Leadership is important from the national all the way down to the local and is major a theme throughout the Dao De Jing.
Power
A leader never seeks office to control others.
“Mastery of the world is achieved by letting things take their natural course. You can not master the world by changing the natural way.”
Dao De Jing, Chapter 48
They don’t boast or use violence to attain power.
“The more weapons you possess, the greater the chaos in your country.”
Dao De Jing, Chapter 57
Force
They prefer peace and only use violence as a last resort.
“Weapons are the bearers of bad news; all people should detest them...Weapons are meant for destruction, and thus are avoided by the wise. Only as a last resort will a wise person use a deadly weapon. If peace is her true objective how can she rejoice in the victory of war? Those who rejoice in victory delight in the slaughter of humanity. Those who resort to violence will never bring peace to the world.”
Dao De Jing, Chapter 31
They recognize violence only leads to retaliation.
“Those who lead people by following the Dao don’t use weapons to enforce their will. Using force always leads to unseen troubles. In the places where armies march, thorns and briars bloom and grow.”
Dao De Jing, Chapter 30
Humility
A leader makes humility their root.
“The great view the small as their source, and the high takes the low as their foundation. Their greatest asset becomes their humility. They speak of themselves as orphans and widows, thus they truly seek humility.”
Dao De Jing, Chapter 39
They willingly put themselves beneath others.
“If you want to be the ruler of people, you must speak to them like you are their servant. If you want to lead other people, you must put their interest ahead of your own.”
Dao De Jing, Chapter 66
They take responsibility for the failures of the group.
“Only he who is the lowest servant of the kingdom, is worthy to become its ruler. He who is willing to tackle the most unpleasant tasks, is the best ruler in the world.”
Dao De Jing, Chapter 78
Subtle
Their rule is so light that the people aren’t even aware of it. In contrast, a lesser ruler is feared or despised.
“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…When she has accomplished her task, the people say, “Amazing: we did it, all by ourselves!”
Dao De Jing, Chapters 17
They give people freedom to live their lives.
“Can you love people and lead them without forcing your will on them?…Giving birth and nourishing, making without possessing, expecting nothing in return. To grow, yet not to control: This is the mysterious virtue.”
Dao De Jing, Chapter 10
They hesitate to restrict others because they know it only creates resentment and law breaking.
“The more prohibitions you make, the poorer people will be…The more laws that you make, the greater the number of criminals.”
Dao De Jing, Chapter 57
Yielding
A leader should be willing to yield to create a positive and long lasting relationship.
“If a large country takes the low position, it will be able to influence smaller countries. If smaller countries take the lower position, then they can allow themselves to be influenced. So both seek to take the lower position in order to influence the other, or be influenced.”
Dao De Jing, Chapter 61
They make peace with adversaries and honor their agreements.
“Difficulties remain, even after solving a problem. How then can we consider that as good? Therefore the Master does what she knows is right, and makes no demands of others.”
Dao De Jing, Chapter 79
Feed the People
They keep taxes light and try not to interfere too much in people’s lives.
“When people go hungry, the government’s taxes are too high. When people become rebellious, the government has become too intrusive.”
Dao De Jing, Chapter 75
Instead they focus on feeding the people and reducing disagreements.
“The Master leads by emptying people’s minds, filling their bellies, weakening their ambitions, and making them become strong.”
Dao De Jing, Chapter 3
Effortless Action
A leader hesitates to act and only does so when it feels natural.
“Govern your country with integrity, Weapons of war can be used with great cunning, but loyalty is only won by not-doing.”
Dao De Jing, Chapter 57
They never strive or force action.
“Act by not acting; do by not doing…The Master never takes on more than she can handle, which means that she leaves nothing undone.”
Dao De Jing, Chapter 63
They never rush into decisions.
“Why should the lord of a thousand chariots be amused at the foolishness of the world?…If you let yourself become distracted, you will lose the basis of your power.”
Dao De Jing, Chapter 26
A leader finds the minimal action needed and then goes no further. They are not arrogant, prideful, or biased.
“The skillful commander strikes a decisive blow then stops. When victory is won over the enemy through war it is not a thing of great pride. When the battle is over, arrogance is the new enemy.”
Dao De Jing, Chapter 30
They are always moderate to prevent problems in the future.
“There is nothing better than moderation for teaching people or serving Heaven. Those who use moderation are already on the path to the Dao.”
Dao De Jing, Chapter 59
This allows them to press without force, take without effort, and push without opposing. They never underestimate backlash.
“It is better to become the passive in order to see what will happen. It is better to retreat a foot than to advance only an inch. This is called being flexible while advancing, pushing back without using force, and destroying the enemy without engaging him.”
Dao De Jing, Chapter 69
Summary
A leader never seeks to control others and only uses violence as a last resort. They place themselves last and take responsibility for failure. Their rule is light and they give people freedom. They make peace and focus on feeding the people and reducing disagreements. A leader never strives or forces action but stays moderate.
“Therefore the Master says: I do nothing, and people become good by themselves. I seek peace, and people take care of their own problems. I do not meddle in their personal lives, and the people become prosperous.”
Dao De Jing, Chapter 57
Resource:
Tao Te Ching, Laozi, A Translation for the Public Domain by J.H. McDonald, 1996.
