Life Lessons from the Tao Te Ching

Almost all the religious and philosophical texts have some very insightful ideas about leadership and how to lead our lives. One such text is the Tao Te Ching. Chapter 3 in the book reads as below (from the English translation by  Derek Lin): Do not glorify the achievers, so the people will not squabble Do not treasure goods that are hard to obtain, so the people will not become thieves Do not show the desired things, so their hearts will not be confused! Thus the governance of the sage: Empties their hearts, Fills their bellies Weakens their ambitions, Stengthens their […]

Are you an Effective Leader?

One of the simplest and the best definitions that i have come across for good and effective leadership is in the Tao Te Ching. I was reading the English translation (by Derek Lin) of this ancient chinese text and came across this quote in chapter 17: The highest rulers, people do not know they have them, The next level, people love them and praise them, The next level, people fear them, The next level, people despise them, If the rulers trust is insufficient, Have no trust in them. Proceeding calmly, valuing their words, Task accomplished, matter settled, The people all […]

Self Appraisal – A Year Gone By..

I started the year 2014 by announcing publicly my goals for 2014. You can find them here. I now wanted to reflect on the year gone by and do a self-appraisal on my progress from where I started and intended to reach. I had decided that the single word for the year would be “Transformation” – in 5 different realms. Physical Transformation: I am glad that I have been able to  lose 7Kgs and a few inches around my waist. What worked in my favor was getting a fitbit device. The device provided the constant feedback on how I was doing […]