"When it is clear in their words and actions that leaders do not feel superior to those whom they lead, the people see themselves in their leaders and never tire of them." - Tao-te Ching
I think that's one of the reasons that I so rarely overrule those who report to me, if I can help myself. In most ways I'm no smarter or wiser than any of them.
It was interesting in the closing moments of our tough loss on Saturday. Struggling to hold a 1 point lead, the coach asked the players if we thought we should stick with our current offensive stalling pattern. The team agreed strongly - then turned the ball over and lost the game. And afterword, the locker room was quiet but not rebellious, and players apologized to their teammates. They took ownership for the loss, because they had been given ownership of the game. It made them stronger, even in defeat.
2 comments:
Tyson pointed me here. The Tao-te Ching quote reminded me of what I've heard about Lao Tzu's leadership philosophy, and now I just learned that Tao-te-Ching was not a person, but actually a text attributed to Lao Tzu! Learn something new every day.
Rich, thanks for pointing that out! When I read the quote it said that Tao-te-Ching was a text, but not who wrote it. Now I know. Lao Tzu can coach my team anytime! Now you'll probably tell me he's dead.
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