Leadership by the Tao te Ching

I thought I would share with you a view on Leadership that I hold near and dear to my heart. It is from the book the Tao Te Ching, the traditional Chinese text of philosophy written around 6th Century B.C., Verse 66.

Even though this text was written thousands of years ago, it still holds valuable lessons for us today.

All streams flow to the sear
Because it is lower than they are.
Humility gives it its power.

If you want to govern the people,
You must place yourself below them.
If you want to lead the people,
You must learn to follow them.

The Master is above the people,
And no one feels oppressed.
She goes ahead of the people,
And no one feels manipulated.
The whole world is grateful to her.
Because she competes with no one,
No one can compete with her.

These are beautiful words to live by, with many possible lessons.

One lesson is humility and the belief that great leaders serve those around them. This week, check yourself out by asking, “Am I truly serving those around me or am I serving myself?” And if you are serving yourself, don’t beat yourself up; we all go through selfish times so it does not make you a bad person.

If you find that you are being a bit selfish, you can easily and quickly change that by shifting your focus to serving those around you. Instantly you will feel the emptiness inside begin to fill, you will find more energy, people will be drawn to you, and if you are truly serving then you will not worry yourself with how they repay your efforts.

Take care of each other and…Be Free!

Tom Weberr
Instructor