As young as infancy, non-verbal communication was how we got the attention of mother. As we grew, we learn a common language and develop speech. Then as adults, we take it further and specialise the language in our field of work.

Leadership itself is also a language. You lead your people through the language of leadership. However, leadership is like every other language – there are contexts to consider and different styles of communicating. There’s just no way there’s one-size-fits-all with language.

Unfortunately, many business leaders tend to use a one-size-fits-all approach. It may be the most convenient way of leading, however, it is not exactly the most effective.

Michael Ventura, entrepreneur, author, designer and CEO of award-winning strategy and design practice, Sub Rosa, shares in his book Applied Empathy: The New Language of Leadership that business leaders need to speak the new language of leadership to gain better self-awareness and a deeper understanding of others in order to solve the problems of our world.

But the reality is, the new language of leadership is time-consuming and emotionally draining. It is not an end goal you try to achieve, but a skill you must practise every day. Although it can be tiring, it can bring you and your organisation a new level of success. Here’s what you can benefit from learning the new language of leadership and applying it in your organisation.

First, you’ll become more self-aware and open up new perspectives. With self-awareness, you’ll better understand your own biases and assumptions towards all the things around you. You’ll understand when you’re being biased and how to keep it in mind when you’re leading your people.

The new language of leadership calls for you to open your mind and eyes, see what others see, and truly understand them. The reason this is important is because we all have different perspectives as to how we view the world. When you take into account the different perspectives of others around you, you begin to understand better.

This brings us to the second point – increased ability to solve complex problems in new ways. With new perspectives in mind, you’ll better understand how others would solve the problem. This opens up your mind to a new way of doing things.

To solve problems in the most effective way, taking into account the different angles of the problem is necessary. As a result, you might even come up with a hybrid of different solutions that can solve even the most complex problems in your organisation. But this can only happen if you’re willing to open your mind.

Third, you’ll be able to sense urgency better and adapt accordingly. Our world moves faster than ever before and the old way of doing things can no longer sustain business. The new language of leadership allows you to adapt to different people and situations.

Additionally, organisations usually have annual plans to follow through to achieve business goals. The truth is, things around us change suddenly and quickly. Sometimes we’re unprepared for the sudden changes and the plan can become redundant.

In order to keep up, the new language of leadership gives us the right mindset and understanding in order to adapt to the world as fast as it changes.

Fourth, you’ll have a better and wholesome understanding of yourself, your people in the organisation and your customers. When you’re able to see and understand the perspective of others, you also need to understand its importance towards solving problems in your organisation.

Michael Ventura has shared his experience with using the new language of leadership to solve the problem with General Electric’s (GE) on why women weren’t keen on their mammography appointments or avoid them completely. Through the new language of leadership, they understood that the women needed to be in a comfortable space to even begin sharing their experiences. Through that they eventually understood what those women were going through.

Fifth, you’ll continuously become a better leader as you learn to speak the new language of leadership. As mentioned, the new language of leadership is time-consuming. Practising it and consistently doing so, allows you to be able to create a habit out of trying to understand others better.

It is important to keep in mind that with anything valuable and sustainable, it takes a lot of time, effort and patience. The new language of leadership is a powerful way to move your business forward to greater success. As Michael Ventura writes in his book, the new language of leadership “lets us better understand the people we are trying to serve and gives us perspective and insight that can drive greater, more effective actions”.

Contributed by ARINYA TALERNGSRI, Chief Capability Officer and Managing Director at SEAC (formerly APMGroup), Southeast Asia’s leading Executive, Leadership and Innovation Capability Development Centre.

She can be reached by email at arinya_t@seasiacenter.com or https://www.linkedin.com/in/arinya-talerngsri-53b81aa

For daily updates, visit https://www.facebook.com/seasiacenter

Three more mass-transit lines worth Bt 400 billion will go through the fast-track public private partnerships (PPP) process while two new draft laws related to PPP and state enterprise supervision would be passed by the National Legislative Assembly before the general election scheduled for February next year, said Prapas KongIed, director-general of the State Enterprise Policy Office(SEPO).

The extension of the Orange Line in Bangkok – Bang Khun Non-Minburi section – worth Bt238 billion is expected to be submitted to the PPP committee chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak by November this year. Then it would be forwarded to the Cabinet for approval, said Prapas. The Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand (MRTA) board has already approved the project.

Extension of the Purple Line’s Tao Poon-Kanchanapisek Outer Ring Road section, worth Bt128 billion, is also expected to be submitฌted to the PPP committee in the same month.

