Leadership (Part I)

Thu, 8 Mar 2012
2 min read
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While the principles of leadership have interested me since I was young, I’ve been thinking more about these principles in recent months.

That plus this picture I recently saw floating around on Facebook comparing the difference between a boss and a leader inspired me to write about this topic.

The content of the visual is more or less spot on, but it’s also quite ugly. So I thought I’d create my own visual for posterity:

Difference between a boss and a leader.

For the less visually-inclined, the difference between a boss and a leader can be summarised as thus:

  1. A boss drives employees, whereas a leader coaches them.
  2. A boss depends on authority, whereas a leader utilises goodwill to get things done.
  3. A boss evokes fear, whereas a leader generates enthusiasm.
  4. A boss says “I”, whereas a leader says “We”.
  5. A boss merely places the blame on someone when there’s a breakdown; a leader fixes the breakdown to make sure it doesn’t happen again.
  6. A boss knows how it’s done but a leader shows how it’s done.
  7. A boss uses people but a leader develops people.
  8. A boss takes credit whereas a leader gives credit where it’s due.
  9. A boss commands; a leader asks (difference is in the tone of instruction).
  10. A boss says “Go” but a leader says “Let’s go”.

Is this true for you?

In any case, come back again tomorrow for part 2.

City Night Songs

Thu, 8 Mar 2012
2 min read
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Nothing like well-meaning friends, right? "The Setup", with Joel Tan and Nessa Anwar.

When I attended the City Night Songs rehearsal on Mon night, I was reminded of something that Scott Adams, the creator of Dilbert, once wrote about finding success in life:

If you want an average successful life, it doesn’t take much planning. Just stay out of trouble, go to school, and apply for jobs you might like.

But if you want something extraordinary, you have two paths:

  1. Become the best at one specific thing.
  2. Become very good (top 25%) at two or more things.

The first strategy is difficult to the point of near impossibility. Few people will ever play in the NBA or make a platinum album. I don’t recommend anyone even try.

The second strategy is fairly easy. Everyone has at least a few areas in which they could be in the top 25% with some effort.

In my case, I can draw better than most people, but I’m hardly an artist. And I’m not any funnier than the average standup comedian who never makes it big, but I’m funnier than most people.

The magic is that few people can draw well and write jokes. It’s the combination of the two that makes what I do so rare.

And when you add in my business background, suddenly I had a topic that few cartoonists could hope to understand without living it…

— Scott Adams, “Career Advice”

Why was this suddenly so poignant?

Well, traditional theatre requires actors to be good at one thing and one thing alone: acting.

"Parallels and Tangents", with Gani Karim and Oon Shu An.

But the way the actors have to multi-task for City Night Songs is friggin’ amazing – they’re not only actors in the traditional theatrical sense, but they’re dancers and musicians too.

Rehearsing "Voices Call Me Home" from CITY NIGHT SONGS. Nishant Jalgaonkar on guitar and lead vocals, Joel Tan on keyboards, Ivan Surya Tjahyo on bass, Nessa Anwar and Gani Karim on percussion, Judy Au and Oon Shu An (and everyone else) on backing vocals. A great song that's a love letter to a great city -- Bombay. (Photo Credit: Ngiap Heng Tan)

Having to do all these things consecutively (and sometimes, concurrently) is no easy task, and that they were cast to star in their various roles also points to their versatility and talent.

Oon Shu An and Gani Karim in dance rehearsals for CITY NIGHT SONGS. (Photo Credit: Ngiap Heng Tan)

So if anything, you can be assured that these multi-talented actors are gonna put up a great show over the weekend.


(click here if you can’t see the embedded video)

And coupled with a fantastic script that has Huzir Sulaiman as both dramaturg and director, you can see why I’m looking forward to seeing the show in its full glory.

See you there!