Executive Intelligence Rural Development Leadership and the Leadership of Prof.Dr.Krasae Chanawongse

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The executive leader: executive intelligence rural developmentleadership and the leadenhip of Pro. Dr. Krasae Chanawongse/ LaurieThompson Nakornpathom: ASEAN Institute for Health Development,Mahidol Univenity, 2008ISBN 978-974-11-0908-ll.Leadership 2. Primary Healh Care Management 3. Intelligence 4. HealthServices Administration 5. Krasae Chanawongse I.Mahidol University.ASEAN lnstitute for Health DevelopmentW84.6 T473e 2OOE


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ForwardLeadership is very important in many aspects of life and work. Prof.Dr. Krasae Chanawongse is reminding us that eighty percent of successby a leader is because of leadership, while only twenty percent is due tothe leader's technical know-how and skills: the Law of Eighty-Twenty.Executive Intelligence is a new concept in management which isolatescompetencies and skills which make the difference between beingjust agood executive (leader) and being a standout (star) executive. Intelli-gence in this new concept is defined as the clear thinking and cognitiveabilities required by standout executives to achieve their effective deci-sion making; enhancing these abilities can help improve leadership andmake it more effective.The ASEAN Institute for Health Development, Mahidol Universiry hasa Master Degree Program in Primary Health Care Management whichstarted more than ten years ago. The program keeps pace with Theprogress and development in new trends in management and leadership,so this paper will be very valuable. We admire and appreciate LaurieThompson, who has spent a great effort for the in-depth study of themeaning and usage of Executive Intelligence from a human achieve-ment development perspective; we are grateful to him.

This paper is also very practical and realistic; Prof. Dr. KrasaeChanawongse is well know locally and internationally as a prominentleader in community and rural development and he was the Founder andfirst Director of the ASEAN Institute for Health Development.Prof.Dr.Krasae Chanawongse's reputation, work, and life are very unique,and are in harmony with the Executive Intelligence and Leadership citedin this paper. It is one of the top readable papers of the year.

Associate Professor Dr.Sirikul IsaranurugDirectorASEAN Institute for Health Development

Nakornpathom, Thailand


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ContentsForwardSummaryBackgroundLeadershipExecutive IntelligenceRural Human AchievementDevelopment Leadership and ExIThe Leadership of Professor Dr.Krasae ChanawongseRHAD Leadership and ExI

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t026

33

ConclusionAppendix A:

Appendix B:

AcronymsDefinitionReferences

The Ramon Magsaysay Awardfor Community Leadership 1973The Grand Cordon of the Orderof the Rising Seen (Japan)

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LAUR|E THOMPSONSummary

Time and again over the five years that I have worked withProf. Dr. Krasae Chanawongse I have been asked:"How does someone like Dr. Krasae, a simple country doctor

from Muang Phon district of Khon Kaen province in Thqiland,end up as a Government Minister and respected world-widefor his great leadership in community, national, andinternational human achievement development? "To try to answer this question, I wrote two short papers on Dr. Krasae'sleadership from my perspective.After reading "Executive Intelligence: WhatAll Great Leaders Have"by Justin Menkes, my interest was roused, so I decided to re- examinemy two papers to see whether or not this Executive tntelligence (ExI)concept could explain Dr. Krasae's effective leadership. I revisitedthe leadership works ofPeter S. Drucker, and others, and also browsedthe Internet to learn more about ExI and get thoughts of others on theconcept. This paper is the result of my dissatisfaction with thecommercially based comment, on the Internet, oriented towards thevalue ofExl for leaders only in for-profit organizations and how it canbe taught; there was a scarcity of information relating ExI's value forleaders in non-profit organizations, such as organizations involved innral human achievement development (RI{AD) activities. At the sametime I was interested in seeing if Exl alone was responsible for Dr.Klasae's effective leadership.I revisit leadership. I looked at what Exl is, how it can be enhanced,how it can be used in RHAD (a change management environment),how it can be recognized in others, ifand how it can be enhanced, andhow it can be learned. I also look at RHAD leadership and how theExI competencies can help this form ofleadership. Finally I retum tothe leadership history of Dr. Krasae in the RHAD environment to seeif ExI alone answers why he is an effective leader.


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2 fhe Eflective LeaderMy conclusion is that ExI is a very important factor in Dr. Krasae'seffective leadership; however, if we are to agtee with Drucker that,leadership is not inftinsically good" Emotional krtelligence @t) and ottrerfactors have to be added to the equation.Withouthis El-includinghis empathy forthe people of his homedistrict-the young Dr. Krasae may never have had themotivation to assume the mantle of leadership in communitydevelopment. His EI gave him the platform to enhance his ExIfor the benefit of the rural communitv in his home district andbeyond.Menkes'thoughts on improving your ExI are encouraging, however,for it to be adopted by and to filter down through the formal educationsystem will take some time, if ever. In the interim, following Prof.Dr. Krasae's example of self help in education for leadershipdevelopment is a good one to adopt to improve our own leadershipatfibutes. Taking his advice from his following wisdom can only behelpful for RFIAD leadership aspirants:"There are some who believe or argue thot 'leadership' cannotbe taught; but it does not mean that it is something that cannotbe lesrned. One can learnfrom observation and admiration, aswell as through inspiration and aspirotion."


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LAURIE THOMPSONBackground

Working with Prof. Dr. Krasae Chanawongse for some time now hasgiven me the opportunity to study leadership, view Rural HumanAchievementDevelopment (RHAD) projects in action, and examinethe results ofRFIAD, both sustainable and unsustainable. I have alsohad the chance to observe, at first hand, Prof. Dr. KrasaeChanawongse's leadership in action. I have often contrasted in myown mind his leadership with the leadership of others I have knownand worked with in my life; a variety of leadership at all levels, somegood, some workable, and some that can only best be described asopportunistic and pitiful. Time and again I have been asked: "Howdoes someone like Dr. Krasae, a simple country doctor from MuangPhon district of Khon Kaen province in Thailand, end up as aGovernment Minister and respected world-wide for his greatleadenhip in community, national, and intemational human achievementdevelopment?" To best answer this question I decided to study, inmore depth, the significant subject of leadership, so that I can be betterprepared to even attempt an answer. I have written two short paperson the leadership ofProf. Dr. Krasae Chanawongse which I hope havegone some way to help people understand his leadership: Paperl. Leadership: A Case Study of Prof. Krasae Chanawongse; Paper2. Prof. Dr Krasae Chanawonsse at72t .What I have learned in my studies is that it is widely known, andwell-accepted, that world-wide there is a shortage of star perfonnersin the executive ranks (leaders) in the business world. It can also besaid that this lack of exceptional leadership is not only in the businessworld, it also extends to Non-profit organizations (NPO),govemment-national and local-, and inthe general community.I have often wondered why this is so, when for more than half centurythere have been countless leadership theories formulated, probably'In 2006,combined published to use as a successful leadership example, by thASEA|{ Institute for Health Development, Mahidol University: " Effective lcad-e rs h ip Le s s o ns fro m P rof. D r. Kr a s a e C h a naw o n gs e " .


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4 The Effective Leaderhundreds of sure-fire methodologies developed, and thousands ofbusiness schools around the world with these theories andmethodologies atthe core ofteaching? Where has it all gone wrong?Why do we not have a sufficient core of good and star leaders at alllevels of business, government, and society today?I have just finished reading a book which claims to have the answer,and also has a new theory for isolating the key requirements forexecutives with the potential for greatress, "Executive Intelligence: WhatAll Great Leaders Have" by Justin Menkes.The author uses his background in psychology, along with the works ofthe likes of Peter F. Drucker and Jim Collins, and augmented byinterviews with proficient CEOs ofFortune 500 Corporations to focuson the difference between knowledge (information based) andintelligence (cognitive processes based); hypothesizing that intelligenceis more fundamental to achievement in executive positions thanknowledge-knowledge being the basis for most of the previousleadership theories and methodologies. The book questions the valueof traditional IQ tests as a forecaster of potential executiveperformance and gives hope that the cognitive and interpersonal skills,which may be our own weakness, can be leamed; like all skill sets, thisExecutive Intelligence (ExI) canbe enhancedwith focused attentionand practice. So, we can improve our leadership potential by focusingon learning and enhancing our ExI competencies.Even though Menkes is a purveyor ofmanagement taining (associatedwith an executive recruiting and management training firm), I found hisbook interesting and thought provoking. I think that his work will bemuch cited in future studies; to further define leadership, build updifferent theories about leadership qualities, and developmethodologies to enhance leadership competencies. I think theconcept has merit in helping us to better understand leadership. Ifwecan understand it, we can learn it.


