[One Thousand Characters a Day] Professor Lee Kang-jae's 'Lead Like the Analects' <1>

Editor's NoteAsia Economy provides daily 1,000-character transcription content for the 'One Day Ten Thousand Steps, One Day Thousand Characters' newsletter readers. The transcription content is carefully selected according to daily and monthly themes from Eastern and Western classics, Korean literature, notable columns, and famous speeches.
Starting today, let's reflect on the virtues of leadership that Confucius conveyed thousands of years ago by transcribing key passages from ＜Lead Like the Analects＞ by classical scholar Professor Kangjae Lee of Seoul National University (Department of Chinese Language and Literature). This will help us grow firmly without wavering, recognize differences among members to connect people flexibly, and discover the wisdom and insight of leaders who can restore our society in crisis. Character count: 990.

To learn and practice it means to continuously study so that one can coldly grasp reality amid the constant changes of the world. A leader must be able to perceive changes in the world ahead of anyone else so that all members can find the right direction. It is a basic and natural task to keep studying for this purpose. The fact that friends come to visit means that many comrades who want to join the leader in whatever he does, as well as members, approach him. When Zigong asked Confucius about politics, Confucius replied, "Those near are pleased, and those far come closer," showing that a great leader has many people who want to be with him. Not getting angry even when others do not recognize you means not only not getting angry at others but also not falling into self-doubt about why you are working so hard and struggling to do something that no one acknowledges.

This attitude is quite understandable considering that even if a leader has a correct vision, not all members understand it, so sometimes lonely decisions must be made. Also, if one does not get angry at oneself, it shows a strong will to carry out the vision one has conceived, which is an important aspect of leadership. Above, we examined the very first passage of the entire 'Analects.' While reading the above explanation, readers might wonder, "If this is the greatest classical text passed down in East Asia for such a long time, why are there so many different interpretations?" or "Which interpretation is correct and which is wrong?" They might think, "When Confucius spoke, he must have meant one clear meaning..." The purpose of introducing various interpretations of each passage earlier was not to say that any one interpretation is right or wrong, but to emphasize that traditionally there have been many interpretations, each often having its own validity, so it is not reasonable to insist on only a particular previous interpretation.

- Kangjae Lee, ＜Lead Like the Analects＞, 21st Century Books, 22,000 KRW