Leading With Humility: How Richard Hong Shapes Leaders Across the APAC Region
After three decades of senior leadership across TÜV SÜD, Richard Hong has seen firsthand what enables organisations to grow, and what quietly holds them back. Today, as Executive Vice President for TÜV SÜD in the ASMEA region and a certified executive coach, he channels his experience into developing leaders who can navigate complexity with clarity, empathy, and humility.
Richard’s leadership journey began long before he entered the coaching profession. Over the years, he served as COO and CEO of TÜV SÜD ASEAN, as well as Global ICM Director for TÜV SÜD Product Service, managing more than 1,000 employees across diverse cultures. The time spent leading large, multi-regional teams revealed a truth that shaped the rest of his career: strategies and systems matter, but leadership capability matters most.
“Managers and team leaders play a critical role in driving organisational success,” Richard reflects. “While structure and processes are important, the development of leadership potential remains paramount.” That conviction ultimately led him to pursue formal coach training and begin coaching leaders within the organisation.
A Coaching Philosophy Rooted in Empathy, Curiosity, and Humility
Richard describes his coaching approach as non-directive, non-judgemental, and anchored in trust. He emphasises rapport, confidentiality, and a facilitative style that guides leaders toward their own insights rather than prescribing solutions.
“In my practice, I try to balance a structured and empathetic methodology,” he explains. “My objective is to help coachees enhance their satisfaction and performance across both personal and professional domains.”
Coachees often emphasise the depth of transformation they experience. One reflected on how Richard helped him uncover blind spots:
“With each session, I can truly feel myself growing as a leader… One perspective you shared was that we shouldn’t simply treat others as we’d like to be treated, but rather as they would like to be treated. That really resonated with me.”
Another described how Richard’s workshops strengthened team cohesion:
“The Belbin framework has given us a common language… This has fostered a shared ‘Belbin language’ and provided a platform for more meaningful communication.”
Experience That Shapes a Holistic Coaching Style
Richard’s coaching style integrates behavioural science with extensive real-world leadership experience. Since completing 135 hours of ICF-accredited training in 2016, he has continued expanding his qualifications, including advanced coaching, mental wellness coaching, DISC and Belbin Team Role certifications, and career counselling credentials.
His work now spans leadership development, performance, team dynamics, career transitions, and mental wellness. He increasingly incorporates psychometrics and behavioural assessments to help leaders better understand their traits and talents.
The impact is evident across teams. After a recent Belbin workshop, one leader shared:
“The team gained a much deeper understanding of one another… They are now more aligned and working more closely together to deliver greater value to our clients.”
Leadership Today: Why Humility Matters More Than Ever
As workplaces evolve toward more diverse, multigenerational and decentralised environments, Richard believes humility has emerged as the most important leadership trait.
“Humility is about accurate self-awareness, openness to others’ ideas, and staying grounded despite success or praise,” he says. “Humble leaders highlight their teams’ contributions, take responsibility for failures, and create psychological safety.”
Employees who worked with Richard during his tenure as CEO describe these traits vividly:
“You’ve been more than a CEO — a leader who truly cares, listens, and empowers. Your empathy and compassion have created a valued culture, and you walked the talk from beach clean-ups to durian parties.”
According to Richard, humble leaders listen deeply, suspend judgement, admit mistakes, and encourage candid participation. Behaviours that strengthen relationships and make teams more resilient.
Guiding Leaders Through Modern Challenges
Across the region, Richard sees leaders grappling with conflicts, cross-team alignment, talent development, and succession planning. These challenges are intensified by rapid technological change and shifting organisational expectations.
Through executive and team coaching, he helps leaders surface assumptions, uncover unconscious biases, navigate conflicts, and reframe challenges into opportunities. Psychological safety is a recurring theme. As he often shares, quoting Dr. Amy Edmondson, a psychologically safe team is one where members “feel safe to take interpersonal risks, speak up, and admit mistakes without fear.”
A participant in one of Richard’s team workshops summed up the impact:
“Both facilitators created a safe environment that encouraged us to share openly… They helped uncover common ground and foster collaboration moving forward as ONE team.”
The Growing Importance of Mental Wellness in Leadership
Beyond performance and strategy, Richard highlights a critical but often overlooked dimension: leaders’ mental wellness. With increasing pressure, many risk burnout, a state that can erode clarity, decision-making, and team morale.
“As a certified Mental Wellness Coach, I guide leaders in establishing boundaries, building support networks, practising self-care, and reflecting regularly,” he says. He plans to deliver mental wellness workshops in the coming months that help leaders recognise stressors and apply evidence-based tools to maintain resilience.
A Core Message to Leaders: Start With Self-Awareness
If he could offer one piece of advice to any executive, Richard’s message is clear: self-awareness is the foundation of effective leadership.
“Self-aware leaders recognise their triggers, understand their impact on others, and communicate with empathy,” he explains. “With self-awareness, we can act consistently with our values.”
His coachees echo this. One learned how his future-focused mindset caused him to overlook present team readiness; another uncovered limiting beliefs that were holding back his career. Both described breakthrough shifts in perspective—the kind of transformation Richard considers the true essence of coaching.
A Leader Who Builds Leaders
Richard Hong’s journey from CEO to executive coach reflects a quiet but powerful belief: that leadership is not about authority but about enabling the growth of others. Through empathy, humility, and a deeply reflective approach, he continues to shape leaders who not only perform, but inspire, support, and elevate the people around them.
To hear about the success of Richard’s Belbin Team Role and Team Psychological Safety workshops, check out these posts:
Written By
Megan Casson
Senior Marketing Specialist