by Big Dave | Aug 23, 2020 | What defines good leadership?
“Taking responsibility for what you’re responsible for. Watch out for excuse-makers (and watch yourself to see if you’re one) — they make bad employees and bad friends.
Listening more than talking. Heed the adage that we have two ears and one mouth so we can listen twice as much as we speak. Those you speak with will felt “heard” and look forward to your next encounter.
Being humble. Under-promising and over-delivering. Putting yourself in other people’s shoes when you disagree with them. Surrounding yourself with people smarter than you. Knowing how and when to delegate — and when not to.
Recognizing that we all descended from the same single-celled organism and are made from the same cosmic dust….”
by Chan Lee | Aug 15, 2020 | What defines good leadership?
“During a meditation retreat, I asked my teacher: What does it mean to serve? He replied, ‘You’re always serving. The question is, what do you mean when you serve.’ His message resonated deeply – that I had a fixed idea in my head that one moment could be service and another could not be. How delusional that view all of a sudden became! ‘You’re always serving’, he said. ‘You’re always serving.’ Now, whenever consciously aware, I ask myself what I am in service to in THIS moment. In THIS moment.
To tie it full circle, I believe we are always in a leadership position just as we are always in service to something. Whether leading others or leading ourselves, the actions we take and thoughts we think have far-reaching effects. Our inextricable connection with others and to the whole of the planet means that there are no days off. To me, good leadership is a commitment to being one’s best possible self right now. This sacred commitment is contagious, and ultimately creates a community of beings riding the same wave of awakening and wellbeing.”
by B. Janszen | Aug 15, 2020 | What defines good leadership?
“Shunryu Suzuki Roshi, a great Zen master, said: ‘Even though you try to put people under control, it is impossible. You cannot do it. The best way to control people is to encourage them to be mischievous. Then they will be in control in a wider sense. To give your sheep or cow a large spacious meadow is the way to control him. So it is with people: first let them do what they want, and watch them. This is the best policy. To ignore them is not good. That is the worst policy. The second worst is trying to control them. The best one is to watch them, just to watch them, without trying to control them.”
In my understanding, this means that the less one impedes the natural freedom of those whom one leads, the more they lead themselves (which is ultimately the key to obedience). The key is, as Suzuki Roshi says, to ‘watch them’. This is the most effective way, as it neither controls nor ignores, but instead treads the middle path of trust and presence.”
by Big Dave | Aug 2, 2020 | What defines good leadership?
Like a good referee in sports, good leadership creates a container of freedom while also establishing clear boundaries. Then, they stay out of the affairs of those involved and are all but invisible. The wisest leaders understand that trust begets trust, and thus entrust their constituents with freedom and a hands-off style of governance. This is not as simple as not governing at all, but rather allowing the Universal current to govern without intervening. Thus, as the Taoist expression goes: Wei wu Wei – or ‘act, non-action’. This theme can be found in the Tao te Ching :
‘The supreme rulers are hardly known by their subjects.
The lesser are loved and praised.
The even lesser are feared.
The least are despised.
Those who show no trust will not be trusted.
Those who are quiet value the words.
When their task is completed, people will say:
We did it ourselves.'”
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