about
Our Story
Leadership Design Lab Asia was founded on a simple conviction:
Leaders are not born. They are built by design.
Our philosophy begins with a fundamental belief: leadership starts with who a leader chooses to be. Inspired by Confucius’s teaching 為政以德 — to lead through moral character — our seal, 德為領先, reflects the idea that integrity is the foundation of leadership. Before systems, tools, or frameworks, leadership begins with character.
From that foundation, leadership can be intentionally developed. With the right design, disciplined practice, and supportive environment, anyone willing to grow can strengthen how they lead. Leadership is not reserved for a few; it is built through conscious development over time.
Rooted in Asia, where humility, respect, and moral responsibility have long shaped leadership thinking, we combine this heritage with modern leadership design to create development experiences that are practical, human, and future ready.
Because leadership is not an accident or a single moment of achievement.
It is a system to design, a craft to practice, and a way of living and leading every day.
VISION
Let curiosity drive growth. Not instruction.
We envision self-learning ecosystems where learning is woven into daily work, turning curiosity and reflection into continuous growth. In this world, individuals and organizations adapt, learn, and evolve from within.
MISSION
Lead with integrity. Grow by Design.
We help leaders use frameworks as guidance—not instruction—to turn insight into practice, practice into habit, and habit into culture. Our work builds self-learning ecosystems where leadership capability grows from within.
about
Who is Shun Kaneko?
I’m not a traditional HR professional by origin.
My career began in sales and marketing, where I learned how organizations truly move through customers, performance pressure, and execution. An early performance improvement project revealed that small shifts in mindset and communication could significantly improve results without changing people or roles. That experience led me into HR, where I discovered its real power lies in shaping human potential and organizational performance.
To understand leadership beyond theory, I worked across the full lifecycle of HR. My experience includes large-scale headcount reductions, labor union negotiations, HR policy redesign, and transforming corporate retirement systems from Defined Benefit (DB) to Defined Contribution (DC). Partnering closely with leaders across industries grounded my belief that leadership is practical, emotional, and deeply human.
I later specialized in leadership development at organizations including Mercedes-Benz, Accenture, Baker McKenzie, and Amazon.
At Amazon’s Leadership Institute, I led leadership development across APAC, facilitating 251 sessions for more than 5,000 leaders from 19 countries. There, leadership was treated not as inspiration, but as a system translated into everyday behavior, decision-making, and execution.
Leadership Design Lab Asia was founded on a simple belief: Leaders are not born. They are built by design.
My work focuses on helping organizations and individuals intentionally shape the environments, practices, and leadership habits that enable sustainable growth and performance from within.
Leadership learning service
The Leadership Lab Series
Where leadership capability becomes business performance
The Leadership Lab Series is a structured leadership development journey designed to help organizations strengthen how leaders think, collaborate, and deliver results in complex business environments.
Developed through more than two decades of cross-industry leadership experience and insights from over one hundred recent leadership conversations across the Asia-Pacific region, the series focuses on the leadership capabilities that most directly influence organizational performance: building trust, enabling team effectiveness, and strengthening self-leadership .
Rather than treating leadership development as a standalone training activity, the Leadership Lab Series is designed as a practical working experience. Leaders engage with real organizational challenges, apply structured frameworks to their daily decisions, and build leadership habits that gradually shape team dynamics and culture.
The Series consists of three connected leadership experiences
Trust Lab – Building the foundation of effective leadership
Leaders strengthen credibility, communication clarity, and professional relationships that enable alignment and collaboration.
Participants learn how trust is built and sustained in everyday interactions and how consistent leadership behaviour influences team confidence and engagement.
High-Performance Team Lab – Translating leadership into collective results
Leaders develop the ability to guide team dynamics intentionally, strengthen accountability, and create environments where people can perform at their best together.
Participants gain practical approaches to coaching individuals, improving collaboration, and overcoming barriers that limit sustained team performance.
Self-Leadership Lab – Developing judgment and ownership for long-term impact
Leaders deepen self-awareness and take greater ownership of their leadership growth through structured reflection and decision-making discipline.
Participants learn how to navigate complexity, reassess situations thoughtfully, and continuously adapt their leadership approach as organizational demands evolve.
The Labs can be delivered as focused workshops or as a connected leadership journey, depending on organizational priorities. Each engagement emphasizes reflection, experimentation, and immediate workplace application so that learning translates into sustained behavioural change.
Organizations that invest early in leadership capability are often better positioned to navigate uncertainty, accelerate performance, and build resilient cultures. The Leadership Lab Series supports leaders in making that shift intentionally.