Better business leader

I am amused when ChannelNewsAsia's host Joanna Leow, on today's Business morning hour around 850am,interviews some guru about how business leaders should lead their companies in such difficult times. When the guru explained that leaders should set an example in the company and reach out to them, and keep in communication with the staff, she quickly cited a rhetorical example cum question: "Oh like President Obama in yesterday's fireside address to the people of America?"

I am not sure to be amazed, saddened or shocked, firstly it was meant for business leaders, but the way America bails out corporations these days, she is not faulted for thinking so, especially when our nation is functioning like Singapore Inc. And secondly, she did not cite our great leaders of Singapore. Especially given the fact perhaps her KPI depends on it since our state traditional media tends to be biased towards the ruling party of our "democratic" nation. Oh but wait, there isn't much to cite given the fact that we the citizens of Sillypore have been recently faced with:

1) told to throw our aged to a lower-cost neighbouring country because its more expensive here;
2) been labelled a lesser mortal because we feel that some perm sec spending 45k on cooking lessons is indigestible with the common people;
3) threatened that new media is being watched - bloggers can be identified and prosecuted even if they seem to be anonymous;
4) and also been told to embrace the wonderful "miraculous" Jan budget despite calls by opposition to relook to a more focused attention on helping the retrenched which can hit 100,000 this year, while finding out that we lost at least a $100 billion by our scholar/elitist filled GIC and Temasek entities. A humongous sum which could afford to pay for each and every working Singaporean a sum of at least $50k per annum. And I think theoretically that will bring us out of a contraction expected for the next few years.


Anyway forget about all that crap, but I really applaud President Obama's speech, it make me believe in the American system and I understand why so many people strive to go to the land of the free though it is in so much shit. And I believe Joanna was taking an hour break through the live telecast of Obama's speech yesterday and was like me, totally impressed. But the sorry fact that I have to live with is that I am a Sillyporean awaiting for something similar and to look towards my leaders - business leaders or not.

In case you missed out on Obama's speech - Video and Text.