Jedidiah ‘Jedi’ Alex Koh is Coaching Changes LivesAsia’s leading team leadership development training company.
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Applying business leadership strategies is critical to shaping an organization’s overall business trajectory. Many organizations feel ashamed when they see themselves as a perpetually running machine without considering that the organization exists for a business vision. Organizations today need to think of themselves as a business across all functions in order to be more agile in the face of disruption and uncertainty in the marketplace.
Having mentored leaders and business owners in Southeast Asia, I found an interesting pattern emerging through my engagement with them. They were trained and mentored by Western ideas and frameworks, but it didn’t produce the results they wanted. One interesting thing I noticed is that a lot of leadership and business strategy is written from a western perspective, and even if there are some Asian ideas, they tend to be secondary and not given enough clarity.
I grew up in Southeast Asia and for the past 15 years I have been coaching generations of leaders from small businesses to large multinational corporations. Using my experience, practice, and cultural learning, I have developed ten principles of business strategic leadership.
I call these the “Padi Principles”.why Paddy? Padi stands for paddy field; rice is the staple food of Southeast Asians. With traditions and stories spanning generations, padi has significance in shaping our values and customs. When we think of a paddy field, we don’t just mean an individual grain or a single plant of rice, but think of it as a whole. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts. What makes padi so powerful is that it represents collective strength, unity, synergy, harmony of action, and the wisdom that permeates language.
1. Collective cooperation and symbiosis
While individual strengths and contributions are important, greater emphasis is placed on the collaborative power of the collective, the team, and how we complement each other to produce unparalleled creative solutions. This is the concept of the power of many, and the symbiotic relationship everyone has as a whole. Results and outcomes are shared and celebrated with all to deepen collective awareness and camaraderie among all members of the collective.
2. Put others before yourself
We often think that everything is about us. Putting others before ourselves allows us to adopt a mindset of giving and adding value. This allows us to have a mindset of abundance rather than just a mindset of acceptance. Giving is happier than receiving.
3. Discipline and patience
Leaders and businesses need patience to see results. Quick results or quick wins often distract from the ultimate goal or product. Unwavering adherence to a vision and the discipline to create a product will lead to greater growth and results. Discipline is underestimated and many businesses just want to see year-over-year growth. Wise leaders see not one year of shortfalls, but decades of compounding gains.
4. Thrift in action
This frugal attribute is such an important part of strategy development. Many leaders are simply spending money and see investing as an opportunity to increase spending. In a business setting, frugality is spending in time to produce maximum results in the long run. It’s about the long-term impact of spending.
5. Accept and celebrate uniqueness and quirks
Southeast Asia has celebrated diversity for generations. Cultural richness can only be revealed if unique gifts, talents and personalities are accepted and recognized. In business building, how do we celebrate our uniqueness? Have we become compliant? Have we become a place for “yes” people? Quirks are often great talents that just seem odd or don’t seem to fit expectations. However, these quirks can have consequences, yielding deeper levels of innovation and creative output.
6. Kansai– the bond that binds us together
oriental concept relation Not just trust or security. Kansai It is a sense of trust that one person has in another without any pretense, and it goes deeper than blood. There is an understanding that when an Asian person says something, they stick to what they said. Their word is their bond. This bond creates a deeper connection than any contract or written document can replace. Kansai The metaphor of harmony can only be fully understood if we understand it by observing nature and its interactions.degree relationbut it can deepen to have a tangible impact on all.
7. Fearless
this is verve and born élan says Never give up; face the giant head-onEven if it doesn’t work, I will be a stepping stone for the rise of the next generation. Standing up, standing up, stepping in — that’s being fearless.
8. Lead with values and principles
Leadership begins with values. Without values, what we do can be incoherent. Finding alignment and consistency is key to leadership. With a clear mind, with dignified hands, with love from the heart.
9. Family Story – Raising a Generation
Leadership is about families. Leaders nurture offspring and develop teams as if they were one tight-knit family. What is our team story today? Do we have a sense of belonging? Teams with a strong sense of belonging often move from transactional to transformative action.
10. The pursuit of progress, prosperity and happiness
Happiness is found in little things, and progress brings prosperity. A sense of movement and progress is key to developing a business strategy. Leaders must never forget why the business exists in the first place. What are we really after? What are we trying to achieve? What is our legacy?
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