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LAURIE THOMPSON 5Being motivated by this soundly researched study-it answered someofthe questions that I have been pondering over for some time, never-the-less it has left some questions unanswered and also raised newones that I had not even thought about to date-I needed to knowwhat other people thought of this "must read" book on what ExI is,why it is valuablefor leaders in business, how it can be usedforbest value, how and why it should be measured, and how it canbe enhanced.I immediately got onto the Intemet to research this subject further witha view to finding how this "ExI" can be of value for leadership in otherthan decision making in a money making context. As usual, whensearching the Internet, I got hundreds of thousands of hits for"Executive Intelligence", so I went tluough the process of "sorting thewheat from the chaff ' to find what was relevant and valuable for me.To my disappointment after spending many hours browsing theinformation, apartfrom reviews advertising the book (commercialagenda) and further comments from the author (commercial andpersonal agenda), there were very few articles, with objectivity at theheart, to pique my interest. One standout interesting and thoughtprovoking article I found was "How important is "Executive"lntelligence for Leaders?" by Jim Heskett2 which called for commentson parts ofthe ExI concept:. In your experience, what is the relative importance ofexecutive intelligence, style, and personality in effective leaders?o Wat importance do these findings have for the selectionof candidates fo4 and the design and execution of, formal (MBA)and on-the-job programs for developing leaders?o Will they eventually help relieve the perceived "sellerbmarket" in leadership talent?Unfortunately, the forum was already closed after soliciting 72comments from a wide variety ofpeople with differing agendas oftheirown. Just reading the comments alone is a good exercise for budding2 James Heskett is a Baker Foundation Professor at Harvard Business School


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The E[Jectrve Leaderleadership aspirants. I will use some of these comments below; youmay find them usefi.rl. One of the frustrations for me was that it was thinon leadership comments from those who didnothave commerciallyoriented business agendas. This is only natural considering it was abusiness oriented forum. It was, however, still a very rewardingexercise for me.Because of the scarcity of information relating ExI with leadership inNPOs on the Intemet, I decided to revisit my two previous papers onthe effective leadership style ofProf. Dr. Krasae Chanawongse, anduse my understanding of the ExI concept to date, to determine whichparts ofhis leadership can be attributed to his "Ed", so that I can sharethis information with those who have shown great interest in hisleadership. I do this with the hope (my personal agenda) that you willput your own thought processes to work to go on from this paper toexpand your cognitive powers and other leadership essentials toimprove your own potential as effective leaders, and encourage othersto do so. We need a great many more effective leaders at all levels,especially inthe social and rural development arenas, so that we canrealue our human achievement development goals ; with sustainability.

LeadershipJames MacGregor Burnsr wams us that Leadership should not beconfused with Rulership: "Rule by Hitler vs. Leadership of Gandhi."Nor is leadership about wielding power, command, or control.Leadership is the process of leaders engaging and mobilizing thehuman needs and aspirations of followers ; the capacity to respond tomotivations ofthemselves and others, topersuade and manipulate withskill, to relate ends and means. Leaders have sensitivityto opportuni-ties to influence others. What is also evident is that leadership can behijacked and used as the means for achieving the objective (ends) ofthe powerwielders (Lenin, Hitler. . .).3 A well know American political scientist and social philosopher


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LAURIE THOMPSON 7This does not imply that the apparent leader is necessarily orexclusively the "real" leader or the effective leader. Leaders lead in away as to anticipate responses of followers, and followers and leadersmay change places. Rulers and power-wielders never change placeswithfollowen.Bums informs us that "The original sources ofleadership and followershiplie in vast pools of human wants and in the transformation of wants andneeds, social aspirations, collective expectations, andpolitical demands."He also enlightens us on the difference between wants and needs: Wantsis subjective, needs is objective; "I want sweets but I need vitamins."lraders are distinguished by their quality ofnot necessarily respondingto the wants of "followers", but to the wants transformed into needs.Leaders respond to subjective wants and later to more objective needsas leaders define those wants and needs. Followers' definitions ofwants and needs will also change in the continuing interplay with lead-ership.Another Burns' wisdom for us is that the source ofthe force that maybe the most important in shaping most leaders; is leaming. The leamingexperience of each leader is so unique that fruitful generalizationbecomes impossible. It would appear that leaders learn "...fromexperience, leaming from people, leaming from successes and failures,learning from leaders and followers: personality is formed in thesereactions to stimuli in social environments." He also tells us thatbehavior is very important and is leamed ". . .not only by conditioningbut by imitating persons with whom the leamer identifies and whomone takes as models."Warren Bennis4 tells us that there are important differences betweenmanagers and leaders:a Warren Bennis is a distinguished of Business Administration and foundingChairman of the Leadership Institute at the University of Southern California


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8 fhe Effective Leadero Managers administer; leaders innovate. Managers are a copy; leaders are an originalo Managers maintain; leaders developo Managers focus on systems and structure; leaders focus ono Managers rely on control; leaders inspire trusto Managers have a short-range view; leaders have a long-range

perspectiveo Managers imitate; leaders originateo Managers acceptthe status quo; leaders challenge ito Managers are the classic good soldier; leaders are their ownpersono Managers do things right; leaders do the right thing

Peter R Drucker, very well respected for his works on managementand leadership, gives us a good insight into what leadership is about inhis "Leadership as Work"s. He tells us that Leadership " ...has littleto do with "leadership qualities" ond even less to do with"charisma." It is mundone, unromantic, and boring. Its essenceis performance. " Healso informs us that leadership is not intrinsicallygood. It is a means to an end; that end (the objective) being the essen-tialpoint.To illustrate his point on charisma " ...Stalin, Hitler, and Mao-themisleaders who inflicted as much evil and suffering on humanityas have ever been recorded. " Drucker contrasts this with "DwightEisenhower, George Marshall, and Harry Truman were singularlyeffective leaders, yet none possessed any more charisma than a deadmackerel." He also points out that "...charisma becomes theundoing of leaders. It makes them inflexible, convinced of theirown infallibility, unable to change. " Does this remind you ofanyone?

5 Essential Drucker, Leadership as Work


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LAURIE THOMPSON 9Drucker does not believe in the concepts of "leadership qualities" or"leadership personalities". To make his point he lists six leaders who"...were all highly efective-and highly visible-leaders duringWorld War II. No two of them shared eny "personality traits" orany "qualities." " He believes work is at the heart of leadership:"...thinking through the organizationb mission, defining it, andestablishing it, clearly and visibly...sets the goals, sets thepriorities, and sets and maintains standards...(ffictive leaders)are painfully m,uare they are not in control of the universe."A successfrrl leaderaccepts compromises ifthe concessions are friendlywith his mission and goals and are within the limits of reality, " . .. afterhaving thought through what is right and desirable-which mayinclude political, economic, financial, or interpersonal problems. "Effective leaders look on leadership as a responsibility, not as statusandprivilege; whenthings go wrongtheydo not searchfor scapegoats.Drucker gives Winston Churchill as ". ..an example of leadershipthrough clearly defining mission ond goals." He observes"General George Marshall, America's chief of staff in World War II, isan example of leadership through responsibility." President HarryTruman's "The buck stops here.", also comes infor special mention.Drucker, in addition, highlights that effective leaders are " . . . not afraidof strengths in associates or subordinotes." The successful leaderssupport and encourage strong associates and subordinates, notconsidering their success as a threat, but as an achievement. The"misleaders", on the other hand, are always having purges. Druckerrecognizes General Macarthur (personally vain), US PresidentsLincoln and Truman (personably humble), and General Eisenhower (avery differentperson) all as effective leaders who all wanted "able,independent, self-assured people arourd them; they encouraged theirassociates and subordinates, praising and promoting them." Theeffective leaderknows that there is risk with ambitious people, butfar less risk than being served by mediocrity. Successful leaders know


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The Effective Leaderthat they must create individual get-up-and-go and vision in others toavoid the collapse of the organization when they are gone.Trust is vital for leaders or they will have no true followers-truefollowers do not necessarily need to like or agree with the leader; theyneed only to be sure that the leader's beliefs, words, and actions areconsistent and compatible; that the leaders mean what they say; theyneed tust in the integrity ofthe leader.Another Drucker wisdom for us is that " Efective leadership...is notbased on being clever; it is based primarily on being consistent."Ifwe agree with Drucker's wisdoms on effective leadership, then howdoes the Executive Intelligence concept help enhance effectiveleadership?

