Leadership and charisma are the topics very often associated with what we understand as management style or skills. But interestingly, my personal business experience tells me that in the business practice not everywhere in the world people make such associations.
When we compare the two best world economies of recent years- the US one with the Japanese – we notice an interesting phenomenon. When I worked in an American company I heard about leadership all the time. Being a manager there, you finally start to have an impression that if you are not a charismatic, visionary, really exceptional individual, you have a little chance to be a good manager!
And your company having people like you as managers has a little chance to be successful! Interesting, when I worked in a Japanese company I didn’t hear about leadership at all! They don’t seem to worry much about the fact that their managers don’t have skills to lead people! This is probably one of the most significant differences between Western and Eastern management cultures. A Chinese philosopher, Lao Tzu describes his view on leadership in the following way: “As for the best leaders, the people do not notice their existence. The next best, the people honor and praise. The next, the people fear; and the next, the people hate. When the best leader’s work is done, the people say: WE DID IT OURSELVES.”
You – who are just reading this short article, if you are a manager, I would like to tell you that here at the ProcessCoach we are not sure whether you were born with charisma and leadership skills but we are sure you were born with a potential to have them! And we will be extremely happy to assist you in the process of developing them!
All the best for you!
Monika
