'To lead people, one critical factor is not only saying but doing _ behaving as a role model. I seriously practise improving myself all the time if I consider it important for our company," says Reungdej Dusdeesurapoj, the chief executive of Syn Mun Kong Insurance (SMK), the country's second-largest motor insurer.
"For example, one of the elements of our corporate culture is an open-minded attitude. If I don't really listen, the others will not listen either. They will not innovate and continuously improve every day. In the old days, even I have to admit that I did not listen to the same extent I do nowadays."
Mr Reungdej has been with SMK for 21 years, following earlier experience at three commercial banks. The holder of degrees in economics and economic history from Hull University in the UK, he also speaks Mandarin, which he studied during his childhood in Thailand and continued to during high school in Singapore.
"Instead of values, I prefer to use culture terminology," he says when describing his leadership approach. "Values seem to be static and never change. I consider culture the thing an organisation wants to employ in order to benefit our company and stakeholders."
'By the book': One of the internal activities Mr Reungdej has promoted at the insurer is a Book Club. "I personally like to read books. However, I think Thais don't read much," he says. "If we want to respond well to our customers and continuously develop new products, we need to have knowledge and also the ability to link knowledge to reality."
During the last seven years, SMK's Book Club has held three book critiques and briefings a year. Each one typically runs for three hours in a roundtable style with 40 executives. The books the participants have discussed have included Blue Ocean Strategy by W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne, Built to Last and Good to Great by James Collins, Follow Your Heart by Andrew Matthews and The Fifth Discipline by Peter Senge.
"It's a good opportunity for me to hear and observe my people, to study the rationales they use in discussion. Do they read in depth? Do they read with analysis or not? As a consequence, people are more alert, demonstrate better cooperation and a more open-mined attitude, listen more not only during the book critique session but also during meetings. It also helps us to link various issues together."
Culture-driven organisation: Besides the Book Club, SMK encourages its people to join together in other ways through the Innovation and Thinking Club.
"Providing various opportunities for our people to have cross-functional interaction is important, as it helps us to achieve our long-term purpose and Vision 2011-15, under which we intend to be the leader in service and innovation with high potential and capable human resources," says Mr Reungdej.
"All these activities are also in line with our culture, which stresses customer-centricity, integrity, enthusiasm for improvement, a passion for creativity, a courageous and decisive mindset, an open-mined attitude and moral support for each other."
SMK has a reputation for innovation, breakthrough products and strong brand positioning in the highly regulated insurance industry. It has successfully positioned itself as the "Fast arrive, Fast claim, Fast repair" company after launching a series of creative TV commercials.
"These three steps are our normal process," explains Mr Reungdej. "Before we announced our speed guarantee, we tested and analysed data related to the new product concept for more than a year. After we ensured we could deliver as promised, we started to advertise.
"Another campaign, 'Drive less, pay less', was based on the logic that someone who drives less will have fewer accidents. We were also the first mover with this approach."
Role of the leader: "The philosophy behind my management approach can be boiled down to one word _ quality," continues Mr Reungdej. "During the last 10 years, I have valued development of teams and concern for others more than before.
"It's important to care about our people's feelings. If we want to go big, we have to develop a big team and retain them by appealing to their hearts and minds. When people are not afraid to speak up, management will have an opportunity to hear information. Otherwise, top executives will not hear the right information. This is one problem that I am afraid could happen."
Besides being an avid book reader, Mr Reungdej also regularly practices Qigong and plays piano (which he only learned five years ago).
"In addition to being a role model, leader must be well rounded, fast and flexible, with an acute capability to detect change in the marketplace and a long-term view of business," he says.
"A leader should have strong discipline and trust people, giving them opportunities to explore new ideas. Being decisive by using analytical skills based on valid information are also critical elements for a good leader."
Sorayuth Vathanavisuth, a former chief executive of the Thailand Management Association, teaches at Mahidol University's College of Management. His areas of interest are leadership development, executive coaching and strategic business planning. He can be reached at sorayuth@sealeadership.com