Tao In You

“There are three ways a leader can bring disasters to his own army:

• Ordering an advance — when he does not realize the army is in no position to advance; or ordering a retreat — not realizing the army is in no position to retreat.  This is called entangling the army.
• Interfering with the army’s administration, when he is unaware of how an army is managed.  This leads confusion to the officers and troops.
• Commanding the army, when he is unaware of how to change with changes of situation.  This will lead to hesitation of the officers and troops.

When the army is confused and hesitant, the enemies will take advantage.  A confused arm surrenders its victory to others.”

– Sun Tzu Chapter 3 (translated by Tekson)

 
While a leader can do a lot of good for the people he leads, he can equally doing a lot of harm to them without him knowing.

A good leader, therefore, must know when he should take the flag and run, and when he should stay in the background.

Embrace simplicity.
Put others first.
Desire little.

                                                Lao Tzu Tao Te Ching 19

One of the most powerful ways of getting an organzation to work is to make things simple.  Make your vision clear, easy to follow. 

And then, get everyone in the organization to think about customers and team work. 

Desire little, just do what’re right! 

If you can do so, your organization and people will transcend their limits in no time.   

Picture: http://www.flickr.com/photos/inhalingsounds/ / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

… Tao of leadership …

Are you the boss?

If you have to tell people that you are, you are not.

“The best leaders are those their people hardly know exist.
The next best is a leader who is loved and praised.
Next comes the one who is feared.
The worst one is the leader that is despised …

The best leaders value their words, and use them sparingly.
When they have accomplished their task,
the people say, “Amazing!
We did it, all by ourselves!”

Lao Tzu Tao Te Ching (17)

Tao of Leadership …

If you want your people to serve your goals, serve them first. 

Serve your people, and they will serve you well.

The sage puts himself last;
And finds himself ahead.
He detaches from himself; 
And find himself united with all things.

Lao Tzu Tao Te Jing, Chapter 7 

… tao of leadership … tao meaning

Tao of leadership is more like farming, rather than hunting.

In farming, you plough the land and plant the seeds, but see nothing.  You water the plants and remove the weeds.  Still, you see nothing.  You patiently wait in faith before the fruits are born.  However, before they are ripe, you can do nothing.

Finally, it is time for harvest.  When the next season comes around, you harvest again.

Hunting is different.  You capture the prey, and enjoy the reward immeditately.  You have to, nevertheless, continuously hunting for new preys.  There is no recurring harvests.

As a leader, if you can function like a farmer, or a hunter.

As a farmer-type of leader, you invest in, and cultivate your relationship with your peaple.  You may not get anything immediately, but there will come a time when you can start harvesting, and enjoy the fruits of loyalty team in the long run.

If you behave like a hunter, you can exact respect and obedience by force.  It will, however, ‘kill’ the loyalty. If there is no loyalty, the leadership will not last.

Those who lead people by following the Tao
don’t use weapons to enforce their will.
Weapons often turn upon the wielder.

- Lao Tze 30

Before a palace is built, it is in the architect’s mind’s eye.

Before an enterprise is born, it is in the founder’s dream.

Being able to see the unseen is an ability that distinguishes the leader and follower, the creator and admirer.

Non-being is origin of the universe,
Being is mother of all creations.
See the non-being, and you can see the hidden mystery.
See the being, and you can appreciate the manifestations.

Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu

A secret weapon behind top achievers is the ‘energy field‘ they work in.

What is the ‘energy field’  that we are talking about?

In the context of Tao, it is described as yin-yang energy.  Do not bother about the terminology if you don’t really understand what it is.  Just feel it. There is an energy field within ourselves.  There is an energy field between ourselves and the things that we interact with.  At the same time, there is an energy field in the universe.

The high achievers knows how to make the energy field work in their favor.  Wittingly or unwittingly.

Try it.

When you meet a person, first smile at her, and then, turn your face sulky.  Take a pause to see how the chemistry between yourself and the person change.  This is how an energy field works.  You will be able to tell the difference in the change of the energy in this case.  It begins positive, then turns negative.  Decide on which of the two manners that works best for you , and use it in your favor — on your way to greater achievement.

In Lao Tze, it is said that:

The Tao gave birth to One.
The One gave birth to Two.
The Two gave birth to Three.
The Three gave birth to all of creation.

All things carry Yin
yet embrace Yang.
They blend their life breaths
in order to produce harmony.  (Chapter 42)

Contact Tekson at http://www.tao-in-you.com

Why many people can’t make decision, even about the most insignificant things in life?

They are not sure what they should eat for lunch and wear for the party; not to mention how they should react when their bosses ask them to comment on something.

What is keeping them from making a decision?

Little do they know, it could be their desire.

When they think of eating Italian pasta, they miss the steak.  When they are about to put on their jeans, they miss their skirts.

The problem is our desire is endless.  And if you keep thinking about the many things your want, no decision can ever be made.

Instead, find out the best options available, before entertaining your desire.  You’ll find decision-making is not exactly a hassle.

Learn from Lao Tze:

Freed from desire, you can see the hidden mystery.
By having desire, you can only see what is visibly real. (Chapter 1)

Contact Tekson.

One of the biggest reasons people fail to become a good leader is that they cannot make decision.

They’re not sure what they should do, even about the most insignificant things in life.  Which movies to go to?  What on the desk or in the carboard should be cast into the dustbin?  Should I say ‘no’ to an invitation?

As a result, they lead their life without making decisions.

If you want to be a leader — and unfortunately you are having the decision-making problem that I have just described — you’ll need to change.  Decision making is fundamental to leadership.  You will not want to follow anyone who does not know where he wants to go.  So if you want to lead, you must let your people have clarity of direction.

What is the first step that you should take to change this?

The simple answer is: start making decisions!

Cultivate the courage to make decisions.

But start small.  So that you will not run into too much risk when going through the learning process.  Make many, many small decisions, and be ready to accept the mistakes that you make in the process.

You may go to a wrong movie, throw away the wrong documents, and hurt a friend’s ego by saying ‘no’ to her invitation, but you learn in the process.

If you would continue to make decisions and review the results of the decisions, the communities effect can be tremendous.  You will get better and better, and eventually have the ability to make decisions as a leader, comfortably!

In order to be a great leader, start small.

Just like what Lao Tze says:

The Tao is nameless and unchanging.
Although it appears insignificant,
nothing in the world can contain it. (Chapter 32)