[Vnbiz] Leadership -- What are you looking for in your leader?

Sat Jul 21 06:18:30 PDT 2007

AD:

Uhhmmm, both amusing and on point.

Craig

On 7/21/07, AD Marshall <admarshall at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> [ Vietnam Business Forum ]
>
>
>
> A Thien,
>
> Bill Clinton might be an example of the kind of imperfect leader you say
> you could live with.   He obviously wasn't the the most virtuous or honest
> guy you could find, but he got results and he still adapts well, and with
> charm, to his times:
>
>    - he left his Presidency with a huge budget surplus -- though Bush
>    burned that up years ago on wars against abstract enemies, like terrorism,
>    with almost no positive results;
>    - US international relations were hugely better under Clinton; and
>    - even after getting caught cheating on his wife in the White House,
>    Clinton still seems to be widely respected both at home and abroad.
>
> And even though Hillary must have wanted more than once to rip off Bill's
> "family jewels", she hasn't done too bad at all either from all the
> publicity Bill got for them both.  ;)
>
> For me, if it was between Bill Clinton on sax (accompanied by several
> mistresses on flute) and either any Bush, Lyndon Johnson, Gerald Ford,
> Ronald Reagan or, heaven forbid, Tricky Dicky Nixon, i'd settle for Bill.
>
>
>
> On 7/21/07, Tran Ba Thien <tranbathien at gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> > [ Vietnam Business Forum ]
> >
> >
> >
> >  Dear anh Hoanh,
> >
> > you may call me as cynical person. In this point I cannot say totally
> > agree. just kidding :)))
> >
> > I have participated some leadership training workshops. At first I felt
> > very strong after ending the workshop. I thought that I could apply the
> > leadership skill in my business then I could make a change. After a few
> > months, I thought I'd need to join another leadership training workshop.
> > This time, the lectures gave me some more knowledge, skills and attitude of
> > leadership. After the second workshop, I felt stronger than last time but
> > much more carefully to say that I might change my business. Then the 3rd and
> > 4th, fortunately I just participated 4 workshop of leadership training. What
> > could I be if I had more opportunities of participating leadership training
> > workshop? I guess I must have had a lot of balloons to be pursed.
> >
> > What's wrong to me? and to other participants of leadership training
> > workshop?
> >
> > When we're talking about leadership and assessing the works of leaders,
> > we often focus on what the leaders have done. The non-producted activities
> > has finished. It might be written in their CVs, newspaper articles and etc.
> > It can build up their reputations public trust and etc. We assess their work
> > from their trials and much more important is to assess from the influences
> > of their work on the community, history and etc.
> >
> > By the style, they extract out core elements of qualify leaders. Then
> > they share the lectures of core elements from group to group, generations to
> > generation. Then we believe that if we can get those core elements we can do
> > leading very well. I think it's very ridiculous.
> >
> > I am not historian, I gues bro Hoanh and most of us are not either.Whydo we need to study the CV and background of a person to be our leader? In
> > certain cases, we don't need our leaders to perform his personality very
> > well as Confucious standards such as nhan, le, nghia, tri , tin. Sometime I
> > wonder if there is a leader, who has very famous success in the past, will
> > he succeed in the future? We may say that 's probably not possibly.
> >
> > I guess the problems of leadership training courses are from the way
> > they assess a leader. We can find many qualify articles about leadership in
> > library, internet and so onl. they are using labels of old fashion products
> > to advetise new products. I agree the style. But what I really want to
> > purchase is the new one with new features. Back to leadership, they are
> > using core elements of old successful leaders to create or to produce the
> > new leaders with the same features. You just use the old products with new
> > labels.
> >
> > I cannot show out which is the best way of selecting qualify leaders and
> > neither qualify leadership training courses. I suppose that we should view
> > leadership as a kind of service. Leader is the one who performs the service.
> > I just ask him let perform well in your working time. After working time,
> > you can live with your own style of life. You may back home with a bottle of
> > liquor, then perform family violents like argueing with your wife, or you
> > may enjoy "bia om" or anything else. I don't care on those stupid
> > respectations. I care on how much benefit I can get from your leading.
> > Sometime my beneficiary is something that meets my need. Sometime that is
