It’s the Real Thing!

(If you are an aspiring leader who want to take your leadership to the next level?and reach your full leadership potential, please pre-order my book: The Odyssey of Self-Discovery: On Becoming A Leader by clicking?here . Thank you!)

I took the cover photo of a Graffiti painting when I was visiting Atlanta last year. "It is the real thing!"

Coca-Cola's 'It's the Real Thing' campaign was?a way of consolidating the vast swathe of changes being made to the brand as it entered the 1970s. ... It incorporated everything from identity and packaging, vehicle livery, uniforms and stationery, to the brand's advertising and communications strategies.

Personal brand is the same. It has to be the real things. You can create a different image but that would not be you if not authentic. Leadership is about knowing who you are and what you believe.

I once attended a lunch speech by Mr Jeff Luhnow, then General Manager of Houston Astros in early July 2018, shortly after the team won the 2017 World Series baseball championship. It was a much needed won for the city of Houston shortly after the disastrous flood who devasyead a large part of the city. Mr. Luhnow explained how he led the transformational change of Houston Astro from a historically worst professional baseball team in 2014 to its first ever world championship in a few short years. He shared some of the key decisions during the transformation by creating a vision, having the right people, leveraging digital technology, and willing to take bold actions, all important components of what leadership is about.?

A year later, whistleblowers revealed that the Houston Astro had been using a sophisticated system to steal opposing team’s signals to create an unfair advantage throughout the season including the playoff. According to subsequent Major Baseball Leader Investigation report, “virtually all of the Astros’ players had some involvement or knowledge of the scheme.” Even though Luhnow later denied any knowledge about the cheating scheme, the report stated that Jeff Luhnow had at least some knowledge but might not have given it much attention. The scandal completely tarnished the reputation of the organization and all the leaders including Luhnow were eventually fired by the Astros.?

Ironically, I remember vividly Mr Luhnow used the term “on the bleeding edge” to describe learning through making mistakes. He admitted during the speech that he had made mistake including the releasing of J D Martinez who later became a star outfielder in the Boston Red Sox. “The key is to accept responsibility and learn from the mistakes”. Assuming the MLB report was accurate, it seems that Mr Luhnow failed to take his own advice in this case by taking responsibility of the scandal.?

As General Norman Schwarzkopf once said, “The truth of the matter is that you always know the right thing to do. The hard part is doing it.”

There are many leadership lessons one can draw from the Astro story, but here are my reflections:

• To have the clarity of purpose on being a leader would not only provide a guiding principle of your decision making, but also help define your leadership value.?
• “Sports do not built character; they reveal character.“ This is a quote often attributed to legendary basketball coach John Wooden. Whether this means being honest, fair, compassionate, moral character speaks to a person’s value.?
• When mistakes are made, leaders accept responsibility and learn from the mistakes

Having clarity on individual core value is important. If you are leading a team, it is equally important for you as a leader to define the core value and North Star for the team.

Book Update: I need your help for my pre-order campaign?

One week into the pre-order campaign for my book?The Odyssey of Self-Discovery: On Becoming A Leader! Thank you all for the amazing support from many of you, I am almost half way to achieve my goal for the pre-sale campaign to cover the cost of publishing the book. The campaign is an opportunity for you to join me on my journey as I move into editing and marketing my book. Any support you could provide to keep the newsletter and book project going would be greatly appreciated.

I conducted a virtual session about my book yesterday with 569 attendees organized by Wharton Shanghai Club, Wharton Beijing Club, Penn Wharton China Center, Penn Law China, Penn Engineering China, Penn Medicine China about my upcoming leadership book with a lively Q&A session.?If any organizations you think might benefit from my book, I would be happy to offer a virtual session to share some of the learning from my book journey.

If you have enjoyed reading my newsletter, you will love the book. Please consider share the book with your friends, family members, and colleagues. Thank you for amplifying the message.

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