9/10/2015 Kim Jong Un Teaches You To Be A Better Leader - Forbes

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LEADERSHIP 9/09/2015 @ 8:21AM 17,797 views

Kim Jong Un Teaches You To Be ABetter LeaderTempers are flaring yet again on the Koreanpeninsula after two South Korean soldiers wereseriously injured a few weeks ago by land minesthat North Korea recently planted in thedemilitarized zone. In response to theprovocation, South Korea ended a 10-year hiatusand resumed blasting propaganda messagesacross the border via loudspeakers.

The messages criticize Kim Jong Un’s ability tolead, and my hunch is that they won’t go overwell as Kim doesn’t take kindly to people whoquestion his authority.

When it comes to Kim’s leadership, there’s a lotto criticize, but that also means there’s a lot tolearn.

Leadership lessons typically come fromcelebrated cultural icons, whether they work inbusiness, politics, or the arts. But that doesn’tmean that we can only learn from our heroes. Infact, we can learn just as much about leadershipfrom those who’ve failed us.

By looking carefully at some of the questionablequalities of the world’s more suspect leaders, wecan gain a deeper understanding of why certainthings don’t work, how our actions affect people,and how we can yield influence to inspire growthover destruction.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has plenty toteach us about leadership—you just have to knowwhere to look. Here are five important lessonsfrom the Supreme Leader.

Lesson 1: Don’t annihilate your enemies

Strong leaders don’t fear dissent because they’vedone the hard work to inspire genuine loyalty.Weak leaders, on the other hand, see anythingshort of pandering as a threat, and they’ll dowhatever it takes to quash the threat.

Travis Bradberry Contributor

I cover emotional intelligence and leadership performance.Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own.

9/10/2015 Kim Jong Un Teaches You To Be A Better Leader - Forbes

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After Kim’s defense minister, 66-year-old HyonYong-Chol, nodded off during a meeting earlierthis year, Kim had him executed with a ZPU-4anti-aircraft gun—a massive, four-barreledmachine gun capable of firing 600 rounds perminute. Naturally, Kim had the executionconducted in front of hundreds of onlookers. Inall, Kim is thought to have executed over 70“dissenters” since coming to power.

Like many errant leaders, Kim sees an excessiveshow of force as a sign of strength that will teachpeople a lesson. In reality, it shows weakness andfear. Sure, many who witness the act will toe theline, but only as long as they absolutely have tobecause they now know that their leader has poorcharacter, no self-control, and an utter lack ofself-confidence. Whenever a leader engages inverbal abuse, temper tantrums, and harshpunishments that don’t fit the crime, people arequick to look for the door.

Lesson 2: Your people are not yourpleasure squad

Great leaders believe that they are there to servetheir people. A bad leader is one who has thingsthe other way around. In April, Kim reactivatedthe pleasure squad that had last served duringhis father’s reign. Women “recruited” for thesquad are forced to live with Kim and submit tohis every whim in exchange for $4,000 and homeappliances. While we have laws in place toprevent such behavior in the workplace, it’sdemotivating and demoralizing any time you feelas though you’re only being paid to be at aleader’s service. Great leaders see their positionas having additional responsibility to serve thosewho follow them, to motivate them, and to helpthem achieve more than they ever thoughtpossible.

Lesson 3: Don’t fear those who might havesomething to teach you

Great leaders realize that there is always more tolearn; weak leaders try to nullify any evidencethat somebody else might have more wisdom andexperience than they do. Kim Jong Un falls intothe latter category. One South Korean officialsaid that he is trying to “erase all traces of hisfather’s rule” and is “replacing top brass withofficers who are loyal to him alone.” Three menwho were handpicked by his father to groom theyoung leader have either been demoted ordisappeared entirely, as have three defenseministers and four chiefs of the army’s generalstaff. Like weak leaders everywhere, Kim has ahabit of pushing people out who might have

9/10/2015 Kim Jong Un Teaches You To Be A Better Leader - Forbes

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something to teach him, a behavior which stiflesgood ideas and sends everyone who isn’t trappedby a heavily armed border packing.

Lesson 4: Don’t alienate your allies

Great leaders know that they are only as good astheir allies. They cultivate these relationships asone of their most valuable business assets andconsider them carefully when making importantdecisions. Although China has been one of NorthKorea’s staunchest allies since the Korean War,Kim Jong Un’s lack of consideration for itsinterests has been a major strain on theirrelationship throughout his rule. One of China’sbiggest aims is to maintain stability on theKorean peninsula. Kim’s provocative solomaneuvers, including widely publicized missiletests, have irked the Chinese and threatened thatstability. Leaders who go rogue and make majordecisions without considering the input of theirallies are tough to work for and even harder totrust and find themselves without any supportwhen they need it most.

Lesson 5: Know the difference betweenwielding power and having power

Great leaders never wield power for the sake of it.On August 15, North Korea will move its timezone back by 30 minutes. The reason? The timezone was initially set by Japan, so Kim Jong Unsees it as a sign of “Japanese imperialism.”There’s no practical reason to wind the clocksback. Kim Jong Un essentially wants to tellJapan, “You’re not the boss of me.” True leadersare confident enough in their authority thatthere’s no need to prove it. If you have to provethat you’re the boss by going around showingeveryone how powerful you are, you’ve got a bigproblem.

Bringing it all together

Emotionally intelligent leaders find lessonseverywhere they look as their journey continuallymoves them towards greater self- and socialawareness. While our heroes have a lot to teachus, so do those who fail to earn our respect.

Which of history’s other tyrants can teach usvaluable lessons about leadership? Please shareyour thoughts in the comments section below asI learn just as much from you as you do fromme.

Travis co-wrote the bestselling book EmotionalIntelligence 2.0 and co-founded TalentSmart, theworld’s #1 provider of emotional intelligence

9/10/2015 Kim Jong Un Teaches You To Be A Better Leader - Forbes

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