> > the thing that address my values of living, my immotional expectations and
> > etc.
> >
> > Then I focus on the behaviors of the leaders instead of their ideas, or
> > style of living. He must be competant. But if not, it's ok. I will vote him
> > if I believe that he can achieve the goal.
> >
> > Sorry, I need to go. I will resume later
> > Tran Ba Thien
> > tranbathien at gmail.com
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > *From:* AD Marshall <admarshall at gmail.com>
> > *To:* vnbiz at vietlinks.net
> > *Sent:* Saturday, July 21, 2007 7:47 AM
> > *Subject:* Re: [Vnbiz] Leadership -- What are you looking for in your
> > leader?
> >
> >
> > [ Vietnam Business Forum ]
> >
> >  ------------------------------
> >
> > Wow, A Hoanh,
> >
> > That was a truly impressive analysis, re-presentation (synthesis) and
> > enhancement of the lists posted.  I have to wonder at how you can afford the
> > time for as much.  Thanks.  You should work it up and publish it.
> >
> >
> > On 7/21/07, Tran Dinh Hoanh <tdhoanh at gmail.com > wrote:
> > >
> > > [ Vietnam Business Forum ]
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > Dear CACC,
> > >
> > > Looks like we have got all the volunteers for short list.  So let me
> > > try to go over everything from everyone so far to construct a short list.
> > >
> > > A.  First, let start with the most simple common-sense definition of
> > > "leader."  Leader is (1) the person who leads (2) a group of people (3) to a
> > > destination.
> > >
> > > So leadership involves you, your people and the goal.
> > >
> > > 1.  The goal is what we call "vision," some destination in the future
> > > to arrive, some purpose to achieve.   "Vision" always implies with it
> > > "the method to achieve the vision" (because without a method get to the
> > > vision, the vision is only a daydream).   So the first obvious element of
> > > leadership is the "vision and the way to achieve the vision."  Brother Thien
> > > mentioned this point abut goal (vision) in his message.
> > >
> > > Because "vision" always implies "the way to achieve vision," most
> > > people just use one word "vision" to indicate both.
> > >
> > > Please note: "The way to achieve vision" is usually very general. Say,
> > > Ho Chi Minh's vision is "Freedom, Independence and Happiness," which during
> > > his life time meant "independence from the French."  His "way" is that the
> > > entire people would fight the French, never stopping, never quitting, until
> > > we win.   This "way" is very general. It is not as detailed and
> > > concrete as the strategies and tactics used daily during the war, which are
> > > of a technical nature and are done by his lieutenants.
> > >
> > >
> > > 2.   Now you and your people.  As a matter of common sense, people
> > > follow you because they believe in you and your vision.
> > >
> > > They believe in your vision because, after listening to what you say
> > > and your vision, they agree with your vision and like your vision.
> > >
> > > They believe in you because (1) they believe that you are capable of
> > > leading them to your vision.  This is "competence" (or a more general term
> > > "wisdom", or a some more narrow terms-- "Intelligence," "knowledge").  In
> > > other words, They believe that "you know what you are doing."
> > >
> > > People also believe in you because they believe that you are honest,
> > > that what you say about your vision and your way is your honest words, that
> > > what you say about you is your honest words, and that they can trust your
> > > words. So, "honesty" is another core element.  Honesty can also be replaced
> > > by other terms, such as integrity, trustworthiness, reliable, dependable,
> > > etc.
> > >
> > > *So, from the point of view of your followers, your leadership has 3
> > > core elements:*
> > > **
> > > *1.  Your vision (and they way to the vision)*
> > > *2.  Your competence (you know what you doing--also known as
> > > intelligence, knowledge, wisdom)*
> > > *3.  Your honesty (also known as integrity, trustworthiness, reliable,
> > > dependable)*
> > > **
> > > B.  The above is a look at leadership from the follower's point of
> > > view.  Now let's look at leadership from the leader's point of view.
> > >
> > > 1.  First, of course, you, as a leader, has to have a vision (and the
> > > way to achieve vision).
> > >
> > > But, how to have a vision that your people really love?  The answer,
> > > you have to understand your people's heart and mind so well that you can
> > > design a vision that satisfies their heart's yearning.
> > >
> > > 2.  But how do you understand your people's hearts and minds so
> > > well?   Having a PhD in psychology?  Having a crystal ball?  The only answer
> > > I know is that you have to truly love your people.  I don't know of any
> > > other way to understand someone other than you have to really loves them.
> > > You may be a good communicator or good analyst, but if you don't really love
