November 12th, 2006

HONG KONG

Chinese Leadership and its Challenges

Several nights ago I attended a leadership forum that featured business and political leaders from across Hong Kong. The guest list included business leaders and one of the primary contenders to be the next president of Hong Kong. Not only was I fortunate enough to have received an invitation, but two friends translated all of the night’s proceedings.

This was an excellent opportunity for me to develop an understanding of what Chinese culture views to be important in their leaders. In truth, it is much different from the west. This will tie into my previous post about the educational system in China, and how it develops self-focused individuals with less focus on team-oriented work.

Each of the speakers talked at length about the dedication and focus required of leaders. They also talked about making the most of opportunities, and never counting yourself out. While this is certainly valid advice for achieving success in life, it is only half the coin of leadership.

Indeed, the sole focus for the night was on what it takes to attain a position of leadership, rather than what it takes to be a leader.

To further clarify my point, there was only one speaker who said anything about working with others. It was very surprising because leadership by definition involves working with other people. It seems the culture focuses solely on the betterment of the individual rather than the betterment of the whole.

Such a mindset may be attributed to the poor social framework, and the gauntlet of examinations. The Chinese get ahead by looking out for themselves and maintaining an inward focus. Societal safeguards and support systems, all too typical in western countries, are virtually non-existent in China. Thus Chinese careers are built around working harder than one’s peers with an unparalleled work ethic.

This kind of strategy allows for a degree of success, but unless employees adapt a broader approach international companies will continue employing westerners as their top leaders. This is certainly the case right now, and it is a source of anxiety and frustration for many Asians who feel themselves superior in performance to their Western counterparts.

With regard to the politician, he was an absolute let-down. Completely lacking in the charisma that typifies American politicians, he was austere and altogether formal. Between forced smiles and a general look of disinterest (his only acts of engagement were to exchange business cards with the other speakers), it is obvious that he does not answer to the people. Instead, a “committee” (dominated by the Chinese Communist Party) appoints the president. Nevertheless, this sort of formal approach is the Hong Kong style when it comes to business. There is hardly any emphasis place on “taking your work seriously, but never yourself.”