- Published: 9/09/2010 at 12:00 AM
- Newspaper section: Business
'I have always faced challenges in my professional career. Over the past 20 years as a dean, I've had to manage many obstacles in order to move forward with successful strategies," Dr Boonmark Sirinaovakul, the president of Stamford International University, said during a recent interview.
"We diagnose the status quo, and then vision and strategies must be formulated that allow everyone on the management team to move in the same direction. My approach is to shoot for a quick win, within three to six months, followed by a long-term plan. CEOs must deliver quick wins to build morale and a continuous momentum, plus they can be a good source of public relations as well."
Market-focused strategy: Dr Boonmark considers education one of the major challenges for Thailand. No matter what problems exist, education is always a magnet for blame due to poor skills or unethical management.
"Our education system focuses only on producing smart people without properly addressing the needs of the labour market. We at Stamford think differently and aim at producing graduates who can enter the workforce and perform specific job requirements. If significant numbers of graduates can find positions, that can help the Thai economy as a whole. The public sector would also spend less on public welfare because more people could support themselves. Producing graduates for specific markets is our first key strategy," explained Dr Boonmark.
The Asean Economic Community, which will take effect in 2015, is another key issue that Dr Boonmark addressed. He said Thai workers must be able to use English effectively, or else they will not be able to survive in the future borderless market.
"We focus seriously on our international programmes as our second key strategy. Thai students must adapt rapidly to this ever-changing world, and so our third market-focused strategy concentrates on practical technology, especially the emerging fields of telecommunications and information technology (IT). Business Technology Management is one of our new MBA programmes designed to encourage Thai workers to use the right technology for specific requirements."
Awareness of leadership style: Like most CEOs, Dr Boonmark is also equipped with a strong leadership personality. He prefers to apply a consultative style of leadership, which means sharing views in detail on each issue before reaching a conclusion and moving forward together with his team.
"Each leader faces the problem of how to achieve a quick win. A 'directive' leadership style is the one I occasionally employ in the early stages of solving a critical situation or getting on board a new assignment. Over time, a 'consultative' style will emerge, which I feel comfortable with since I normally want to hear others' opinions in order to cover all aspects of an issue," said Dr Boonmark.
With his strong background in management consulting and quality assurance, Dr Boonmark is deeply concerned about the quality of education. His tough stance in favour of a short-term win has garnered regulatory recognition.
"Recently, we received an assessment of 'excellent' at the institutional level from the IQA [Internal Quality Assurance] audit committee of the CHE [Office of the Commission on Higher Education]. Continuous improvement is our routine practice around here," said Dr Boonmark.
Balancing the role of an independent director: Since earning his PhD in engineering in 1987 from Wichita State University in Kansas on a Doctoral Fellowship Award, Dr Boonmark has been continuously involved in the IT side of business management, with his latest role being a vice-chairman of TOT Plc.
"With the prospect of becoming an independent director (ID), I first of all calculated the risk of joining the TOT board. After careful evaluation, I viewed this role as a purely ID function, which is extremely important nowadays in corporate governance, so I finally decided to accept the invitation to join," he said.
Currently, the TOT board comprises 13 members with six independent directors.
"Fortunately, the board members are all on the same wavelength when it comes to the issues, as we discuss everything openly without any hidden agendas. Our country needs to have a clear and solid national information and telecommunications policy and strategy in order to be competitive in the global market. In this regard, I believe IDs play an important role in balancing opinions on critical issues. Adopting practical technology in Thailand is crucial for the national interest," concluded Dr Boonmark.
Sorayuth Vathanavisuth is a former chief executive of the Thailand Management Association and now an executive coach. He can be reached at coach@trainprofessional.com
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