CEO Su Shan leverages the bank's original name, Development Bank of Singapore, by redefining the "D" to stand for Digital, Disruptive, Dependable, and Data. This narrative strategy connects the bank's founding purpose with its modern, forward-looking identity, effectively bridging its past and future.

McLaren's CEO Zak Brown re-frames leadership as a service function. His primary job is to ensure his 1,400-person team has the tools, funding, and motivation to succeed. He sees himself as one employee whose responsibility is to "keep them all fed and hungry."

David Vélez found that adopting big-company management practices made Nubank feel like a big company, killing its startup urgency. The goal is not to become a traditional CEO, but to pair a founder's vision with light processes and a strong, agile team.

Despite success, founder Kevin Wagstaff felt like an "imposter" as the company scaled beyond $10M ARR. He recognized his strengths were in the early, scrappy "bias to action" phase, not managing a larger organization. He proactively brought in a seasoned CEO better suited for the next stage of growth.

DBS CEO Sushan explains that the Singaporean slang "kiasu" (scared to lose) creates a productive paranoia. This fear of being left behind is the cultural DNA that forces the bank and the nation to constantly evolve and stay ahead, embodying the principle that only the paranoid survive.

To transform from the "worst bank for service," DBS studied Singapore Airlines, a leader in customer experience. They adopted its principles and even hired retired airline staff to work in branches, embedding a hospitality-first mindset directly into their customer-facing operations and creating pride in service.

The founder hired an experienced CEO and then rotated through leadership roles in different departments (brand, product, tech). This created a self-designed, high-stakes apprenticeship, allowing him to learn every facet of the business from experts before confidently retaking the CEO role.