Overview of Jung Chang
“Real leaders are ordinary people with extraordinary determination.” This is a quote by John Seaman Garns that I found on a website about leadership. It is one that steers my perception of what a leader should be: I believe the best leaders work quietly, often behind the scenes, not looking for accolades of any kind. Often such leaders have fallen into such a role by accident, not having pursued such on their own. For these reasons I chose the Chinese author Jung Chang as my leader of choice.
I identify with Jung Chang because we are the same age. However, our backgrounds could not be more dissimilar. As I read her book, Wild Swans, I would often relate what was going on in my American “cushy” life as she struggled through the unbelievable horrors of the rise of Mao and the Cultural Revolution. She was one of the first groups of Chinese students allowed to study abroad (1978); she relocated to England and obtained a Ph.D. in linguistics. It took her ten years to write this book about her life during the atrocities in China because of its painful content.
Wild Swans chronicles the lives of her grandmother, her mother, and Jung herself. The sale of this book is still banned in China; however, one is allowed to bring it in. Dr. Chang has gone on to write more books about China including the rise and fall of Mao. I view her as a catalyst for change in China as the people both in and out of China become aware of what freedom could mean for them. China is, and will continue to be, a major player in world politics as well as the world economy; it behooves the rest of the world to know its background to understand its government versus its people.
References
Chang, J. (1991). Wild swans. Simon and Schuster: New York.
Garns, J.S. (n.d.). Retrieved February 14, 2009, from http://www.deca.org/pdf/
LeadershipQuotes/pdf
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Hi Jenny
ReplyDeleteYour leader, Jung Chang, is someone who overcame her early life problems. She went on to educate people of what she and her family experienced in China in an effort to bring about change. This is an important leadership characteristic. Fullan (2001) identified that an effective leader needs an understanding of the change process.
I like the quote you noted, that real leaders are ordinary people with extraordinary determination. Randy Pausch was an ordinary person who faced his terminal illness with courage and strength. In his book and presentation called the Last Lecture, he was able to provide an educational resource to help others find their own dreams. He was able to teach others an approach to use in simple and easy to follow instructions. He is an example of an ordinary individual with exceptional resolve.
References
Fullan, M. (2001). Leadership and Sustainability. Retrieved February 2, 2009, from Center for Development and Learning Web Site: http://www.cdl.org/resource-library/articles/ldr_sustainability.php
Pausch, R., & Zaslow, J. (2008). The Last Lecture. New York: Hyperion.
Jung Chang and Oprah Winfrey are both females who have overcome obstacles that have now placed them in leadership roles. I don’t believe that either of them expected to be viewed as a leader as they worked towards their own personal goals. Oprah Winfrey’s obstacles were more personal and Jung Chang’s were more societal. Regardless, both were able to overcome and lead in their own way. Both have the ability to share their voice with the public, Jung Chang as an author and Oprah Winfrey as a television host. Both can share their experiences and motivate change in others.
ReplyDeleteJung Chang is most definitely a leader by the definition of Fullan and many others. To have the courage to write about the atrocities against humanity committed in China during the Cultural Revolution is remarkable. How many others have bee silent. Her book will be a way for others to know the truth about what happened, in spite of the Chinese government.
ReplyDeleteThat she still writes today shows her tenacity and strength of her moral conviction. I am in awe of someone with those qualities.
Heifetz and Linsky said that a true leader they lead people through difficult change that challenges their strongly held views and beliefs. This is what makes leadership of this type dangerous. In the face of that danger, Jung Chang forges onward. We are very lucky to have people with these qualities to lead us, while others are quiet.
Jenny,
ReplyDeleteI agree with your understanding of what makes a leader. Leaders often do work quietly behind the scenes, for it is not accolades they seek. They are focused on a goal, and work to attain it. The cultural Revolution in China was one of the greater shifts of human circumstance I have seen in my lifetime. Jung Chang suffered unspeakable atrocities, but was somehow able to take them in stride.
She took her first-hand knowledge and used it to transform not only herself, but her life’s goals. In her “behind the scenes” manner, she wrote of her past for a positive result – change. She demonstrates the famous quote by Warren Bennis, Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality.