One of the classes at Legacy Institute (not surprisingly, the hardest class for my students) is Leadership. One thing that makes leadership so difficult for my students to learn is the conceptual knowledge. Thai students are trained in learning facts and then spitting them back out verbatim, but when it comes to critical and independent thought their educational system does not appear to equip them well. This is a shame, and something I tend to fight against, but it is well recognized that due to my approach to learning, and my desire to see what people think for themselves, that I am a pretty tough teacher (fair, but tough).

At any rate, leadership is a subject of considerable importance to me, and given my passionate interest in politics, I have the opportunity often to reflect upon what sort of leaders I am looking for. And, to be honest, there are different times when I am looking for different qualities in a leader, depending on what I see as being out of balance in my society, organization, etc. at a given time. There is a time for merciful and caring leaders who bind up the wounds and there is a time for harsh and strict leaders who whip their organizations into shape and start (and win) necessary wars. Much depends on the situation and the timing.

For example, speaking politically, in the 2008 elections for my country I thought that it was possible to overcome the yawning gap present in my society between two different worldviews, and supported someone (not our current president) who could bridge the gap between the two sides and work together. The last few years has made me more pessimistic, and I am interested this time in taking a harder line and standing more firm, with the opinion (which I hope is mistaken) that the minute both sides stand firm and refuse to compromise that there will be war. I have therefore changed my position and become much more of a hard-liner based upon the experiences of the last few years, less willing to bend, less willing to compromise, more fierce about fighting for what I think and believe in.

That said, there are some aspects of leadership that remain constant for me. Integrity and character are of the utmost importance. I cannot trust or support a leader whose ethics are questionable, who steals from those they should serve, who engages in deliberate campaigns of lies and deceptions, and who has a pattern of cheating in either their personal, academic, or professional lives. This is true whether of religious leaders or political leaders. Some people value competence (or perceived competence) over character, but for me character is decisive. It is a given, and then I start from that point to see the best of what other qualities one has before I give my support.

One lesson about leaders (and people in general) I have learned is that if people will cheat with you they will cheat on you. People who show disloyalty in one part of their life will show it, eventually, in all parts of their lives. Those who cheat on their lovers or their spouses will eventually show themselves faithless to their friends, disloyal to their companies, and even potentially traitorous to their country. We cannot compartmentalize our virtue. That which we practice in one aspect of our lives will eventually filter into other aspects of our lives, try as we might to prevent it. We ought therefore to be careful to cultivate virtue as a whole, so that we may be fit and suitable leaders of character first, and then competence.