Tao Te Ching and Wuwei Management

Chapter 67 5 "Teaching without Talking": Leading by Example Wins Support
Command is not just an order, teaching without words is the advanced stage of command.

It is the sage who does nothing and teaches without saying anything. —— "Tao Te Ching" Chapter 2
In an enterprise, the biggest responsibility of a manager is naturally to manage people, but from the analysis of people's heart, people always like to manage people rather than being managed. This is everyone's nature.However, there is one situation that is an exception, that is, when people admire someone from the bottom of their hearts, he will not resist the person's management of him, but will actively obey.So, how can managers convince their subordinates?Some people are used to looking for ways outside and formulating various systems and rules in order to achieve the purpose of restraining people.But smart managers can find ways from themselves, correct others first, "teach without words", and make employees obey willingly.

During the Spring and Autumn Period of King Zhuang of Chu, the whole country was facing the unhealthy atmosphere of indulging in pleasure. When solving this problem, King Zhuang of Chu, one of the Five Hegemons of the Spring and Autumn Period, immediately controlled his own desires and did something to correct the unhealthy atmosphere. Showed an example.

Once, Ling Yin Zipei invited King Chuzhuang to a banquet, and King Chuzhuang happily agreed.So on that day, Zipei prepared a luxurious banquet and performance in Beijing early, but he waited and waited, but he didn't see the King of Chu Zhuang, and even waited until the evening, but the King of Chu Zhuang never showed up.

On the second day, Zi Pei paid a visit to King Chuzhuang, and asked with concern whether King Chuzhuang was unable to attend the banquet due to physical discomfort.King Zhuang of Chu smiled and said, "Don't worry Zipei, I'm in good health. The reason why I didn't go to the banquet is because I heard that you held a feast at Jingtai." Zipei was very confused and said: "Jingtai is a good place , many people are willing to go there to relax." King Zhuang of Chu continued: "I know that Jingtai is a rare and good place. You can see Mount Liao to the south, facing the water of Fanghuang at your feet, the Yangtze River on the left, and the Huaihe River on the right. , this place is very attractive." So Zipei was even more puzzled, and the King of Chu Zhuang continued: "It's so attractive, don't you think people will forget the pain of death with joy when they get there? I am a person with shallow virtue. For such a happy person, I was afraid that I would indulge in it and linger on it, thereby delaying the important affairs of governing the country, so I changed my original intention and decided not to go to the banquet."

As the king of a country, King Zhuang of Chu, there is nothing wrong with occasionally pastime, but he can be so strict with himself and restrain his desires, how can he not feel ashamed as a minister?Since then, King Zhuang of Chu has become a role model in the court, which has formed a good atmosphere throughout the country.

The reason why King Zhuang of Chu didn't go to Beijing and Taiwan for the banquet was because he wanted to start from himself and restrain his desire for pleasure, so as to change the bad atmosphere in the whole country.It is precisely because of his attitude of correcting himself first, cultivating himself first, and then comforting others, that after he ascended the throne, he "did not make a song for three years, became a blockbuster; did not fly for three years, and soared into the sky", becoming a king who governed the country well .In an enterprise, if an enterprise wants to develop and be strong, and if an enterprise wants to take off, the leaders of the enterprise must also learn to look inward and start from themselves.

To manage subordinates well, one part depends on authority, and management with authority is justifiable. This belongs to "hardware", while the other part depends on oneself, which belongs to software.Only when a leader cultivates himself before being a righteous person, can he act effectively and make everyone willingly listen to your command.Managers must lead by example and set an example in order to maximize the confidence in employees.Only by creating an atmosphere where everyone is equal and fairness is paramount, can we form an invincible fighting force that is united from top to bottom.

In 1942, World War II was in full swing.With the changes in the war situation, the battlefield between the Allied forces and the German army gradually shifted to North Africa.General Patton, one of the best generals of the Allied forces, realized that his troops might not be able to adapt to the scorching heat of North Africa. Once they moved to North Africa, the combat effectiveness of Allied soldiers might be weakened by the scorching weather.

The war will not shift with the will of the people, and there is only one way before the Allies: that is to adapt.In order to allow the troops to adapt to changes in the battlefield as soon as possible, Patton established a training base similar to the North African desert environment, allowing soldiers to run a mile a day in an environment of 48 degrees Celsius, and only equipped them with a jug of water.Patton's training speech was: "War is killing, and you must kill the enemy, or they will kill you! If you shed a pint of sweat in peacetime, you will lose a gallon of blood in wartime."

Although everyone is aware of the cruelty of war, the extreme heat still makes many soldiers secretly complain.Patton never explained the training. He set an example and insisted on training in the scorching heat like the soldiers.When the soldiers saw Patton getting into the stuffy can-like tank every time without hesitation, no amount of complaints could only turn into obedience.

Obviously, Patton regarded himself as an ordinary soldier, and when he played this role, he set an example with the perfect professional soldier spirit and played a role model.Under Patton's leadership, the training of the entire army went very smoothly.General Patton set an example, injected infinite passion into the entire army, and made the entire army look completely new.

When the leader is directing the work of his subordinates, "doing the command" can effectively mobilize the enthusiasm of the subordinates than "standing and directing". "Do the command" is a silent command.This kind of order is even more effective and powerful than vocal and written orders.This kind of power does not rely on the power in the hands of the leader, nor coercive force, but on the leader's own exemplary leadership and hard work style. This is a kind of prestige and the most sacred command. "Teaching without words" is the ability and awareness that many Chinese entrepreneurs who are accustomed to giving orders should focus on cultivating.

(End of this chapter)