Executive Intelligence (ExI)What is ExI?The ExI theory has its roots in an expanded and applied type of criticalthinking; specifically it is how an individual skillfully uses all theavailable information as a guide to thought and action.It would appear that the Exl concept was spawned from the perceivedinability ofthe Emotional Intelligence (EI) concept ("Not one studyhas shown emotional intelligence to be a meaningful predictor ofjob performance beyond what has long been explained by othermeasures...personality and style are only tangentially related to anexecutive b performanc."0),along with other management conceptsand models, to completely explainthe aptitudes and competencies thatdifferentiate good and great business leaders, thus disqualifying EI as agood and consistent gauge to spot potential great business leaders:Star CEOs.6 Menkes


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LAURIE THOMPSON I IMenkes' argument is that executive work can be partitioned into threecategories for discussion: accomplishing tasks, working with otherpeople, and self-evaluation. Within each there are identifiable cognitiveskills that determine how well an executive performs:o TASKS -the abilities to properly define a problem, identifythe highest-priority issues, and assess both what is known and whatneeds to be known in orderto render a sound decision.o OTHERS-the abilities to recognize underlying agendas,understand multiple perspectives, and anticipate likely emotionalreactions.. SELF - the abilities to identify ones own mistakes,encourage and seek out constructive criticism, and adjust one's ownbehaviour.Table I, below, outlines what Menkes believes are the definingcompetencies forExl.An analogy that paints us a excellent word picture of the goodjudgment-using Exl-that is needed in a realistic critical situation, tomake sense of the complex pattem of intemal and extemal ffirmationfor sustainable organizational change, is put forward by MarkOUTHWAITET: "... is the successful helicopter pilot who needsoutstanding situational qwareness: wat distinguishes the bestfromthe merely good is the ability not just to know their position frominstruments, looking outside, and maps, but to be able to visuqlisetheir position as if standing away from their aircraft -to be ableto understand their position in the normol physical dimensions aswell as that of time and the dimensions of numerous alternatives.The truly outstanding are able to communicate that simply andeffectively in such awaythat others are able to see and understand the7 Mark Outhwaite, Director, outhentics consulting. (An ex-cEo and formerArmyOfiicer)


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I2 The Ef/ective Leadersame picture and tum it into action. And of course the picture needs tobe constantly updated and re-evaluated as the context changes. Toomany. . . failing organizations . . . have lost even the ability to know as theyfly intothe side ofthe mountain infrontofthem.Outhwaite also adds that "Other attributes are of course important(in leodership), such as personal style, volues, and commitment;but executive intelligence is on ingredient that, in an increasinglycomplex andfluid world, is essential".How do we develop or enhance ExI?To understand why Exl aptitudes are so rare and dissimilar to ournormal cognitive predisposition, first ofall we must understand how thehuman brain works and whv it works that wav.As I read Menkes' explanation, the human brain is consistently andsystematically illogical withno inherent system oflogic; evolving overthe millennia for a completely different natural and social environmentthan the one we find ourselves in today: The survival instinct, wherequick reaction to information available from a previous experience,similar to the experience at hand, was vital to physical survival (quickimpulsive decision-making in a "fight or flight situation"). Thecarryover of this instinct to the modem era"...leads us to drawunworranted conclusions and take immediate oction withoutthinkingfirsf." Sadly, we reward this instinctive reaction as logicalreasoning. It is more often than not, counter-productive to go with thequickest instinctive answer to a problem. It is far more important tocome up with a timely correct solution to solve the problem, the firsttime. We see the practice of "ready, Jire, aim", in the name ofexpediency, go astraytoo often.Cognitive abilities ofman, although inuse, were inthe background fora long time in the hunter gatherer environment and not often exercised.


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LAURIE THOMPSON ] 3One wonders where we would be now, had we developedthe use ofthe cognitive powers forclearthinking intandem with developing ourreactive survival instinct, much earlier in ourhistory.Not until mankind leamed to farm on a large scale did they get the timeto settle down in a safe environment and think in a more meaningfulway. Mankind has come a long way fast in a relatively short time sincethen, despite the fact that our basic instinct for physical survivalcontinuously colours our mental processes.

It is true that for our ancestors the gut-feeling survival instinct wasparamount for physical safety and thus, survival of the species. It is,however, a very different world today and we need to hone upadditional survival instincts which are more in hme with the times, tocope with a more multi-faceted environment. Our primitive survivalinstinct continues to be a strong instinct today and at times leaves ourintelligence and cognitive processes unsighted. Perhaps it is time formore of us to tailor our intellect for our contemporary environment:An environment where our physical survival is more reliant-asindividuals, organizations, nations, and humanity----on superior intellectthan the reactive instincts of days gone by. We need not unleam ourstrvival mentality, but there are a lot of assumptions to be re-examinedso that we can improve on our cognitive endowment. We all need anintellect that helps us to be clearer thinkers (not only the "star"executives and CEOs), who can sort and process the mountains ofinformation that are now available from multifarious sources. We allneed to be able to make the right decisions for our own survival in a


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I 4 The Effecrive LeaderThble 1. The Cognitive Skills that Make up Executive Intelligence

Regerding Tesksl.Appropriately definea problem and differen-tiate essential objectivesfrom tess-relevant con-

cerns2.Anticipate obstacles toachieving objectives andidentiS sensible means tocircumvent them.

3.Critically examine theaccuracy of underlying as-sumptions.

4.Articulate the strengthsand weaknesses of the sug-gestions or argumentsposed.5.Recognize what is knowabout an issue. what moreneeds to be known, and howbest to obtain the relevantand accurate informationneeded.6.Use multiple perspectivesto identiry probable unin-tended consequences ofvarious action plans.

Source: Justin Menkes

RcgardingOltcrPeoflel.Recognize the conclu-sions that can be drawn froma particular exchange.

2.Recognize the underlyingagendas and motivations ofindividuls and groups in-volved in a situation.

3.Anticipate the probablereactions of individuals to.actions or communications.

4.Accurately identify thecore issues and perspectivesthat are central to a con-flict.

5.Appropriately considerthe probable effects andpossible unintended conse-quences that may resultfrom taking a particularcourse of action.6.Acknowledge and balancethe different needs of allrelevant stakeholders.

Regrrding Selfl.Pursue feedback that mayreveal enors in own judg-ments and make appropri-ate adjustments.

2.Recognize own personalbiases or limitations in per-spective and use this under-standing to improve theirthinking and their actionlans.3.Recognize when seriousflaws in own ideas or actionsrequire swift publicacknowledgment of mis-takes and a dramatic changein driection.4.Appropriately articulatethe essential flaws inothers' arguments andreiterate the strengths inown positions.5.Appropriately articulatethe essential flaws inothers' arguments andreiterate the strengths inown positions.


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LAURIE THOMPSON ] 5complex global society. We need to see and think outside the box sothat we can have the situational awareness to keep us from flying intothatmountain.Maybe ifwe can all do that we will be less dependent on-and onemay be attempted to substitute"dependent on" with "at the mercyof'-the exceptional leadership performance of the few, as we aretoday. We need the collective intelligence and clear thinking abilities ofall mankind sothatall mankindcanreach its frrll potential and reaptherewards equally; the rewards need not be for just the few star perform-ers (and fraudsters/misleaders amongst us) and their associates. Weneed leaders at all levels in society, business, politics, and govemmentto help shape the future in a mankind friendly and sustainable way.History should be a goodpointerto many ofmankind's major failurestlnough inappropriate leadenhip; we cannot afford to repeat those majorfailures too often.It appears that we store knowledge in frames or views (perspectives)of particulm knowledge and retieve them rryhen needed upon recognisinga trigger for retrieval and our cognitive ability causes us to rapidly reactin familiar or practiced ways using the information and theseperspectives as input (instinctive reaction). we probably have all hadihe experience of hearing a song and it triggering a memory good orbad. Some of us may even use word association to remember important information. Others who hear those same songs or words maynot give them the same values and relationships because theyexperienced that knowledge in a different environment or time frameand it has a different meaning for them (a different perspective, adifferent value). Our cognitive processes give us the ability that enablesus to fit an appropriate practiced reaction (behaviour ifyou like) to theknowledge frame, or devise a new appropriate reaction if and whenneeded.One example of changing our behaviour depending on a knowledgeframe or view comes to my mind: When we put our head in water we


