Shiromal says leadership begins with honesty and integrity
View(s):Shiromal Cooray, Chairperson, Sri Lanka Institute of Directors (SLID) and Managing Director of Jetwing Travels says that business leadership begins with honesty and integrity.
Sharing her thoughts on corporate governance, sustainability and how the CIMA qualification adds value to the day-to-day operations of professionals, she said, “A business leader must have the ability to understand a problem at a macro level, in addition to possessing leadership skills and being a team leader. They must be bold to make timely decisions. Often there may be no right or wrong decision, but it must be made at the right time.” According to her, women business leaders have not been taken seriously at times and run the risk of being labelled as being too aggressive. She added that there is a certain toughness in every business leadership role.
Ms. Cooray added that the inclusion of sustainability in business models is a necessity. “In my opinion, there is no choice regarding sustainability, it is a must. Sustainability is something which should come from within a company’s ethos. Apart from that, it also makes business sense.”