They seek the universal quality in others, the mix of curiosity, openness and versatility which draws people in, so that they never feel that they don't belong.
Some of my oversea friends who had visited Singapore was amazed at the sight of temples, mosques and churches standing side by side, and people of different races living in the same HDB block.
Like a SPEECH BY MR GOH CHOK TONG,SENIOR MINISTER, AT THE COMMEMORATIVE EVENT, ‘IN CELEBRATION OF RELIGIOUS HARMONY IN SINGAPORE', 19 JULY 2008, 9.00 AM AT THE STAMFORD GREEN, FORT CANNING PARK
"In the aftermath of September 11, my biggest fear was its impact on religious harmony in Singapore. I feared that a terrorist act in Singapore could cause great misunderstanding and distrust between Singaporeans of different religions. Once distrust set in, the Singapore fabric could begin to tear. Fortunately, what I feared did not happen. It did not happen because we moved in quickly to engage our religious and community leaders to explain the meaning of September 11 and the aborted terrorist plot against Singapore. We explained to our people the risks to Singapore if we allowed external events to affect us. Our people understood because we have built up trust between them and the Government and between people of different faiths. Nevertheless, I took the opportunity to strengthen this trust further. I am a firm believer that in multi-racial and multi-religious Singapore, we must never take harmony for granted. In this interconnected world, external religious conflicts can have a knock-on effect on Singapore" extract from http://www.singaporeunited.sg/cep/index.php/chinese/node_313/Singapore-marks-Racial-Harmony-Day
Posted by Manila B
Anand Giridharadas, columnist for the New York Times, has identified a new species of leader, that he calls the "Hybrid." Among these are President Obama, Egypt's Mohammad ElBaradei and the Indian woman chairman of Pepsi Cola, Indra Nooyi.
Pepsi's CEO has had a varied career, ranging from membership in an all-woman rock band in college, to work in a consulting firm, and her rise in PepsiCo to her present position. A Yale University graduate, she speaks with an Indian accent, but her language is larded with Americanisms.
She exemplifies what Giridharadas calls the emergent breed of leaders. They don't fit the traditional mold of leader as an authoritarian figure who sets the agenda.
Their distinguishing traits are firstly, a habit of listening closely to their employees or constituents, and leading by empathy. They are apt to engage both sides of questions, to allow those who work with them to feel that their position has been heard.
They seek the universal quality in others, the mix of curiosity, openness and versatility which draws people in, so that they never feel that they don't belong.
While traditional leaders were valued for consistency, hybrids make use of inconsistency. They are apt to come from no one place geographically or ideologically. They speak many languages, figuratively and actually.
The hybrid leader is "radically pragmatic" and hopeful about the prospects of changing the world. But they are not reckless radicals. They believe in changing the world by working within the system rather than outside it. They are more interested in being a part of the establishment than to subvert it.
Despite the fact they want to listen to all sides, hybrid leaders have a core value system of underlying truths in which they passionately believe. When they travel, they suspend their own practices in favour of local custom. An example of this was when President Obama bowed to the emperor of Japan, in deference to Japanese custom, an action which aroused criticism back home.
Hybrid leaders tend to bridge divides. In the business world, for example, they bridge the greed-altruism divide. In politics, they call for bipartisan effort, which bridges the left and right. Britain's new coalition leaders, David Cameron and Nick Clegg, are an example.
The hybrids think less in terms of good and bad, black and white. They see the possibility of different sides complementing one another, rather than as a source of conflict.
When she visited her childhood home in India, Indra Nooyi, the chairman of PepsiCo, noted that friends and relatives came to congratulate her mother, rather than honor her. She liked the idea and back on the job wrote to the parents of her senior managers and told them how much they contributed to the success of PepsiCo through the gift of their son or daughter. Only a hybrid leader would have done that.
Color Lines: The Troubled Dreams of Racial Harmony in an American Town
Racial Sensitivity
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