It is often said that we live in a VUCA world, i.e., a world characterised by significant volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity. This is particularly true in Asia. In that kind of world, yesterday's answers are unlikely to keep working very long and what got you here is less and less likely to get you there. It may not even allow you to stay here for very long! As a result, a growing number of organisations are realising that the best predictor of executives' future success may well be their ability to keep learning over time, as opposed to simply their past success.

There's good news: Research shows that it is possible for leaders to develop new leadership behaviours. The bad news: As we have all noticed over the years, it is hard – and arguably increasingly hard as we get older – to develop and sustain new responses and behavioural patterns that don’t come naturally to us. And while many executives leave executive development programmes fully determined to change one of their ways, they often find it very difficult to do so back at work. As the saying goes, it’s not easy for leopards to change their spots!
Professor Manzoni has been focusing much of his recent efforts on understanding better why lifelong learning at the top is so challenging and what senior leaders can do to improve their odds. This session will give us an opportunity to hear from his on-going research and discuss his current insights.

Jean-François Manzoni COL'12Dec, Professor of Management Practice, The Shell Chaired Professor of Human Resources and Organisational Development, INSEAD