Leadership

Chapter 66 "Lead By Following"

The river carves out the valley by flowing beneath it.

Thereby the river is the master of the valley.

In order to master people

One must speak as their servant;

In order to lead people

One must follow them.

So when the sage rises above the people,

They do not feel oppressed;

And when the sage stands before the people,

They do not feel hindered.

So the popularity of the sage does not fail,

He does not contend, and no one contends against him.

This version of the Tao Te Ching, (the online hyperlink on CAMS), is definitely much more modern day language than our text books, and some the wording seems off compared to the book. I read chapter 66 in my book, but I am not anywhere near it right now, so I've settled for the online version.

I agree with the message behind this passage. "In order to master people One must speak as their servant; In order to lead people One must follow them." I believe that in the book it did not say master, instead it may have said "rule" or "lead". That word "master" just makes me wary of the idea that the leader being spoken to, or the reader, has a desire to manipulate people. Perhaps I'm simply paranoid about this notion? Whatever the true meaning, I'm going to stick with the idea that he means to "lead" people. In order to speak as someone's servant or be a servant to someone you must put yourself in a low position of social status, (at least that's how it was back in the day when people had servants). I guess that a modern equivalent to this idea could be choosing to spend our time, free and not, caring for the needs of others. In any activity we participate in we should have a willingness to accept the least favored jobs. "So when the sage rises above the people they do not feel oppressed; And when the sage stands before the people, They do not feel hindered." Perhaps leading is not an idea that we as individuals may be intereseted in or excited about in any way. But I wonder if we shouldn't all strive to be leaders, if for no other reason than to guide others who are looking for help. If you pick up one end of someone's heavy load not only will you make a friend, but you may also be giving them more breathing room to experience life with. They will listen to you much more readily than if they watched you speed on by in order to tend to your busy schedule. How would you feel about a boss who worked alongside you? Then what would you think of an employer who cleaned up the messes that you made at work simply because he or she truly cared about you and wanted to serve you by helping you to get your work done on time?

This chapter reminded me of someone who I first heard the idea of the humble leader from. Jesus, the christ, the one written about in the New Testament of the Bible, lived his life in this way. What a great example to follow!