THE Asian economic crisis has drawn a chorus of negative                                                                                              
comments from presidents and prime ministers to taxi drivers                                                                                          
and street vendors. Comments have ranged from foreign                                                                                                 
conspiracies to cronyism, to conspicuous consumption to poor                                                                                          
macro and micro-management.                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                                      
It is now academic to trace its cause(s). It is more useful to                                                                                        
seek the solutions.                                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                                      
Make no mistake. The economic slowdown will just not go away;                                                                                         
if anything, most indicators suggest that recovery will be                                                                                            
protracted over the long haul and greatly influenced by what                                                                                          
happens to other economies.                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                                      
Independence has brought us wealth and prosperity; it has also                                                                                        
delivered instability, uncertainty and the consequence of the                                                                                         
so called contagion effect.                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                                      
In uncertain times, the best laid out plans suddenly do not                                                                                           
make sense. Add to it the problem of cash flow and the knives                                                                                         
are flashed.                                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                                      
There is a lesson to be learned.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                                      
Managing in a stable, steady state is relatively easy; you                                                                                            
plan for growth and put into motion tactical and strategic                                                                                            
actions to deliver your budget.                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                                      
The job of management is to ensure that the budget is                                                                                                 
delivered and to take corrective action whenever a variance is                                                                                        
detected. Much of management is technical and operational.                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                                      
Managing in uncertain times characterized by crisis,                                                                                                  
turbulence and chaos is an entirely different proposition.                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                                      
The rulebook is no longer relevant nor is past precedence                                                                                             
valid.                                                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                                      
The vital quality that will be demanded is not operational                                                                                            
efficiency but leadership.                                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                                      
Leadership is a scarce commodity. In good times, we are                                                                                               
impressed with a long list of corporate "leaders", but in bad                                                                               
times, where are they?                                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                                      
Sadly, it is in difficult times that we need more leaders to                                                                                          
show the way forward. Do we circle the wagons, stand and                                                                                              
fight, negotiate, or what? Not taking a stand is one way of                                                                                           
inviting slaughter.                                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                                      
It is apparent that issues of crisis and change management are                                                                                        
now more relevant than issues of operations research and                                                                                              
management science.                                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                                      
Over the last decade, there had been strong sentiments that                                                                                           
the key to managing the future is in corporate leadership. But                                                                                        
what has actually happened is tokenism.  Ninety-five per cent                                                                                         
of American managers, for example, say the right thing. Only                                                                                          
5% actually do it.                                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                                      
Once upon a time, the orthodoxy was that you either had                                                                                               
leadership or you didn't. And if you had, you surely didn't                                                                                           
share it.                                                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                                      
Nowadays, in order to thrive and survive, managers are called                                                                                         
upon to lead, to empower and to utilise the intellectual                                                                                              
capital of the group.                                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                                      
Unlike the leaders of old who hold all the cards, the new                                                                                             
corporate leaders do not expect to solve all the problems                                                                                             
themselves, realising that no one person can deal with the                                                                                            
emerging and colliding tyrannies of change, speed, quality,                                                                                           
customer satisfaction, innovation, diversity and technology.                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                                      
But as leaders, they can initiate action and help install                                                                                             
environments conducive for group transformation.                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                                      
Judging from the literature, the study of management is                                                                                               
somewhat old hack. The in-thing now is leadership, which has                                                                                          
spawned an industry of training providers.                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                                      
How does one train someone to be a leader? One approach is                                                                                            
through personal growth and development ala Outward Bound:                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                                      
The idea is to capitalise on passion as the pathway to                                                                                                
leadership and is suitable for the physically inclined. Using                                                                                         
adventure learning based an "rocks and ropes", team-work is                                                                                 
demonstrated as the ingredient of leadership.                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                                      
The suggestion is that what teamwork can do for physical                                                                                              
activities, it can also apply equally to corporate work in                                                                                            
getting the best out of people.                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                                      
A second approach favoured by psychologists and social                                                                                                
scientists is to use feedback to create self-awareness. This                                                                                          
involves evaluating the leadership skills one possesses and                                                                                           
adjusting them according to the feedback received.                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                                      
A third approach favoured by academics is to create conceptual                                                                                        
awareness in the belief that if one grasps the concept, one                                                                                           
can act on it. Intellectual in approach, the action is in the                                                                                         
classroom and instruments used are exercises and case studies.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                                      
The fourth route favoured by training provider is specific and                                                                                        
is skills oriented. Take, for example presentation skills,                                                                                            
which is considered an important tool of an effective leader.                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                                      
The theory is that through practice skills are built and after                                                                                        
a while the participant is in a much better position to                                                                                               
deliver an inspiring speech.                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                                      
All four pathways to developing leadership have pluses and                                                                                            
minuses. They all contribute but each by itself is somewhat                                                                                           
inadequate to the task.                                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                                      
The conceptual route is too IQ driven, while the feedback                                                                                             
route is too EQ (emotional intelligence) driven. What is                                                                                              
required is to blend both IQ and EQ characteristics into the                                                                                          
development programmes, plus adding SQ (spiritual                                                                                                     
intelligence) features as well.                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                                      
SQ is currently surfacing in the concept of values-based                                                                                              
leadership in which the leader helps define and inculcate                                                                                             
desirable values in the organization.                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                                      
I have previously made a case for the holistic development of                                                                                         
the manager through an adroit blending of IQ, EQ and SQ                                                                                               
qualities under this column (Sunday Star, June 7).                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                                      
The case for the development of leaders is even more                                                                                                  
pertinent.  While managers are technocrats leaders are forces                                                                                         
for social good.                                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                                      
IQ is necessary as Asian society places high regard and                                                                                               
respect for the person who has Credentials who can think and                                                                                          
who can introduce new ideas.                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                                      
EQ is a stronger requirement for the leader than for the                                                                                              
manager without the ability to relate with others and to                                                                                              
establish empathy, leadership is but an empty word.                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                                      
SQ is perhaps the strongest requirement in leadership. It                                                                                             
provides the glue to hold the group together.                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                                      
In the corporate world, it is the set of values that are                                                                                              
shared by the corporate community, often translated into a                                                                                            
code of conduct upon which business is done                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                                      
In fact, there is an emerging notion of the leader as the                                                                                             
servant and the epitome of the practice of the cherished                                                                                              
values of the organisation.                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                                      
In a more transparent society the leader is expected to be                                                                                            
whiter than white if he or she is to be followed with                                                                                                 
enthusiasm and conviction.                                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                                      
There has been too much talk about leadership and the need for                                                                                        
more leaders. When economic conditions are tough as they are                                                                                          
now, it is high time to walk the talk.                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                                      
Leadership is not about knowledge; it has everything to do                                                                                            
with participation, interaction and experience.                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                                      
Above all, it is about action. And the first action needed is                                                                                         
for leaders to figure out ways to teach everyone else how to                                                                                          
be one.