I also feel that humility and self-reflection are very important personal qualities, if you want to be a leader in Hong Kong. Great leaders are not known to be shrinking violets, or to have much self-doubt. What I have learnt throughout my career is that the higher you go, the more humble you need to become. That is because the burden of responsibility also increases — there are more people relying on you and your judgment. There are more views that need to be considered and to be reconciled. There are different ways of approaching a problem than perhaps you alone may have considered. This does not mean that you put aside your vision, convictions or principles — it just means that in pursuit of your objective, you must try to put your ego to one side and acknowledge and admit that other people may have a better proposal to achieve your own objective. Humility also means that if you get knocked down you accept that setback, get back up again, and move on.
在香港要当领袖，我觉得谦卑态度和自省能力也非常重要。历来的伟大领袖，很少怯懦之辈。从个人工作经验所得，我认为越是身处高位，越要兢兢业业，因为责任重大，许多人都依靠领袖的判断和表现。当然，涉及的考虑因素很多，而处理问题的方式，亦不局限于个人之见。但这并不代表领袖把自己的愿景、信念和原则搁在一旁。他们反而要在追寻目标的过程中，尽量放下一己执，承认并接纳他人或有达致目标的更好办法。谦卑之道，亦在于遇挫败而敢承认，百折不挠，坚毅求进。

Leadership indeed requires vision. But it must be a vision that is relevant to the people, relevant to the time, and possible to achieve. I have often used the word pragmatic to describe my approach to policy making, which is really all about how you bring your vision to life. A key aspect of this is to ensure that your vision — your policies and your planning for the longer term — are clearly explained and articulated. Why you have this vision. What it means for Hong Kong. Why it’s important for our future. What’s in it for the people of Hong Kong. Vision is nothing without discipline and perseverance — you need to make good on your promises. To use an often quoted phrase: You can’t just talk the talk; you have to walk the walk. If you believe in your vision, you need to fight the good fight because, if you don’t, that will ultimately erode your credibility.
领导需要抱持愿景，那必须是贴近民众、适时和能够实现的愿景。我经常以务实这个词语来形容我的施政方针，那其实就是务求把愿景实现过来。要做到这一点，关键在于必须清楚说明并阐述愿景－－你的长远政策和规划。为什么有这样的愿景？对香港有什么意义？为什么对香港的未来这么重要？香港人有什么可以做？你必须有纪律并坚定地实行，才能实现愿景，兑现承诺。我们经常说：凡事都要说得到做得到。如果你相信自己的愿景，那必须坚守信念，奋勇向前，否则最终必会损害自己的公信力。

Once you have your vision and set your agenda, then I believe leadership requires diligence. I recall that Bill Clinton once said something along the lines that ‘every day is an election day’ or governance is ‘a permanent campaign’. That is, every day you need to work hard to deliver on your promises and vision, as well as deal with the myriad and varied issues that clamour for time and attention. Unless you are diligent, you can’t deliver — because the devil is in the detail.
有了愿景和纲领，我相信领袖还需要勤勉用心。我记得克林顿先生说过类似的话：“每日都是竞选日”，或者管治就是“长久作战”。那是说你需要每日勤勉工作，才能履行承诺实现愿景，处理各类耗时费心的繁重问题。你一定要勤勉用心，否则无法做好，因为工作细节是最容易出错的地方。

Now, leaders can’t keep an eye on every little detail of every policy of every issue — there’s just not enough hours in the day to do that. But what leaders can do is set the example for others to follow. Entrust your team to remain diligent in developing and implementing policy. Yet for major issues, or in times of emergency, you need to be there yourself attending to the details of the mission.
今日，领袖不可能时刻留意每个问题每项政策的每一步工作，时间上确实不可能做到。不过，领袖可以树立榜样让其他人跟随。把工作交托给你的团队继续用心制订政策并切实执行。当然，遇有重大问题或紧急情况，你必须亲力亲为，并注意工作每项细节。