The Tao of Personal Leadership: Essential Wisdom for Transcending Conflict and Achieving Success Through Cooperation and Vision

by Diane Dreher, Lao Tzu

Say good-bye to the adversarial samurai managerial principles of the last decade. A new philosophy is sweeping the business world, one that's more in tune with a global marketplace, where cooperation, not competition, is the key to success. The Tao Te Ching is often hailed as the wisest book ever written; for more than 2,000 years it has inspired and guided people with its precepts of harmony, communication, vision, and renewal. In The Tao of Personal Leadership, Diane Dreher combines its ancient wisdom with lessons from successful leaders to provide a practical road map to becoming not just good managers but great leaders. Illustrating her points with examples taken from real life, she explains the basic Taoist principles readers can use to make the most of their resources, transcend conflict, transform problems, adapt to change, and enrich their business, community, and personal lives.

Genres: Business, Self Help, Leadership, Nonfiction

304 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1995

About the author

Diane Dreher, Ph.D., is the author of the best-selling The Tao of Inner Peace and her newest book, Pathways to Inner Peace. She has a doctorate in Renaissance literature from UCLA and a Master's degree in Counseling from Santa Clara University. She is professor emeritus at Santa Clara University and lecturer in the Positive Psychology Academy in the UK. A positive psychology and creativity coach, researcher, teacher and writer, Diane lives in the San Francisco Bay area."

Reviews

[hollie Greer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good one to read if you're supervising people, especially if there are individuals making your job more difficult than it needs to be. it's helpful when you're in stressful situations- it will help you to regain perspective and respond in a way that fosters mutual respect.

[TrudyKJP · Rating 3 out of 5]

At its core this book has great insight and advice. However, it has become dated in ways that are sometimes difficult to get past. There are several chapters I would highly recommend. But some of the "new" projects, technologies, and signs of hope from the 1990's just made me feel sad. Insights were still worth the read though.

[Lain · Rating 4 out of 5]

I much prefer her book The Tao of Inner Peace.

[Kathleen Scales · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so spot on in teaching how to lead from a spiritual center. With love kindness patience and compassion without judgement or ego interfering with the role. Very transformative piece.

[Glen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I very much enjoyed this book. I am a long-time fan of the Tao Te Ching and appreciated Dreher's efforts at applying the insights thereof to issues and problems facing leaders and would-be leaders of organizations, clubs, whatever. The chapters on timing and conflict resolution were especially strong, and there were frequent "Tao questions" for meditation and self-exploration that I found very provocative and helpful. The last chapter seemed a bit forced as she attempted to bring in a more global perspective, and inevitably some of the examples are already dated, but as an antidote to much psychobabble masquerading as knowledge and a redirection to a tried and true wisdom tradition, this book has much going for it.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this as part of a staff retreat. Those of us attending were each assigned a chapter with instructions to summarize and present it to the group, and give a gift that represented the chapter to all the attendees (10 of us). We learned a lot from the book and from each other, and received many thoughtful gifts as reminders of the important qualities of leaders.

[Jennifer Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of a handful of books that I reread every year or so, since it was first assigned as required reading for a management class in grad school. Regardless of whatever climate or situation at work I am enduring, I can always find a portion of this book that relates to my current challenge.

[Mary Bagley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is incredibly good - peaceful and challenging at the same time!

[Qui2 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book.

[Robyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This really helped me in my business life in the 90's after I started supervising people.

[Sarah O'hara · Rating 2 out of 5]

At times bogged down by what seemed like advertisements for different organizations or leadership models, there are some good nuggets in here for the committed.

[Garrett S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good read, with practical methods and advise for applying the way of the Tao (Dao 道) to one's life, to become the truest version of oneself!