Jackson Tai, CEO of Development Bank of Singapore was interviewed in the Asia WSJ. A former Morgan banker, he was hired by DBS in 1999 as CFO and has been the CEO since 2002, where he guided the bank to become more of a pan-Asia bank, rather than just another bank in Singapore.

Some key excerpts of the interview related to starting your career:

"I remind our entry-level people that we are in an extremely competitive world and that one has got to specialize, to know something very well. You will get a chance to grow in the business, apply and over time broaden it. With knowledge comes a strong point of view, one is more comfortable taking risks and therefore is likely to get decent returns. As you develop this specialized knowledge, as you go up, you will get the chances to add a second or third dimension to help you become a successful manager and leader."


On the understanding the Arts and Business:

"I think that an appreciation for the arts, be it music or literature, gives you a deeper perspective. It helps you engage people and appreciate the undercurrents, providing that 20/20 vision when it comes to understanding situations, people and personalities."

As you rise higher in the organization your skill set will need to transform from the technical to the humanities--to understand people and their quirks, how to get them to work together in teams, how to drive them. It is then that such depth comes into play.