Ubud, 24 September 2024 — What lies beyond right and wrong is what leaders practice.

Story

It happened two and a half millennia ago, and it is highly relevant in our work today to make the world more sustainable, peaceful, and prosperous with values that truly matter to humankind and the planet. 

Thinking about right and wrong, Laozi, a Chinese sage, wrote about resentment between people. “How can this be good?” he asked in Step 79 of his classic work on the Way and Virtue. He pointed to what lies beyond right and wrong.

“The step of giving up the need to be right is a big one,” reflects Solala Towler in Practicing the Tao Te Ching: 81 Steps on the Way, in which he enlightens us with commentary and exercises to practice. One of my favorite books.

Challenge

As leaders, how do we move beyond right and wrong? How do we influence people (and ourselves) for positive change and allow for collaboration across different viewpoints, to make our world a better place?

Zhuangzi, a Chinese sage 200 years after Laozi, recommended that we, “Allow distinctions to harmonize of their own accord, leaving different viewpoints as they are.” Instead, Zhuangzi suggested, “Dwell in the boundless and limitless.”

That sage advice sounds very much like turning conversations from a Positional Level 2 to a Transformational Level 3. We practice that skill in our leadership coaching, building on the late executive coach Judith Glaser’s work. 

Question

Engaging people with diverse viewpoints to move beyond their sense of right and wrong lies at the heart of our leadership development work. It is a critical skill set for leaders to acquire, practice, and master.

Did you know that you can practice what Laozi, Zhuangzi, and Judith Glaser wrote about, and take people beyond right and wrong to a path of limitless possibilities, in a single conversation? That is what effective leadership behaviors can do.

Helping colleagues, clients, partners, and other people discover the limitless possibilities of collaboration beyond right and wrong is what we practice every day. Set up a Free Strategy Call to discover more about growing your leadership.

P.S. Read about our Leader in Transition program and other leadership growth opportunities here.