The book Psychological Attitudes for Effective Leaders is a collection of documents that focus on critical thinking in order to be able to solve problems and seek out the truth about one’s self.

The book was edited and translated by Bun Toeung, who works in that capacity for various organisations and businesses.

Toeung said the book took him a whole year to compile and he spent a lot of money to publish it. The book was inspired by his own education, work experience, diligent reading related to psychology, personal observations, research and day-to-day life experiences.

“To satisfy the curiosity of all learners, I have made efforts to research and collect documents for over 30 years to compile this book as a means of sharing knowledge for all learners to improve their personal abilities,” he added.

He continued that the initial purpose was for people to gain a clear understanding of the character of the general population. Though all people have differences in character, they have the same purpose of seeking happiness and mostly have the same broad interests in finding happiness and peace, maintaining a good reputation and finding love.

The purpose is also for workers and managers to learn to respect and understand each other and cooperate at work to provide equal benefit for each in the acquisition of wealth, honour and titles to build a society of peace, independence and sustainable development.

“Not only that, this book focuses on critical thinking to be able to solve problems about themselves and to find out the truth. According to one developmental theory, if people are taught to fish, they will keep fishing their whole lives. But if they are taught to think, they won’t need to fish anymore,” Toeung stated.

Born in Battambang province, Toeung was a parentless orphan from a young age. After the overthrow of the Khmer Rouge genocidal regime in 1979, he began to study first grade in his hometown in the remote countryside along the Cambodian-Thai border, where there were clashes between government troops and Khmer Rouge guerillas fighting along the border.

In 1992, Toeung finally graduated from Banteay Meanchey High School in Banteay Meanchey province, and in 1997 he earned his Bachelor’s degree in management from Maharishi Vedic University in Kamchay Mear district of Prey Veng province, after which the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport hired him to work as a management teacher at a university.