Behind China’s woes, myth of competent autocrats

Government service in an autocracy often carries high moral costs for talented individuals: It leads to the loss of personal dignity in a political hierarchy where the only thing that matters is the status of an official (that is why Chinese officials have business cards with minute details of their official ranks and status that Western businessmen would find totally incomprehensible). Junior or subordinate officials in this system are routinely humiliated and mistreated by their superiors. With the private sector offering better opportunities and psychological well-being, most talented individuals would prefer to seek their fortune outside the government.

Consequently, government service tends to attract not only less talented but also more opportunistic individuals who otherwise cannot compete in the marketplace.

Leadership is knowing when to pander and when to manipulate

Thoughts on Marco Rubio’s attacks on Obama, for making Americans afraid (of ISIS, etc).  -Tim

 

“When America needed a bold plan of action from our commander in chief, we instead got a lecture on love, tolerance, and gun control designed to please the talking heads at MSNBC,” Mr. Rubio said. “The result of all of this is that people are afraid. And they have every right to be.”

.. He then offered his own diagnosis: “The reason why is, in 2008 we elected as president in America someone who wasn’t interested in simply fixing the problems in America. We elected someone as president in 2008 that wanted to fundamentally change America.”

Harvard Business School: Why Isn’t ‘Servant Leadership’ More Prevalent?

Several commented that SL requires qualities that are all too rare, such as “cardinal virtues” (Katherina Lange), a “paradoxical combination of courage AND humility,” (Lisa Slayton), “(a) high degree of self control… ” (Ashok Jain), and “validation needs (that) have largely been met … (making it) very challenging for younger people to be servant leaders” (Mike Gatliff). Personal characteristics that get in the way of SL include “Ego (that) makes it difficult to ‘want to serve'” (Randy Hoekstra), “greed” (Madeleine York), and “An unhealthy desire to control” (Judesther Marc).

.. Steve Hickman added, “… it is a recessive organizational gene… You don’t get promoted if you don’t get noticed.”

.. Several (including John Keck, Michael Darmody, and Mona Bagot) subscribed to the idea that SL can be perceived as a weakness.

.. Mark Stanley, who commented that “These terms do not fit together-Servant & Leader … It’s just another way poor leaders attempt to elevate themselves above those they ‘serve’… an entirely unhealthy approach for a leader to take… Our need to be led well is far more important than our need to be served.

.. Grant describes research in his recent book, Give and Take, that suggests that servant leaders are not only more highly regarded than others by their employees and not only feel better about themselves at the end of the day but are more productive as well. His thesis is that servant leaders are the beneficiaries of important contacts, information, and insights that make them more effective and productive in what they do even though they spend a great deal of their time sharing what they learn and helping others through such things as career counseling, suggesting contacts, and recommending new ways of doing things.

.. So in his seemingly tireless efforts to give, described in the book, Grant makes it a practice to give to everyone until he detects a habitual “taker” that can be eliminated from his “gift list.”