Lao Tzu drew inspiration from the things around him in the universe. With this concept, he realized that man cannot control nature or force it and that things in the universe are not constant they are always in motion. Good leaders should always borrow a leaf from this by embracing changes because it’s part and parcel of life. But in today’s world, most leaders focus on power (Dreher, 1996, p.11).
Philosophers have taught many lessons of life but many of these lessons focus on âself-masteryâ the ideology of Tao Te Ching focuses on âcentre and prevailâ this what entails is Tao leaders should always be cool in terms of calamity and shouldnât be reactive. âWe can run away during a crisis but by being present to solve the problemâ (Dreher, 1996, p.29).
With time, the universe is always moving at a constant rate. Things in the world always moving thus these things move in cycles. A good leader should be always in a position to move with these changes in their life and work (Dreher,1996,p.45). These leaders; âshould always be in a position to know which is the right time to talk, when to pause and the time to be silent, and lastly the time to act (Dreher,1996,p.46).
One of the fundamentals of a Tao leader is respect. It encompasses broad principles. Firstly, we should have respect for ourselves, we should respect each other and lastly, we should respect the life we have. âNaturally wise actions will flow when respect is in itâ (Dreher, 1996, p.64) and our policies will always interact in harmony when this fundamental is in use. Isabel Briggs Myers, the founder of Myer-Briggs said; âpeople may differ in many things i.e. background or ideas but their three qualities that will endure all this one of them is respect (Dreher, 1996, p.63)
Joy is a vital source of power; a Tao leader should always have joy because the purpose of joy is it renews the energy of a leader and can be compared to rain making a land green when it rain. With Joy, you can cope with pressure and it releases tension in a person, and with joy, it can defuse conflict (Dreher, 1996, p.84). A Tao leader in order to learn new ideas he should be preparing himself to leave all the things that will prevent him i.e. should preconceptions, should clear the clutter of his mind (Dreher, 1996, p.96). This is a lesson we learn from Yohaku.
âWaâ is a Japanese word that stands for a community, it also means group harmony. Itâs the responsibility of every Tao leader to maintain the cohesiveness of âwaâ. Without the guidance of community leaders are isolated and will be unable to reach our ability. As it has been demonstrated that a leader will be strong when there is cohesiveness in the community (Dreher, 1996, p.117)
Every one of us is a leader to himself if only we can find this power of leadership in us. Some of us exercise leadership in our careers and some do it in our homes and neighborhoods. Whatever your field, leadership is a matter of vision, empowerment, and continuous growth and involves courage and strength of character (Dreher,1996, p.134)
The Tao Te Ching always encourages us to be watchful and always be ready to listen to the behavior of life in general. It is through the ability to communicate that it will make an effective leader i.e. ready to receive criticisms and speak our minds out in a human manner.
Reference
Dreher, D. (1996). The Tao of personal Leadership. London: Harper Business Publisher.