Who are the leaders in your life?
Who do you follow?
Is that your boss, your teachers, your parents, or someone holding political offices?
These are the positions that carry the responsibilities of leadership, and the people who are holding the position should be leading. However, the true leaders in your life may be someone else.
As what Lao Tzu says, the best leader — who exemplifies the quality of best leadership — is one whose existence is barely known by the people he leads.
So if you would think carefully, the true leaders in your life could be someone who are leading you, but leaving no trace of leadership. They get you to do things without force, to the extent that you find what you do your own choice, rather than a result of their lead.
This is the most the powerful form of leadership.
Think of the good restaurant that you visited recently. How did you decide to give the restaurant a try? It could be nothing but a recommendation from a friend. So your friend was the leader in this case, and you follow his leadership without realizing that he was the leader!
The leadership is so natural. There is no coercion. There is no hesitation. The follower just follows as if it is the only right thing to do.
Just imagine that you can always get people to do things you want in this manner!
If you want to this type of leadership to happen to you, it is important that you understand the Tao of human nature. You should groom conditions to let things happen, rather than imposing your will to make things happen.
It is the beauty of leadership has taught by Lao Tzu. It is soft, pliable, and yet able to penetrate anything hard and rigid.
As Lao Tzu says in Tao Te Ching,
“The best leaders are those the 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.If you don’t trust the people,
they will become untrustworthy.The best leaders value their words, and use them sparingly.
When she has accomplished her task,
the people say, “Amazing:
we did it, all by ourselves!” (17)
