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I read with interest the column by associate editor Lee Su Shyan “ ” (Sept 22). More so than the reasons for the shortage, I was struck by what the question itself reveals about our ambitions and ethos as a people. This same question has been asked for years: “Where are the Singaporean CEOs?”  Dig just a bit deeper and we find it’s a question pregnant with nuances like Where’s-all-our- talent?, Are-we-fulfilling-our- leadership-potential?, Is-our- education-system-failing-us-in- the-global-economy?, and Are-Singaporeans-too- comfortable-for-our-own-good? And the biggest, most Singaporean question of all: How can we be No. 1? Not that there’s anything wrong with ambition or self-reflection, but perhaps fixating on CEO-ness as a yardstick misses the point. It is worth delving into a couple of assumptions underlying the adoption of the corporate CEO role as a proxy for achievement. First, a mistaken assumption that the brightest should rise to become CEOs. In reality, rarely is the global CEO the smartest person in the company, but rather the best wielder of soft skills, the persuasive leader, the most astute reader of corporate dynamics. Second, the hypothesis that Singaporeans aren’t CEOs because they are risk-averse. While it’s true entrepreneurs must be risk-takers, global CEOs aren’t necessarily paid to do so. Instead, they are custodians of shareholder value, which means being very selective about risk and oftentimes saying no.  Singapore for its part has a great mix of gutsy visionaries, pragmatic executors, and everything in between. We have risk-takers and risk-avoiders, we have the smart and the savvy, we have globetrotters and those who prefer to stay at home.  Let’s not lose sleep over whether we have among us the makings of CEOs in our six-million-strong diversity, surely we do. Instead, we should examine why, for us as a society, this is such a big deal. Can we peel back the layers of assumptions to redefine what it means for Singaporeans to succeed, to lead, to make a difference in this world? In the end, we each strive to be the best that we can be. And for most, global CEO isn’t that role, nor should it be. I’d bet Singaporeans on the global stage are more influential than we think, know, or will ever see. And that’s fine because we see only the tip of the iceberg. By fixating on CEOs, we risk missing the forest for the trees.