By Dr Tarcisius Chin                                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                                      
AS we move towards the next mil lennium, the new managemenr                                                                                           
article of faith is leadership with a growing band of apostles                                                                                        
preach ing the faith.                                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                                      
Research into the subject leading to the publication of books                                                                                         
and articles as well as volumes of unpublished conference and                                                                                         
seminar papers suggests that developing leadership for the                                                                                            
21st century is the key to wealth creation and prosperity for                                                                                         
the future.                                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                                      
What has happened to the notion of management as the critical                                                                                         
factor of production? Is it a name change? Is it a loss of                                                                                            
faith in the ability of management to contribute to the wealth                                                                                        
creation process?                                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                                      
Why the urgency to treat the subject of leadership as separate                                                                                        
and distinct from management?                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                                      
Dr Warren Bennis of the University of Southern California                                                                                             
makes the distinction that managers do things right while                                                                                             
leaders do the right things.                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                                      
This is comparable to Peter Drucker's distinction between                                                                                             
efficiency and effectiveness. On a broader canvass it is the                                                                                          
distinction between means and ends.                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                                      
The classic definition of management is "deciding what has to                                                                                    
be done and getting it done through others." Leadership has                                                                                      
been defined in different ways, but its essence is based on                                                                                           
three components.                                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                                      
First is a vision of the desired future; second the ability to                                                                                        
get a following; and third the competence m securing the                                                                                              
future.                                                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                                      
The closeness of the definitions between management and                                                                                               
leadership suggests the existence of a high degree of                                                                                                 
commonality in the expectations and requirements of management                                                                                        
and leadership. The departure is in the degree of emphasis.                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                                      
Leaders devote more time and energy to "looking forward" (the                                                                               
planning function of management) while managers tend to be                                                                                            
more involved with operational tasks (making it happen).                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                                      
It is accepted orthodoxy that it is top management's key role                                                                                         
to behave as leaders, devoting more attention to creating the                                                                                         
future while lower-level managers attend to the day-to-day                                                                                            
concerns of running the business.                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                                      
But it is also increasingly accepted that the core attributes                                                                                         
of good leadership should be developed right across the                                                                                               
managerial spectrum and that future business will be driven by                                                                                        
managers of all ranks who are leaders rather than followers.                                                                                          
Leadership is, therefore becoming the sine qua non of the                                                                                             
future manager.                                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                                      
In a recent survey by the Economist Intelligence Unit, with                                                                                           
the cooperation of Koto/Ferry International, of over 150                                                                                              
senior executives from many of the world's leading                                                                                                    
corporations, the message conveyed "that business in much of                                                                                     
developed still pays too much attention to the search for                                                                                             
charismatic leadership, rather than engaging in the more                                                                                              
difficult but less chancy task of permitting and developing                                                                                           
leadership throughout its organisations."                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                                      
The urgency for leadership development is based on the need                                                                                           
for empowerment and quick response time in an environment                                                                                             
where product life-cycles have shortened, competition                                                                                                 
intensified and corporations globalised.                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                                      
The observation made is that tomorrow's organisations will be                                                                                         
managed by a team of leaders in an environment which will                                                                                             
demand that businesses must enhance entire processes, not just                                                                                        
individual functions; only a team of leaders, knowledgeable                                                                                           
about both individual processes and overall corporate goals                                                                                           
can achieve this effect.                                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                                      
In a recent conferring speech by Dr Jacques Nasser, President                                                                                         
of Automotive Operations of the Ford Motor Company, when he                                                                                           
received the Doctorate of Technology from RMIT (a partner of                                                                                          
the Malaysian Institute of Management for the Institute's                                                                                             
degree programmes), the significant importance of leadership                                                                                          
is emphasised.                                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                                      
To Dr. Nasser, leadership contains six elements:                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                                      
One, leadership requires the strength of conviction.                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                                      
Two, leaders must have the ability to truly listen.                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                                      
Three, leaders demonstrate simplicity as a means of building                                                                                          
confidence.                                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                                      
Four, leaders do not hesitate to make tough decisions.                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                                      
Five, leaders celebrate achievement.                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                                      
Six, leaders understand that leadership requires optimism.                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                                      
Good leadership generates "follower ship" people willing to                                                                                 
follow the leaders because they believe that the leader has                                                                                           
their best interests at heart.                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                                      
But good leadership also demands a level of personal                                                                                                  
involvement. Some call it enthusiasm, commitment, excitement.                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                                      
Like Confucius, Tom Peters and Dr Nasser, I prefer to use the                                                                                         
expression "passion" a feeling about doing our best simply                                                                                  
because we love doing it.                                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                                      
As the veil of differences between management and leadership                                                                                          
is removed in our aspiration to transform every manager into a                                                                                        
leader and to reposition the role of leadership as the                                                                                                
centrepoint of management, the challenge of developing                                                                                                
management leaders for the 21st century is a daunting                                                                                                 
exercise.                                                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                                      
The transformation requires nothing less than a radical change                                                                                        
in the current thinking of management education and training                                                                                          
providers.                                                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                                      
The conventional focus on disciplines must give way to a                                                                                              
refocus on developing the full person, beginning with self                                                                                            
assessment and ending with issues relating to the individual's                                                                                        
contribution to the betterment of society.                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                                      
The disciplines are the means towards a much nobler end and                                                                                           
should be viewed in the context of the appropriate                                                                                                    
technological support to create the desired future.