Lee Kuan Yew Leadership Case Study Lee Kuan Yew Leadership Case Study is a part of Leadership Stories,

a series of biographies of great leaders in history that have impacted the world in a huge way. Lee Kuan Yew Leadership Who was He? Lee Kuan Yew was the first and longest serving Prime Minister of Singapore; and it was his leadership that brought Third World Singapore into a thriving metropolitan city in a stunning 3 decades. He is currently serving as Minister Mentor in the government, advising the countrys leaders on national issues. To date, he still wields much influence in the region as an authority in nation building. A Quick History Lee Kuan Yew was born in 1923 as the eldest child of Lee Chin Koon. He studied in the top schools in Singapore and went to the London school of Economics briefly for his university education before moving over to Cambridge where he obtained his Law degree. He started his political career under a Pro-British Progressive Party as an election agent. However, he began to realize that the British would not gain the support of the Chinese. He would grow the connections which would help his future political career later on when he was engaged as a lawyer to the Student and Trade Unions. Soon, he started his own opposition party Peoples Action Party against the then Labour Front. On 5 June 1959, Lee became the first Prime Minister of Singapore when PAP won the most seats in the legislative assembly. He pushed for a merger with Malaysia but the integration proved to be too much for both sides and the then Malaysia Prime Minister decided that Singapore should be separated from the Union. This became the lowest point of Lees life and also the turning point for Singapores success. Although Lee was in anguish at that point, he never gave up the vision for Singapore and he brought it all the way from a 3rd world country to a first world metropolitan city today. Singapore is one of the worlds success stories and Lee is the man behind this success. Although a lot of critics question his style of leadership, often being seen as autocratic and dictatorial, but no one will question the success of Singapore that he has brought. Awards and Honours 1. Order of the Companions of Honour 2. Ig Nobel Prize 3. Woodrow Wilson Award for Public Service Lee Kuan Yew Leadership Lessons 1. Say it as it is One of Lees most obvious qualities is that he is a no nonsense person and he says things as it is. He is not afraid to be blunt about certain truths and he often gets on peoples nerves for doing so. However, because of his approach, he manages to get things done. As a leader, the best thing you can do for your team is probably to say it as it is. It might hurt a few people, ruffle a few feathers, but to frame things as they are and allowing your team to face the truth is probably the best favour you can do for them. Although some might be offended or feel uncomfortable, you will gain a lot of respect for doing so. 2. Plan your leadership succession Lee planned for the people that will take over him years before he actually stepped down as Prime Minister. He saw the importance of raising up the next generation of leaders to lead the nation. The saying goes, there is no success without a successor. As a leader, your organization must transcend you and you must be humble enough to acknowledge that. If your organization is indispensible without you, then you have failed as a leader. You must strive to create an organization that can survive without you, and that is a sign of your success as a leader. 3. The power of tenacity Lee had gone through his toughest period when Malaysia chose to separate itself from Singapore. However, he never gave up and he strengthened his resolve and still believed that he could change Singapore and make it into what it is today. A leader must have this resolve to just press on no matter how difficult the circumstances. In fact, it is this quality that separates the good from the excellent. Everyone can lead well when circumstances are favourable, but it is the times of adversity that really distinct you as a leader. And when you choose to press on, you can really grow as a person, and make a real difference in whatever youre doing. Best Quotes from Lee Kuan Yew Leadership Even from my sick bed, even if you are going to lower me into the grave and I feel something is going wrong, I will get up. "Between being loved and being feared, I have always believed Machiavelli was right. If nobody is afraid of me, Im meaningless. "Supposing Catherine Lim was writing about me and not the prime minister...She would not dare, right? Because my posture, my response has been such that nobody doubts that if you take me on, I will put on knuckle-dusters and catch you in a cul de sac...Anybody who decides to take me on needs to put on knuckle dusters. If you think you can hurt me more than I can hurt you, try. There is no other way you can govern a Chinese society."

"... If you can't think because you can't chew, try a banana", 2000. Lee was responding to a BBC reporter who suggested that Singapore's draconian laws (including the ban on chewing gum) could stifle the people's creativity" "Low salaries will draw in the hypocrites who sweet talk their way into power in the name of public service, but once in charge will show their true colour, and ruin the country." "When you're Singapore and your existence depends on performance - extraordinary performance, better than your competitors - when that performance disappears because the system on which it's been based becomes eroded, then you've lost everything... I try to tell the younger generation that and they say the old man is playing the same record, we've heard it all before. I happen to know how we got here and I know how we can unscramble it." - On one freak election result ruining Singapore (Straits Times, 26 April 2008) A Case Study Of A Leader 2005-5-13 9:19:09

A Case Study Of A Leader ---Lee Kuan Yew (Singapore)

by Zhang, Rong (Lotus) Mar. 23.2005

1.