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16 The Effective Leaderreact"nantralbf'by holding our breath so that water does not enterour lungs. When we leam to be scuba divers we must learn throughpractice to breath ttrough our scuba equipment while we are immersedin water even though'lnstinctively'' wewant to hold our breath. Thuswe have two knowledge frames for similar information "I have myhead immersed in woter" but each in a different context (view): I .under water with scuba gear;2. underwater without scuba gear. Ourcognitive processes decide on the most appropriate action, if any, totake by examining each frame and perspective: breath; not breath.We have practiced both responses. It would be unwise for us todiscard either knowledge frame or its connected response to havingour heads immersed in water; both responses are valid from differentperspectives. Lose our perspective and we could be in trouble.Humans are good at acting instinctively: recalling knowledge andreacting in a practiced way, without much exercising our cognitiveabilities; it is what we have always thought of as instinctive. Weinstinctively think inside the box (frame) of our knowledge andexperiences. We need to re-examine our cognitive processes andpractice to overcome our instinctive behaviour (think outside the box)to be a standout executive (leader). Some leaders appear to have thisskill naturally, hence the saying "a born leeder". But are there reallyany true "born leaders"?Being a (born?) sceptic, I do not ascribe to the theory that leaders arebom, not made. I do, however, accept that some people are bom withgenetic mental advantages. I think, that leaming and environment playa major part in our developing ExI faculties and other leadershipqualities to attain leadership prominence, much in the same way wedevelop our character, or sporting skills. In our environment we learnour values and leam to use our cognitive processes to steer ourdecision-making process andbehavioral course to ourbest advantage.Some people may start offin life with genetic mental advantages, butunless they exercise that ability through consciously learning or


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LATJRIE THOMPSON 17assimilating sub-consciously from our environment (nature, society,technology...), that advantage is wasted. I think opportunity toexperience particular environments and events, and practice anddevelop cognitive processes to getthe best out ofthat environment isimportant in ow ExI development. I am also cognizant that two peoplegiven the same opportunities and in the same environment may notdevelop the same ExI level because ofthe many factors that go intodeveloping ExI, such as the stalting point ofeach person's genetic mentaladvantages, personal style, values, and last, but not least, commitment.Most of us are probably comfortable with our instinctive behaviour.We (the humanrace) have certainly spenta lotoftime and effortthroughthe ages with a bias towards instinctive behaviour. From a historicalperspective, we can see thattaditional education-and indeed societyand traditions-has been further reinforcing the facility for instinctivebehaviour through a focus on knowledge storage and retrieval skills(remembering information), more than on the cognitive skills toprocess thatknowledge ina logical way foranoptimal outcome, whereindeed there could be more than one correct action to take in a givensituation (for instance: negotiation, flight, fighVyes, no, other). Theestablishment-bureaucracy, education, religion, tadition.' .-is onlytoo happy to reinforce our penchant for yes/no answers to questionsand situations.Students are rewarded for their instinctive reaction speed with whichthey come up with the " lcnowledge " answers, while those who thinkbefore answering are often considered dull-witted and ponderous andthe teacher quickly passes the question to a more instinctivelyresponsive student. The quick responses come from those with morepracticed knowledge retrieval intellects coupled with yes-no/righrwrongresponse(inside the box); while the slow responses from those whohave thought processes that kick-in to consider the grey area betweenblack and white as well as the wider options that may be available(inside and outside the box) before responding, are overlooked. Weshould think twice about writing offthose who might appear to us as


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LAURIE THOMPSON I9superior business smarts than women. The fact that high IQ has beengiven preference in education and employment opportunities, and thatit has been a long-time practice to employ people in your own image(same school, same background, family members, etc.), has not beenfactored in, nor has previous gender inequality in employmentpractices.Should we question this outlook? Could it be we have thispro-knowledge frame of mind because humans take the mostinstinctive and easy way out by teaching by repetition (rote) to ensurethat knowledge sticks? Is it because it is easier to measure and test the"by rote " aptitudes and skills? Is this also why education reform inThailand is so tardy today?Andrea Jung, the CEO ofAvon, sees little correlation between clearthinking and formal education: "Some of our best ideas and thinkinghave been generated by people with the least formal training".oCould this be an indication that cunent formal training may in fact in-hibit clear thinking ability? Or are there other answers?ExI and changeLet us take this a bit further and ask ourselves why people in generalare adverse to change? Development means change with positiveoutcomes. We may all be aware that change has to be well managed tobe successfully implemented. We may also be aware ofthe leadershipqualities that are needed to successfully manage change, including theimportance of transparency and the ability to get those most affectedby the change to accept the change as a step forward for them (thiscould be a difficult task ifthe stakeholders have differing agendase); themore we can give them ownership for the change, the more likely wecan get the change process implemented as envisaged. Now let usthink about why change has to be managed by those with leadershipsMenkeseSee Fieue l. below


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20 The Effective Leaderqualities (ExI?) to be successful. Is it because we are dealing withpeople who are more motivated by theirnatural (sun/ival) instincts thantheir own cognitive intelligence when the change and the reasons forthe change are put to them? Is it mainly agenda based? Is it just acommunication gap? Or are we too lazy to make the change?When working as a business process analyst and designer, I would askpeople to explain their cunent work processes so I could understandthese work processes, analyse them, and if necessary help them tomake those processes more proficient. More likely as not, theseprocesses were inefficient with lots of duplicated processes andsometimes with outputs that were not in themselves an end productwhich did not actually feed into other processes within or outside thebusiness either. Asked why they actually carried out a process or whythey did it in a certain way when they knew better ways of doing it; theanswer 90 percent of the time was: " Becouse we have always doneit that woy".Why are we so uncomfortable with change? Is it instinctive (thesurvival instinct) which makes us comfortable doing only what wealready know and practice, and it is against our instinct to dosomething different? I do nothave all the answers to these questionsand I am certain that I have not yet formulated all the relevant questionseither to find out why we are so adverse to change.Maybe by enhancing clear thinking-an ExI skill-through training,the people in our organizations will be better equipped to analyse andweigh up all the ramifications ofthe changes proposed, then they maymore easilyperceive the change to be less threatening, ifthat is reallythe case; then "exceptional" leadership will not be needed in changemanagement. With clear thinking, those to be most affected by thechange may even be able to offer some valuable advice for the change,from their own perspective.


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22 The Effective LeaderIdentifying and targeting ExI competencies for improvementExI does not consist of a single ability or isolated skill; being bothknowledge and cognitive based, it is a combination of importantaptitudes that steer a person's decision-making process andbehavioral course. Menkes tells us that, in its simplest form, ExI is adiscrete set of aptitudes that an individual must make obvious in threecore areas of work: the achievement of tasks, working with andthrough other people, and judging oneself and adapting one'sbehavior accordingly. The more practiced an individual is in all threeofthese areas, the higher is their level ofExl.Menkes' work not only helps us to identiff and make sense of thecognitive qualities needed to lead in the executive world, but alsoinforms us thatresearchhas shownthatthese qualities are measurableand leamable. At the same time he acquaints us with the type of targetquestions that we can use to measure ExI competencies; gives insightinto how to develop those qualities that we may be short on; andacquire those that we do not currently use.Identifying skill sets: The first step is to figure out what we need tomeasure. Just as educational institutions focus IQ tests on the skills thatpredict academic success, ExI testing must focus on the cognitive skillsthat determine executive aptitude. For instance, the skills set of acreative thinker: ...creative thinkers canview the same issuefrommultiple perspectives. They are able to define a particularproblem in several dffirent ways, anticipate likely obstacles andidentifl sensible options for overcoming those obstacles; a vitalExI skills set.Other skills sets to be identified and measured are the cognitive skillsthat allow a person to handle interpersonal situations effectively; theexceptional social skills that allow people to recognize underlyingagendas, gauging agendas which may conflict with one another, andanticipating the probable effects and likely unintended consequencesof a chosen course of action: also the skill to understand how those


