THE CATALYTIC LEADER

BY BERNARD LEE

When positioning is intentional, pandering is unnecessary. The Catalytic Leader’s intentional positioning creates opportunities for others - they don’t wait for things to happen; they make things happen. Pandering however, has the opposite effect - to “go with the flow” and the “flavour of the month” is the agenda. Often it is camouflaged as being flexible and not rigid. But don’t be fooled! Do it long enough, and others will see you’re not intentional but merely seeking to please people around you.

Do You Have What It Takes to be a Catalytic Leader?

The Purposeful Leader is someone who is secure and confident in who they are, competent with a servant-heart in what they do; and acts as a catalyst to spur others into future possibilities. We continue our Purposeful Leadership Series where the Confident Leader implements, the Competent Leader influences, the Compelling Leader inspires and the Catalytic Leader impels.

The Catalytic Leader is like a rocket launcher that impels (thrusts) people into a forward motion. But unlike a “bazooka” or “RPG”, the Catalytic Leader does not bring destruction nor destitute. Instead, the Catalytic Leader launches others into greatness, immersed in multiple possibilities. They thrust people through strategic positioning, tenacious propelling, and intentional praising.

1. Strategic Positioning

Badminton legends Rudy Hartono, Yang Yang and Lee Chong Wei, will tell you it’s all about positioning. If you can position yourself well, you have a much better chance of hitting the shuttle well. The Catalytic Leader positions themselves and others so when the opportunity presents itself, they are ready.

Strategic positioning is non-circumstantial. While there may be different scenarios and permutation of possibilities, the positioning is intentional. The Catalytic Leader positions themselves with the intention to give, instead of to get. How can I make time in my week / month / year, so that I can position myself to invest / help / develop / encourage someone. If my schedule is constantly packed to the brim, I can only make room for others when something is cancelledthat’s circumstantial and not intentional.

Strategic positioning creates opportunities, not opposition. Comedian Michael Jr. explains how comedy works. Comedians tell a story that leads the audience in a certain direction; then all of a sudden, there would be a shift in the story; the audience would react to it and the element of (pleasant) surprise is expressed through bursts of laughter. He calls this the “setup” and the “punchline”. Without the setup (story), there can’t be a punchline (laughter). Likewise, Catalytic Leaders are the driving force behind the setup (opportunities). Many times, we forget the importance of the “setup” and we’re so engrossed in the “punchline”. But together with being intentional and noncircumstantial, Catalytic Leaders create opportunities (setup) that enable people to thrive and celebrate the “punchline”.

2. Tenacious Propelling

The Catalytic Leader is constantly propelling others to greatness. They see the (hidden) potential, draws the best out of people and propels them forward. In doing so, Catalytic Leaders build confidence in others. They remove ambiguity and inferiority complex by bringing clarity and boldness.

When Catalytic Leaders propel others, it is enabling and not stifling. Because they are also Confident Leaders, they are secure in who they are and unafraid to create platforms for others to succeed. They are like the ground that provides good soil for the mustard seed to grow into a giant tree.

The confidence injected is not one of false confidence or what I’d like to call “empty confidence”. False / “empty” confidence is found to be self-believing, self-motivational and self-enabling. Yes, I believe self-confidence is important. But a Catalytic Leader doesn’t stop there. “A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way and shows the way” - John Maxwell. Therefore, the Catalytic Leader is one who propels others into a journey they have once travelled. It may not be exactly the same, but it has enough characteristics and elements for them to say, “trust (have confidence in) me, I’ve walked down this path - follow me”.

Sometime around August 2005 (I think), I was part of a team that ran a 4-day Leadership Workshop for a global FMCG company in Jakarta. It was one of the cohorts for the top 100 leaders in the company. After being on the road for over an hour, we finally arrived at the workshop venue. The setup for the evening was fairly straightforward and we went through our roles for the workshop. Yours truly was a young junior consultant, tasked mainly to do setup and observation.

The next morning, we welcomed participants and the workshop got off to a good start. Midway through, my colleague, the workshop leader, stepped up and said to me, “Bernard, I would like you to step into the centre and take the participants through the next slide”. Time stood still for me as I was left in a daze. “You want me to speak? But who am I?”. I felt inadequate, insecure, and incompetent - even though I had some knowledge of the topic. I can’t recall what my colleague said after that, but it was along the lines of “It’s ok, I’m here if you need me”. While I may not have remembered his exact words, I remembered how he made me feel - secure, safe, and self-assured. He gave me courage to do the unthinkable. He propelled me forward!