Who Lee Kuan Yew was

Lee Kuan Yew, who was admired as the Father of Modern Singapore, was the first prime minister of the Republic of Singapore from 1959 to 1990. He has remained the most influential politician in Singapore since his retirement as Prime Minister. Under the administration of Singapore's second prime minister, Goh Chok Tong, he served as Senior Minister.

Lee Kuan Yew was born in Singapore, where he was educated at Telok Kurau Primary School, Raffles Institution and Raffles College. His university education was delayed by World War II and the 19421945 Japanese occupation. After the war, he studied law at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge in Britain. He returned to Singapore in 1949 to work as a lawyer. In 1954, Lee and a group of fellow English-educated, middle-class men formed the socialist People's Action Party (PAP) to agitate for self-government for Singapore and an end to British colonialism. Five years later, in 1959, Lee was elected as the first Prime Minister of Singapore, replacing the former Chief Minister of Singapore, David Saul Marshall. Then he was regularly reelected until he stepped down in 1990.

During the three decades in which Lee was in office, Singapore grew from a Third World country to one of the most developed nations in the world, despite its small population and lack of natural resources. He was widely respected by the people of Singapore, and had often been credited as the architect of its prosperity.
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2.

What and how made Lee Kuan Yew a great leader

Researching Lee Kuan Yews leader career (I mainly focused on his prime minister times), I can find his some significant qualifications and achievements that helped him to overcome numerous challenges and became a great leader from a small country.

(1) Lee Kuan Yew had a high cognitive power that helped him lead Singapore find a suited road to develop. According to Jaques, cognitive power is the ability to think in complex ways. Leaders use their cognitive power to understand complex causal chains and then acting to design outcomes that will benefit the organization and advance the leaders vision.
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One of the great challenges I think Lee Kuan Yew met in his political career was that Singapore was compelled independent from Malaysia on Aug. 9, 1965. As a former British colony, Singapore didnt have its own drinking water, power and any other resources. It had to depend on Malaysia on almost every resource. How to survive became a tough challenge that Lee had to face and resolve. What road was the most suited one for Singapore? When he thought over fate of Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew can think about chains of cause and effect and see how things work. After analyzed reality and future of Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew didnt follow roads of other former colonized countries such as India, Pakistan. He said,
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The third world leaders who had demolished old regimes did not take into account that building a new order demanded different capabilities. He put economic viability as top priority and reached beyond his immediate neighbors to export to Europe and America. He didnt choose total selfdependent way because of lack of resource. He didnt satisfy to keep same level with neighbors either. He also didnt accept free market from western country. He set a high and practical direction to fulfill leap frog . What he wanted to do was to turn Singapore, a third world island, into a first-world oasis by establishing up-to-date facilities in communications and transportation.
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(2) Lee Kuan Yew was considered as the autocrat of Singapore. In modern and democratic society, many leaders avoid to be considered as autocrats. However, Lee Kuan Yew never shied away autocracy. Indeed he thought autocracy was the crucial key to make him and Singapore success.

Many people know they cant chew gum when they visit Singapore. And press is controlled and censored there. Certainly, many people are impressed by castigation of Singapore. In his leader career, Lee Kuan Yew was criticized as the autocrat. And Singapore was described as sinister country. Facing these criticisms, Lee explained why he preferred toughness and strictness because Singapore is a small island country that required firm leadership to produce essential social and political stability. He once remarked that if he found an obstacle in the way of a policy or goal he thought needed to be achieved, he would not hesitate to run a bulldozer to clear the way."
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Autocracy, is the most painful, least enjoyable style Yet is has its place, especially in a turnaround situation. Now Singapore is well known as a lawful nation. The government is famous for it being small with strength and being capable with uprightness. Lee said a corruption minister suicide himself because he felt shame. Lee didnt show his little sympathy with every violator and opponent. He always focused on the mission at his hand and acted quickly in order to reach his goals.
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(3) Lee Kuan Yew studied Chinese hard when he advocated two languages educational system. Singapore is a multiracial and multilingual country besides its small and lack of resources. Lee had to consider every part of Singaporeans. At this point, I think Lee Kuan Yew owned a great leaders special characteristics: modeling the way. Leaders set examples by their own behaviors. They also help followers focus on step-by-step accomplishments of large-scale goals, making those goals seem more realistic and attainable.
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Considering multilingual reality, Lee Kuan Yew pushed two languages educational system in Singapore. He demanded Singaporeans learn English

as well as their own mother language. As a Chinese, Lee set a good example to his people. He was interested in learning Chinese especially Chinese idioms all the time besides his excellent British education.