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24 The Effective Leaderput together what I perceive is the RHAD environment in Thailandwithin which RHAD leaders work: Figure l. Rural HumanAchievement Development Progression, below.Quite often in RFIAD situations, locally powerful but unethical peoplewiththeir ownagendas withinthe community, who unfortunately seemto be the best orators, inevitably get selected to lead the community.These people use their interactive interpersonal abilities to confound uswith their apparent sincerity. This often causes problems as thecommunity leader's overbearing ego can cause better qualifiedindividuals to leave the project. The success ofthe project can beundermined from the start unless the project leader's own ExI and/orother leadership skills are up to the task of identiffing this early andcircumventing the damage these people can cause.Targeting and measuring ExI: Menkes recognizes thatthere is noone magic bullet methodology when it comes to evaluating ExL Withcompetency interviews and ExI tests you measure totally different skills(knowledge and cognitive), so when combinedthe two approachesoffer a much more complete understanding of a candidate's potential.Forthe ExI skills tes! Menkes proposes ageneric (non-industry based)ExI evaluation, utilizing realistic work scenarios posed by a trainedinterviewer; for questions posed it is important that candidates must:o not be cued to the cognitive aptitudes under testo exercise well the skills under test. arnlyze thesituation, draw a conclusion, andjustify the reasonThroughthe use ofmultiple scenarios andquestions, a comprehensivemeasure of all ofthe cognitive skills of interest can be achieved, withscores not based on a candidate's final answer alone, but also on thethought processes that led to the conclusion.Menkes points outthat research has shown that ExI evaluation scoresare highly predictive of executive success, so combined with


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LAURIE THOMPSON 25competency interviews, there is a greater possibility ofemploying theright person for the job in corporate world of FPOs.Can ExI be developed or enhanced?Research suggests that genetic influences determine 50/o of anindividual's intellectual ability, and as none ofus firnction anywhere nearour intellectual ceiling, it leaves a lot of room for development andenhancement. There is also evidence that ftaining in better thinking canhave considerable lasting efflects.Menkes' studies imply ExI can be increased by frequent resolving ofunfamiliar problems, using both relevant and irrelevant information asinput; human cognitive abilities can be leamed practiced, and improvedby focusing on how to think, through encotraging more interaction be-tween student and teacher than the traditional passive student role:material being presented as an interactive conversation rather than alecture improves results dramatically regardless ofthe subject-ver-bal, math, or reasoning.A RHAD project leader must take on the role of facilitating theleadenhip leaming experience for a wide range ofpeople with differingbackgrounds, education levels, experience, agendas, motivation. . ., overthe duration of the project to achieve the project's major objectivesand the objectives ofall true leaders: Finding, fostering, and facilitatingthe development of new leadership potential.Implementing the use of the ExI ConceptOK, now we may have an understanding of what competencies makeup ExI and we may even see the benefits for improving the lot of thecorporate world and the corporate world stakeholders through betteruse of ExI skills. We are told, and may believe, that ExI can bedeveloped and enhanced. We have an overview on how we go aboutdeveloping or enhancing ExI for ourselves and in other people. Wenow also know that it can be measured and the measurement can be


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The Effective Leaderuseful in predicting star performers in the corporate world. We mighteven extapolate that it is valuable forNPOs. But how can we get thepractice of choosing leaders for their ExI talents rather than theircharism4 EI flair, exceptional interpersonal skills, sound technical skills,old school tie connections, family relationships. . . , to be accepted bythose already in leadership positions and put there under the old cronybased system. Old habits die hard.Unless the ExI concept is accepted atthe national level and included inthe school education curriculum, it would be easy to believe that theExI concept can only benefit the private management training andexecutive head-hurters niche sectors andthe large corporations whocan afford the training and recruitment costs for their executives-Itwill be another case of "the rich get richer" in less developedcountries. The history of education reform, especially in Thailand,precludes us from believing that wide acceptance and inclusion of aconcept, such as ExI, in the school education curiculum, will happenanytime soon, ifever.Rural Human Achievement Development Leadership andExIFrom the NPO perspective, for enhancing the use ofExl in leadership,there are still a lot ofunanswered questions: ln particular, how can weuse our new knowledge of ExI to the best advantage to enhance thequality of leadership in the Rural Human Achievement Development(RllAD) environment?Since working with Prof. Dr. Krasae Chanawongse I have leamed alot about "RHAD" in Thailand. I have also learned a lot about theimportance of committed leadership for successful RHAD.In particular, leaders in RHAD activities in the poorer andunderprivileged communities, whether in Thailand or elsewhere, areconfronted by similar development situations to cope with: The


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uunn TH)MPS1N 27universal conditions ofpoverly, illiteracy, poor health and disease, civicinertia, and a feeling ofinsecurity.With the advent of the ExI concept I now have a new tool to help mebetter understand leadership attributes and how these attributes relateto success inRHAD situations.Figure l: Rural Human Achievement Development Progression

For sustainable success in RHAD activities you need leaderscommitted to RFIAD at all levels who display ExI attributes to varyingdegrees. It is not necessary for lower level RFIAD leaders to have welldeveloped attributes in all ExI areas to be of great help to the higherlevel RFIAD leaders. However, the higher the number of attributes andthe higherthe skills level ofthe atfibutes, the more effective the RF{ADleader can be. Therefore, RHAD leaders should be constantly on thelook out for, and foster the development of, leadership qualities in oth-ers for the benefit of all.

**Nafurae, economic, political, cultural, traditional, administrative"'


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28 The Efiective LeaderFrom readingthe literature onRFlAD we canprobablydefine RI{ADas facilitating rural persons, rural commturities, and rural businesses toacquire the financial, technical, and establishment support required totackle their economic, human achievement, and quality of lifeproblems.The ingredients in the recipe for RHAD success: To have anychance oflong-term value RHAD Projects/Programs must:o have RHAD as its core agenda (not just personal or political

agenda). be well led by skilled and ExI aware leaders committed toRHAD. be well planned and appropriately firndedo include and cater for the poorest in the communityo be technically, economically, and environmentally feasible. be technically, economically, and environmentally sustainableo have soundtechnicalandadminishative supportandprocesseso have appropriate inputs and desirable outputso have motivated community support and participation. have genuine central and local government support and

encouragementh4ve planned follow up evaluation and fine-tuning wherenecessary afterproject end (i.e. supporting infrastructure andproject systems still in place and working (maintained) tosupport the objectives ofthe project)external support must be phased out-notjust end abruptly

In Thailand RHAD focuses on improvement of the quality of life forrural people in an environmentally sustainable waythrough building thedevelopment capacity of local nral people, expanding public healthcaresystems, improving natural resource management, increasingproductivity, improving local infrastructure support(roads, watersupplies, electic power.), etc. The project visions include developinglocal organizations by:


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LAURIE THOMPSON 29o orienting national, provincial and local government towards

responsive methodology and processeso establishing village organisations with increased abilityto planand implement projectso stengthening Thmbon (sub-district) Councils to prioritise andsupport village development. increasing women's participation in commturity groups

RHAD projects have varying success. Some good, some mediocreand sometimes the performance of RHAD projects are less thanexpected due to such factors as a difficult social and environmentalcontext (clearly some projects would have benefited from moreexplicit attentionto gender issues) and poor communication betweenproject staff, communities, and government authorities. Geogaphicalseparation also contibutes to communication problems, especially whenproject members do not understand or respond to changes ingovernment authorities'policy and priorities. Well thought out, wellplanned, and proficiently implemented projects rarely fail on purelytechnical grounds.Some intemational agencies point to key lessons from RFIAD projectsthat could be used for quality of life improvements in future RHADprojects in Thailand:

phasing out, rather than abrupt cessation of assistance, orproviding lower level follow-up activities, or post-projectfunding for continued NGO inputs-in some cases whereassistance has ceased abruptly there has been reporteddifficulty in adjustment to work with fewer resourcesavailable. Continued funding of NGOs teams can help toconsolidate pdect outcomes in community capacity.more focus on appropriate technologies and supply chainmanagemento more focus on the key problems associated with rain fed


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30 The Effective Leaderagriculture for a wider, more sustainable developmentalimpact-the majority of families in the project areas maycontinue to depend on rain fed farming for their cash andsubsistence needsmore focus on sustainability through fostering localdevelopment capacity and status of women and theirparticipation in social affairsmore explicit objectives and realistic time frames for thecompletion of complex or difficult tasks in social orinstitutional change--experience shows that complex projectscan succeed if given time, budget, and emphasis on trainingincreased emphasis on genuine participation by local people(men and women) and close alignment with the currentpolicies and priorities ofthe main implementing agency-thereare clear benefits in genuine local participation (including soundgender strategies) andNGO inputdevise practical strategies to increase participation of poorerfamilies and to widen their access to benefits

It is very diffrcult to devise effective strategies targeted to help the verypoor people with little or no land. Such strategies should beindependent of land ownership and 1ds16 reasonable returns for thelabour of poor men and women. Some worthwhile stategies could be:Increasing skills through education and taining; increasing access tocapital or land through stronger micro-credit programs; assistingmigration to areas with better employment prospects throughrelocation grants or housing support; improving nutrition and providingeducational scholarships for children of the very poor; livestockdistibution and repayment in kind schemes.In RHAD the product is more important than the profit: As Imentioned above, for the NPO in a RHAD perspective, the qualityand sustainability ofttre product of an endeavor-better health, betterbasic infrastucture, poverty alleviation, gender equality, narrowing the


