Lead like Buddha

Ten Virtues of Humane Leadership

Know thyself. This is the first maxim at the entrance of the Apollo Temple of Delphi. This is also the first maxim regarding leadership, because only those who can lead themselves can lead others. Leadership always begins with self-leadership.

All that we are is the result of what we have thought. The mind is everything. What we think we become.

Buddha

Leadership is a matter of inner attitude. But what attitude is that and what does it mean to lead yourself well? A good, but unfortunately less known in the West, canon of values is found in Buddhism in the so-called Dasavidha-rājadhamma, the ten virtues of a ruler:

1. Charity (Dāna). Leadership does not end at the walls of the organization, but rather assumes responsibility beyond that for society.
2. Morality (Sīla). Genuine authority is not a question of position, but of exemplary moral conduct, because leadership is based more on imitation than on subordination.
3. Altruism (Pariccāga). Leadership is about making others successful. While our actions today are often guided by the ego-centered question “What do I get out of the existence of others and the community,” the opposite question is more…