Southeast Asia Booms: Five Strategies Fueling Regional Growth
In the dynamic and rapidly evolving business landscape of Southeast Asia, effective leadership is more crucial than ever. As companies expand across borders and navigate diverse markets, a new leadership paradigm is emerging: Multiplier leadership. This approach, as articulated by Liz Wiseman in her book Multipliers: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter, focuses on amplifying the intelligence and capabilities of teams, fostering an environment where innovation flourishes and businesses thrive.
Multiplier leaders stand in stark contrast to «Diminisher» leaders. While Diminishers micromanage and stifle creativity, Multipliers empower their teams, valuing diverse perspectives and fostering collaboration. They delegate strategically, extending challenging responsibilities that encourage ownership and accountability. Instead of hoarding information, they actively share knowledge, cultivating a culture of open communication and continuous learning. This crucial difference fosters a vibrant ecosystem where employees feel valued and empowered to contribute their best thinking.
The benefits of adopting a Multiplier mindset are particularly relevant in Southeast Asia, a region characterized by diverse markets and cultural nuances. Navigating this complexity requires leaders to not only manage people effectively but also scale their leadership impact across multiple countries and business models.
This article, published February 23, 2025, by Arinya Talerngsri, Senior Vice President and Managing Director at BTS Thailand (formerly SEAC), highlights five key strategies for applying Multiplier leadership in this dynamic region:
- Leveraging Cultural Diversity for Innovation: Recognizing the richness of the eleven diverse markets within ASEAN, Multiplier leaders harness local insights to fuel innovation while simultaneously building a unified leadership culture. This approach aligns with McKinsey research showing that companies with diverse leadership teams significantly outperform their competitors in profitability.
- Fostering Cross-Border Collaboration: Encouraging knowledge sharing and collaboration between teams in different countries is paramount. Talerngsri cites Grab as a successful example, highlighting its decentralized decision-making structure that enables local teams to adapt swiftly to consumer needs.
- Delegating with Purpose: Assigning challenging tasks that stretch employees' capabilities serves a dual purpose: developing future leaders and driving immediate results. Southeast Asian unicorns like Gojek and Sea Group exemplify this by empowering mid-level leaders to spearhead regional initiatives.
- Creating a Culture of Open Communication: Breaking down hierarchical barriers is essential. Multiplier leaders actively listen to their teams, encouraging open debate and constructive challenges to refine ideas. Google Southeast Asia’s «speak-up culture» serves as a prime example of this principle in action.
- Committing to Continuous Learning and Growth: A commitment to continuous learning is a cornerstone of Multiplier leadership. Leaders must model this behavior by engaging in global forums, mentoring others, and staying abreast of emerging trends. This echoes Harvard Business Review findings that organizations embracing a learning mindset innovate at a significantly faster pace.
The return on investment for embracing Multiplier leadership is substantial. Research demonstrates that Multiplier-led organizations experience higher employee engagement, greater innovation, and accelerated leadership development—all of which contribute to sustainable business growth.
In conclusion, as Southeast Asia’s business environment continues its rapid transformation, the shift from a command-and-control approach to Multiplier leadership is not just beneficial, but essential. By empowering their teams and fostering a culture of intelligence amplification, leaders can unlock unprecedented potential, driving innovation and shaping the next generation of leaders. As Wiseman aptly states, «The best leaders aren’t the geniuses in the room; they are the ones who make everyone around them smarter.» This resonates deeply within the context of Southeast Asia, where collaborative intelligence is key to navigating the complexities and capitalizing on the vast opportunities of the region.