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LAL]RIE THOMPSON 3Irural/urban human achievement gap, etc-is more important thanmaximizing financial gains and appeasing the share holders with biggerprofits.Recently I witnessed an example ofthis when accompanying Prof.Dr. Krasae Chanawongse on a visit to a construction site for agovemment funded housing project for the poor in Muang Phon inKhon Kaen province in Northeast Thailand (one of the mosteconomically disadvantaged regions of Thailand). The projectobjective is improving the quality of life forthe under-privileged andproviding employment opportunities and skills development in thecommunity. The project is being managed by his son, Dr. KasomChanawongse-a qualified construction engineer-using a localbuilding contactor and local labor. The site had recently been inspectedby the govemment authorities who expressed their delight at the qualityof the work and the above specification steel reinforcing used for thehousing construction. Dr. Krasae explained to me that the sustainabilityand qualityofthe productforthis developmentwork (the housing) wasthe objective, not maximizing any financial profit that may accrue. Hisson thought that the extra steel was needed for the sustainability of theproject product (the houses) and that was more important than theprofit angle. It is also a good example ofRHAD leadership using ExI ingetting itdone rightthe firsttime, to avoid future undesired outcomesfrom a possible ill-defined construction design.An example of what Menkes sees as a positive action, of a CEO usinghis exceptional ExI, is in fact an example ofmisuse ofExl if it was in aRHAD situation. The CEO of this large well known corporation whichhas built up its reputation for quality and integrity over many years boastsof a34Yoincrease in sales from re-badging and changing the color ofatechnologically inferior productro to dupe customers; to successfirllymeet a sales challenge from outside competition. This very well couldroMenkes


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LAURIE THOMPSONThe Leadership of Prof. Dr. Krasae Chanawongse,RHAD Leadership, and ExI

The more you leam aboutwhat is definedas Leadership, the more yourealize that nobody has been able to unambiguously genericallydefine-that stands the test oftime-what Leadership really is. Maybethere is no generic definition for effective leadership and the form oftheleadership style needs to fitthe particular situationto be effective.Some of the most outstanding and prolific writers in the field ofmanagement and leadership, have changed their minds from-time-totime on what leadership really is. We can read that leadership in itselfis not intrinsically good; it is a means to an end. We can also be givengood cases and examples by many supporting their leadershipconcepts and theories: that it is or is not about "leadership qualities","leadership personalities", or "charisma"; that performance is thekey-in thinking through, defining, and establishing the organization'smission; setting the goals and priorities; setting and maintainingstandards; turning leadership decisions into action plans andsuccessfully implementing them: and so on. To some of us this can bevery confusing when we may be looking for a leadership model to suitour environment and our time.Now we have a new leadership concept to consider, ExI, which mayeither help us or further confuse us in the choice ofa leadership model.Maybe well developed ExI competencies can help us to choose thecorrect leadership style to be successful in particular situations?I would like to examine what we know ofthe leadership of ProfessorDr. Krasae Chanawongse against Menkes'new concept ofExl to seehow they match up in a RFIAD environment.The leadership of Prof. Dr. Krasae ChanawongseProf. Dr. Krasae Chanawongse is a Magsaysay Award Winner forCommunity Leadership and recipient of the Grand Cordon of the


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34 The Elfecrive LeaderOrder ofthe Rising Sun (the highest royal decoration that the Emperorof Japan can bestow on a foreigner) for his leadership in promotinggood relations between Thailand andJapan-is well-know intema-tionally, nationally, and locally for his leadership in many endeavors.Todayhe is:

Holder ofthree Royal Awards from two separate countries:o Knight Grand Cordon (Special Class) ofThe Most ExaltedOrder ofthe White Elephant;o Knight Grand Cordon (Special Class) of The Most NobleOrder of The Crown of Thailand;o The Grand Cordon ofthe Order ofthe Rising Sun (Japan), forhis leadership in promoting good relations between Thailandand Japan (the highest royal decoration that the Emperor ofJapan can bestowon a foreigner);

MagsaysayAwardee for Commwrity Leadership (The Philippines,re73);Founder ofthe College ofAsian Scholars;Chairman ofthe Raks Thai Foundation (CARE Thailand);Chairman ofthe Princes ofNarathivas University Council;Chairman of the Asian Disaster Preparedness Centre; andTechnical Advisor to the Asian Urban Information Center of Kobe(AUICK- LINFPAJapan).

Although initially a reluctant entry to the political scene, he has adistinguished past political record:Member ofthe Legislative Assembly;Member ofParliament, Khon Kaen (two times);Deputy Ministry of Public Health;Deputy Govemor of Bangkok;Member ofParliament, Bangkok (two times);Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee ;Minister of University Affain;Minister of Foreign Affairs ;


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LAURIE THOMPSON 35Minister ofthe Prime Minister's Offrce; and Advisor to the PrimeMinister

Prof Dr. Krasae Chanawongse's academic record is also impressiveand includes : Bachelor of Medical Science, Mahidol University;Graduate Diploma of Tropical Public Health, London University;and Doctor ofPublic Health, Columbia University..'

Some ofDr. Krasae's othercareermile stones include:Medical Doctor in Muang Phon Municipality, Khon Kaen;Director, Rtral Mother and Child Health Care Centre, Khon Kaen;Chief Expert, UNFPA in Bangladesh;Director, ASEAN Institute for Health;Consultant, WHO inNepal; andDirector, Research and Development, Khon Kaen University' . .

Ln the context of RFIAD, rather than quote ExI leadership examples ofprominent CEOs fromthe Fortune 500 Corporatiors (business forprofitoriented), I think it will be more valuable for us to examine the ExIexamples ofProf. Dr. Krasae Chanawongse's inthe real RHAD (notfor profit) environment of Thailand' His motivation for RHADleadership was and still is different from motivation ofthe prominentCEOs ofthe Fortune 500 Corporations. Humanity is at the heart ofhisleadership.In my paper "Leadership: A Cose Study of Prof. Dr. KrasaeChanawongse", in2005,I spoke of leadership qualities, includingj udgment and character:"lt is widely assumed that leadership is about character. Whatthen is character and how did Dr. Krasae Chanawongse developthe quality of character to be a leader? Character is variouslydefined in dictionaries as: nature; quality; temperament;personality; disposition; spirit; moral fiber; makeup; and so on.Of the emblematic criteria widely used in executive managementappraisal: technical proficiency; people skills; conceptual talent;


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36 The Effective Leaderochievements record; taste; judgment; and character, judgmentand chsracter are the most dfficult to recognize, quantify,develop, or teach. Most business oriented schools barely, if everscrape the surface of this important ingredient in leadershipbecause of those very same dfficulties. It is probably best to saythat character development is an evolutionary process ofassimilation and learning along the way to becoming a fullperson; what we accept, or reject, from our experiences andlearning, are by some means transformed into what we call ourchoracter. "I now think that the competencies and abilities ofthe ExI concept aresomewhat apartof, or overlap with, thejudgment and character,Ispoke of. Menkes' work in many ways strengthens my conviction thatleaders are not "born leaders", they develop their character to be aleaderovertime.In the beginningI can see that Dr. Krasae's judgment and character (ExI?) buildingbegan in his hometown Muang Phon, in Khon Kaen Province, duringhis pre and school years: The sixth of eight children in a poor family.He had to finish school at the end of second grade, to earn only hiskeep-no wages-in a shop close to his home, when he was nineyears old. He eamed some pocket rnoney by selling rain water at thelocal railway station. When the shopkeeper, after two years, moved toBangkok the young Krasae, with no other work prospects, moved tohelp his sister in a shop in Udorn Thani. While there he attendedChinese language classes inthe evenings.On the death ofhis father two years later, he retumed to Muang Phonto live with his family and worked as a delivery boy in his brother'sliquor and newspaper distribution agency. Although diligent andhardworking his future prospects were not bright. His luck changedwhen the Principal of a local private high school noticed that he wasgood natured, honest, and, industious, so invited him to join first grade