3. Intentional Praising

Ken Blanchard often speaks about praise. In the One Minute Manager, Ken tells leaders to find one thing the people are doing right. Give them praise for that one thing and encourage them to do more.

Through intentional praising, Catalytic Leaders encourage others to reflect on their actions. By being specific in their praise, they offer authentic feedback that expresses genuine observation and affirmation. This type of praise becomes an encouragement to the recipient and inspires (and excites) them to do better!

Intentional authentic praise can bring encouragement and all of us can do with some encouragement! Simply put, to encourage is to give courage to others. They think they can do it, but the added encouragement gives them courage to make the attempt to do it.

Intentional, authentic encouraging and praise empower. Empowerment is about wanting to do something based on your convictions. Not because you are told or you have to do it, but because you want to do it. Empowering is about enabling - the key is in the enablement and not the doing. The choice of doing something (actions) comes from your purpose. Empowerment enables you to make that choice.

The Catalytic Leader offers intentional praise that is authentic, and it encourages and empowers others to pursue actions that are aligned to their purpose. When that happens, you have highly engaged leaders who are passionate about what they do, why they are doing it and who they are doing it for. This unleashes limitless possibilities. Hubert Joly (Best Buy) calls this - The Human Magic.

The Catalytic Leader launches others to greatness. Through strategic positioning, tenacious propelling, and intentional praising; leaders have the thrust and propulsion to create a forward momentum. This rippling effect is felt and experienced; and together it gives rise to a sense of renewed leadership.

Be the Catalytic Leader!

Bernard Lee

Bernard is the Founder of Invigorate Consulting, a firm seeking to connect people and organisations to their purpose. He has over 20 years of management consulting and corporate experience with global organisations. He is also a seasoned facilitator. He enjoys travelling and is excited about the second half of life.

THE WORLD’S POPULATION REACHED 8 BILLION ON 15 NOVEMBER: HERE ARE 5 THING S MALAYSIANS NEED TO KNOW

BY LEADERONOMICS EDITORIAL

According to the latest UN data, the Malaysian population is an estimated 33,347,887 (33.3 million) as of Wednesday, November 16, 2022, equivalent to 0.42% of the total world population. This represents a significant increase from 32.7 million in 2021 and 27.5 million in 2010. With a forecasted annual growth rate of 1.2%, this population is expected to increase even further by 2025[4] .

This population increase inevitably results in bigger problems in the future.

#1: More People Means More Pollution

The Planet Suffers Significant Impact from Climate Change and Nature Loss From Human Activities

“ This year’s World Population Day falls during a milestone year when we anticipate the birth of the Earth’s eighth billion inhabitants. This is an occasion to celebrate our diversity, recognise our common humanity, and marvel at advancements in health that have extended lifespans and dramatically reduced maternal and child mortality rates. – António Guterres, UN SecretaryGeneral [1] ”

As of November 15th this year, the world population reached 8 billion. This signifies the major improvements we’ve made in health care that have lowered the risk of death and increased life expectancy[2] .

However, it also serves as a reminder that we are living in crucial times as the planet is adapting to the increase in human life. Climate change and nature loss caused by human activities – from the food that people eat to the fossil fuels burned for energy – are having an increasingly significant impact on the planet[3]

Image source

Climate change is one of the biggest environmental challenges faced by the world today. And understanding population growth trends is a crucial part of understanding and confronting this crisis.

“ Every additional person increases carbon emissions – the rich far more than the poor. It also increases the number of climate change victims – the poor far more than the rich.

– Population Matters”

Greenhouse gas emissions are strongly linked with population growth; as the world population grows, so does its consumption of resources such as fossil fuels which in turn leads to increases in the emission of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane[5]. Indeed, human activities are estimated to add bout 11 billion metric tonnes of carbon into the atmosphere each year[6] .

According to a 2020 research evaluating 44 countries, emissions arising as a result of population growth wiped out two-thirds of the reduction in emissions arising from greater energy efficiency between 1990 and 2019[7] .

