Want to Lead? Learn from the Master, Kung Ming: Types, Flaws, Essential Abilities

Six Different Types of Leaders

1. The compassionate leader: He guides his troops with a virtuous heart and supervises them with strict standards. He knows his troop's difficulties and appreciates their devotion.

2. The virtuous leader: He who does not reject responsibilities. He is never concerned about his personal interest. To him, there is only the glory of death, not the shame of living.

3. The wise leader: In good times, he is self-restrained. In victory, he is not self-satisfied. He is wise, yet yielding in expression. He is strong, yet humble in manner.

4. The strategic leader: In planning, he is creative and original. In action, he is resourceful and imaginative. He is able to turn disadvantage into advantage and defeat into victory.

5. The courageous leader: Place him in an ordinary situation and he seems unimpressive. However, the bigger the challenge, the more courageous he becomes.

6. The great leader: When he meets a proficient individual, he treats him with great respect. He has the capacity to accept criticism and suggestions. He is tolerant, yet firm. He is courageous and brave, and also skilled in strategies.

The Eight Character Flaws Among Leaders

1. Greed.

2. Jealousy of others' competency and proficiency.

3. Those who are easily influenced by others' gossip and opinions and take delight in praise.

4. He who focuses only on understanding others, yet knows nothing about himself.

5. Indecision.

6. He who is enslaved by the sense pleasures.

7. Malevolence and cowardice.

8. He who is evasive and deceitful, only paying lip service; a lack of sincerity.

The following are additional points presented in other military books, which I think are important to include.

1. He who lacks competence, yet possesses a great sense of self-importance.

2. He who takes action hastily.

3. Inertia and laziness.

4. He who lacks courage.

5. He who is competent, but lacks the physical well-being and strength to carry out his ideas.

6. Cruelty.

7. Lack of charisma.

The Nine Essential Abilities of a Leader

1. The ability to recognize the situation of his opponents.

2. The ability to recognize the methods of advance and retreat.

3. The ability to know the limitations of his resources.

4. The ability to recognize favorable timing for actions.

5. The ability to utilize the natural geographic elements, and understand the advantages and advantages inherent in any given situation.

6. The ability to exhibit originality in strategic planning and provide his enemy with total surprise.

7. The ability to hold his plans in total secrecy.

8. The ability to create harmony among his troops.

9. The ability to generate common objectives among his troops.

(Taken from Kung Ming's Mastering the Art of War; qtd by Chin_Ming Chu in Thick Face, Black Heart)

Kung Ming (Kong Ming, Zhu Geliang, or Zhuge Liang) is known as the "Hidden Dragon" or "Crouching Dragon" because adversaries always underestimated his skill. Kung Ming is one of the most exalted generals in Chinese history because of his brilliance in strategy. He was also an inventor and scholar, and his name is practically synonymous with wisdom. He lived during the Three Kingdoms era in China (from 190 to 280 approximately). Kung Ming is credited with writing several military strategy books including The Way of the General, which is based on Taoist principles. Many of the same theories that comprise modern Fung Shui, Kung Ming applied to military strategy, achieving great victory. (Britanica)

Some books popularly attributed to Zhuge Liang can be found today, for example the Thirty-Six Stratagems, and Mastering the Art of War (not to be confused with Sun Tzu's The Art of War) are two that are generally available. Supposedly, his mastery of infantry and cavalry formation tactics based upon the Taoist I-Ching were unrivaled. (Wikipedia)