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Continuing with Leading Quietly …

Nudge, Test, and Escalate Gradually

"By testing, probing, and experimenting, quiet leaders gradually get a sense of the flow of events, hazards to be avoided, and opportunities they can expoit."

Talk small steps at a time because you may not know what is lurking at the corner. Especially for a foreigner, new in China. Do not assume to know too much and that things should work the way it should.

Nudge, test and escalate gradually also allow opportunity for "face" to be given to other party. An extremely important consideration. Test with indirect questions. Do not jump right into conclusion, leaving no room for alternatives. Escluate gradually and prepare steps (�阶) for others to step away, saving face.

Craft a Compromise

"…crafting a compromise is often a valuable opportunity to learn and exercise practice wisdom."

Compromise is a negotiation skill. Oftentimes the only way forward is a compromise. Through experience and deliberate explosure to opportunity to craft a compromise, one can learn to be better at it.

"… avoid either-or thinking… most problems, however stark and simple they may seem at first, usually have several levels of complexity. "

In the China environment, deals frequently involve more than the direct parties. Indirect parties - family, friends, agencies, sliently clamored to have a stake in the deal. Crafting a compromise is important to keep the deal alive.

Three Quiet Virtues

"… looking at quiet leadership from the perspective of character rather than tactics - in other words, looking beyond what quiet leaders do and seeing who they are."

Restrain. Nothing is more important than restrain in China. It keep one from getting into trouble. Injustices may cried out to us but to go head-on with the inmovable object of corruption is folly. Restrain is not turning a blind eye but to wait for the opportune moment.

Modesty. Asian are known for modesty, a good thing. However there is time to be modest and there is time to take a claim. Beware, the people that proclaim the virtue of modesty is likely the same who shamelessly profit from your modesty.

Tenacity is important in a culture of that demean deep-rooted values and worship shallow quick-fixes. In China, be amazed at the excuses people conjure for their vile actions and the shameless justification of their cause. Stay on course.

In closing…

Many of the guidelines sounded like what people does all the time, unawared!

The author however does a great job of identifying them, condensing the essence and adding interesting anecdote to illustrate the guidelines.

Reading the book does not make one a quiet leader immediately. However by understanding the choices we are making, we can quietly become better leader in a day-to-day way.

Which person relationship is challenging everywhere, it is especially in another country, for my case China. The scenario are applicable in China as it is in US or anywhere else in the world.