life-twists

  In my previous post, I wrote about bad leadership. As a practitioner and teacher of Tai Chi, I discovered the Tao Te Ching or The Book of the Way many years ago, which is said to be the most widely translated literature work after the bible. It is the classic text of Taoism. An excellent introduction to the   Tao Te Ching   is given in a book review published by the Guardian in 2013:  The Tao Te Ching by Laotsi  : ancient wisdom for modern times.   Consider what Laozi said about leadership.   "When the Master governs, the people  are hardly aware that he exists.  Next best is a leader who is loved.  Next, one who is feared.  The worst is one who is despised.    If you don't trust the people,  you make them untrustworthy. “   The Master doesn't talk, he acts.  When his work is done,  the people say, 'Amazing: we did it, all by ourselves!'"  

Some of you might know Kurt Tucholsky (1890-1935). He was a writer and one of the most influential journalists of the Weimarer Republic. In 1931 Tucholsky wrote a short essay entitled " Ratschläge an Einen Schlechten Redner (Advice for a Bad Speaker)." This inspired me to write:   Advice for a bad science manager   You are head of a large research group, e.g., a research institute director. This is not an easy job, and it is vital to follow some rules. Rule number one:  don't trust your subordinates.  Trust can always be abused. Be aware that there are always individuals who want to question your authority and disempower you. If you trust these individuals, you are lost. Hence, it is of great importance to identify these traitorous individuals. Pick out the 10 percent of your subordinates who are creative, who love their work, and who are successful. Usually, the dangerous ones can be found in this group. Restrict their power and influence, dim t...