Raja Nazrin: Leaders need to be masters of soft power

Raja Nazrin: Leaders need to be masters of soft power
31 July, 2008

(The Sun) - Leaders today need to be masters of soft power because hard power, though still required to maintain law and order, is not well adapted in dealing with today’s complex and interdependent world.

In his speech themed "On Leadership" at the 17th Tun Dr Ismail Oration at Shangri-La Hotel Kuala Lumpur, the Raja Muda of Perak Raja Nazrin Shah said for governments, hard power is the ability to direct, punish, defend and invade and for corporations, it is the power to hire and fire and to acquire and dispose of companies.

"Soft power, on the other hand, is non-coercive. It sets agendas, persuades, shapes preferences and harnesses voluntary actions. It is marked by participation, delegation and networking, not command-and-control. In short, soft power is about working with and through people. While both may be needed, there is a greater need for soft power in today’s complex information-based world."

He said this is because people today are becoming increasingly empowered, and countries are becoming too interdependent, to be ruled by hard power alone.

"Many societies are assimilating liberal democratic values. Mass education has made people more knowledgeable and discerning. They are less compliant and more distrustful of those in authority," he said.

Raja Nazrin spoke on soft power, which is the power exercised by "transformational leaders".

Transformational leadership, he said, strives to achieve higher ideals, nobler values and superior behaviour among followers.

It encourages followers to rise above narrow self-interests and to work in the service of others towards the common good. It mobilizes people to face, rather than avoid, tough realities; to tackle difficult problems and to make hard decisions. It does not turn away from the difficulty of problems by offering fake remedies. It elevates followers to a higher moral level.

This is one of three qualities he feels leaders need in the 21st Century. The other two are:

> Charisma

"Charismatic leaders are ones who can create feelings of intense admiration, confidence and loyalty among followers. But even charismatic leaders are not immune to being challenged or abandoned by their followers. If they do not fulfil their promises or if they do not act in honourable and morally correct ways, they too can quickly lose popular support."

> Moral and Just

"Good leadership in the modern age cannot operate in a moral vacuum. International law today makes it harder than in the past for leaders to get away with genocide, corruption and abuse of power. Countries also organise embargoes and apply diplomatic pressure. When countries are perceived to behave in an immoral or unjust manner, global opinion will be marshalled against them."

Raja Nazrin said it is difficult, if not impossible, to persuade people to be idealistic and highly motivated when leaders are self-serving and interested only in retaining power and control.

"Only when leaders show themselves to be driven by higher order goals can their followers feel fully assured that they are not somehow being deceived and manipulated into serving illegitimate or self-serving causes. Otherwise conflicting values and clash of interests will give rise to widespread civil apathy or, even worse, open disobedience."

Raja Nazrin said one of Malaysia's enduring strengths has been its almost obsessive focus on effective leadership, that is, one which has to deliver the goods to the people.

"The leadership process has also, to a degree, been open and inclusive and resulted in Malaysia emerging as a shining model of development.

"As a result of its successes in human development, Malaysian society has changed. I believe that this has also made it necessary for the type of leadership to also undergo a transition from the transactional to the transformational.

"The Malaysian development ethos today is no longer framed in purely materialistic terms. Malaysians, especially the younger generation, are empowered and energised. Their demands are for more moral, open, representative, equable and equitable forms of leadership. They want leaders who can courageously cross sectarian boundaries and who depend on their intellectual and moral integrity and gravitas to attract and retain support, not just on political power and patronage," he added.