Only 33 Percent Of Current Corporate Leadership In Malaysia Are 'Fit For Future'

The Self-Disruptive Leader Study by Korn Ferry reveals that 67 percent of investors believe that the current leadership stock in Malaysia lacks the skills required to drive organisations in an increasingly disruptive business environment.

- Shahrizal Mohd Suffian

With almost all companies in Malaysia expressing that they will face disruptive pressure from industry and competitors, 77 percent of investors strongly feel that business challenges will make good leadership more important to a company’s performance over the next three years.

Given the importance of corporate leadership, 80 percent of investors also say that the CEO is a critical component when evaluating investment appeal. Investors say they favour outstanding leadership in their decision-making process, with 86 percent citing that an exceptional CEO is critical to an organisation’s success, especially in challenging times.

Malaysia is one of the economies in the study that has the largest gap between investor expectation and current leadership capabilities.

The study argues that today’s disruptive forces in technology, globalisation, demographics and consumer behaviour are exposing the limitations of legacy leadership. Findings show that most leaders in Malaysia prefer to stay within established confines and are very wary of introducing changes for fear of failure. Because of this, many don’t make decisions and take smart actions quickly enough, motivate people effectively, or build trust – all of which is needed to ensure their organisation’s survival into the future.