A man went to a temple to pray to Bodhisattva Guangyin. To his surprise, he saw another person next to him praying who looked exactly like the Bodhisattva statue. When he asked if the person was Guangyin, they replied yes. Puzzled as to why Guangyin would pray to himself, Guangyin replied that it is better to depend on oneself than others.
The Tao Te Ching by Lao Zi is an ancient Chinese text that provides timeless wisdom on leadership. It uses brief chapters and analogies to nature to explain that true leadership is about virtue, flexibility, and avoiding force or conflict. The soft overcome the hard through patience and accommodation. A wise leader leads humbly from behind, knows people and the natural order, and prioritizes substance over form. The text has influenced leadership thinking for over two millennia through its emphasis on qualities like resilience, righteousness, and maintaining a broad view.