66
fish drift downstream
gulls let the wind lift them up
stop working so hard
Lesson # 66
Just as gravity pulls water
from the highest mountain top
to the sea, so too the Tao pulls
human energy down to a
lower point of humility,
equality, and connection.
The servant leader speaks in words
that connects them
with those they serve.
The servant leader
empowers those they lead
rather than directing them.
The servant leader creates
a safe and trusting environment
in which those they lead can thrive.
The servant leader nourishes the world
rather than competing for power.
From: 81 Lessons from the Tao Te Ching
Number 66 The servant-leader
Just as gravity pulls water
from the highest mountain top to the sea
so too the Tao pulls human energy
down to the point of humility equality and connection
The servant leader
speak in words that connect them with those they serve
The servant leader
empowers those they lead rather than directing them
The servant leader
creates a safe and trusting environment
in which those they lead can thrive
The servant leader
nourishes the world
rather than competing for power
NUMBER SIXTY SIX
The Rivers and the Seas (because they seek a lowly place)
are Lords of a hundred valleys
Let your love flow, seek a lowly place, you will be Lord of a hundred valleys.
That is why if the self-controlled man desires to exalt the people,
in his speech he must take a lowly place;
if he desires to put the put the people first he must put himself after them.
Thus, though he dwells above them, the people are not burdened by him
Though he is placed before them, the people are not obstructed by him,
Therefore men serve him gladly, they do not tire in serving him.
Because he does not strive, no one in the world can strive against him.
Isabella Mears, The Tao Teh King, A Tentative Translation from the Chinese, William McLellan, Glascow, 1916.
Number 66 (commentary) Why hasn’t God fixed this mess?
We need new religions, led by new kinds of leaders. The old religions that we are stuck with today were born in patriarchy and infused with the model of authoritarian leadership. God was in charge and his priests and loyal followers were his lieutenants, imposing that particular God’s word and will upon the land. As Phyllis McGinley put it, “Not God the Father or the Son/ But God the Holy Terror!” We need a new image of leadership and a new theology to accompany it.
The servant-leader is not interested in:
– Having the answer and being the expert
– Being the most important person and getting the highest respect
– Commanding the troops and having the most power
– Impressing others and being popular
– Getting top dollar for their services and making the greatest profit
The servant-leader just wants to serve those they lead and serve the common good of the world. We need a religion infused in the model of servant-leadership.
Tangent and Tool #66, On the difference between Control and Service. A question and a reflection: “What would this new form of leadership look like?” It can be assumed that Homo Sapiens lived in small tribes for almost 200,000 years before “civilization” came along (4,000 years ago). I imagine that service to the group was mission-critical for the survival of your tribe over that span of time.
Dr. Makgati Mokwena introduced to me a South African approach to a non-patriarchal style of leadership. It is an approach to living a good, meaningful life. She said, “In Africa the practice (now turned concept) of Ubuntu speaks of this service to self and other. Ubuntu means humanity, but as a philosophy it expresses a way of being, based on the understanding that “I am because we are; we are, therefore I am”. The ‘I’ and the ‘we’ are inextricably linked. Therefore, when you are in pain, we are in pain. When one of us thrives, the entire community thrives.”
Placing service to the greater good as the primary focus of leadership (as versus service to corporate CEO’s and stockholders or to your own career path) creates a very different style of leadership from a style of leadership coming from the need for authority and control.