Next Level Blog
Simple, practical, applicable
Battle Hymn of the Tiger Boss January 31 2011
By now, you’ve no doubt heard the buzz about Amy Chua’s book, Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother
1. “Schoolwork always comes first.
2. An A-minus is a bad grade.
3. Your child must be two years ahead of their classmates in Maths.
4. You must never compliment your child in public.
5. If your child ever disagrees with a teacher or coach, you must always take the side of the teacher or coach.
6. The only activities your child should be permitted to do are those in which they can eventually win a medal.
7. That medal must be gold.”
All of the talk about Chua’s book has gotten me to thinking about opportunities for brand extension. How about Battle Hymn of the Tiger Boss? My concern is that such a book would encourage the kind of management behaviors that my readers and I documented in a post last year called Seven Simple Rules to Create a Fear Based Culture.
When it comes to deciding what kind of leader you want to be, I encourage you to take a “both/and” rather than an “either/or” approach. Ironically, Chua makes a good case for the both/and approach at the end of her WSJ column:
“Western parents try to respect their children’s individuality, encouraging them to pursue their true passions, supporting their choices, and providing positive reinforcement and a nurturing environment. By contrast, the Chinese believe that the best way to protect their children is by preparing them for the future, letting them see what they’re capable of, and arming them with skills, work habits and inner confidence that no one can ever take away.”
If you substitute the words managers for parents and employees for children in Chua’s quote, you set up a pretty interesting debate on motivational theory and developing people and cultures. Why does it have to be an either/or proposition? Can’t it be both/and? Shouldn’t leaders (and parents) be striving to incorporate all of those attributes in their approach?
What do you think? Is it possible as a leader (or a parent) to, in Chua’s words, be both Western and Chinese in your approach? If it is, how do you do it?
Scott Eblin is an executive coach, speaker and author of 
I totally agree with you Scott. I heard an interview with Amy on NPR and was very surprised to hear how she treated her children. There was plenty of backlash on that program. It made me wonder if there was something to the marketing spin on this to create controversy (attention) and dialog. There is more to life than achieving a standard. Those kids missed out on some prime time/fun in their childhoods. And that counts towards building character and values as well.
Cathie
Scott, thanks for the post. I guess we'll never get to the end of the polarization regarding leadership. It seems every few months someone else suggests the best leaders are the prison camp commandants or tyrants. One doesn't have to be a tyrant to hold their people or their children accountable to their best. That either/or approach justifies a lot of bad behavior. People and children who are not allowed to pursue their strengths eventually rebel or disintegrate.
Thanks again.
Hi Cathie and Mike –
Thanks for your perspectives. I guess the thing is that the "either/or" approach is easier (at least in the short run)to take than the "both/and" approach. Perhaps that's the reason we keep having the debate. As I was writing this post, I was thinking of the research from Goleman and colleagues about resonant (connecting) and dissonant (disconnecting)leadership styles. The research shows that the best leaders use a thoughtful mix of both depending on the need and the person. Both/and in other words.
Cheers –
Scott