I wish to share an experience I had on Saturday afternoon that nicely illustrates why everyone needs to be trained in leadership skills. We were at a Pizza Hut with another couple and my wife and I ordered a large Hawaiian pizza. The server informed us that the restaurant had completely run out of 12 inch crusts and therefore we would have to order two 9-inch pizzas instead of a 12-inch pizza.
When we inquired as to whether they would charge the same price for the two 9-inch pizzas as one 12-inch pizza the server replied that she could not do this, it was not their policy to do so. There was no way that she would bend on this, so I asked if we could speak to the manager.
The server asked me why I wanted to speak to the manager. She stated that if it was to ask about the charge for the two 9-inch pizzas, the manager would give me the same answer as her. She did not want to get the manager for us.
I got up, walked to the back of the restaurant, found the manager, and explained the situation to him. He immediately said: "No problem. Of course we will only charge you for the price of a 12-inch pizza, instead of the price for two 9-inch pizzas."
Of course we could afford to pay for two 9-inch pizzas. However, the point is that when it comes to customer service, employees need to be trained to "lead" in such circumstances and have the "thinking skills" and be "empowered" to make such a decision on their own.
This type of situation is very common in China and it is one of the reasons that I am so passionate about teaching leadership skills. This is just a simple example of why everyone needs to be taught to lead within the scope of their own roles and responsibilities.

I strongly agree that everyone needs leadership training within an organisation and in particular within their scope.
In fact this is probably one of the biggest changes that I have seen in my eight years here is that staff of a number of firms are beginning to take responsibility for their own work domain.
I think the key principle here is that people begin to take pride in their particular sphere and are able to begin to "put themselves in their customers shoes" rather than looking simply for the path of least resistance - which is all too common an issue not only in China but across the world.

I guess the key with your pizza story is that for many Chinese in their 20s this is their first job. In Nth America, Europe or Australia, kids start working paper-rounds or odd jobs as early as 13 or 14. By the time they graduate they have numerous horror stories of terrible bosses, and the occasional happy stories of those that were good. The concept of 'good' and 'bad' leadership has been lived, and not just read about.

So when a twenty-something in China gets a question about the price of pizzas, which isn't standard, he has little to history to _base_ his 'next move' on.

So what's the solution? Work experience for high school kids a bonus and internships for university kids a must.

So how many interns does your company hire?