REFLECTIONS, Volume 4, Number 1  2002 by the Society for Organiza- tional Learning and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 33 Young Leaders’ Forum in Asia: Learning about Leadership, Abundance, and Growth Karen Ayas and Philip H. Mirvis L eadership is a choice. A spirit of abundance opens up new possibilities. To grow a business, you must grow the humanity of its leaders. These are some of the themes from biannual meetings of the Young Leaders’ Forum (YLF) of Unilever Asia Pacific. In early April 2001, some 25 young leaders, from different backgrounds and functions and based in Unilever country organizations throughout Asia, traveled from the meeting site (a comfortable resort along the South China Sea) to a small, impoverished hamlet near Danang, Vietnam, to visit an orphanage. The tour to the Village of Hope concluded a three-day meeting at which the young leaders had reflected on their personal develop- ment, reviewed the state of their businesses, and visited local markets and homes. To- gether, the participants, along with the authors and other facilitators, had seen how villagers live, cook, clean, and care for themselves and their children, what products they use currently, and what else they might need, want, and afford in the future. During this last day of the meeting, we planned to visit the home of 180 displaced and disabled children, play with them, meet their teachers, and talk about leadership with Van Tan Hoc, founder of the Village of Hope. A Moment of Truth As our troupe entered the village, young children dressed in white shirts and red ribbons greeted us with bouquets of colorful flowers. They ran to pair up with us, show us their lodging and environs, and introduce their friends and teachers. There was a lot of patting, smiling, and pointing—all nonverbal communication because we didn’t speak a common language yet had so much to say. We were ushered into an assembly room fronted by a small stage where older children illustrated Vietnamese folklore and traditional dances and led the younger ones in song. Next we heard from the village leader. Sitting on tiny chairs, we formed circles around Tan Hoc. One young Vietnamese leader offered to translate. We learned how the orphan- age had formed after the ravages of war. It grew first through local initiative and then with modest international support. Tan Hoc had been a primary school teacher who had a ‘‘big dream’’ to build the village with few resources but ‘‘an abundance of hope.’’ He ran the village as a family. ‘‘I am very grateful to the children because they have given so much to me,’’ he said. ‘‘It is from them that I learn every day.’’ And as we asked questions, we all noted his humility. We asked what drove him. ‘‘Faith and love,’’ he answered. ‘‘I have a dream that keeps me going, where I see each child is happy.’’ When we asked how he could see that, with 180 children to watch over, he explained: ‘‘I look in their eyes every day when they come back from school, and those eyes tell me who I should spend time with, to give more hope, and to give more love.’’ Karen Ayas Associate Editor, Reflections Research Fellow, Erasmus University Partner, The Ripples Group Kayas@attbi.com Philip H. Mirvis Organizational Psychologist Consultant Senior Fellow Center for Corporate Citizenship Boston College pmirv@aol.com