Japanese Leadership

A few years ago, I was working in Iraq doing security things. As with all security jobs there comes a little down time, it's not often, but when it comes, it's better to occupy yourself, lest someone thinks of something for you to do. I was reading Taiko by Eiji Yoshikawa. If you like historical fictions, samurais, legendary battles and just a good story, this book is it. It's a long read, but I would rival it against anything in the west, like Lord of the Rings or any other story with epic battles. On some of the very first pages there is a famous Japanese quote that goes something like this:

What If The Canary Will Not Sing?

Nobunaga says, "Kill It!",
Hideyoshi says, "Make Him Want to Sing",
and Ieyasu says, "Wait"

Holy Shit! Profound - Yes! Elegant - Yes! I read Shakespeare and I get iambic pentameter, I read Japanese stories and I get Japanese innovation -- compact, to the point, and freaking brilliant! It's like a sonnet in 4 lines! Supposedly, this is a common phrase in Japan. This sums up the three great leaders and their styles during the 15th and 16th centuries. Lead with force, by motivation, or by patience. I'm going to have to go back and re-read this book.  I humbly suggest you try it.