Virtuous Leadership

Over the years I've had the pleasure of meeting a few really good project managers and the misfortune of meeting a lot of poor project managers.

The Way  
A poor project manager tries to behave in what he think is the ‘right way’ for a project manager to behave. He acts as if busy but never seem to achieve anything. This sheds no light on anything and usually backfires as the team think he doesn’t actually know what’s going on. 

The wise project manager is aware of what is happening in the team and acts accordingly. There are no ways to behave that will ensure successful leadership. It cannot be calculated or manipulated and it is never achieved by trying to look good. The wise project manager just does the right thing.  

The Tao  
Lao Tzu tells us:  

True goodness is not virtuous,  
Because it has virtue.  
A foolish person tries to be good,  
Therefore has no virtue.  

The sage does nothing,  
Yet leaves nothing undone.  
A foolish man is always doing,  
Yet much remains to be done.  

When a truly kind man does something,  
He leaves nothing undone.  
When a just man does something,  
He leaves a great deal to be done.  

Therefore ignore Tao and virtue ensues.  
Ignore virtue and kindness ensues.  
Ignore kindness and justice ensues.  
Ignore justice and etiquette ensues.  

A man of etiquette despises goodness
And sets in motion confusion.  
His concern is himself and what serves him,  
It is the beginning of folly.  

Therefore the truly great man looks to the substantial,  
And not what is on the surface.  
The true fruit not the flowery.  
Dismissing the one, grasping the other.