A larger population does not necessarily mean more greenhouse emissions per person. The US, for example, represents just over 4% of the global population but accounts for 17% of the world’s energy use, with their per-person carbon emissions among the highest in the world[5]. In 2019, the US’s carbon emissions were estimated at 14.7 metric tonnes per capita, far lower than in past years but still too high for comfort.

This is a problem for Malaysia which has been moving forwards with a zero-carbon emission plan. The World Bank data shows that Malaysia’s carbon emissions have risen to 253,270.00 kT in 2019 coinciding with the country’s population being at 32,804,020 in the same year. And yet, it has a far lower carbon emission than the US, estimated at 7.9 metric tonnes per capita.

For the average Malaysian, a changing climate will result in more erratic weather that can lead to one of two things:

▶ Heavier rainfall, especially during the monsoon season that will lead to greater and more destructive floods, or

▶ Longer and hotter heatwaves that may result in droughts leading to water shortages and cut-offs, something that is especially devastating for the people of Kedah who are already dealing with water shortages on a near-daily basis.

#2: The Need For Space Will Destroy Our Forests

With an increasing population comes a greater need for food and living space, inevitably resulting in the destruction of natural environments such as our forests. Nearly two-thirds of global forest cover loss occurs mainly in the tropics and subtropics (including Malaysia), and already we have lost over 43 million hectares, an area roughly the size of Morocco, between 2004-2017[8]

“ This growth, in concert with rising per-capita consumption, will require large increases in food and biofuel production. – William F. Laurance, Jeffrey Sayer, and Kenneth Cassman, Trends in Ecology & Evolution[9] ”

Malaysia is already struggling with a deforestation problem, with the country having a deforestation rate of 14.4% between 2000-2012, one of the highest at the time[10] .

Between 2002 and 2021, the greater Ulu Muda landscape lost 82.8 square kilometres (32 square miles) of humid primary forest, according to satellite data collated by the University of Maryland (UMD) and visualised on Global Forest Watch[11]

“ Tropical ecosystems are crucial for global biodiversity and provide vital ecosystem services, but are facing unprecedented pressures. The already massive global footprint of agriculture is expanding rapidly, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa and South America. Its impacts on terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems will be intense and increasingly pervasive. – William F. Laurance, Jeffrey Sayer, and Kenneth Cassman, Trends in Ecology & Evolution[9] ”

Besides biodiversity loss and adverse changes to our soil and water cycles, the loss of forest cover will also reduce the Earth’s ability to withstand climate change, and cutting down or burning forests will release their stored carbon, adding more to the climate crisis. According to Global Forest Watch Climate, the estimated annual gross carbon dioxide emissions from tree cover loss in tropical countries averaged 4.8 gigatons per year between 2015 and 2017. Put another way, tropical tree cover loss is now causing more emissions every year than 85 million cars would over their entire lifetime[12]

Malaysia prides itself on its natural heritage, and it serves as a major source of tourism income for the country. To see our forests being torn down is to see part of our heritage being destroyed.

Can

you imagine Cameron Highlands bald and hot?

Unfortunately, it is already happening

#3: Food Insecurity May Become A Problem

country or elsewhere drops off due to climate change, it will certainly make it more difficult for us to get staple foods like rice and vegetables as a result of shortages or price hikes. They may even end up consuming more processed foods just to survive.

#4: We Are Producing More Garbage

Image source

According to Urban Hijau, Malaysia is considered to be a food insecure country and its reliance on food imports to meet domestic needs puts it in a very precarious position as disruptions in food supply chains from neighbouring countries such as Thailand and Indonesia can potentially lead to high food price spikes in the future.

