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115. Leadership in Eastern and Western Ways | 東, 西方的領導方式

115. Leadership in Eastern and Western Ways | , 西方的領導方式

– Musings of Dr. Jamie C. Hsu, 6.3.2021

One of the questions often asked by Asian Americans is why they are stuck in their careers and unable to attain higher-level leadership positions. In Blog 113, I mention some important factors for attaining leadership roles. Here are some additional thoughts comparing eastern and western ways of leadership.

Many young aspiring professionals from Asia try hard to assimilate into American culture and participate in MBA or other leadership trainings offered by elite colleges. This is fine, but they forget to develop and utilize their inherent advantages of being raised in Eastern culture.

For example, as little kids, we are taught to sacrifice for the greater good of society. Thus you see road construction being done much faster because workers are willing to work weekends and late nights so as not to disrupt daytime traffic. Recently, you have seen people in Asia following the lockdown rules of Covid more willingly than other places.

Asians are also more willing to yield to the will of elders and respect their positions. This can get things done faster and with less fanfare. In school, we are taught early on to look at the big picture before focusing on the single event on hand. Chinese medicine focuses on a holistic approach to treat the whole person, not just cure one disease.

Asian American kids are often told to keep quiet and be humble. This encourages us to observe, learn, and think through things, rather than jump to conclusions or attract attention. In a big family, everyone has a clear and well-defined position and salutation to show their exact relationship with every family member. This helps us later in life when navigating complex networks in business.

Asian cultures emphasize long-term views, family tradition, and the well-being of future generations. Thus we put less importance on quarterly financial reports and more on the mission and reputation of the business.

There are many attributes in Eastern culture that can help us grow and succeed. It is important to combine the best of both Eastern and Western ways of leadership to create a powerful tool kit for ourselves. This will make us unique, valuable, and attain the leadership position for doing the greater good.

In future blogs and workshops, we’ll explore and study “The Eastern and Western Ways of Leadership” in more depth. I hope you’ll join us and share your thoughts.

, 西方的領導方式 (2021/6/3)

-作者 許俊宸博士

-中譯 薛乃綺

            亞裔美國人最常問的問題,就是為何他們在職場中被困在現有的職位上,而沒辦法再往上晉升到更高的領導階級。在我的Blog 113當中,我談到了要如何能有領導力的一些重要因素。這次,我想比較一下東西方兩邊的領導方式。

          很多有抱負的亞裔年輕人,努力融入美國文化、並且學習菁英大學所提供的MBA或其他領導力培養的課程。這當然很好,但他們卻忘了利用發揮自己身上東方文化那個面向的既有優勢。

          舉個例子來說,我們從小就被教育要犧牲小我、貢獻社會;因此,你會看到,會有工人在周末或深夜加班工作,只為了要更快完成道路施工,以免影響白天日常的交通狀況。更譬如說,最近的新冠疫情中,你會發現,亞洲人更願意遵守封城的規則。

          此外,亞洲人也更願意依循長輩的意願,尊重他們的立場。這可以讓事情更快被完成,不需要大张旗鼓的耍噱頭。在學校裡,我們很早就被教導要看大局、注重系統,然後再專注於手頭的個別事務。中醫注重的也是要看身體的整體運作,來治一個人的病;而不僅僅只是治療單一個患處。

          亞裔美國孩子經常被告知要謙遜有禮。這教會了我們要觀察、學習、以及思考事情,而不是急著趕快下結論或標新立異。在大家庭中,每個人都有一個清楚的位置和稱謂,顯示跟每個親屬之間親疏遠近的關係。這有助於我們在往後職場文化中,學習如何駕馭複雜的人情世故。

          亞洲文化也強調長遠的觀點、家庭傳統、以及子孫後代的福祉。因此,我們不太重視季度的報表、反倒更重視企業的使命與聲譽。

東方文化中有很多的特性,可以幫助我們在職場上茁壯並成功。把東西方好的領導元素結合成一套強大的工具,對我們自己來說是十分重要的。如此才能讓我們變得獨特有價值,並且因此獲得升遷、做更大更有贡献的事。

備註:在未來的Blog以及座談會中,我們將會更深入探討及研究東西方的領導方式;希望大家能加入我們,並且分享自己的看法。