INTHEBLACK February 2022 - Magazine - Page 15
T E D TA L K
STICKING WITH IT
As a professor of psychology and business
adviser, Angela Duckworth focuses on the
intangible ingredients of success, which she
examines in her book Grit. In this TED Talk
interview, Duckworth summarises and explains
her thinking. She breaks the concept of
perseverance into components such as feeling
passionate about an activity, understanding the
goal and being willing to deal with the mundane
parts of the project (that is, practice and more
practice). Over time, this process becomes a
mindset. Grit is a better predictor of success
than talent, says Duckworth, so encouraging it
in others is a good way forward.
WAT C H T H E T E D TA L K H E R E
STUDY
D I G I TA L I S AT I O N
Publicis Sapient is a consulting firm specialising in digital transformation and, using a poll of 1000 senior
executives in the banking sector around the world, it looks at the progress toward digitalisation. The survey, which
is supplemented by interviews, finds that while 83 per cent of banks have a transformation strategy, 60 per cent
say they have not made significant progress on implementation. The report summarises the lessons that can be
learned from companies that have overcome cultural and operational barriers to execute digitalisation plans.
Agility, revenue growth and improved customer service are the common outcomes of a successful transformation.
D O W N L O A D T H E S T U DY H E R E
INSIGHTS
F I N T E C H E D U C AT I O N
INDEX
VA C C I N E I N T E R V I E W
NEW INSTITUTE
LEADERSHIP
In an interview on the site of consulting giant
McKinsey, Angela Hwang, group president of
Pfizer Biopharmaceuticals, explains how the
program to develop a vaccine for COVID-19
was pushed through in record time.
Hwang emphasises the importance of
establishing a common goal and timeline for
all players, and of top-level involvement to
ensure targets were being met. The decision
was made at an early stage to focus on
speed and pay less attention to costs. Good
communication with suppliers was also
critical. The next stage, says Hwang, is to
develop vaccines that can fight new variants
of the virus.
Fintech in Asia has taken a major step forward
with the launch of the Asian Institute of Digital
Finance (AIDF) in Singapore. The high-level body
is a joint project of the National University of
Singapore, the Monetary Authority of Singapore
and the National Research Foundation.
The three pillars of the AIDF will be education,
research and business incubation. The flagship
education program is a master’s degree in
digital financial technology, and there is also
a specialist PhD program.
The AIDF will integrate research on fintech
applications and technologies and provide
avenues for entrepreneurs to develop business
ideas in the emerging field.
The Australian Leadership Index is an ongoing
research study conducted by Swinburne
University, seeking to establish how leaders are
perceived by the Australian public. Generally,
political and business leaders are not held in high
esteem, although there are a few exceptions.
Political figures are viewed as being more
concerned with satisfying various interest
groups than governing for national objectives.
Charities are more likely to be seen as stewards
of the public good. A data portal allows for
sector comparisons, and the site provides
reports on aspects of leadership, as well as
interviews with leaders and researchers,
suggesting how improvements can happen.
READ THE ARTICLE HERE
ACCESS THE PROGRAM HERE
EXPLORE THE INDEX HERE
intheblack.com February 2022 15