard, an article stated that “DeepSeek has become the most downloaded app on Apple App Store in India across all categories, according to data from Sensor Tower… It was released worldwide on January 10, with an update on January 27…
DeepSeek is the most downloaded app on Apple Store in the US… On Play Store, it is the second most downloaded app…
However, in countries like the UK, Australia, Singapore and Canada, it already hit the number one spot amongst all apps on January 28. But it has not made a similar domination in most European countries.”

This development seems to have taken most experts by surprise. The achievement, speed, budget, resources and context of all this could be a valuable case study in itself. Some countries are already thinking/concerned about the security and ethical aspects as well.

Emotional Maturity In Leaders

There is a 2011 HBR article with the title, “We Need More Mature Leaders”.

It definitely seems to feel that way while seeing many news articles and discussions nowadays.

While we can say a lot about mature leaders, how do we observe immature leaders/leadership? Here are some notes from “Understanding Leadership Maturity (John Mattone Blog, July 2024)”. The list is not comprehensive, there are surely many more. This also indicates where getting leadership coaching early could be helpful.

“Recognizing the signs of immature leadership is crucial for addressing and correcting these behaviors before they lead to significant negative outcomes.

Immature leaders are often emotionally reactive and have poor interpersonal skills, which can harm their teams and organizations.

If a leader does not possess maturity, the below signs may show:
* The impression that they simply do not care about the opinions or feedback of other colleagues.
* Refusal to listen to others and remaining stuck in their own ways.
* Constantly interrupting others without allowing them to speak about new ideas or feedback.
* Leaning on emotions, rather than facts, during challenges or obstacles within the workplace.
* Not paying attention to how they come off to others and how this impacts them.
* Using unclear messaging and communication creates confusion within the workplace, which could lead to conflict and mistakes.”


Some leaders don’t realise they need help and drive ahead, blissfully unaware. Others know but don’t care or use excuses, regarding why they can’t change but are still great/successful (while their teams suffer). There is much hope for the category of leaders (and their organisations) who are self-aware, identify the leadership behavioural gaps within themselves and work on getting better.

Archetypes of Transformational Leadership – Much Needed Discussion

I found the article, “The Four Archetypes of Transformational Leadership” to be thought provoking and reflective.

Here’re some notes that strongly resonated with me:

As we step into 2025, the need for transformational leadership has never been greater. The world is more connected digitally but more disconnected emotionally.

The world doesn’t need more productivity hacks or complex frameworks – it needs more connection, gratitude and inspired leadership.

These archetypes are not traits you have to be born with; they are small practices/habits that can be developed by anyone who aspires to lead with impact.

1. The Reflective Listener – Great leaders listen deeply. Reflective listening is about absorbing words and emotions without the urge to respond, interrupt or redirect the conversation. It’s about truly creating space for others to share fully, knowing that the act of being heard is transformative in itself.

2. The Insight Seeker – Leadership is about asking the right questions. Insight seekers use thoughtful inquiry to unlock the unsaid, uncover hidden opportunities, and guide others toward clarity and solutions. It’s not about showcasing your knowledge; it’s about unlocking the wisdom in the room.

3. The Connector – Connectors understand that relationships, not transactions drive long-term success. It’s not just about knowing people; it’s about bringing the right people together.

4. The Strategic Empath – Empathy is powerful because it aligns action with insight. Empathy doesn’t mean avoiding conflict; it means addressing it with care and clarity, and focusing on outcomes.

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Source: The Four Archetypes of Transformational Leadership, RollingStone, Chris Schembra, January 10, 2025

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