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LA{IRIE THOMPSON 37at his school. With a lot ofhard work, and tutoring from the Principal,he was able to catch up with the rest of his class and continued hiseducation to the fourth grade. Following that a Congressman, a friendofhis brother, invitedhimto Bangkokto stay withhim and continue hisstudies there. After completing his secondary studies and pre-medstudies at the Chulalongkom University, he was able to enroll in theFaculty of Medicine at the Sirirat Hospital University of MedicalScience and graduate as a Doctor of Medicine in 1960. While inBangkok, his brotherpaidhis tuition fees andhe worked afterhours asa tutor at a public school to cover his living expenses.The young student Krasae was considered a bright student, but histutor workload and extra-curricular activities meant his marks werenot high: Editor of the Triam Udom School newspaper, Chairman ofthe Debating Club of the Faculty of Science at ChulalongkornUniversity, a Member ofthe Executive Board ofthe Forum ofthe FiveUniversities, Head ofa fund raising campaign for the Association ofWorld University Service, and in his final medical year proudlypublished the Medical Student's Year Book at half the normal costthrough devising a way to cut production costs. All ofthese activitiescoupled with his medical training, I would presume, was building on hischaracter, developing his judgment, and enhancing his ExI abilities toenable him to learn and understand the value of information,interpersonal and communication skills, and other valuable exercisesforhis cognitive skills development, whichwereto serve him well laterin dealings with individuals in the community, community groups andleaders, local and central govemment bodies, politicians... I wouldguess that had the young Krasae not gone through life's school ofhardknocl


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38 The Efrective Leaderthan have empathy with the under-privileged, under-served populationin his hometown of Muang Phon, Khon Kaen province; in the heart-land ofthe impoverished Northeast Region of Thailand.Before graduating he often thought of the infections and diseasesafflicting the villagers in his home community-with no doctor; hedecided on graduation he would return to serve them, even though hewas aware of the adversity and problems he would confront. He feltthat "I was born there. I would lil@ to go back. If everybody (trainedin medicine) from Muang Phon District lives in Bangkok, thedistrict will be left as a place of siclmess-there will be no change,evenfor a century." He was further spurred on when his sister-in-lawdied of toxemia in pregnancy-a frequent occurrence in the Region,with no doctors to help. Being the wife ofhis brother who helped payfor his tuition he felt he could repay a debt by helping those in thecommtrnity with the same teatable conditionMenkes' key findings that cognitive skill plays a weighty role indetermining a manager's success and that these same cognitive skillsare not, as a rule, what employers look for in the process of signing upor promoting executives, may indeed be accurate. Also his assessmentthat those employers are fixated instead on personality type, style, orother extraneous characteristics, may also be on target. However, letus not overlook the importance ofthe extaneous characteristics ofEIin the role of RHAD leadership. From a RHAD perspective, I thinkboth EI and ExI are equally important and even overlap each other inthe role of successful leaders.Without his El-including his empathy for the people of his homedistrict-the young Dr. Krasae may never have had the motivation oropportunity to assume the mantle of leadership in communitydevelopment. His EI gave him the platform to develop his ExI for thebenefit ofthe rural community inhis home district and beyond.


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LAIJRIE THOMPSON 39The EarlyYears of RHAD Leadership ExperiencesMuang Phon district is located around 330 kilometers Northeast ofBangkok. In 1 96 I it was one of the smallest municipalities in Thailandwhichwas grosslyunder serviced inthe areas ofhealth, education, andother essential services. Most ofthe population there were farmersliving in villages; characterized by low levels ofeducation, and an almostcomplete lack of cash, investment power or credit-worthiness.The environmental constraints were many: Most of the farmingland was lowyielding rain-fed areas of infertile sandy and salty soil; asevere lack of water-quantity and quality---during the dry and hotseason (November-April); un-predictable drought and flood periodsin the "wet season" (May-October); and inadequate irrigation; beingutilizedforsingle croprice cultivation, especially glutinousrice forhouse-hold consumption, and jute (fiber used to make rope). Only small-inigated areas were utilized because ofthe lack of irrigation infrastruc-ture; the average annual per capita income of $US 55 compared to thenational average $US I 30.Health Conditions, like most of the Northeast region, wascharacterized by a large number of malnourished children;diarrhea-particularly among children; unacceptably high rates of stillbirths, home deliveries, and low infant birth rates; and also very highincidence of infectious and parasitic diseases; all contributing to adisheartened, backward community.The district municipal township mirrored the surrounding district itserviced. The Municipal Health Center was a wooden one storeystructure in the compound of the District Office, close to thecommunity market. There was no doctor's residence and the doctor'ssalary was poor; there had been no resident doctor in Muang Phon foreight years. There had been irregular rudimentary medical servicingover the years at the run down Health Centre provided variously by apublic health warden, a nurse, or midwife. Not a good enticement for


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42 The Ef{eclive Leaderrequested thot the teachers and headmen to ask girls with sixthto eighth secondary grade education, ond no jobs, to becomenursing volunteers without pay. It would be a great service,he argued, and also advantageousfor these youngwomenwhowere "too educated to work in the rice fields but too littleeducated to become office workers." 'fo Krasaeb "surpriseand joy" one village headman sent his own daughter and aniece. Three other girls soon appeared...With time andtraining most girls learned to help in labor examination andtreatment rooms, and at the reception desk"

After six months, a ceremony was held and the volunteers wererewarded with certificates of appreciation, presented by the Mayor,and " thereafter they were paidfive baht per dayfor their services. "Some volunteers received fi.rtlrertaining in labor, dressing room care,and preparation of instruments, at the provincial hospital.On leaming ofDr. Krasae's success ingaining community cooperationand support to help the rural community, the Municipal League ofThailand, sent him on a studytour of Taiwan andthe Philippines toobserve public health services.A year later, I 964, American Friends Service Committee sent him to atwo months seminar in Madras, India and to Calcutta to observe theteatrnent ofTiopical Diseases. This was followed by an opportunity toparticipate in a seminar and to study community medicine in EastPakistan @angladesh). Dr. Krasae understoodthe importance oftheseexperiences abroad in expanding his ideas and improving hisperformance and was determined to take every opportunity to expandhis leadership potential for community benefit.In 1965, Dr. Krasae married a former university class mate, who hadbeen working in a Bangkok hospital. Dr. Penkae Chanawongse, soon


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LAURIE THOMPSON 43after, joined the district hospital in Khon Kaen Municipality some 70Kilometers North of Muang Phon. Dr. Krasae often pays verbalftibute to the importance ofhis wife and life partrer/advisor, Dr. Penkae,inhis life as aRFIAD leader;"My wde, Dr. Penkae, whofor morethanforty years hos been my bestfriendond the most importont person in my lde".The Muang PhonHealth Center, underthe leadership of Dr. Ktasae,continued to expand its facilities and service with community,municipality, and outside help. In the "fiscol yeqr 1967-1968, theCenter treated 23,798 persons, providing outpatient and inpatientmedical core, immunizations, laboratory examinations andmaternal and child health care...City sanitation also fell underKrasaeb supervision... Krqsae and his staff also gave talks atschools and group meetings on preventive medicine ond nutrition' "Dr. Krasae was able to:. solicit help from the Girl Guide Association ofThailand to tainsome ofhisvolunteers inpatient care and social welfare worko develop mutually beneficial relationships with two othertaining institutions in the province: the Khon Kaen MidwiferySchoolandtheprovincialsanitaryandHealthTrainingCenter; these in-service training opportunities not onlyprovided those institutions practical experience for their

tainees, but also helped solve the staffshortages at the HealthCentero solicit foreign assistance: a Student Christian Center nurse,impressed with what she saw at Muang Phon, sherecommended that her organization provide professionalvolunteers; a Dutch nurse and a laboratory technician, anurse-midwife, and a medical technician (all from England)worked for some time at the health center

The persistent performance and expansion ofhis community supportedmedical service brought a growing recognition of Dr. Krasae's


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44 The Efective Leaderdedication and success as a rural doctor and perfonnance as anemerging community leader. This presented him with newopportunities to further increase his knowledge and expand hiscognitive skills, and thus, his value as a community leader:. nl96T,appointed Chiefofthe ThailandJaycees' delegation

to the Intemational Jaycees Conference in Koreao in 1968o became a Grade I doctoro received the Takeda grant from the Medical Associationof Thailand to study accident surgery at JuntendoUniversity in Tokyo; resulting in receiving a Diploma inEmergencySurgeryo given a Colombo Plan scholarship for post graduate studyat the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine;eaming a Diploma in Tropical Public Healtho in 1969

o chosen to attend a seven-week Harvard InternationalSeminar; given opportunity to discuss current problems withcontemporaries from other countieso traveled to Washington, D.C. to observe governmentadminisbation

The down side of Dr. Krasae's absence was that the services at theMuang Phon Health Center had fallen off; the number of in-patientscould be accommodated in one ward, the second ward was appro-priated as temporary oftice space by the Mtrnicipality. With new ideasand confidence, Dr. Krasae set about rebuilding and expanding themunicipal health services. Soon, patients filled the wards again andstaff worked long hours and weekends again. This experience ofthedeteriorating health services because ofhis absence, strengthened hisbeliefthat successful RHAD leaders must identiff and help developpotential RHAD leaders to carry onwhere others leave off, so that anyprogress that is made can be sustained: to be a successful leader youmust leave a lasting legacy.


