Leaderonomics adds Soundbytes to its Science of Building Leaders framework

• Launches podcast shows called, Soundbytes, to tap surging popularity of audio medium
• Shows by experts around the world offer personal, professional, functional development

HAVING been in print for many years, coupled with video and web content, leading Malaysia-based leadership and people development consultancy, Leaderonomics Sdn Bhd, has now expanded its content portfolio with its own podcast channel.

Co-founder and chief executive officer Roshan Thiran, describes it as a natural next step. “Mobile, on-demand media caters to individual tastes, and many of our readers and viewers have often asked us to present our articles in audio format as well. And so, that’s what we’ve done. You can find all our podcast shows, which we call Soundbytes, on our website Leaderonomics.com, on Spotify and other streaming services.

Describing audio as an enduring medium, Roshan notes that digital audio has surged in popularity all over the world; podcasts, especially. “There are TV adaptations of podcasts these days, so that’s saying something,” he notes.

Its Soundbytes work will be managed by a different team although all three mediums, video, audio and text will be part of www.leaderonomics.com

Wide range of content for Leaderonomics followers

While Leaderonomics is well established for delivering top quality talent and leadership development content, not just through its various content platforms but through customised programmes for almost 200 corporate clients over the decade that it has been around, its Soundbytes will offer an expanded range of content.

“There’s something for everyone — we’re about to launch shows on best practices in business, leadership, corporate governance, SMEs, technology, parenting and even football and sports. We even have content specially tailored for women, and even for CEOs and functional leaders.”

And when Roshan says content for everyone, he means it. “We will even have a Soundbytes for interns, those poor sods who struggle to make sense of work-life balance. Having had a steady stream of them over the years, we have decided to help them out too!” says Roshan.

But it would be a mistake to assume the wide range of content is just a scatter shot approach, hoping to strike it lucky with a hit show.

Instead, the broad content approach taken revolves around Leaderonomics’ proprietary framework for building leaders called, The Science of Building Leaders. It is a roadmap which identifies key elements that need to come together at different stages of the individual’s life, in order to assist a person to develop into a well-rounded leader.

“This framework, that is still evolving, covers the expanse of one's life, from early childhood into senior years, and examines the foundations of and catalysts for great leadership,” explains Roshan (pic, right). 

Leaderonomics - the answer to a burning question

A former senior executive with two decades of global experience with GE who has turned around companies within the GE portfolio and built from scratch new business units with hundreds of millions in revenue, Roshan, along with his cofounder, Ang Hui Meng, another GE leader, founded Leaderonomics, not as a pure for-profit enterprise but as a social enterprise passionate about transforming nations through leadership development. It funds its various community programme through world-class leadership development programmes for corporates.

To Roshan, Leaderonomics is the answer to a burning question that first started eating away at him 10 years before he launched it. Why do certain communities thrive whilst others languish in poverty and despair?

He decided to explore the question with a series of experiments. As he describes it, “what began as a small project resulted in a profound insight. It became clear that everything rises and falls on leadership. It was easy to go into a poor community and give them funds and help them with the issues they faced today. But that would be temporal relief. What these communities needed were leaders who could help them transform themselves.”

Struck by the fact that leadership was a key missing element in all these communities that could help in a sustainable manner to lift them out of poverty, Roshan found his true calling, infecting Hui Ming as well who says, “Every morning I jump out of bed knowing that we are changing the world, one person at a time.  And we want as many people as possible to partner with us on this exciting journey.”

Those tuning in to its new channel, called LeaderonomicsFM, can hear directly from experts around the world about personal, professional, functional and leadership development, with the content connected to its The Science of Building Leaders framework, as was the content from its past 10 years. “Our Soundbytes will have experts from all over the world, going deep into the various topics.”

Indeed, Roshan was just in India, interviewing top leaders from homegrown companies as well as multinational corporations. “We will be starting Soundbytes work amongst India leaders shortly as we begin to set up shop in India in a few weeks' time,” he says alluding to its expansion into India. 

Monetising audio platform comes later, looking for long-term partnerships

Roshan deflects the question about monetization of Soundbytes. “If you know me well, you know that the last thing on our mind is monetization. But it’s a question we will have to ask at some time to keep ourselves sustainable.”

What he would like is to have long-term partnerships that will grow along with it Soundbytes, rather than one-off advertising. While it offers expertise, content and communication through its Soundbytes, Roshan prefers to have organisations that believe in the leadership development journey along with them and create wins for both brands as employers. 

“Our value proposition for many companies who leverage our media and content services is very clear. We not only have the ability to provide a platform (leaderonomics.com) but we also have the channels in the form of interactive text, audio, video and even a magazine which we run fortnightly (previously done via The Star newspaper).” 

One partnership Roshan is especially excited about is with XimalayaFM, a streaming radio station that has more than 500 million listeners in China and around the world.  The partnership will see LeaderonomicsFM (the name of its station on XimalayaFM) a significant part of Ximalaya’s English content strategy globally. “More to come soon!” teases, Roshan.

Partnering DNA to deliver tech insights

Believing a great leader not only needs leadership expertise, but also strong functional expertise and with technology being a space in which there is immense hunger for knowledge and awareness, Leaderonomics has partnered with Digital News Asia to deliver this content.  

“There is a need for expertise in this new world of technology and digital, which I believe DNA – having deeper insights into the tech space – would be able to offer our audience. Although, some of the content of this Soundbyte may not be timeless, it is extremely relevant at this point in time. All our other Soundbytes, though, will be timeless content, that will be applicable today, tomorrow and in many years to come.”