“ We are 30% short. So, for example, when the Vietnamese government announced that they were freezing exports of rice, we were badly affected because we import a lot of rice from them. – Barjoyai Bardai, economist[13] ”

Our increasing population will only put more stress on our agricultural sector. Despite having over 700,000 hectares of agricultural land[13], we dedicate much of it to the growing of cash crops such as palm oil, rubber and cacao, with the cultivation of food crops such as fruits and vegetables not being as common[14]

“ Currently, we import over RM55 billion worth of food every year, while we export roughly RM33 billion. We could reduce exports, and use them to substitute imports. – Barjoyai Bardai, economist[13] ”

A country’s ability to feed itself depends on three factors: availability of arable land, accessible water and population pressures. The more people there are, especially in poor countries with limited amounts of land and water, the fewer resources there are to meet basic needs. If basic needs cannot be met, development stalls and economies begin to unravel[15] Food is a basic need for us, are for those in the Bottom 40% (B40), it can be especially expensive to afford enough to feed themselves and their families. If food production in our

Source

Besides greenhouse gases, another environmental problem that will increase in conjunction with growing populations is solid waste; in 2020, the world was estimated to generate 2.24 billion tonnes of solid waste, amounting to a footprint of 0.79 kilograms per person per day. With rapid population growth and urbanisation, annual waste generation is expected to increase by 73% from 2020 levels to 3.88 billion tonnes in 2050[16] .

“ The life expectancy of a landfill is about 20 to 25 years, depending on how much area it takes up. But a big part of such sites will be full or unusable within two to three years due to the rising amount of waste.

– Housing and Local Government Ministry[17]”

Malaysians generate about 38,699 tonnes of solid waste every day – at least 1.17kg per person[17]. A 2019 study commissioned by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) reports that Malaysia has an annual per capita plastic use of 16.78 kg per person, much higher than China, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam [18]

Most of this waste usually ends up in landfills where it can cause all manner of environmental problems; furthermore, we only have so much space to construct additional landfills, leading to the burning of such waste which has its own issues[17] .

We are all too familiar with the problem of littering and improper disposal of our garbage. And greater exposure to this waste will have a severe negative impact on our health. Already we have to deal with the problem of discarded plastic containers harbouring mosquito breeding grounds[19]. But now we will have to worry about consuming microplastics in our fish and seafood[19] and breathing in toxic fumes from burning plastic and e-waste

“ The impact of plastics on vulnerable populations goes well beyond inefficient and sometimes nonexisting waste management systems. It starts with issues related to oil extraction, through toxic environments and greenhouse gas emissions, and it even impacts water distribution policies. – Juliano Calil, a senior research fellow at the Centre for the Blue Economy[20]”

#5: Malaysia Has An Aging Population

It is estimated that by 2050, the world’s population of people aged 60 years and older will double (2.1 billion). The number of persons aged 80 years or older is expected to triple between 2020 and 2050 to reach 426 million [21] .

While this shift in the distribution of a country’s population towards older ages – known as population ageing which started in high-income countries (for example in Japan, 30% of the population is already over 60 years old), it is now low- and middle-income countries that are experiencing the greatest change. By 2050, two-thirds of the world’s population over 60 will live in low and middle-income countries including Malaysia [21] .

A 2022 report by the Department of Statistics states that Malaysia is currently becoming an ageing population. According to the report, the composition of the population aged 0-14 years (young age) in 2022 decreased to 23.2% as compared to 23.6% in 2021. Meanwhile, the composition of the population aged 15-64 years (working age) increased from 69.4% in 2021 to 69.5% in 2022.

“ The number of people over 65 years in Malaysia is projected to triple from two million today to over six million by 2040. Members of the community aged 80 and above are projected to increase from 0.3 million to nearly 1.4 million by 2040. – Datuk

Vincent

Lim, president of Concept, Innovation and Strategy (C.I.S.) Network Sdn Bhd[22] ”

While certainly a good indicator of how much better our healthcare has become, with people leading much longer lives, an ageing population also brings with it multiple challenges. Are the elderly receiving a comfortable level of living? Are they emotionally stable enough to overcome anxiety and feelings of neglect, loneliness and rejection? Are their pensions capable of covering the rising costs of food and other necessities?

What about those without pensions? Many depend on their EPF (Employees’ Provident Fund) savings, and according to reports, about 50% of those who contribute to EPF do not have enough savings to last for their remaining years [23]

Besides the obvious challenges of providing adequate care to a growing elderly population, there is also the threat of a shrinking workforce.

Already, Malaysia’s agricultural sector is suffering from an ageing workforce, with around 26% of its agricultural workers aged 50 years old or above in 2018 [24]. While much of the younger population finds greener pastures elsewhere, there comes the problem of whether to allow the ageing workers to continue with their jobs, fund projects to attract younger prospects or hire migrant workers.

