- Title
- Morning Letter 16th
- Date
- 2004/09/19
- Contents
There is a saying that goes, 'brighter the light gets, bigger its shadow becomes.' It means that no matter how good a subject is, there must be a dark side of it. For example, quick adaptation may not guarantee the right direction and depth. Also, too much respect for elderly can result in authoritarian which may hinder the innovative thinking of the young generation.
You, the leader! If your word and action gave challenge to others, don't forget that you might have hurt others in the same way. What you think your strengths are could in fact be your weaknesses at the same time.
- "A Sword and a Sheath" by Han Hong
Today, I would like to talk about "the shadow of leadership", which may be the blind spot of the leadership that is often overlooked.
We all know that a light comes out in seven different colors when it goes through a prism. If someone asks us what the color of the light is, without hesitation we will say that it is the color of the rainbow.
I think our character and personality are the same. Once we embrace the various characters and personalities of different individuals, we can understand that the organization that is composed of such individuals must be diverse as well. If controlling the diversity to pursue our vision is 'leadership,', then hurting the followers without knowing during that process will be the 'shadow of leadership.'
If the leader speaks on behalf of a specific party in the organization or makes biased decisions, the shadow of leadership may cause the followers to lose the trust, and furthermore result in fatal damage to the teamwork.
I, myself, feel insufficient in this aspect to be leading SIMMTECH. On reflection, I realized how there were times when I hurt people, who trust and follow me, with harsh language or inadequate treatment. I wholeheartedly regret what I have done, and will do my best to minimize the shadow.
You may also have unintentional "shadow of leadership" while fulfilling your task. Admitting the shadow is the true courage. While I repeatedly regretted my shadow, I've learned that attentively listening to your followers is very helpful to reduce the shadow.
One of our best members once decided to leave our company, and visited me to say good -bye. We open-mindedly talked for a long time, but towards the end, I just listened to him without interrupting. Then, we realized there was a bond of sympathy, which was our love for SIMMTECH. Seeing his tears, I made up my mind to make SIMMTECH a 'Great company.' He is still with us today, and is one of the proud members who made today's SIMMTECH'.
Another way to reduce the shadow is a sustained effort to avoid leader's pessimistic feeling or stress to be linked to work or followers. Being too emotional causes bad judgments and harsh language which can leave a critical scar on someone. No one is perfect, but I am confident that our emotion can be controlled by constant effort and training.
Leaders of SIMMTECH!
While it is true that the shadow of leadership may be a negative factor to our teamwork, I believe that we can minimize the impact with humbleness and love and care for one another. And this will complete what I've been pursuing, 'serving leadership.'
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