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Eastern Business Leadership

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Submitted By JJanco
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Eastern Thoughts On Leadership

The lessons taught to us by the great philosophical masters of the last few centuries are still applicable today. It's amazing that the thoughts of both Eastern and Western leadership have transcended the generations still maintaining validity in our everyday lives. When one looks to the East, we find the ideas of Confucianism and Taoism present in so many aspects of our daily and business lives. Though the current government of China (PRC) would like to consider itself not Confucian, its people still practice many of the ways taught by the great masters. The question arises, "can the ideas and ideals taught by Confucius and Tao, be relevant to the business practices of the West?" I believe this not to be a black or white answer but somewhere in between. It is essential for today’s business leader to understand this gray area where East meets West, especially in regards to leadership.

While Western influences in leadership such as Plato, Shakespeare, Machiavelli, and others, have depicted the leader as having certain qualities, only some of these hold true in the Eastern concepts of leadership. What are the core leadership values as put forth by Confucius and Taoism? Foremost is morality. Confucius tells us: “He who rules by moral force (te) is like the pole-star, which remains in its place while all the lesser stars do homage to it.” (Waley, Confucius 88)

Likewise, his feelings on governance were clear, "…govern them by moral force, keep order among them by ritual and they will keep their self respect and come to you of their own accord.” (Waley, Confucius 88)

Here we find a leader, not only moral, but also respecting ritual and tradition in all aspects. Tradition was most important for Confucius.

When questioned on leadership buy one of his disciples, Confucius replied: “…Approach them with dignity,

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