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

[AD Marshall]

A Hoanh, Bro',

On 7/21/07, you wrote, "Brother Andi, politicians, like lawyers, have a bad
reputation universally, although once in a while a politician or lawyermay
enjoy some good reputation."

Please be assured, though i'd largely agree with the stereotype that too
many PROFESSIONAL politicians are weasels, i hold lawyers in general in
quite high regard.  While lawyers, in Commonwealth nations at least, are
broadly and rigorously educated and tested before qualifying for their
profession, as Robert Louis Stephenson writ, 105 years ago, "Politics is
perhaps the only profession for which no preparation is thought
necessary."<http://www.bartleby.com/73/1427.html>
I have no negative stereotype of lawyers.  I even view a few as mentors, or
masters, of living optimally.

Next, you emphasized the limits of theory compared to practice and advised
we each learn and build our own leadership methods, through practice, from
scratch, from "ground zero", advise you later clarified and extended to any
endeavor "in arts", in another mail to Bro' Ba Thien.  Please correct me if
i'm misinterpreting.

But back in your earlier mail.  You pointed out that, "leadership has less
to do with politician than with you youself, Andi" and asked, "What kind of
leader your are?  How do you act toward your children, your younger
siblings, your employees, your subordinates?  Are you not honest to them?
Are you not loving them?"

I'm not sure whether your questions are merely rhetorical or actually
seeking responses.  Which are they?  In either case, could you please do me
the favor of providing examples of the sort of answers you're seeking,
yourself.  I have what i think are clear and reasonable answers to those
questions, but i'm not sure that i'd be addressing them from the angle you'd
intended.  For example, in this context, what do you mean by "love" and how
do "white lies" fit into it?

Regarding the latter, for example, my own experience is that not only
followers but peers will not appreciate honest expressions of what may be
truth if it involves correcting some error in their ways or beliefs,
especially deeply held or deeply personal beliefs.  They'd prefer a "white
lie" or diversionary comment instead.  And, in fact, others may even view
one as impolitic if he or she persists in saying what they truly think about
the flaws of others in the group or even if they talk to blatantly about
their own flaws if they themselves are supposed to be "leaders".

I, myself, do not view myself as much of a leader in the sense i think
leadership is being considered in this thread, precisely because of that
last observation of mine.  I have a terrible tendency to blurt out questions
like, "OK, but what about X, Y or Z?", when, in hindsight, i realize others
had really wanted signs of support from me for some notion they were
espousing.

Thanks in advance.

With warm wishes,
Andi


On 7/21/07, Tran Dinh Hoanh <tdhoanh at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> [ Vietnam Business Forum ]
>
>
> Dear Brothers Thien and Andi,
>
> Glad that you like this subject so much !!
>
> Brother Thien, teachers are never good enough for us.  All teachers are
> alike, each brings to us some knowledge.  But leadership is an art, we just
> have to practice, practice, and practice until we master the art
> ourselves.
>
> The old masters are revered because, for thousands of years, people
> realize that what they say make sense (otherwise, why should they be so
> famous for so long?).  Human behavior changes very little over the
> milleniums.   Hi, no, ai, o, bi, lac, duc.  For millions of
> years, fundamental human needs and impluses change very little.  Thus,
> fundamental human-relation principles, such as leadership principles have
> changed very little.  And If you should learn from a teacher, try to find
> the best teacher of the world.  For me, the best teachers are the ones that
> have been proven to last the longest.
>
> But we cannot over-emphazie teachers, we have to rely on our own practice
> in order to master the art.  You realize that in constructing the list of
> leadership core elements, I did not rely on any old master's method.  I
> strictly use common sense and common reasoning.  Nothing fancy.
>
> Time-proven principles are like ingredients, salt, sugar, lemon, pepper,
> for cooking.  They have been there for thousands of years. You learn how
> these ingredients work and come up with your own dish.
>
> The best way to practice leadership is to build something from ground
> zero, such as building a new company, building a new organization, opening a
> new project, opening a new group.  Nothing, no master old or new, can
> replace practice, practice and practice.
>
> Brother Andi, politicians, like lawyers, have a bad reputation
> universally, although once in a while a politician or lawyermay enjoy some
> good reputation.
>
> But leadership has less to do with politician than with you youself,
> Andi.  What kind of leader your are?  How do you act toward your children,
> your younger siblings, your employees, your subordinates?  Are you not
> honest to them?  Are you not loving them?
>
> About Bill Clinton's example, if Bill were as competent but more honest
> than the Bill we know, wouldn't you like that better?  Of course, in an
> imperfect world, we must make an imperfect choice.  But if you have a better
> choice, wouldn't you take the better choice?
>
> But again, this is less about Bill or any leader out there than about
> ourselves, about you, me, and each one of us who wants to develop
> him/herself.
>
> Have a great day, brother Thien & Andi, and all.
>
> Hoanh
> --
> Tran Dinh Hoanh, LLB, JD
> Washington DC
>
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