The project has not yet got final approval from the MRTA board. “We will ask the MRTA to accelerate the approval process in order to make it go through the PPP this year,” Prapas said.

The new draft PPP law is expected to be submitted to the NLA in November this year.

The amendment of the Private Investment in State Undertakings Act BE 2556 (2013) will speed up the PPP projects process than at present, he said.

The move would reduce the time for project approval by the PPP board to about six months from an average 44 months under the current law, he said.

The law will also specifically define PPP projects by giving priority to infrastructure projects, which the government wants to promote, such as roads, railways, airports and seaports.

The scope of the PPP projects would be narrowed and it would not cover public land rent for example, he said.

The next draft law would regulate state-run enterprises. As part of state enterprise reform, the state-owned enterprise super-board chaired by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha had recommended setting up a holding company, similar to Temasek Holdings of Singapore, to own and manage state-run enterprises.

Recently, the NLA had toned down the original version, which will require the setting up of a holding company to manage state-run enterprises that operate commercial businesses, such as PTT, Thai Airways, and Krung Thai Bank.

Under the revised version, there would be no clause on a national corporation.

All state enterprises would be under the supervision of the State Enterprise Policy Committee (SEPO) chaired by the prime minister and the SEPO would act as secretariat, he said.

He said the new law would ensure transparency in selecting directors and managing state-run enterprises. It would prevent intervention by politicians. Professionals would be appointed to the board of directors of state-run enterprises, he said.

Regarding mass-transit projects in large cities like Phuket, Chiang Mai and Nakhon Ratchasima, the SEPO would strive to accelerate those projects but they may not get a nod from the PPP board this year.

The light rail-transit project worth Bt39 billion in Phuket may get PPP approval in late January or early February next year, he added.

Meanwhile Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak said on Friday that the large public spending on mega-projects, including the high speed rail connecting three international airports, new investment in the U-tapao airport and expansion of deep seaports at Laem Chabang and Map Ta Phut, would be injected into the economy by the first half of next year, boosting faster growth of the economy than in the current year.

According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the Asia-Pacific aviation industry is expected to grow about 5.8 per cent during the next 20 years, the same rate as Asean, while the Thai aviation industry is expected to expand the fastest and highest in the world at 8 per cent.

Transport Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith said that Thailand is developing its aviation industry, particularly the MRO centre for which Thai Airways International Plc (THAI) has signed an agreement with the Royal Thai Navy and the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) Committee for operation in the U-tapao Airport.

The centre aims to provide integrated repair services for aircraft at U-tapao Airport, while THAI’s existing aircraft repair centre at Don Mueang airport will be a hub for engine and parts repairs.

“Now, THAI and Rolls-Royce will collaborate for manufacturing in Thailand and the first phase will involve engine maintenance, repair and overhaul, and research and development of new engine models,” Arkhom said.

The Transport Ministry has asked THAI to conduct a feasibility study to expand the Don Mueang MRO hub as an MRO for global aircraft engines which will be linked to the MRO centre for large-sized aircraft at U-tapao.

Based on THAI’s MRO centre development plan, the first part will involve the MRO hub at Don Mueang International Airport. In collaboration with Rolls-Royce, the MRO service will be provided for Trent 700 engines of Airbus A330 and Trent 100 engines of Boeing 787, starting from the fourth quarter of this year. THAI’s aircraft engines will be repaired first and, then Rolls-Royce customers will be serviced early next year.

The second part will be the development of the TG MRO Campus at U-tapao Airport, with the aim to develop it as an integrated MRO hub on expectation of service commencement in 2022.

Surachai Piencharoensak, executive vice president for technical matters at THAI, said that given the collaboration with Rolls-Royce THAI will invest around Bt1 billion for equipment and human resources development. This year, investment used to finance equipment for the Trent 1000 engine of Boeing 787 is expected to be about Bt500 million to start the MRO service in the fourth quarter. The Don Mueang MRO hub has a capacity to repair 70-80 aircraft engines per year.

In the second phase, THAI is expected to invest another Bt500 million for servicing the popular Trent 700 engine of Airbus 330 in 2021. Next year, about 30 aircraft engines are expected at the MRO service. The centre is expected to generate slight income in the fourth quarter and the income will likely increase to Bt1 billion next year and to Bt4 billion to Bt5 billion in 2020 once the MRO service is fully opened for two aircraft engine models.

