Leadership in Thoughts from the Tao-te-Ching and The...

Leadership in Thoughts from the Tao-te-Ching and The Qualities of a Prince Lao-Tzu’s â€Å"Thoughts from the Tao-te Ching† and Machiavelli’s â€Å"The Qualities of a Prince† both have the ultimate goal of making better leaders. The tactics that each writer chooses to present as a guide for the leader are almost opposite of each other. Today’s American government would benefit from a combination of the two extreme ideas. Lao-Tzu’s laissez-faire attitude towards the economy, as well as his small scale, home defense military is appealing to a liberal person. Machiavelli’s attitude towards miserliness and lower taxes, while being always prepared for war, would appeal to a conservative person. The writers are in agreement on some issues, such as†¦show more content†¦A hated leader would invite a rebellion that would try to remove him from power. On the other hand, a leader should not be loved. Showing too much compassion will make the people think you are weak, and he would permit disorders to contin ue. Machiavelli urges the leader to always be personally armed, and preparing for war, even in peace time. The leader must continually train his body and mind for combat. He believes that people are fickle and greedy, so they will take whatever you give them. Ultimately, he believes the leader should do and say anything to keep the people happy, but when it comes down to it, what makes them happy may not be best for the state as a whole. An even mixture of both of these theories is the best for America. Something that our leaders in the United States in past years aimed for is middle of the road politics, appealing to both liberals and conservatives. Although I do not believe Machiavellis honesty policy would go over too well in the United States, I am sure his tactics are used by politicians in creating an appearance that people want to see. A good combination for our government today is for the president to not be personally armed, but have protection. He does not constantly train for war, but has an appointed official dedicated for that purpose. In contrast to both writers, I believe the American people today are neither inherently good nor evil exclusively, but we all wantShow MoreRelatedLao Tzu And Machiavelli Analysis1038 Words   |  5 Pages There are many indescribable qualities that make a leader. However, a leader can be interpreted differently. A leader must ensure the safety of his subjects, however, there are different ways in which to do so. The absence of admirable leadership leads to chaos and social unrest. Within Lao Tzu’s Thoughts from the Tao-Te-Ching and Machiavelli’s The Prince, there are similar ideas surrounding the definition of a leader. They ultimately explore their idea of what an optimal government would be like;Read MoreReligion Information Paper : Buddhism3761 Words   |  16 Pages Religion Information Paper Buddhism The founder of Buddidism is know to be a Prince called Siddhartha Gautama, he was born in North India. He was the son of King Suddhodanna and Queen Maha Maya Devi. The young man was given the name Prince Siddhartha Gautama. As soon as the prince was born there was prediction on whether he would become a Buddah or a world leader, no one knew as it could have been either. He was born into a very rich family and everything was done for him, however his fatherRead MoreOrganizational Behaviour Analysis28615 Words   |  115 PagesORGANISATIONAL ANALYSIS: Notes and essays for the workshop to be held on 15th - 16th Novemeber 2007 at The Marriot Hotel Slough Berkshire SL3 8PT Dr. Lesley Prince, C.Psychol., AFBPsS University of Birmingham November 2007  © Dr. Lesley Prince 2007. Organisational Analysis: Notes and Essays Page i Page ii Please do not attempt to eat these notes. CONTENTS Introduction to the Workshop Topics And Themes The Nature and Scope of Organisation Theory Levels of Analysis The MetaphoricalRead MoreEssay about Compare and Contrast Leadership Theories9999 Words   |  40 PagesLeadership From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Leadership has been described as the â€Å"process of social influence in which one person can enlist the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a common task†. Definitions more inclusive of followers have also emerged. Alan Keith of Genentech states that, Leadership is ultimately about creating a way for people to contribute to making something extraordinary happen. According to Ken SKC Ogbonnia, effective leadership is the ability