One of the pillars of GIFT's unique learning methodology is Knowledge (alongside Communication and Empathy). To encourage this in our participants, we regularly recommend articles, books and other resources through our daily bulletins in Module One.
These provide a different perspective on business, economics, politics and history than one would typically get from a traditional business education or from the mainstream media. We also try to emphasize books with a focus on Asia, or books from Asian authors.
Our participants, both during and after our programmes, say that they greatly value these recommendations. In many cases, they encouraged the beginning or renewal of a personal reading habit, and some have even been inspired to start reading libraries within their offices and teams.
In our view, an essential aspect of effective leadership is a broad awareness of the world and how it is changing.
In GIFT Reads, we suggest a few books that may not feature in your usual book review sections but which we believe will enrich your understanding of the world and the Asia region.
These books will cover a vast array of topics, many of which are integral parts of our core curriculum during our leadership programmes. Many will focus on Asia, be it the region's history, governments, economies or cultures. Some may focus on individual people and places. Others might make grand sweeping statements. We hope that they will inspire you to further challenge yourself to go beyond conventional thinking and deepen your understanding of the wider world.