This article was first published on Wiki Impact. To read more environment/impact related articles and/or inspirational stories of changemakers, real life stories, please visit Wiki Impact.

This article is also available in Chinese and Malay

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Leaderonomics Editorial

This article is published by the editors of Leaderonomics.com with the consent of the guest author.

The war against climate change is a concerted effort that needs everyone to join in to ensure a sustainable future for all. Sarawak too needs to play an active role and quickly, as the alternative endangers the well-being of everyone on the planet. Delayed action will trigger the impacts of climate change so catastrophic that our world will become unrecognizable.

In this regard, Sarawak’s initiative in Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) aims to support Green Energy businesses in line with the Global Financial movement towards Environmental, Social, and Governance framework”

He added that CCS is beginning to prove itself as a commercially viable solution that has the potential to be used for making of hydrogen, blue ammonia, biofuels and other products, thereby providing a sustained platform in Sarawak, apart from the generation of carbon credits.

The Right Honorable Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri (Dr) Abang Haji Abdul Rahman Zohari

Bin Tun Datuk Abang Haji Openg, Premier of Sarawak

12 December 2022

BY LEE NALLALINGHAM

Take Back Control of Your Life

There is no such thing as work life balance anymore. It is dead. The smart phone killed it. In a world where we are constantly plugged in to the system, it is not feasible to compartmentalise our lives in the hope of achieving work life balance. It had a good run, and back in the day, when you left your office and there was no way for your employer, or a customer or a client to contact you, it had its place. But it is gone, and it is not coming back. The time has come to embrace work life integration.

No more compartmentalising

The biggest difference between work life balance and work like integration is that with work life integration, you no longer compartmentalise different parts of your life. The 9-5 working model was created during the industrial revolution. To stop employees being overworked in factories the British government decided that a person needed 8 hours to sleep, 8 hours to work and 8 hours to spend with family and friends. That approach was then rolled out globally and its universally used today.

In work life integration, there is no need to have such strict compartmentalisation as everything is interchangeable. If you need to do 8 hours of work, this does not need to be done in a single eight-hour block. Instead, you might choose to spend an hour clearing emails at 7am. Then spend 8-10am having breakfast with the family and dropping the kids off at school. Work from 10-12 before going to the gym and then having lunch between 12-2. Then doing 3 more hours work 2-5pm, spending time with the kids to help them with homework and having dinner with the family 5-7pm and then finishing off any work from 7-9pm. By breaking down your day and not compartmentalising, you manage to achieve a lot more than you would do if you only focused on work from 9-5.

Focus on productivity

The other benefit of work life integration is that it gives you the flexibility of being truly productive. There is a difference between filling your diary with tasks to keep you busy for the 8 hours you are in the office and actually doing meaningful work. By embracing work life integration, you are able to scale up, or scale down your day, depending on your diary. For example, there are going to be busy periods where you have an urgent project or deadline and you may need to work 10 or even 12+ hours a day. But there are also going to be slow periods, where if we are honest, you probably only need to work 4 or 5 hours a day. Work life integration allows you the flexibility to do what is required, without arbitrarily sitting at your desk for an extra 3 hours pretending to be busy.

Mental Health

Finally, work life integration is essential if you want to improve your mental health situation. Waking up at 6am, trying to find the energy to go to the gym before work, getting stuck in traffic on the way into the office and worrying about being late is not a great way to start the day. Spending 8 hours stuck at a desk and then rushing home to make dinner with the family and just when you are about to unwind for the first time that day, you get an urgent email that you have to respond to that keeps you busy until you go to bed is not healthy. It is why so many people feel stressed and overworked. Work life integration is the answer to all of this, it gives you back control and helps you create a sense of harmony and self-regulation.

Lee Nallalingham

Lee is an International Best Selling Author, Speaker & Leader and has been leading teams for nearly 20 years. He has a proven track record across HR, Technology and Business Transformation. He has led teams in excess of 60 people, delivered over $250m in annual cost savings, efficiencies, and revenue generation, successfully delivered 5 integrations following mergers / acquisitions and worked across 6 continents, 70 countries and with over 100 MNC clients. For more information on Lee, please click here.

4 TRULY SIGNIFICANT