Surachai said that currently THAI earns about Bt3 billion in MRO services with an annual growth of 5 per cent. Combined with income from technical units and the MRO centre for Rolls-Royce, total MRO-based income will more than double to Bt7 billion to Bt8 billion in 2020.

He also expects to go ahead with the process to find a private enterprise to jointly invest in the U-tapao MRO hub by November. The signing is expected in December. The U-tapao MRO centre aims to commence service in 2022. The private winner will invest half the Bt4-billion required and THAI will invest the other half for MRO equipment, while the government will subsidise Bt6.3 billion for infrastructure.

The U-tapao MRO hub will handle 80-100 aircraft per year in the initial period with estimated annual income of Bt400 million to Bt500 million and expected annual growth at 2 per cent.

She said after a meeting of the BOI’s board of committee, chaired by Prayuth, that the board will consider measures to further boost the country’s tourism industry in line with the prime minister’s policy. They will be proposed to the board’s meeting next month.

At present, the BOI offers incentives for investments in meeting venues , culture centre , museums , and theme parks.

The BOI will now consider measures to promote rural investments that will distribute incomes to the local economies, she said.

Meanwhile, the BOI yesteday approved four projects, worth a total of Bt167.67 billion, including a Bt3.97-billion investment by Siam Denso Manufacturing Co Ltd in an assembly facility for car fuel systems that will lessen emission. The factory will be located in Chonburi province.

Others included Thai Oil’s project in Chonburi to improve the quality of finish fuel, worth Bt156.62 billion; Nava Nakorn Electricity Generating Co Ltd’s Bt3.1-billion project to produce electricity from natural gas and steam electricity in Pathumthani province and Global Power Synergy Plc’s electricity investment in Rayong, worth Bt3.98 billion.

Duangjai said that BOI will introduce more tax incentives in order to boost total investment to Bt720 billion by the end of this year, adding that there will be a number of major investments in infrastructure and manufacturing in the Eastern Economic Corridor or EEC during the rest of the year.

Thanavath Phonvichai, director of UTCC’s Centre for Business and Economic Forecasting, said export and tourism sectors have continued to expand from early this year thanks to a boost in global economy and increase in the prices of several crops, particularly paddy rice, sugar cane and corn.

Private investment is also showing signs of recovery and public spending has increased, he said.

UTCC reckons Thai exports will grow by 8.7 per cent and imports will rise by 12.6 per cent. The country’s current account is expected to have a surplus of US$34.6 billion (Bt1.1 trillion). Headline inflation is predicted at 1.2 per cent, while the currency is expected to hover at 31.50 to 33.50 per US dollar.

However, the US-China trade war is expected to present some risks, along with rising interest rates, emerging markets’ currency crises and local disasters.

The centre has urged the central bank to maintain the policy rate at 1.5 per cent this year as it is sufficient to stimulate the economy, though it can increase the rate twice next year – 25 basis points in the second quarter and 25 basis points in the last quarter.

The economy is projected to grow by 4.5 per cent next year and 4 per cent in 2022.

Elections certain

“Though the elections are looking certain, it still depends on how much money the ruling junta will unlock. About Bt30 billion to Bt40 billion is expected to be spent on the election, which has boosted the confidence of Thais and foreigners,” Thanavath said.

Earlier, Kasikorn Research Centre revised up its projection for 2018 to 4.5 per cent from a previous prediction of 4 per cent due mainly to expansion in export, tourism, domestic spending. Several government projects will be up for bidding soon, which could support the Thai economy in the latter half of this year.

Siam Commercial Bank’s Economic Intelligence Centre has also increased its prediction of national growth this year to 4.5 per cent from 4.3 per cent. It expects the latter half of the year to see a 4.2 per cent growth due to continued increase in domestic demand.

TMB Analytics has also revised up its forecast to 4.5 per cent from 4.2 per cent, and expects exports to climb by 8.6 per cent this year.

The International Monetary Fund, meanwhile, has forecast global economic expansion at 3.9 per cent, which could support Thai exports. Average Brent crude price is expected to rise to $71 per barrel this year from last year’s average at $55 per barrel, which will likely boost the price of oil-related agricultural products and commodities which account for about 25 per cent of Thai export.

The National Economic and Social Development Board estimates the Thai economy to expand 4.5 per cent with an estimated growth range of 4.2-4.7 per cent, while the Fiscal Policy Office anticipates growth at over 4.8 per cent in light of higher crop prices.