> > > someone, the most you can do is to understand a very small facet of her, not
> > > the whole of her.  You cannot understand someone so well and so deep without
> > > really loving him/her.
> > >
> > > (Note:  Many parents may say that they love their children so much
> > > that they force all they children to be doctors and lawyers to be better in
> > > life.  Sorry, that is not loving your children.  That is "loving your future
> > > image of your children" or "loving your own self, loving to be a parent of a
> > > bunch of doctors and lawyers." That is not loving your children.  Same thing
> > > with government that runs after its own idea of how its people should be,
> > > instead of truly understanding and loving the real people who walk the
> > > streets, who have real feelings and real struggles).
> > >
> > > Once you really love your people, you should be able to understand
> > > them well enough to come up with a vision that fits their yearning.
> > >
> > > So, from the leader's point of view, the second core element is "love
> > > your people"(also known as compassion, grace, caring, social responsibility,
> > > etc.)
> > >
> > > From a true love for your people, you will be able to love
> > > properly, like, as anh Shane said, loving everyone of your people equally,
> > > loving the entirety of "your people" and protecting it against the
> > > destruction by a bad portion of your people, only asking your people to do
> > > what you would do yourself, fair in reward and punishment, etc.  All these
> > > forms of loving measures flow naturally from true love.
> > >
> > > 3.  And if you really love your people, you will become competent in
> > > leading your people.  Say, if you really love your daughter and she is
> > > really sick, and although you are not a doctor, you would be able to do your
> > > own research to understand a lot about the disease and about available
> > > doctors and hospitals out there, to find the best, the most competent
> > > treatment for her.  Competetence is a matter of learning and if you really
> > > love someone you will know how to learn and to get the professional help to
> > > do the best job for them.
> > >
> > > (If you know that you, even with professional technical help, are not
> > > competent to be the leader, and if you truly love your people, then you
> > > wouldn't take the leadership position anyway).
> > >
> > > Thus, from the leadership's point of view, competence is a necessity,
> > > but a necessity that would flow naturally from true love.  We don't really
> > > need to mention competence separately.
> > >
> > > 4.  About honesty, I would also that honesty is the most natural thing
> > > that flows from true love.  When you love someone, you would be honest with
> > > him/her.
> > >
> > > *So, from the leadership's point of view, leadership has 2 core
> > > elements: *
> > > **
> > > *First, a vision (and the way to the vision)*
> > > *Second, Compassion for your people.*
> > >
> > > *If we put the two points of view together* in a list and do not
> > > distinguish follower's view or leader's view, *we have a list with 4
> > > core elements of leadership: *
> > > **
> > > *1.  Vision *
> > > *2.  Compassion (love, care, understanding, grace)*
> > > *3.  Comptence (wisdom, knowledge, intelligence, effectiveness)*
> > > *4.  Honesty (integrity, trustworthiness, reliability, dependability)*
> > > **
> > > Please feel free to chip in.
> > >
> > > In the next message I will go over one important point in anh Shane's
> > > list:  Protecting the entirely of your people (by sacrificing a small
> > > portion of it, when necessary).  This is probably what brother Hien calls
> > > "toughness" and other folks call "Making the hard decision."
> > >
> > > Have a great weekend, everyone!
> > >
> > > Hoanh
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > On 7/19/07, Hien Nguyen <hnguyen97 at gmail.com > wrote:
> > >
> > > > [ Vietnam Business Forum ]
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > Dear CACE,
> > > >
> > > > It's entertaining to see how social theories can be condensed into
> > > > one or two sentences. Thanks anh Hoanh.
> > > >
> > > > I'd like to volunteer three core elements; but before I list them
> > > > out, I explain the way to build up the concepts.
> > > >
> > > > From a mathematical perspective,  three "core" elements should be
> > > > distinctive, and complement others to make other elements, namely three
> > > > vectors. If we rotate all three vectors by few degrees, they will be another
> > > > three "core" elements.
> > > >
> > > > I select:
> > > >
> > > > LOVE
> > > > WISDOM
> > > > and TOUGHNESS
> > > >
> > > > as core elements.
> > > >
> > > > Have a great day,
> > > > Hien
> > > > --
> > > > Tran Dinh Hoanh, LLB, JD
> > > > Washington DC
> > >
> > >
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> > >
> >  ------------------------------
> >
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