Kung-Zi Code
Confucius'
theories on leadership are as relevant today as they were 2500 years ago, says
John Adair
His most recent book, Confucius on Leadership draws on Confucian philosophy, something Adair became familiar with when the People's Republic of China conferred the title of 'Honorary Professor' on him in 2005. "Confucius was writing about what he called a generalist role, one that was distinct in terms of how it contributed to society. He didn't have a name for it, but today as I look back at it, it's clear that he's talking about leadership," says Adair, who is currently Chair of Leadership Studies, United Nations System Staff College, Turin. While Confucius himself didn't write any books, his followers put together a collection of his sayings, known as 'Analects', which Adair has based his book on.
While Confucius (Latinised from the Chinese name Kung-fu-tzu or Kung-Zi) is well known as a philosopher, Adair says that he was a philosopher in the practical, and not academic sense, not unlike Socrates. Not many are aware that Confucius was a minister in the local state government, and probably the first person in the world to step back mid-career to devote his life to training others to be leaders. "In that sense, things weren't that different even 2500 years ago. He realised that the standard of future leaders wasn't as required and went about changing that," says Adair. Most of his teachings still strike a chord.
Based on his interpretations of Confucius' work, Adair says that there are three levels of leaders in the modern organisational set up. The first is the team leader who is responsible for a group of people, followed by the operational leader who will have multiple team leaders reporting in to him. Right at top sits the strategic leader who basically leads the entire organisation.
Power
Principles
There are some basic traits that define the generic role of the leader, what Adair calls the 'three-circle model'. These are: achieving common tasks, holding people together and meeting the needs of the individual. The sum of these three factors is what any leader needs to perform. If you try eliminating any one of these three areas, it would have a direct impact on the other two. Conversely, if you do well on any one aspect, say achieving a task, it would have an impact on the other two factors as well. To ensure that he meets all these three criteria, a leader needs to perform certain functions, namely: define the aim, plan, control, evaluate, support and encourage the team.
Similarly, for a strategic leader, there are three key functions. To know what you are, what you need to know and what you need to do to fulfil your role. "During the banking crisis, it was clear that many of the leaders failed on all three counts. They lacked integrity, loyalty to the truth and trustworthiness, they were clearly out of their depth and didn't know what was happening around them. They lacked knowledge of how the banking industry was functioning and they failed to help their banks achieve their purpose," says Adair.
Apart from performing certain functions and responsibilities, Confucius said that there are certain key qualities that will set some men apart as natural born leaders. These are enthusiasm, integrity, humility, warmth and being demanding but fair. He also believed that leadership by example is a natural way of leading and controlling people, not something that can be achieved through compulsion or force.
What's interesting is how little has changed in the 2500 years since Confucius advocated the basic rules of leadership. Adair's advice for all aspiring leaders, based on C o n f u c i u s ' teachings is simple. "Understand the generic role of the leader, adhere to the 'three-circle model' and learn from examples of good leaders within your cultural traditions," he says. While the basic tenets of leadership have been found to be the same across cultures, it is important to understand these within the cultural context that we operate in. The most important thing is to be clear about what exactly is required out of you, and what your role and responsibilities are.
"The world often tends to forget that leadership wasn't invented in the USA 50 years ago. There are three aspects to it - the Eastern, Western and Tribal traditions of leadership, and I'm trying to incorporate all of this into my teachings," says Adair. For him, it's still a work in progress.
There are some basic traits that define the generic role of the leader, what Adair calls the 'three-circle model'. These are: achieving common tasks, holding people together and meeting the needs of the individual. The sum of these three factors is what any leader needs to perform. If you try eliminating any one of these three areas, it would have a direct impact on the other two. Conversely, if you do well on any one aspect, say achieving a task, it would have an impact on the other two factors as well. To ensure that he meets all these three criteria, a leader needs to perform certain functions, namely: define the aim, plan, control, evaluate, support and encourage the team.
Similarly, for a strategic leader, there are three key functions. To know what you are, what you need to know and what you need to do to fulfil your role. "During the banking crisis, it was clear that many of the leaders failed on all three counts. They lacked integrity, loyalty to the truth and trustworthiness, they were clearly out of their depth and didn't know what was happening around them. They lacked knowledge of how the banking industry was functioning and they failed to help their banks achieve their purpose," says Adair.
Apart from performing certain functions and responsibilities, Confucius said that there are certain key qualities that will set some men apart as natural born leaders. These are enthusiasm, integrity, humility, warmth and being demanding but fair. He also believed that leadership by example is a natural way of leading and controlling people, not something that can be achieved through compulsion or force.
What's interesting is how little has changed in the 2500 years since Confucius advocated the basic rules of leadership. Adair's advice for all aspiring leaders, based on C o n f u c i u s ' teachings is simple. "Understand the generic role of the leader, adhere to the 'three-circle model' and learn from examples of good leaders within your cultural traditions," he says. While the basic tenets of leadership have been found to be the same across cultures, it is important to understand these within the cultural context that we operate in. The most important thing is to be clear about what exactly is required out of you, and what your role and responsibilities are.
"The world often tends to forget that leadership wasn't invented in the USA 50 years ago. There are three aspects to it - the Eastern, Western and Tribal traditions of leadership, and I'm trying to incorporate all of this into my teachings," says Adair. For him, it's still a work in progress.
Priyanka
Sangani ETCD130517
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