The Yang of Leadership in Action - 協 kyo

 

 

The Yang of Leadership in Action

 

陽

yang

 

literally, "the masculine principle"

 

 

 

7. Building Community

 

協

 

kyo

 

literally, "to be in harmony"

 The character is made up of the number ten,

combined with the character for strength repeated three times.

The Tao leader knows that community multiplies our positive power.

 

 

The Tao leader creates harmony,

Reaching

From the heart

To build community.

 

(Tao, 49)

 

 

Community: The Leader's Responsibility

 

 

Transforming competition into cooperation,

creating heaven from its opposite,

Tao leaders promote group harmony in their organizations.

They cultivate community much as a master gardener tends a meditation garden:

by preparing the rith environment,

being mindful of group energies,

and facilitating unity.

 

 

A common Place: Cultivation the Environment

 

 

As a good gardener prepares the soil,

so a wise leader creates an environment that promotes community.

 

 

Being Minddful of Group Energies

 

 

The Tao leader works with group energies.

 

 

Decentralize and Empower

 

 

As a familiar quote from the Tao reminds us:

 

With the best of leaders,

When the work is done,

The project completed,

The people all say

"We did it ourselves."

 

(Tao, 17)

 

 

The leader...

 

1. gives the small group an assignment

2. gets the members to commit to a shared goal

3. has them agree on a way of measuring their progress

4. lets the team work out the details todether,

combining thier differences to create successful results.

 

 

Cultivating the Spirit of Teamwork

 

 

The Tao Te Ching tells us:

 

All life springs

From yin and yang

As they blend forever

Into patterns of harmony.

 

(Tao, 42)

 

 

Who's good at initiating projects?

at kicking htings off?

Who's good in the middle of a project?

Who can you depend on to carry the ball?

Who are the idea people?

who's good with details?

Who's a good offensive lineman,

able to tackle problems and solve them effectively?

Who's good at going the distance?

Who can you count on to finish the job?

 

 

Communication and Purpose

 

 

Combining advanced technology and interpersonal communication,

Tao leaders of the twentry-first century will stay in touch with their people.

They will use better communication to help them

make more effective plans,

adjusting and changing when necessary.

 

 

Common Problems Can Be Powerful Resources

 

 

Lao-Tzu tells us:

 

The Tao is the source

Of ten thousand things,

The good person's treasure,

The lesser one's salvation.

 

(Tao, 62)

 

 

confucian and Taoist Communities

 

 

The wisdom of Tao is holistic.

Tao leaders recognize that

the common good must involve the good of individual members

or it is not the common good at all.

Confucian communities make demands on people from the top down,

inhibiting creativity.

Tao communities emerge from the grass roots.

Affirming a dynamic visiton of life.

Tao leaders emphasize growth and self-actualization,

supporting the highest good of everyone involved.

 

 

Rituals of Community

 

 

Tao leaders make effective use of feasting and ceremonies

to build community at work.

 

 

Communty as Security in a Changing World

 

 

The Tao Te Ching tells us:

 

Without the one, the heavens would fall,

The earth would die,

The spirits would mourn,

The valleys dry up,

The ten thousand things perish,

The leaders fail.

Therefore, wise leaders depend upon their people,

Without whom they are lonely exiles.

When the parts are separated,

There can be no harmony.

Do not think yourself precious jade,

But wind chimes made of stone.

 

(Tao, 39)

 

 

A Community of Learners

 

 

We are all part of the larger whole that hearkens back to the Tao.

 

We learned that only a third force—

the way of trust, artnership, and coolaboration—

offers us any hope for our future.

 

 

The vital Lesson of Community

 

 

With community we become part of a dynamic team,

exploring new possibilities together.

Learning together,

living together in new and vital ways,

we lead into the future with the collective power of Tao.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dreher, Diane. The Tao of Personal Leadership. Harper Collins Publishers. New York. 1997.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 to be continued...