Leadership Lessons from Confucius: one single saying

Duke Ding asked: “Is there one single saying that can ensure the prosperity of a state?” Confucius replied: “No single saying could have such an effect. There is a saying, however: ‘It is difficult to be a ruler; it is not easy to be a minister.’ A saying that could make the ruler understand the difficulty of his task would come close to ensuring the prosperity of the state.” “Is there one single saying that can ruin a state?” Confucius replied: “No single saying could have such an effect. There is a saying, however: ‘There is nothing I love more about being a ruler than never having to be contradicted.’ If you are right and nobody contradicts you, that is great; but if you are wrong and nobody contradicts you, wouldn’t this come close to being a case of ‘one single saying that can ruin a state?’”

You do not have to be the smartest person in the room just because you are in charge. Your role is to bring the best minds together and listen to what they have to tell you. It is only by hearing different perspectives on issues from people who are not afraid to challenge your thinking that you will be able to come to the best decision. Creating an open and trusting environment in which everyone feels comfortable about sharing their expertise and opinions is vital for ensuring the continued prosperity of your organization and preventing it from falling into ruin.

Notes

This article features a translation of Chapter 15 of Book 13 of the Analects of Confucius. You can read my full translation of Book 13 here.

(1) In theory, ministers had the duty to remonstrate with their rulers if they thought they were making a poor decision. Given the potentially fatal consequences of upsetting their all-powerful leader, however, many preferred to remain silent and nod in agreement with whatever insane idea he came up with.

(2) Duke Ding of Lu was responsible for elevating Confucius to his highest official position as the Minister of Justice. However, he was said to be so weak that he was the kind of ruler who “held the blade of the sword and offered the handle to his enemies.”