[Vnbiz] Staying to be a Leader -- the Champion of Values

[Tran Dinh Hoanh]

Dear CACC,

Sister Bich Lien's message about value a while ago prompts this message.
There are different ways to grasp that elusive quality that we call
"leadership," but probably the simplest and clearest way to to focus on is
"value.  We will approach the leadership from the value perspective today.

As we know, a crucial element of leadership is "vision" (or goal), something
to strive for, some distant destination for the journey.  And that
destination, that goal, that vision is best described in term of value--some
value to strive for.

Say, in the American war for Independence (against England), the values are
national independence and personal freedom.  In the "Reagan revolution"
those values of national and individual freedom are re-affirmed.  In the
Communist revolution, the value was "absolute equality."  In Jesus
teachings, the value is "love."  In the Buddha teachings, the value is
"absolute stillness of the mind."  In the anti-French war, the value was
"national independence."

So, if you run a company, which has the general goal of making money, what
would be the values other than money making?   The answer is your own
choice. You have to determine what values you want you and your employees to
achieve, such as 'Excellence in service" or "Clients are our best friends"
or "Innovation in the market place" or "The best place to work."   These
organizational values are usually placed in the organization's "Mission
Statement."   Ex:  "The ABC University aims to achieve equal education
opportunity for all and to bring the best education to the poor and the
underprivileged."  Here we can see that the value in this mission statement
is "Equal education opportunity, especially for poor and the
underprivileged."

So an organization (or a group) has a goal that consists of some value(s) to
strive for.  And the leader is the champion for that goal.  She is the one
that goes out to convince and encourage everyone to achieve the goal.

But apart from those *organizational values*, there is another set of values
in the person of the leader that makes her different from the non-leader.
And here is where true leadership resides.  Almost everyone can equally set
out some organizational goal (i.e., some organizational values) to aim
for, but not everyone has all the values of a great leader in him/her.

But what are those "*personal values*" of a leader?

I am not sure that there is a absolutely right answer.  Each one of us
probably comes up with some slightly different answer.  But generally, I
think we can use the five Confucian virtues:  Nhan, Le, Nghia, Tri, Tin
(love, respect, loyalty, wisdom, trustworthiness).  These 5 virtues are
valued in all cultures of the world.  They are in the human heart every
where.

The better one can master these values, the higher leadership quality one
has.  Mastering these virtues is much easier talked than done.  Say, do you
think that president Bush and his administration honestly made a mistake on
Iraq's weapon of mass destruction and nuclear capability (which mistake led
to the Iraq invasion)?  Or do you think that they "wanted" to make that
mistake?  The answer goes to the "honesty" and "trustworthiness" of the
leader.  You don't have to come out and lie blatantly (the way Clinton said
"I did not have sex with that woman); you only have to be dishonest enough
in your heart to "want to make an honest mistake."

Ed Meese, President Reagan's attorney general, said that during Reagan's
first cabinet meeting (right after Reagan was elected president), Reagan
said briefly, something like "Well, we've got our job to do.  Just do what
you think is right."  So Reagan was telling his ministers to do what they
feel is morally right in their heart, not what may please the press, or what
may increase the approval rating in the polls, not what may increase the
popularity of his presidency.  He said "Do what is right."  It means, "Do
what is right, even if it hurts."   Reagan was a champion of "the right
thing," of the high values in the human heart.  That is the mark of a great
leader.

In sum, a great leader is one who champions great human values, by mastering
(or at least constantly trying to master) them in his own life and work, and
by leading his people to a goal that further advances some great human
values.

Have a great day!

Hoanh

-- 
Tran Dinh Hoanh, LLB, JD
Washington DC
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