LEADERSHIP

A leader is best when people barely know he exists.
-Lao Tsu, philosopher

Leadership is something that can’t be learned academically or intellectually. Its principles can be taught, but you can’t learn how to lead from a book. Nevertheless, thousands of books have been written about doing so, including one of my own.

If you look at my book Leadership from Within, you will see that embedded in the title is the key to all my advice. To study leadership, you need to lead, but you can’t lead others until you can lead yourself.

Here is a useful illustration of the two types of leadership: Take a short, three-inch piece of string. Lay it out on the desk in front of you. Then pull it along the desk by one end. You can make it go anywhere and it will follow you. Now try pushing it. The string will pile up and – nothing happens!

Leadership is not about pushing anyone except yourself. But you pull others along if you set a good example.

Excerpt from Gutfeeling
Author, Peter Urs Bender