Page 23 - The Art of Leadership (preview)

Mr Lee Kuan Ye w
10158_Contents_12May.indd
‘‘
I am not an entrepreneur, but I can recognise one.
I have been engaged in political leadership. I believe
it is similar to the question: “Are leaders born or
trained?”
’’
sources currently available and executing that 1971, he presented my daughter with a dog.
opportunity for the purpose of wealth cre- It was bred from a line of field trial champions.
ation in the private, public and global sectors. Teaching her to obey all the commands was
In other words, an entrepreneur, if I can put effortless. Had I the birds for her to retrieve
it in my words, “sees, evaluates, exploits op- or the fish I caught in the pond, she would
portunities; whereas a manager concentrates have had no trouble bringing it back without
on the effective use of available resources to damaging either the pheasant or fish. In fact,
achieve optimum results”. she became so bored with the routine repeti-
tion of the same commands, that on the first
I believe that entrepreneurs are born and
command she would go through the whole
confirmed this belief through many life expe-
repertoire.
riences. Before you are able to excel in a
particular field, the necessary qualities have I am not an entrepreneur, but I can recognise
to be innate. I choose an example with dogs one. But I have been engaged in political
because it is less sensitive than talking about leadership. I believe it is similar to the ques-
humans. I was once presented with a beautiful tion: “Are leaders born or trained?” A person
Labrador Retriever. I sent the dog to the police not born with leadership qualities cannot
training school to get it to sit, lie down, and improve significantly, however thorough
heel to command. He was not successful be- the training is. Those with some leadership
cause he was a champion show dog. Later, I qualities can, with training, become some-
read of a Labrador Retriever in The Guardian what better leaders than they would otherwise
that could catch trout and retrieve pheasants have been.
shot by its master. That dog belonged to the The British used to make the great discoveries
Home family in Scotland. After a fortuitous — steam engines, textile machines and electric
conversation with Sir Alec Douglas-Home in motors. They won many Nobel Prizes for
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