Lao Tzu Leadership Style Analysis

Philosopher, Lao Tzu, once said, “A leader is best when people barely know he exists, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves” (Kruse, 2012). The idea and definition of a leader varies from source to source. Being an effective leader is based on personal traits, perfected skills, the ability to articulate a vision and see it through, and the ability to continue their education on leadership. Leadership is viewed in multiple different ways because leadership is such a complex idea. As Northouse (2012) mentions, Leadership is a trait, an ability, a skill, a behavior, a relationship and an influential process (p.6). When leadership is brought up it is a common discussion: “Do you think people are born leaders or become leaders?”. This arises because people attach personal traits to leadership. When it is viewed as a skill it is because to become a great leader an individual needs to assess their skills and perfect them. Many great leaders understand that establishing healthy relationships is vital to being an effective leader to a team. Most of all, I think the idea of leadership should be viewed as a learning and growing experience for all parties. Traits …show more content…
One skill that falls under this category is managing people. There is a strong line that defines the difference between managing people and bossing people around. By managing people, you are teaching them and helping them use the tools they have to complete tasks. Next is the ability to manage resources. This means the leader understands how to effectively use the resources they have, when to save money incase of an emergency or to plan ahead in case a team would need uniforms. Being technically competent is also a core skill good leaders have. This skill comes in handy for any leader. The more knowledge you have on what you 're trying to teach people or manage them on, helps you make educated decisions and solve