DBS Case Study: A High Potential Leadership Programme for 137 Rising Leaders in 7 Markets
How DBS built resilience into its STAR talent programme, three cohorts in a row
Resilience Assessment, Power Up Resilience workshops and 8 weeks of practice for DBS high potentials
DBS made resilience a core skill in STAR, its high potential leadership programme, alongside banking, data and digital. Each cohort took the 50-factor Resilience Assessment, joined a half-day Power Up Resilience workshop built on its own data, then practised for 8 weeks with newsletters and e-learning. From 2022 to 2024, 137 rising leaders from 7 markets took part, and DBS booked the programme three years in a row.
DBS Case Study: A High Potential Leadership Programme for 137 Rising Leaders in 7 Markets
How DBS built resilience into its STAR talent programme, three cohorts in a row
Resilience Assessment, Power Up Resilience workshops and 8 weeks of practice for DBS high potentials
DBS made resilience a core skill in STAR, its high potential leadership programme, alongside banking, data and digital. Each cohort took the 50-factor Resilience Assessment, joined a half-day Power Up Resilience workshop built on its own data, then practised for 8 weeks with newsletters and e-learning. From 2022 to 2024, 137 rising leaders from 7 markets took part, and DBS booked the programme three years in a row.
- Client
- DBS Bank
- Industry
- Banking and financial services
- Where
- Singapore, Hong Kong, India, China, Indonesia, Taiwan, United Kingdom
- Who
- STAR programme high potentials, DBS Indonesia Consumer Banking leaders, DBS supplier partners
- Period
- 2021 to 2024
Practical and simple tool tips to apply in our daily lives to drive meaningful change.STAR programme participant, DBS, 2024
Resilience as a leadership skill, not a wellness extra
STAR is DBS’s flagship programme for high potentials. It rests on 4 pillars: banking curriculum, data and digital, case studies, and personal mastery and leadership. Inside the personal mastery pillar, DBS wanted resilience treated as a foundational skill. These future leaders were stepping up during a period of growth: in August 2023, DBS completed its acquisition of Citi’s consumer banking business in Taiwan, making DBS Taiwan the largest foreign bank in Taiwan by assets.
High performers on the fast track
STAR talent takes on stretch roles alongside the day job.
Sustainable energy
Leaders wanted habits for sleep, recovery and workload that keep them at their best.
A confident mindset
Practical ways to reframe challenges and speak to themselves constructively.
A regional group
Participants worked across 7 markets and many business units.
Measure, engage, practise, review
Every STAR cohort followed the same four steps. We built each workshop around that cohort’s own team report.
Measure
Every participant took the 50-factor Resilience Assessment and received a personal report.
Engage
A half-day Power Up Resilience workshop focused on the cohort’s own focus areas.
Practise and review
8 weekly newsletters, 50+ e-learning videos and a re-measure about 3 months later.
| When | Where | Who | What we delivered |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 2021 | Singapore | DBS supplier partners (about 200 invited) | Keynote on organisational resilience for DBS Supplier Day |
| Jun 2022 | Indonesia | DBS Indonesia Consumer Banking senior leaders and branch managers | “Thriving in Change and Challenges” keynote to open a 2-day leadership conference |
| Sep to Dec 2022 | Singapore | STAR cohort 2022, 45 assessed | Resilience Assessment, half-day Power Up Resilience workshop and e-learning |
| Aug to Dec 2023 | Singapore | STAR cohort 2023, 72 assessed | Assessment, two concurrent workshops with 2 senior facilitators, 8 weeks of newsletters and e-learning, post-programme assessment |
| Sep to Nov 2024 | Singapore | STAR cohort 2024, 20 assessed from 6 markets | Same design with a smaller group, pre and post assessment, sustain session |
72 high potentials, one half-day, 8 weeks of practice
The 2023 cohort was the largest, drawn from across the region.
- Measure: 72 of 73 participants completed the assessment, giving a full picture of the cohort.
- Design around the data: two senior facilitators ran concurrent groups, each focused on sleep and energy, constructive self-talk, workload and calm focus.
- Keep it going: 8 weekly newsletters and 50+ short e-learning videos, then a re-assessment about 3 months after the workshop.
How DBS used Measure, Build, Sustain
DBS used all three steps. Pick the one that matches your own challenge.
Measure
A personal report for each participant, a team report to design each workshop, and a re-measure to track change.
Build
Power Up Resilience: calm under pressure, energy, emotional control, reframing and purpose, within STAR’s personal mastery pillar.
Helping leaders and branch managers lead through change.
Large-group sessions for leaders and partners.
Sustain
8 weeks of newsletters, 50+ e-learning videos and a sustain session after the re-measure.
Shifts in the areas we targeted
The 2023 cohort’s re-measure (60 people, matched before and after) showed movement in exactly the habits the workshop focused on.
| Factor, STAR 2023 | Change after the programme |
|---|---|
| Contemplation (reflection) | 13% higher |
| Self-doubt | 12% lower |
| Overload | 9% lower |
| Sleep delay | 9% lower |
| Fitness | 7% higher |
Targeted habits moved
Overload, sleep delay and self-doubt all fell. Reflection and fitness habits rose.
Booked three years in a row
STAR cohorts in 2022, 2023 and 2024, plus keynotes beyond STAR.
A format that scales
The same design worked for a cohort of 20 and a cohort of 72.
Business outcomes
| Measure | Result |
|---|---|
| Repeat business | STAR cohorts booked 3 years in a row, 2022 to 2024 |
| Reach | 137 high potentials assessed, from 7 markets |
| Beyond STAR | Keynotes for DBS Indonesia Consumer Banking (2022) and DBS Supplier Day (2021) |
| Participant rating | 2022: session 4.63, speaker 4.77. 2023: session 4.38, trainer 4.44. 2024: session 4.38. All out of 5. |
What DBS high potentials said
Understanding myself better and how I can reframe my way of thinking.STAR programme participant, DBS, 2022
It really made me think and reflect what I can do differently.STAR programme participant, DBS, 2023
How to find an opportunity whenever we are getting triggered.STAR programme participant, DBS, 2023
Reminder that I have the power to change.STAR programme participant, DBS, 2023
Three design choices
Each workshop was built on that cohort’s data
Participants arrived with their own report. The session focused on the areas the group’s data showed, not a generic syllabus.
The half-day was the start, not the programme
Eight weeks of newsletters and short videos kept practice going. The re-measure showed people where they had moved.
It sat inside a programme DBS already valued
Resilience sat next to banking and digital skills in STAR, which told high potentials it was a leadership skill.
Running a high potential or graduate programme?
You are asking your best people to do more, faster. DBS’s experience shows three things you can expect when resilience is part of the programme.
A clear baseline for every cohort
See each group’s strengths and focus areas before the workshop.
Change you can measure
A re-measure shows which habits moved and where to build next.
A format that scales
The same design works for 20 people or 72.
Add resilience to your talent programme
Every DBS high potential began with the Resilience Assessment. Run it free for up to 5 people in your next talent cohort. You get a profile across 50 evidence-based factors and a debrief on strengths and where to focus first.
Request your free talent assessmentDesigning a regional high potential programme? Contact peiying.sim@resiliencei.com.sg
Frequently asked questions
Can resilience training fit into an existing high potential programme?
What does the Resilience Assessment measure?
How long before you can see results?
Does it work for groups across countries?
Programme details and scores are drawn from The Resilience Institute’s programme records, DBS STAR Resilience Assessment group reports (2022 to 2024) and participant feedback. Individual results are confidential and not disclosed. Company context is drawn from DBS (August 2023).