🪙Leadership Gold from Poets 🪙

 

 

 

 

 

Leadership, at its heart, is a beautifully human journey—one the poets seem to understand best. Their verses linger in my mind, and these five lines are my constant companions, shaping the way I see the art of guiding others.

Leadership Gold from the Poets

Lao Tzu*

A leader is best

when people barely know he exists.

Not so good when people obey and acclaim him;

worst when they despise him.

If you do not trust the people,

you make them untrustworthy.

The good leader talks little.

When his work is done, his aim fulfilled,

the people say,

“We did it ourselves.”

* Note: there are varying translations.

Maya Angelou

I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.

Emily Dickinson

Tell all the truth but tell it slant —

Success in Circuit lies

Too bright for our infirm Delight

The Truth's superb surprise

As Lightning to the Children eased

With explanation kind

The Truth must dazzle gradually

Or every man be blind —

e. e. cummings

To be nobody but yourself, in a world which is doing its best night and day to make you just like everybody else, means to fight the greatest battle there is to fight and never stop fighting.

William Ernest Henley

Out of the night that covers me,

Black as the pit from pole to pole,

I thank whatever gods may be

For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance

I have not winced nor cried aloud.

Under the bludgeonings of chance

My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears

Looms but the Horror of the shade,

And yet the menace of the years

Finds and shall find me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,

How charged with punishments the scroll,

I am the master of my fate:

I am the captain of my soul.

Reflecting on poems like the one above encourages us to explore resilience, self-mastery, and courage in the face of adversity. By engaging with poetic language and deeper themes, we develop empathy, emotional intelligence, and a greater awareness of your own values. This introspection not only strengthens our resolve but also inspires us to lead with authenticity and purpose, empowering both ourselves and those we guide.

Stay inspired, lead boldly!

 

Peter Mclees, Leadership Coach, Trainer and Performance Consultant                       

 SMART DEVELOPMENT

                             

 

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