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LAURIE THOMPSON 45Also awaiting his retum was a donation from a wealthy woman whowanted him to build a 25 bed private ward in memory of her late hus-band. The wealthy woman had trust in the leadership ofDr. Krasae tobring her vision to fruition. On completion of the ward, the beds weresoon filled. Unfortunately one ofthe ten bed wards burned down andthe remaining capacity was not suffrcient forthe growing demand.Program and Communication Development: ln 1970 the MinistryofPublic Health took over the administation ofthe Muang Phon HealthCenter and appointed Dr. Krasae as the Director. Taking note oftheconspicuous community acceptance and support for modern medicalservices in Muang Phon, Dr. Krasae was invited to design a pilot familyplaruring prograrn (in line with a nation-wide voluntary population policy)in the Phon district and supply data and statistics to the MinistryAt that time the Thai population was increasing at an alarming rate-projections indicating I 00 million by theyear 2OO0-threatening eco-nomic and social development. DrKrasae decided the scope of hisfamily ptanning pilot project would be in three district municipalitiesand22 surrounding villages, using a person-to-person motivationalapproach integrated with matemal and child care activiti es: trtled " Tbllthe People".Monthly meetings and discussions were held inthe municipality centersaimed atinvolving as manypeople as possible in discussions on familyplanning, public health, problems associated with large families, andthe family planning help available. There were also monthly meetingswith 20 village headmen were held -these influential figures in dailyvillage life were given lectures on family planning by health educatorsand encornaged to pass on their new knowledge to their people. Schoolheadmasters were invited to three days of lectures on a wide variety ofsubjects related to health, family planning, and the relationships toeconomic development. School headmasters are consideredinfluential motivators in the village scene. They are usually well respected


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46 The Elfective Leaderand helpthe village headmento manage village affairs.Natural and unexpected leaders can be found in unexpected places.Dr. Krasae often relates the story that in village life, politicallyrecognized leaders are not always the only leaders to affect people'sactions. Other people, who on the surface are simply averagecommunitymembersthemselves, canalso have a drastic affect onhowinformation is passed on to the community. He goes on to relate thestory of three men on their way to Muang Phon Health Centre bypedicab:

"...like mqny curious people, the driver asked them whythey were going there; none of the men looked sick. They saidthey were going to have vasectomies, and asked if the driverthought it was a good idea. The driver, not knowing about theprocedure, gave an answer which reflected his own personalbelief, namely, that a vasectomy would impair the health andvirility of a man. He said, " lf I were you, I would not go to thehealth centre for a vasectomy, even though Dr Krasae is agood doctor I dont know about you, but I have to work hardfor my family. Once a man is vasectomized, he will be weakand cannot do hard work as usual. " The three men, althoughhaving the burden of lorge families and having made thedecision to be sterilized, hesitated after listening to the driverand two of themfinally changedtheir minds. When Ifirst heardabout this, I wos very ongry. But then I thought, if pedicabdrivers are this influential then maybe f I give them thecorrect information, they will help me in the family planningcampaign. Wth the assistance of local businessmen, I held ameeting with Muang Phon s pedicab drivers, explaining thecampaign (in their own terms) and how it could benefit them,the corcect family planning proce dure s, and re sults. I als o askedthem sincerely to give me their support (instead of dictating tothem what they should do). Even the mayor asked them to


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LAURIE THOMPSON 47help, and a local merchant gave them packets of dried noodleto compensate them for their time. The pedicab drivers wereso impressed that from that time forward, they not onlypromoted family planning but they also helped to transportpatients to and from the health centre, giving them moralsupport and reassurance in the meantime. "

Dr. Krasae used his good judgment (EI or ExI?); for on reflection heaccepted that the pedicab driver was a skeptic, not a cynic. From hisperspective, either t|rough disinformation, lack ofinformation, or both,the pedicab driver was giving what he thought was good advice.Dr. Krasae also saw that the pedicab driver was being seen as acredible source of information and he could use this man's leadershipto help the cause of family planning if he was well informed withaccurate information and a small incentive.The success ofthe pilot project led to the model being accepted as thenational model for family planning by the Ministry of Public Health.Dr. Krasae is quick to emphasize that:

"...this program required village people and all of theirleaders to be directly involved in and largely responsible forthe activities we proposed. This, above all, meant that thepeople must understand, accept, and be willing to adopt whatwe regarded as importantfor theirwell-being. when theyweregiven proper information in a setting which was comfortableio them and achieved a functional understanding, theirwillingness to help had no boundaries. Great potential andactual resources could be mobilizedfor the common good'"

In recognition of his leadership in RHAD activities, inl97l, withthe family planning project well underway,Dr. Krasae could availhimselfofthe incentives and opportunities to fi.rther his knowledge andpass on his experience in leadership for the benefit ofthe community,lre:


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48 The Effective Leaderaccepted an East-West Center grant to attend a one monthseminarinHawaiiattended a seminar in Davao City, the Philippines oncommunity development and social stucturereceived a special award from the Medical DoctorsAssociation of Thailandwas invited to speak to the students and staff at the SiriratSchool ofMedicine andNursing, where he stessedthat "ruralpeople should decide what kind of medical service they needand what theirpriorities are, and a doctor should work alongthose lines"

The Medical Doctors Association of Thailand's award citation reads :"Dr Krasae has used his ability and knowledge to innovateand develop medical services for the municipality withperseverance and sacrifice and with qn unswervingdetermination to improve the lot of the rural population...Hehas also appealed to and induced the population to be awareof the participation among themselves to build and preservethe health center so that it is a real community product. "

In this citation I can single out four words for special attention: ability,knowledge, perseverance, and sacrifice. First is "Ability andKnowledge" because it is notjust about his medical skills (technicaland experience) ability and medical knowledge (information andexperience), it is also about his leadership abilities to use hisknowledge and skills, including his EI and ExI competencies andattributes- competencies and attributes that make a star RHADleader-to best advantage in a RHAD environment. The second,"Perseverance", because it seems not to be relevant for starexecutives in big business, where it is " one strike and you are out " .Third, "(Self) Sacrifice", because ittoo seems to be missing from thelexicon of attributes ofbig business, where only the financial health ofthe corporation seems to count. Maybe here we have the main


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50 The Effective Leadero recognition bythe community in which he lives as well as the

outsidecommunityIn the same year he received the Magsaysay Award for CommunityLeadership from the Philippines in recognition of his demonstatingthat a doctor dedicated to service can overcome the most stubbom ofobstacles in bringing effective health services to neglected andimpoverishedpeople:The Magsaysay Award Citation read out by Baldomero T. Olivera,former Trustee, Ramon MagsaysayAward Foundation at the AwardsCeremony in Manila is attrached at "AppendixA: The Ramon MagsaysayAward for Community Leadership 197 3",below.Reluctant Entrlt to the Political SceneDr. Krasae was a reluctant entrant into politics, brought about by thestudent uprising in 1973; which precipitated the overthrow of themilitary govemment led by Field Marshal Thanom Kittikachorn.Dr. Krasae was among the 3,000 people from all walks of life whowere royally appointed to the General Assembly. The GeneralAssembly was charged with appointing, from among thei r ranks, 299members to the new Legislative Assembly. Because of his reputationin community development in Khon Kaen province and his recentMagsaysayAward for Community Development, he was voted in asno. 6 of the 299 appointees. At the same time as he served in theLegislativeAssembly, he was the Director of the Rural Mother andChild Center in Muang Phon.At that time many ofthe yotmg promising leaders in Parliament wantedto form aNewForce political group, based on aplatform ofnationaldevelopment to improve social justice in a Democracy, with the Kingas Head of State. The leadership of this group was rotated amongstthe members ofthe group. When it came to registering the group as aparty, followingthe approval ofthe newConstitut

Documents

Executive Intelligence Rural Development Leadership and the Leadership of Prof.Dr.Krasae Chanawongse