In addition to two languages educational system, Lee created a harmony society in Singapore. He respected minority people such as Malays and gave them favorable policies such as longer free education than Chinese people. Being an example to every Singaporean, he set a sense of integrity, respect, curiousness, equal to everyone in Singapore. What he endeavored had make much progress in development of Singapore. For example, every Singaporean can speak English help Singapore become an international financial center.

(4) Lee Kuan Yew voluntarily stepped down from office to let a group of second-generation leaders take over the running of the government. From my opinion, Lee was looked as one of the greatest leader when he voluntarily resigned from the number one of Singapore. It proved Lee deeply committed to the growth of Singaporeans.

Although he believed autocrat played an important role in his leading, Lee Kuan Yew emphasized on selecting and training sublevel leaders and managers. And he knew the proper time to step down from the top level. He elected and paid much attention to train several excellent young leaders in every general election. Before he stepped down as prime minister in 1990, he had looked out for a good successor since 1988. Because he recognized the growth of new generation leaders and elected and attracted many outstanding persons with ability, Lee Kuan Yew initiated the smooth power transition in Singapore, in contrast to the tumultuous and quick turnover of power in some Southeast Asian countries such as Philippines.
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3.

Lee Kuan Yews leadership style

Distinctly, Lee Kuan Yew was a transformational leader rather than a servant-leader or transactional leader. Cited Burns definition, the transformational Leader is the leader who recognizes the transactional needs in potential followers "but tends to go further, seeking to arouse and satisfy higher needs, to engage the full person of the follower ... to a higher level of need. And the transformational political leader may also use their authority and power to radically reshape through coercive means the social and physical environment, thus 10 destroying the old way of life and making way for a new one". I thought Lee Kuan Yew could be proud of his long serving term because he transformed Singapore too much. He led Singapore to the world financial center from a British colony. He created an affective legal system. He made a wealthy nation from a poor island country. He constructed a garden city country. There is countless evidence that Lee Kuan Yew was a transformational leader. 4. Some lessons we can learn from Lee Kuan Yews success

Learning from Lee Kuan Yews successful political career and his leadership, there are three lessons we can study.

First, bravely facing challenges that provide the opportunity for greatness. Everyone hopes have a peaceful and happy life without tribulation and sinuation. But I knew from Lee Kuan Yews stories that challenge provides opportunity to be success as well as suffering and hard working. Lee acknowledged Singapore wasnt voluntarily independent from Malaysia. They were compelled out. Although he had to do much more effort to be independent from its neighbor, Lee got a great opportunity to develop his country according to his own theory. Only challenge presents the opportunity for greatness. Leaders are pioneers.
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Therefore, we must try to

do our best when we face some challenges that may be not our expectation. If we dont try it, we will never know what will happen in our life.

Second, persisting on what you think right based on reality. Lees life was full of controversy and criticism. Some one criticized him an autocrat. Some one criticized Singapore lack of free market and censored press. But Lee Kuan Yew insisted on his policies for more than 30 years. His practice proved the success of his ideas. I think Singapore cant become economic tiger in Asia if Lee didnt persist on his policies. Certainly his persistence wasnt air castle. He analyzed reality of Singapore and Asian and western countries. He insisted on what he thought right. If we want to become a good leader, or at least to do some successful things in our daily life, we must hold our ground when we think they are right. Dont consider others criticism too much. Do what we want to do and what we think right based on our analysis of reality and future.

Third, credibility is the foundation of leadership. Singaporeans and many other people admired Lee Kuan Yew not only what achievements he made in Singapore, but most also he was honest, forward-looking, inspiring, and competent. Especially when people faced some important transforms in society, they looked for the leader who is trustworthy, expert and dynamic. Singaporeans followed Lee, because not only he pushed them forward by power, but be trusted by his people. The leader must learn the law of influence and let followers trust and follow. And influence mostly comes from leaders credibility.
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Lee Kuan Yew is still playing an important role as senior minister in Singapore and even in the world. I learned much from his leadership. Certainly what he did in a small island country couldnt apply to anywhere. Maybe what he did in the political arena couldnt help me much in my regular work and life. Meanwhile he wasnt a saint and had his own disadvantages and some failures. However I saw a great leader came from a small country that encouraged me to go forward and do my best to achieve what I am committed to in my life. I think it is why we study the art of leadership.

ABOUT LEE LKUAN YEW

Lee Kuan Yew Lee Kuan Yew (born 1923) became prime minister of Singapore in June 1959. During his administration Singapore became part of Malaysia in September, 1963, and attained independence in August, 1965, after separation from Malaysia. Under Lee's leadership, Singapore was transformed into a modern and affluent citystate.