The Tao at Work

By Stan Herman, Author, The Tao at Work
In Business Spirit Journal

Once upon a time
the simple could be seen...

That all reality is virtual,

That chaos encompasses order,
and order chaos.

That clarity and peace
interweave elegantly
with difficulty and battle,

and that spirit is the sinew
that binds all the world together.

From these conditions
arise the billion others
with which we live.

Failing to recall that this is so,
you miss the world's significance,
the direction of its change,
its uses and its destination.

And so you may feel lost
and frightened.

Through her deeds,
a great leader reminds people
of their possibilities.

Her greatness rises not
upon the tower
of spectacular achievement,
but from the foundation
of the ordinary.

She stands not above
but among those she leads,
upon the same earthy foundation,
and beneath her lies the solid rock.

All leaders announce themselves
as servants of those they lead.

For some these protestations
only mask their pride.

The great leader recognizes
leadership is a duty
no more important
than any other.