5 tools of success

5 tools of success
Royal Professor Ungku Aziz talks about the essential qualities of good leadership
Karen Arukesamy



THE five qualities of good leadership are intelligence, credibility, humility, courage, and discipline, according to Royal Professor Ungku Abdul Aziz Ungku Abdul Hamid (right) during his recent talk on The Quest for Success at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre.

The talk was the third of six talks in the Merdeka Lecture Series for 2008/2009, jointly organised by Petronas, ExxonMobil and Shell.

"[If] you have these, you have leadership," said this Merdeka Award 2008 recipient for the education and community category.

In his opinion, there are nine essential books that a good leader must read. Each book, he says, provides an element for a successful life and insights on how to become a good leader.

The nine books are:

» Fit for Life Not Fat for Life – Harvey DiamondThis explains how to balance between proteins and starches, meat and non-meat, life food and cooked food for a healthy diet.

» Thinking Course – Edward de BonoThis promotes lateral thinking and how to think differently.

» The Mind Map Book and Head First – Tony Buzan

These teach holistic thinking, which begins with a central idea and branches out to detailed points or elements involving the central idea, using colours, shapes and lines.

» The 36 Strategies of the Chinese: Adapting an Ancient Chinese Wisdom to the Business World – Wee Chow Hou and Lan Luh LuhThis offers the strategies that teach one to create something out of nothing.

» The Art of War – Sun Tzu

This offers strategies on winning a war without fighting.

» Level 5 Leadership – Jim CollinsThis teaches one to fear humility and resolve, and give them due respect.

» The Prince on the Art of Power – Niccolo Machiavelli

This teaches the art of being feared and loved.

» Leader’s Window – J.D.W. Beck and N.M. YeagerThis offers tips on how to be a successful leader.


These books teach the tools that go towards the making of a successful life, Ungku Aziz says.

The 87-year-old professor goes on to add that success is almost like the Holy Grail, where everyone knows about it but not quite able to identify it.

"To be successful, my advice is to be kiasu, a Hokkien term to describe how one wants to beat everyone else," he says, adding in jest that "I will tell you how to put other people down and put yourself up".

He also says that a good leader would be able to spot opportunities during a crisis. "Every crisis opens up opportunities."

Addressing questions from the audience, Ungku Aziz says successful people are those who are resilient because their minds are strong. They are resolute in reaching their goals.

"At the same time, one needs to be humble. Humility is important too. I’m happiest when I go to a kampung and people tell me ‘you macam itu universiti punya’ (you look like the person from the university)," he adds to laughter from the floor.

Ultimately, he says, like a traveller, we need to have two important items in our journey of life – a map and a compass – so that we know where are going and where’s our destination.


Updated: 09:51PM Tue, 24 Feb 2009
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