Purpose and Integrity for Sustainable Success in Turbulent Times

The Art of Leadership: Acknowledgements

Standing on the shoulders of giants

Photo: iam_os/Unsplash

What is leadership? Why is this important? How do you lead successfully? The Art of Leadership provides timeless answers to these eternal questions. It is a modern reading of Lao Tzu’s Tao Te Ching — a guide for sustainable success in turbulent times. All Parts. Other reading formats.

This interpretation of Lao Tzu stands on the shoulders of the following brilliant scholars, researchers, writers and translators who have wrestled with transforming Tao Te Ching through time and space: Alan Watts, Alf Henrikson, Arthur Waley, Benjamin Hoff, Bernhard Karlgren, Danah Zohar, David L. Hall, Derek Mi-Chang Yuen (袁彌昌), Din Cheuk Lau (劉殿爵), Dov Tsal, François Jullien, Gia-Fu Feng (馮家福), Göran Malmqvist, Hwang Tsu-Yü, Jane English, Jan Julius Lodewijk Duyvendak, John Ching Hsiung Wu (吳經熊), John Minford, Jonathan Star, Lin Yutang (林語堂), Peter Merel, R. L. Wing (Rita Aero), Robert G. Henricks, Roger T. Ames, Ron Hogan, Stanley Lombardo, Stefan Stenudd, Stephen Addiss, Thomas Cleary, Toinette Lippe, Ursula K. Le Guin and Zhen Goh.

And, I remember gratefully:

Bob Marshall for indirectly introducing me to Taoism via Non-Violent Communication (NVC) and his Antimatter Principle: Attend to folks’ needs; Chet Richards for his inspiring keynote All By Ourselves connecting Lao Tzu, Sun Tzu and John Boyd as well as highlighting the importance of correlative pairs; Jason Yip for inspiring me to go to the original sources of wisdom in Tao Te Ching by pointing out several quotes on Twitter incorrectly attributed to Lao Tzu; Rod Leaverton and Jabe Bloom for helpful tips on valuable Lao Tzu translations; Benjamin Mosior for an insightful write-up bringing Derek Yuen’s work on Lao Tzu and Sun Tzu to my attention; Helena Rundkrantz of the Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities in Stockholm for Karlgren’s elusive Lao Tzu translation; Kent Beck for capturing the essence of Lao Tzu in a tweet; Simon Wardley (swardley) for his reading of Sun Tzu with modern strategic glasses, and, subtle hints on the importance of Lao Tzu for understanding the world in general and China and strategy in particular.

For valuable feedback on content and structure, Adolfo Neto, Asier Vega Sanchez, Ben Ford, Benjamin Mosior, Dankan Meklaod, Eric-Jan Kaak, Erik Björnhage, Ewan Leith, Florin Tampau, Francesco Cesarini, Gary W. Longsine, Goran Skugor, Hans De Leenheer, Holger Gelhausen, Ian Moss, Joaquín Peña Fernández (joapen), Johan Persson, Justin Blair, Kevin Capé, Lars Böhnke, Lee Gonzales, L Macpherson, Linda Fane, Lindsay Bennett, Marcus Hammarberg, Mark Cowan, Markus Andrezak, Matt Gaidica, Michael Jaiyeola, Michael Zucker, Mikael Björn, Monica Madrid, Ola Berg, Pat Beaton, Paul Turner, Per Jonsson, Per Jonsson, Peter Horvath, Rob Rees, Sascha A. Carlin, Simon Mitchinson, stephan.sutter_78046, Steve Sanderson, Susan Cohen, Svante Lidman, Teppo Jansson, Tobias V. Haslingen, Viktor Cessan, Vince Arduaine Di Dato, William Milisic, Woody Zuill, Yarianni Bustamante Rodriguez, Yevhenii Kurtov, Zoltan Danko, Zoltan Literati and Åsa Nordin.

