Singapore's success puts global spotlight on its corporate leaders

OF ALL the qualities leaders need to succeed, self-belief is arguably the most important one. No honest professional would ever take up a leadership role if they didn't believe they were ready for it. That is because no leader can ever plan a strategy, lay out a vision and motivate their team - all key to succeeding at that level- if they don't believe they can accomplish it.

Self-belief emanates largely from our own successes and accomplishments and our confidence in replicating these in a new context. This is a topic often talked about in forums on leadership. However, there is one factor that many people tend not to pay much attention to on this front: how the success of a country shapes the mindset of its leaders - not just the political ones but also corporate bosses.

Singapore is a great example of that. The city-state is celebrating its 50th year of independence in 2015. In these five decades, it has grown from being the familiar little red dot to one of the richest countries in the world and a global financial centre.