Through my podcast with Master Gu Shining and expert insights, this article explores how the Tao Te Ching reshapes leadership for today’s world.
Most of us have grown up thinking of leaders as people who direct, command, and control. But the Tao Te Ching, one of the most enduring philosophical texts, invites us to consider another possibility: that true leadership comes from humility, quiet influence, and deep trust.
“The Tao does not interfere or compel,” says Allan Chuck, a leading teacher of Global Tao GrandMaster Dr & Master Zhi Gang Sha. “It gives everyone free will. A servant leader, much like the Tao, only ‘interferes’ when necessary, building deeper trust and respect.”
Instead of dictating every move, Taoist leadership creates space for intelligence and creativity to emerge. The leader doesn’t have to have all the answers. They simply need to guide the group toward its own wisdom.
On my podcast, Master Gu Shining, a Taoist practitioner based in China’s Wudang Mountains, put it this way: “Lao’s advocate between the big and small… between much and few… between action and non-action, advocate non-action.”
It’s a subtle shift, but one with deep impact. Power doesn’t have to be loud to be effective. Sometimes, it’s the gentlest touch that changes everything.
Most of us have grown up thinking of leaders as people who direct, command, and control. But the Tao Te Ching, one of the most enduring philosophical texts, invites us to consider another possibility: that true leadership comes from humility, quiet influence, and deep trust.
“The Tao does not interfere or compel,” says Allan Chuck, a leading teacher of Global Tao GrandMaster Dr & Master Zhi Gang Sha. “It gives everyone free will. A servant leader, much like the Tao, only ‘interferes’ when necessary, building deeper trust and respect.”
Instead of dictating every move, Taoist leadership creates space for intelligence and creativity to emerge. The leader doesn’t have to have all the answers. They simply need to guide the group toward its own wisdom.
On my podcast, Master Gu Shining, a Taoist practitioner based in China’s Wudang Mountains, put it this way: “Lao’s advocate between the big and small… between much and few… between action and non-action, advocate non-action.”
It’s a subtle shift, but one with deep impact. Power doesn’t have to be loud to be effective. Sometimes, it’s the gentlest touch that changes everything.
In a world where disruption is constant, leadership has to be fluid. Rigidity simply doesn’t work anymore.
Taoism has a word for this: Wu Wei. Often translated as “effortless action,” it’s about moving with the current, not against it.
“Wu Wei encourages leaders to flow with challenges rather than fight against them,” says Vanita Keswani, a follower of Tao and student of Dr & Master Zhi Gang Sha. “It means embracing uncertainty and making adjustments as needed.”
This isn’t just philosophy. A 2025 study published in the Journal of Applied Behavioural Science found that inclusive leadership boosts adaptive performance by enhancing employee creativity—particularly when work engagement is high.
Master Shining explains, “Lao always says to overcome hardness with softness.” Adaptability doesn’t mean weakness. It means responding wisely. It means reading the room, not reacting blindly. In a climate where long-term plans often crumble overnight, the leaders who thrive are those who adjust their sails to the wind.
In a world where disruption is constant, leadership has to be fluid. Rigidity simply doesn’t work anymore.
Taoism has a word for this: Wu Wei. Often translated as “effortless action,” it’s about moving with the current, not against it.
“Wu Wei encourages leaders to flow with challenges rather than fight against them,” says Vanita Keswani, a follower of Tao and student of Dr & Master Zhi Gang Sha. “It means embracing uncertainty and making adjustments as needed.”
This isn’t just philosophy. A 2025 study published in the Journal of Applied Behavioural Science found that inclusive leadership boosts adaptive performance by enhancing employee creativity—particularly when work engagement is high.
Master Shining explains, “Lao always says to overcome hardness with softness.” Adaptability doesn’t mean weakness. It means responding wisely. It means reading the room, not reacting blindly. In a climate where long-term plans often crumble overnight, the leaders who thrive are those who adjust their sails to the wind.
Think of water. It yields, but it wears away stone. It takes the shape of whatever holds it, but it nourishes life. That’s the leadership the Tao Te Ching advocates.
“Water does not contend,” Master Shining says. “If you put the water in a cup, it becomes the cup. If you put it in a box, it becomes the box. Water never complains.”
The metaphor is powerful. Leaders who act like water shape their environments not by overpowering them, but by understanding them.
Chuck says this quality helps leaders cultivate long-term influence. “Their influence becomes woven into the fabric of the organisation or group success,” he explains. “It’s not tied to their personal image.”
By stepping back, listening deeply, and trusting the collective, leaders build teams that are not only more resilient but also more human.
Think of water. It yields, but it wears away stone. It takes the shape of whatever holds it, but it nourishes life. That’s the leadership the Tao Te Ching advocates.
“Water does not contend,” Master Shining says. “If you put the water in a cup, it becomes the cup. If you put it in a box, it becomes the box. Water never complains.”
The metaphor is powerful. Leaders who act like water shape their environments not by overpowering them, but by understanding them.
Chuck says this quality helps leaders cultivate long-term influence. “Their influence becomes woven into the fabric of the organisation or group success,” he explains. “It’s not tied to their personal image.”
By stepping back, listening deeply, and trusting the collective, leaders build teams that are not only more resilient but also more human.
One of the hardest things for modern leaders to do is let go of control. But the Tao reminds us: control is often an illusion.
Keswani explains, “Pressuring results can create resistance and stress, whereas allowing flexibility fosters creativity and problem-solving.”
It comes back to trust. Trusting your team, the timing, and that not every outcome has to be pushed into existence. Sometimes, the best ideas emerge when we stop trying so hard.
Before leaders can guide others, they must learn to lead themselves. Self-awareness is a recurring theme in the Tao Te Ching.
“Cultivating inner strength through regular self-reflection helps to remain centred amid chaos,” Keswani says. “True wisdom arises in stillness.”
Even in high-stakes situations, a leader who embodies calmness and clarity often influences more than one who uses force. Keswani gives the example of media negotiations: “A leader who listens actively and lets discussions flow organically often reaches better resolutions.”
Master Shining speaks of the need for harmony between oneself and the world: “The Taoist cultivation is for the purpose to achieve harmony. Harmony between you and yourself, you and others, and mankind and nature.”
Before leaders can guide others, they must learn to lead themselves. Self-awareness is a recurring theme in the Tao Te Ching.
“Cultivating inner strength through regular self-reflection helps to remain centred amid chaos,” Keswani says. “True wisdom arises in stillness.”
Even in high-stakes situations, a leader who embodies calmness and clarity often influences more than one who uses force. Keswani gives the example of media negotiations: “A leader who listens actively and lets discussions flow organically often reaches better resolutions.”
Master Shining speaks of the need for harmony between oneself and the world: “The Taoist cultivation is for the purpose to achieve harmony. Harmony between you and yourself, you and others, and mankind and nature.”
When we cultivate inner harmony, outer harmony becomes more possible. And when a leader leads from that place, they lead not just with purpose but with peace.
In a time when leadership is too often measured in noise, speed, and dominance, the Tao Te Ching offers a gentle rebellion. One that whispers: there is another way.
Leadership, in this light, becomes less about control and more about clarity. Less about action and more about alignment. It asks not how loud we can be, but how deeply we can listen.
What if the most powerful thing a leader could do—was to step back?
