The Tao of Empowerment

After all the trendy approaches to improving performance have failed, where can we look for the wisdom we need to advise management on how to overcome employee apathy? The concept of employee empowerment is far from new. Five thousand years ago, the sages of ancient China first formulated the principles of Tao, the primal power that forges all phenomena in the universe. They believed that each individual was a microcosm of the universe. Twenty–five hundred years ago, gifted Chinese scholar Lao-tzu eloquently and concisely described the power that comes from being in harmony with the evolving force of nature. The principles Lao-tzu set forth in Tao Te Ching are as valid today as they were 26 centuries ago. They challenge us to use nature as our model, balancing the extremes in life and work, not causing them; to discover intellectual independence, relying on our own inspiration and instincts; to practice simplicity; to build personal power through awareness and knowledge, and to direct events without resorting to force.