The Best Leader Is Barely Noticed

Reading it step by step

Theme II was about the Dao: the source and destination of all things, the ultimate reality beneath every change. But the Dao can't be seen or touched, and most people are busy just getting through the day. Who brings the Dao into ordinary life? Laozi's answer is the sage. The word turns up in more than twenty of the eighty-one chapters, and if you add the places where Laozi says “I” or speaks of “one who has the Dao,” about half the book is about this figure.

We start with Laozi's ranking of leaders.

Second: “unhurried and sparing with words.” The best ruler gives few speeches and fewer orders. Why? The more commands and the finer the rules, the more tired people become, and the more they comply only on the surface. “Where trust is lacking, there will be no trust in return.” If words from the top aren't kept, people stop believing them. Say little, mean all of it, and trust grows slowly.

Third: “We did it ourselves.” When things go well, the people credit themselves. This is not a clever trick of hiding backstage. The sage simply doesn't need the credit. He does what has to be done, with no wish to be seen doing it. That is acting without contrivance.

Bring it into today. Under the best manager, the team feels it could manage on its own. With the best teacher, the student says, “I worked that out myself.” Children of the best parents grow up thinking, “This is just who I am.” All of these people did a great deal. They just didn't step into the spotlight.

Next time you lead a group or teach a child, ask yourself: am I helping them succeed, or am I making sure I'm seen?

The best help often doesn't feel like help at all.