Lessons for Leaders from China’s Lao Zi

LeadershipWatch

What ancient Chinese wisdom teaches today’s leaders in times of complex change.

“Lao Zi was a native of Chu, a southern state in the Zhou dynasty. His surname was Li; his given name was Er, and he was also called Dan. … Lao Zi cultivated Dao and virtue. His learning was devoted to self-effacement and not having fame. He lived in Zhou for a long time; then witnessed the decline of Zhou and departed. When he reached the northwest border, he met the guard Yin Xi, who asked him to put his teachings into writing. The result was a book consisting of 5000 Chinese characters … Thereafter, Lao Zi disappeared; no one knew where he had gone.” (Source: Sima Qian, Biography of Lao Zi, 100 BCE)

The other day I read thatbusiness leaders are obsessed with Sun Tzu’s Art of War. It made me wonder: how many leaders…

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