In today’s complex and high-stakes organisational environments, leadership challenges are rarely caused by individuals alone — they emerge from competing mandates, invisible influence networks, cultural dynamics, and accountability pressures across departments, agencies, and multi-stakeholder ecosystems.

Riding the Executive SAFARI is an executive-level leadership experience designed to support leaders in both public and private sectors to move beyond reactive communication and develop system-level influence, cultural intelligence, and strategic leadership judgment. Through this immersive leadership framework, participants learn to map formal and informal stakeholder networks, identify their true sources of authority, manage reputational and cultural “face” risks, and align hidden agendas with policy, governance, and organisational priorities.

The program emphasises protecting outcomes while preserving trust, integrity, and public confidence, equipping leaders to navigate sensitive conversations, inter-agency collaboration, and critical decision-making within high-accountability environments. Participants leave with a personal Executive Influence Playbook™ — a practical, strategic roadmap they can immediately apply to their complex cross-functional, cross-agency, or organisational leadership challenges.

Objective

Participants will be able to:

1. Diagnose leadership challenges as human systems of power, incentives, and influence
2. Identify and leverage formal and informal authority beyond job titles
3. Manage cultural, political, and reputational (“face”) risks in sensitive leadership situations
4. Align competing stakeholder interests and uncover hidden agendas that block execution
5. Design and apply strategic influence pathways to protect performance and trust

Outline

Module 1: Understanding the Human Ecosystem

• Leadership challenges as systems, not just personalities
• Power, culture, and incentive dynamics in organisations
• Formal vs informal influence networks
• Leadership behaviour under pressure

Module 2: (S)takeholders & (A)uthority - Mapping Formal and Informal Power Networks

• Mapping decision-makers, influencers, and silent veto players
• Sources of authority beyond hierarchy
• Relationship, expertise, and information as power currencies
• Navigating matrix leadership structures

Module 3: (F)ace & Cultural Intelligence - Managing Reputation, Hierarchy, and Cross-Cultural Risks

• Managing reputation, hierarchy, and political risk
• Public vs private leadership interventions
• Cross-cultural leadership expectations
• Emotional containment in high-stakes conversations

Module 4: (A)lignment & Strategic Judgment - Uncovering Hidden Agendas, and Building Commitment Across Stakeholders

• Uncovering hidden agendas and incentive conflicts
• Diagnosing stalled initiatives and false agreement
• Aligning KPIs, goals, and political realities
• Building commitment across competing interests

Module 5: (R)esults & (I)nfluence -- Designing Strategic Influence to Protect Organisational Outcomes

• Balancing performance, trust, and political safety
• Coalition building and narrative framing
• Strategic timing and influence sequencing
• Creating a personal Executive Influence Playbook

Who should attend

Methodology

Delivery Format
• Interactive executive workshop featuring leadership simulations
• stakeholder mapping labs
• influence design sessions
• real-world case applications
• role play and peer coaching

Leadership Tools & Frameworks Used

This program is built around a proprietary, executive-level leadership system designed to translate insight into action. Participants will work hands-on with the following tools throughout the day:

1. S.A.F.A.R.I. Framework
2. Stakeholder Safari Map
3. Authority Audit
4. FACE Risk Scan
5. Alignment Matrix
6. 5R Results Filter
7. Executive Influence Playbook

Testimonial

Eric Cheong's Profile

BSc(Hons) MSc (HRM)
Accredited ACTA Trainer, Developer & Assessor (SG)
Master Trainer, Buzan iMindMap & AYOA (ThinkBuzan UK)
Certified Trainer, Guerrilla Marketing® (USA)
Certified Trainer & Coach, Identi3® Personality Profiling (SG)
Master Trainer, Click Colours International (AU)
Certified Trainer, Inquiry Institute (US)
Design Thinking Certificate – MITx and DesignThinkers Academy (SG)
Adult Educator Network and Institute for Adult Learning (SG)

Eric Cheong is a corporate trainer and thinking-skills specialist who helps organisations improve critical thinking, decision-making, and collaborative problem solving. With 25+ years across telecommunications, technology, and education, he equips leaders with questioning and mindset tools to navigate complexity and ambiguity.

Previously with SingTel, Pacific Internet, and the National Library Board, Eric understands matrix organisations, public sector systems, and corporate transformation. His experience spans governance, entrepreneurship, and executive education, linking thinking frameworks to real workplace challenges.

As former Managing Director of Buzan Asia, he expanded creative thinking and Mind Mapping programmes across Asia. An Accredited Master Trainer in Click! Colours® EQ Profiling (Click! Colours International), he has trained over 10,000 professionals from organisations including Intel, HP, HSBC, Sony, Far East Organization, Singapore Airlines, and the Monetary Authority of Singapore.

Eric holds a Master’s in Human Resource Management and is pursuing a DBA focused on leadership influence and cognition in complex organisations. Having lived and worked in Hong Kong, Belgium, and the United States, he brings strong cross-cultural leadership insight.

Global Training & Thought Leadership Credentials

Eric’s expertise in critical and creative thinking is shaped by training with leading global pioneers:

• Certified Master Trainer in Mind Mapping, trained under Tony Buzan and co-trained with him.
• Master Trainer, Click! Colours® International, trained by founders Greg Barnes and David Koutsoukis (emotional intelligence and behavioural profiling).
• Trained by Michael Gelb, author of How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci (creativity and whole-brain thinking).
• Graduate of the Chief Questions Officer Programme by Marilee Adams, creator of Question Thinking (Learner mindset and decision-making).

Speaking Engagements & Media

• Guest speaker, Smart Nation 2021 — Prime Minister's Office webinar on Applied Creativity
• Featured expert, BrainTalk 2021 — MM2 Studios parenting series
• Guest speaker, SPH MONEY FM 89.3 — Thinking & Innovation at Work
• Corporate talks for Sony Singapore, UPS, Singtel, Hewlett Packard, and others
• International speaker, 14th International Conference on Thinking (Malaysia)

Testimonials

“I have not come across a Trainer like Eric who takes great lengths to engage his participants, address their inner motivations and going the extensive way to build up his trainees. He is not just a Trainer, but a unique educator who cares for his Learners and stays true to his purpose of educating minds.”
Christie Khoo, Manager, SG Professionals' and Executives' Co-operatives

“Eric makes me understand the importance of being open, flexible and adaptable. If the trainer is rigid and unimaginative, then so will the learners, and they will participate in the training in a dull and unmotivated manner.”
Vinay Rai, Business Owner, Writer and Editor

“Eric has diligently put together this all-in-one programme, making it simple and easy for anyone - even for a beginner to be equipped as a Corporate Trainer very quickly.”
Lui Ng, Senior Vice-President in a technology firm