Who is Dr. Silvio De Bono?
An energetic, dynamic entrepreneurial, visionary person constantly looking for bright ideas to enhance society at large.
What are your best achievements?
It ignited from an idea that I wanted to do things differently.
It started in a basement at home, in a small office which I still treasure the time I spent there on my own thinking and foreseeing the future.
The idea was basically to do something different than others and to do so we spent a lot of time planning and laying the groundwork. Eventually, we moved out to much larger premises with more employees. We were hoping that would last for a couple of years, but we moved out sooner than we ever thought into a much bigger place.
The future is so bright that eventually, I think, we shall also grow not only in services but also into the offerings that we have not only for ourselves but also for our students and our corporate clients.
Where did it all ignite?
The development of IDEA Academy.
Not only as a business, but because through this institution, we gave ample opportunities to a number of people who were in the mid of their career, who thought that their career is over, but through IDEA Academy they managed to re-ignite their career, at times changed their career got promoted and therefore IDEA Academy has given the opportunity to thousands of students not only residing in Malta but also abroad.
What is your management philosophy?
Honesty, transparency and commitment are three very important key words which I consider as the basis of my management philosophy. I never employed people who have the best degrees, or who are the best in what they do, but I like employing people who are honest, criticise me constantly and who are totally committed in what they do but who through their personal commitment drive themselves and others around them.
What is the biggest challenge in people management?
Ensuring that they are truly committed in what they do. Sometimes people, particularly in closed societies, fail to be themselves because they think more of what others think about them rather than themselves and what they think about a particular situation. I think one of the biggest challenge sin today’s world is getting other people motivated, committed and empowered enough to say what they think rather than to say what other people want them to say. By adopting an open management philosophy, I expect people around me to be themselves because one thing which I don’t want is having people who are an extension of myself. I don’t want to be surrounded by yes men and anyone who says yes simply because I ask something to be done – I don’t think has the right place within the organisation.
How have you changed the educational sector?
I’ve seen the education sector developing.
What we are doing here is we are giving mid-career people, opportunities to think about themselves and whereas previously it was practically impossible to attend tertiary education due to qualifications, commitments, and they couldn’t pursue their dreams, today through our institution they are given this opportunity and what we are contributing is giving these people opportunities to develop.
It’s not the first time, even during graduation ceremonies that people tell me that through IDEA Academy I fulfilled my dreams.
How do you distinguish yourself from others?
We partner with clients. We do not present ourselves as know it all, but our approach is rather than a consultative approach, is a partnering approach. By joining forces, we can identify the challenges and together find the appropriate solutions.
What changes do you foresee to the global economy in ten years' time?
I think there needs to be more awareness that the skill at individual level needs to be developed better. Schools need to give more attention to not only the curriculum subjects but also to numeracy, financial literacy, and to values. We need to ensure that peoples’ personal values are re-ignited once again because any professional without the personal values would lose focus, vision, and the right attitude. At a micro level there needs to be the personal commitment to better skills, literacy, and values. At the national level we need to give more importance to national spending. Many countries have lived beyond their means with profit put before anything else to the detriment of several people. On an international level, there is the challenge of the global warming which has a very important impact not only on national economies but also on individuals at large.
Two do's and two dont's
Be ready to fail but never give up. Don’t think big but dream big and start working within your won environment because if you try to swim in an ocean when you can barely swim, you can easily drown.
Define leadership
In the course of 100 years, leadership has been defined in different manners going from the early theories of management going on to transformational leadership to transactional leadership. For me leadership is a visionary approach. One term which I’ve coined in my management teaching is anticipatory leadership which I define as the leader today defining the organisation for tomorrow. Good leaders don’t manage the today, they manage the tomorrow, they have the horizon in mind. There is a huge difference between managing and leading people. Managing people is something you are doing now, for today. Leading is managing tomorrow so that tomorrow you will be managing the day after.
Is the healthcare sector a business?
No. In the healthcare sector we are creating opportunities and at the same time filling a gap. IDEA Academy prides itself in being industry driven. We have a bottom-up approach, identifying the gaps in the national and the international market and fill these gaps by providing the right competencies for people to take these opportunities and fill the employment gaps.
How do you manage being competitive?
Hard work, perseverance, commitment and being able to anticipate others. It is not by replicating what we are doing here because what works in one place does not necessarily work in another, so you must study the market, identify what is needed, try to align with partners who share the same values and management and business ethos.
Doubts?
I still have doubts. Having doubts is part of the success. Having doubts is part of the process, taking decisions in uncertain times is part of the success. Academia has helped me move away from the emotional decision making to the rational decision making.
