The 12 Zodiac Principles For Asian Leadership Development
“Is there a difference in Western or Eastern leadership?”
“Should Asian leaders adopt Western philosophy or ideology? Should Western leaders adopt Eastern philosophy or ideology?”
“What distinguishes Eastern leadership and the rest of the world?”
These are questions I have had the privilege to discuss with many senior leaders in Asia. There is a clear cultural difference when leaders operate in Asia and other parts of the world. The vast diversity requires leaders to adopt a more fluid, flexible and agile leadership style to address the complexities of human relationships and connections.
I have been coaching Asian leaders over the last decade and found that there are 12 key principles that distinguish Asian leaders from other leaders. And these 12 principles help support their overall development as effective leaders in the workplace and managing across generations and cultures.
We have to rethink how leadership is; leadership isn’t about doing, about models or frameworks or best practices. Leadership is about who you are as an individual showing up in the team to inspire and influence them toward an outcome that is aligned with the business intention and vision. Asian leadership is not a series of steps or framework, rather, it's in understanding the principles that underly what we do.
In the Asian tradition, the use of metaphors and stories permeates across professional and personal lives to teach, inspire and influence the way we think, decide and lead our lives. The 12 zodiac signs of Asian culture are metaphors of animals that represent all aspects of life. Through years of coaching and leadership consulting, I have adapted these stories and developed the 12 Zodiac Principles for Asian Leadership.
1. The Rat
The rat typifies resourcefulness and quick-wittedness. Leaders ought to first embody ownership and versatility while remaining kind and respectful of others. Though small, they never let their smallness become a stumbling block.
2. The Ox
The ox typifies discipline, diligence, determination and strength. Leaders need to embody self-discipline in all areas of life to model for their teams and stakeholders the standard they would like to live.
3. The Tiger
The tiger typifies boldness, bravery and confidence. When faced with challenging circumstances, how do we face them? Do we face them with boldness and without pretense, or do we fall to pressure?
4. The Rabbit
The rabbit typifies elegance, quietness and responsibility. The swiftness of the rabbit and its quietness shows that the leader doesn’t always have to be the one talking—they can allow others to shine.
5. The Dragon
The dragon typifies intelligence, gracefulness and legacy. The dragon as a mythical creature has the ability to create awe-inspiring grandeur; and as a leader, it can inspire and be an example of how to speak and lead with gracefulness and leave a legacy that truly makes a difference.
6. The Snake
The snake typifies wisdom and enigma. Leaders have to be wise and discerning when deciding what decisions to make and judge what brings the best outcome to their team and business.
7. The Horse
The horse typifies energy, activeness and stamina. Leaders need to know how to best use their energy so that is sustainable—rather than expending all their energy on a short-term project that becomes unsustainable in the long run.
8. The Goat
The goat typifies empathy and calmness. The ability to empathize with others and be present in the moment is critical to leadership. Showing up and showing that you care with a sense of deep stability can help your team manage their inner state.
9. The Monkey
The monkey typifies curiosity and sharpness. Leaders need to remain open, curious and humble. Actively experiment with new ideas and be willing to try new things. Having that acute lens of what could work and empower teams can really matter.
10. The Rooster
The rooster typifies observance and hard work. Leaders have to put in the work to see the results. You can't just demand it from your team. The effort and hard work required to build an effective team require you to be situationally aware and observant of the state of your people.
11. The Dog
The dog typifies loyalty and respect. Leaders are not leaders of position, we do not lead because of our titles but because we want to inspire loyalty and a sense of camaraderie. Are you loyal to your team and organization, or are you demanding the loyalty of others?
12. The Pig
The pig typifies generosity and compassion. Leaders are givers. Be generous with your resources and words to appreciate and build up your people. Are you being calculative of everything, or do you have a gracious and generous spirit?
These 12 Zodiac Principles can help us use the metaphors of animals to learn about how to develop our leadership. Leadership is a journey and too often, leaders think that they have arrived or know it all and become weaker leaders. Leaders who have a learning mindset often are more gracious and generous.
A client of mine once shared with me that he noticed other leaders keeping the "best-kept secrets" from their teams in fear that they might do better than them in the future. When leaders have such a mindset, I call it a poverty mindset that is jealous and depletes others. But when you embody a generous mindset of giving and learning, you aren't afraid of developing other leaders who could surpass you.
Leadership is about raising the next generation of leaders who can surpass our current ability. When leaders are selfish, the next generation of leadership may fail. But when leaders are giving and empowering, they build a legacy of leaders who are truly transformative.