Learn Chinese - Back to the future

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BIZCHINA / Biz Who

Back to the future

By David S.Aikman (China Daily)
Updated: 2007-09-07 10:09

Indeed, these Young Global Leaders are themselves indicative of precisely
the kind of change we are witnessing in China and throughout the globe.
They personify the increasingly complex, nuanced, networked and
multipolar world order. Even more importantly, these leaders share common
values - in this case, the belief that by coming together with other
individuals from all parts of the globe and by committing themselves to
improving their knowledge, judgment and skills, they are uniquely
positioned to act as collaborative agents to improve the state of the
world - together.

It is this belief - that a (relatively) small community of committed
individuals from nearly 100 countries can actually change the status quo
- that is the lifeblood of the organization I represent. They are not
only a preview of what effective collective leadership in the 21st
century might actually look like, but a live snapshot of what it actually
is.

Yet these leaders are not infallible. And so I end where I begin - with
two very important leadership lessons from Chinese history. The first is
from the historian Bo Yang and others, who argued that Emperor Taizong
was able to achieve the heights of greatness that he did because he
accepted criticism that others would find difficult to accept and because
he tried hard not to abuse his absolute power. Bo Yang's words serve as
good advice to leaders everywhere and speak to the importance of
openness, humility, flexibility, collaboration and learning.

The second is the story of Li Bai, also known as China's "Poet Immortal",
and one of the most famous poets of the Tang period. Li is best known for
his lyrical style and extravagant imagery brought about by an openness to
the world and a life of traveling and, yes, his love of wine.

Legend has it that Li Bai drowned tragically, attempting to embrace the
moon's reflection in a river. His is a lesson that, no matter how gifted
an individual is, regardless of the extent of one's genius, acting alone
can be detrimental. Rather, by acting together, by taking the ingenious,
creative spirit that Li Bai and his contemporaries represented and
applying it to our interconnected and interdependent world, can we make a
difference.

(For more biz stories, please visit Industry Updates)

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