Rozaine-dr. Pujitha launch ‘Rockstars – Growing Stellar Performers in the Organisation’

‘Rock Stars – Growing Stellar Performers in the Organisation’, authored by Rozaine Cooray and Dr. Pujitha Silva, was launched recently at the Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute, Colombo 7.

A number of distinguished guests were present at the evening, including Minister Eran Wickramaratne, former Finlays Executive Director Romesh Moraes, Capital Maharaja Director Chevaan Daniels, Hemas Pharmaceuticals Managing Director Kasturi Wilson, Lanka Impact Investing Network Chairman Chandula Abeywickrama, Faizal Samath of Sunday Times, Dian Gomes of Hela Clothing, Kushil Gunasekara of Foundation of Goodness, former Unilever Head Dr. Anura Ekanayake, Walkers Tours CEO Nalaka Amaratunga and Spa Ceylon Director Shalin Balasuriya.

The launch was compered by Hansini Gunasekara. The attendees included corporate and HR leaders from leading organisations in Sri Lanka.

The evening kick started with an address by Rozaine Cooray, one of the co-authors of the book, who discussed the importance of values and character in the leaders today. She alluded to some of the social issues we are facing as a nation due the lack of values and character in society. The address ended with a request to read the book and share the thoughts with the families, organisations and communities the attendees belonged to.

Following the address, a short video clip was played introducing the P3 GROWTHS Model, upon the foundations of which the book is written. The video also presented the Human Body as an analogy for leadership, a concept which is also presented in the book, which was developed by Dr. Pujitha Silva, one of the co-authors who is also a biomedical engineer by profession.

Excerpts from the book were read by Balasuriya and Amarasinghe. The reading by the duo piqued the interest in the attendees about the book, paving the way for its launch.

Subsequently, the book was launched by the two authors, when Rozaine and Pujitha personally handed the first copy of ‘Rockstars’ to their mentor and friend, Moraes and then to all the dignitaries and panellists present.

The launch of the book was followed by an engaging and thought-provoking panel discussion moderated by Moraes. The panellists included Cooray and Dr. Silva, Chevaan Daniel of Capital Maharaja, Kasturi Wilson of Hemas Pharmaceuticals and Chandula Abeywickrama of Lanka Impact Investing Network. The panel discussed the idea of Rockstars and Rockstar leaders in bringing about transformation in the different sectors represented by the panellists. Wickramaratne gave the keynote speech for the evening, and spoke about bringing transformation to a nation.

The evening ended with an address by Dr. Pujitha Silva, the author of the P3 GROWTHS Model, who spoke about the journey of bringing the book to life and pledged his gratitude to the people who had been part of that journey. He concluded his speech with the story of a lab-technician he met at the University of Moratuwa, where he is a lecturer and inspired the audience with how an ordinary man can leave behind a legacy as a Rockstar.

The P3 GROWTHS Model, which is the model upon which the book has been written, was highlighted throughout the launch and the ideas within the model on growing as people and growing people was discussed in detail during the panel discussion. The human body was presented as a leadership model, drawing parallels from the principles of the P3 GROWTHS model and the functions of our bodily organs. At the end of the launch, the authors also presented a diagnostic tool, ‘Transformational Quotient’ (TQ), a questionnaire that can help a leader ascertain their level of readiness to bring about transformation in their work. This tool is based on insights from the P3 GROWTHS Model as well.