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The Tao of Leadership

Didier Gonin,

"If I ever acquire wisdom, I will be wise enough, I imagine, to use it.
Paul Eluard, a French poet, gently suggests here how we can, occasionally, fool ourselves Wisdom is not something that can be "acquired" like another of our many possessions. Nor is it something that can be "used", like so many thingsWhy do we think so much in terms of possessing and utilizing things and, occasionally, people ? Why do we intrumentalize life itself ? Because of our beliefs ? Reflecting on these limiting beliefs may explain what has always attracted me to Chinese wisdom and, more specifically, to the works of Taoists sages. We may have more to learn today about leadership from the modern and powerful paradoxes of Lao Tzu, who lived 2.500 years ago, than from a lot of the modern books dedicated to this fascinating subject Sorry, folks ! No harm intended Just putting things in perspective. "Creating, yet not possessing, working, yet not taking credit. Work is done, then forgotten. Therefore it lasts forever." (Tao 2) Leadership is from within. Leadership creates followers, this natural human desire to follow someone, to work with him or her, to contribute as best as we can. Leadership, therefore, starts with being. Being authentically who we are. "What should I do to become a better leader?" is a question that a large number of managers ask themselves, or others. It is difficult to tell them that good questions lead to good answers and that, if you ask poor questions you are likely to find poor answers. The preferred questions, in this instance, would be : "Who am I ? Who should I be to become a better leader?"

Being ourselves, clarifying who we are, what is important for us and what we aspire to and then, as we do this, reflecting on the type of influence we want to have on others and on the world, this is what leadership is about. "Cultivate Virtue in yourself, and Virtue will be real." (Tao 54) If and when we think of exemplary leaders, lets not evoke these remote and unknown figureheads that are so easily, routinely, mystified as heroic figures, that men transform into demigods - if not gods -, and then idolize ! Lets rather evoke people we know, real people we have the privilege to meet, people we admire and respect, people who have, or have had, a significant influence on us personally, people who have helped us learn, grow and develop ! Lets learn from them ! Leadership is not about appearance, it is not about image although the media may lead us to believe so It simply cannot be about pretending to be what we are not. Leadership is about our lasting and true impact on others and on the world. "He who makes a show is not enlightened He who boasts achieves nothing, he who brags will not endure." (Tao 24) We want to be able to influence, but the bad news is that we cannot teach anything to anyone, we cannot set an example, we can only have the impression that we do these things However, the good news is that we can, indeed, create an environment in which people will learn, grow and develop; we can, by truly being ourselves, be an example and a living invitation to others to become who they potentially are. Leadership is about becoming and being authentic human beings. "When actions are unnecessary speech, performed without

people say : We did it !" (Tao 17) Leadership is about revealing human potential and unleashing it. About finding what gives energy to people and helping them harness that energy. It is about getting to know about the aspirations of people and creating environments, teams and work communities in which these aspirations come alive. It is about trusting the people that we have the joy and honour to serve as leaders. "He who does not trust enough will not be trusted." (Tao 17) Leadership is about self awareness, self management and self mastery. How can someone who cannot manage himself manage others ? In other words, being a leader starts by focusing, by clarifying who we are and what we are about and then by asking ourselves how we can influence others with integrity.

Leadership is about interpersonal intelligence, about putting ourselves in the shoes of the people we serve, about listening to them, coaching, encouraging and supporting them, building high performance teams and world class networks. It is about creating meaning in a human community. It is about creating meaning with people. "The sage stays behind, therefore he is ahead. He is detached, thus at one with all. Through selfless action, he attains fulfillment." (Tao 7) How can we do this ? By living in harmony with the Tao, by living in the present and not losing ourselves through constantly worrying unnecessarily about what has been said or done in the past or in imagining a future that will never come. Leadership is about being present, here and now, with the people we have the privilege to work with. Didier is one of the senior facilitators of Mannaz. His book, "Russir sa vie avec le Tao", was published by Albin Michel in Paris in November 2007.

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