For energising encouragements and for spreading the word, Abi Lambert, Adam S., Akira Kawada, Anca Trusca, Anchal Sharma, Andrew Murphie, Anit Shrestha Manandha, An Idea, Anna Hagelin, Anna Sandell, Ann-Louise Ulfsparre, anshuman, Anthony Jeannot, Arne Roock, Artiom, Björn Sandberg, Błażej Walczak, Bosse Nyström, Bryan Hunt, Miss Catherine La Grange, spinster, Charles The Scientist, Chris Brandt, Chris Combe (he / him), Chris McDermott, Chris Sowers, Christian Appelt, Cliff Hazell, Colin Boxall, Dairon Medina, Daniel O. Banica, Darren Lai, Deepak Sethi, Diana Meresc, Dipti Singhal, Dmytro Iakubovskyi, Dominic Perini, Duc Dang, Eb Ikonne, Eduardo da Silva, Elya Livshitz, Erum Awan, Evadne Wu, Eva Martins, Ewa Kucharczyk, Faun deHenry, Florian Meyer, Fredrik Smedberg, Frida Stam, Gboyega Soyoola, Göran Hedrén, Gösta von Stebut, Hannes Wambach, Hans Carlsson, Henri Kivioja, Henrik Mårtensson, Henrik Samils, Henrik Taubert, Holger Gelhausen, Håkan Forss, Ionut Craciunescu, Ingela Broback, Isabella Rådevik, Jan Höglund, Jean Pereira, Jeff Loeb, Jenny Björneberg, Jens Kristian Villadsen, Jerzy Wójcik, Joanna Wrona, Joern Larsen, Johan Thorén, John Samuel, Jonas Svanhed, Jorge Juan Fernández, Josef Davies-Coates, Joseph Lieungh, Joshua Biggley, Julius Gamanyi, Karen Marie Shelton, Kate Chidzik, Kati Ilvonen, Kenneth Wingårdh, Kelvin D Meeks, Ketil Jensen, Kim Nielsen, Larry Richards, Lasse Nyhus Stenholt, Popovics László, lauris.muzikants, Leandro Ostera, Lena Gali, Lena Åckander, Lindsey Morley, Liran Zvibel, Luis Manzano, Luis Servín, Magnus Schön, Mahyar Arjmand, Manuel Rubio, Marc Burgauer, Marianne Rimbark, Maria Wennestam, Mario López de Ávila Muñoz, Mark McCann, Mark J. McGrath, Martin Gausby, Martin Shelford, Martin Vidal, Matti Klasson, Michael Litton, Michelle Leaverton, Mikael Lidström, Mina Boström Nakićenović, Miriam Maurer, Mittal Vora, Mkrtich Sargsyan, Monika Steinvall, Mårten Holmberg, Nikita Ponomarenko, Nour Boustani, Nuno Rafael Gomes, Oleksandr Zarnytskyi, Oliver Weiss, Pernille Højland-Rønde, Peter Haddäng, Peter Palmér, Petter Blomberg, Piotrmak Marko, Pipp Warner, Rajesh Kodandam, Ramak Shahbazi, Ridia Chang, Riki Ridwan, Ritika Mittal, Roberta McDonnell, Robert Rees, Rolli, Ruth Malan, Samet Yildiz, Samuelkimanimaina, Sandesh Soni, Sarah Bovagnet, Sarah Williams, Sargent Stewart, Scott Millett, Simon Bergström, Sofia Rasmussen, Sophia Tran, Staecy Cruz, Staffan Nöteberg, Stefan Flink, Stefan Telhammar, Steffen Søgaard, Steven Joseph, Steven Mak, Steve Tendon, Stuart Grant, stuart.mendelsohn, Sunlight L., Susana Jurado, Susan Almon, Ted van Gaalen, Thomas Bhatia, Thomas Ove Rasmussen, Tom Morgan, Tracey A Ferrant, Vadym Kazulkin, Varakumar, Vecheslavsultanov, Wolfgang Steffens, Yogesh Rajput, Zeljka Sotra and Zenja Hebib.

This work is in progress since I’d like it to evolve according to Your needs — would you be willing to share Your observations and reflections?

The Art of Leadership: All Parts

Contents: A very short summary of all parts
Introduction: How to make a difference

• Sections 1–6: Purpose
• Sections 7–13: Attending to needs
• Sections 14–19: We did it ourselves
• Sections 20–23: Grasping the whole
• Sections 24–30: Self-organisation
• Sections 31–37: Knowing yourself
• Sections 38–43: Effectiveness
• Sections 44–49: What is enough?
• Sections 50–55: Integrity
• Sections 56–61: Living with change
• Sections 62–66: Serving without interference
• Sections 67–73: Effectiveness without contending
• Sections 74–81: Balancing

Glossary: Explanation of key terms
Acknowledgements: Standing on the shoulders of giants
Sources: Where to learn more
Other reading formats: Hardcover, paperback and PDF

This is provided as Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International by the author, Erik Schön.