This is the century of Asia, as the 20th was the century of the USA or the 19th the century of the British. Today, Europe is well behind. It maybe that Europeans do not realize, but they are not only been overtaken by Asia but the distance is longer everyday. Asia is full of dinamism, cash, good education and a mindset for growth and success, while Europe is anchored in the past, with education quality very poor in many countries, loaded with debt and a mindset for working less and expect the Government to fix their problems. America’s picture is better than Europes’, but the US is losing out, specialy againts China and other countries due to a combination of lack of vision and a lack of political will.
All in all, Asia is the happenning place, the place to be, the winning card. A leader must understand that and, very importantly, must understand that the winners write the rules, and the winners now are China and other Asian countries, so if you are not an Asian leader you must be in Asia and play the game following the Asian rules, not the western rules. It is not only economics and finance. It is about deeply understanding the ways and complexity of Asia. Falling to understand that will be failing in Asia. If you are already an Asian leader, you are lucky to be in the right place, but do not be so blindled for the splendour around you that you can’t look for opportuities in the rest of the world, not only the rest of the First World, but also Southamerica and Africa.
The current success of Asia and the decline of America and, very specially, Europa, proves two things:
First that you can not govern based on what is fair or unfair. You must govern a country or a corporation based on how to better use the resources you have in order to thrive in the short and long run. It is a matter of being practical and realistic and think forward in guaranteing the future success, not only the current walfare.
Second that you can not wait for opportunities to come your way, but you must proactively go for them and grab them yourself.
Asia has what it needs to be the dominant force in the 21st century. Maybe even beyond.