Leadership Lessons from Confucius: pause and reflect

Confucius said: “Although a leader may not always achieve goodness, a petty person never achieves it.”
子曰：「君子而不仁者有矣夫，未有小人而仁者也。」

We all make mistakes. When we do so, it is important to pause and reflect on why it happened. Was it based on the right intentions or selfish motives? Did we deliberately cross the line or were we simply being careless? Was it an isolated incident or part of a pattern of recurring behavior? The deeper we dig, the greater the opportunity we have to learn more about ourselves and take the necessary steps to address the areas we need to improve in.

Notes
This article features a translation of Chapter 6 of Book 14 of the Analects of Confucius. You can read my full translation of Book 14 here.

(1) This is an ambiguous passage that has caused much scholarly debate. The point seems to be that a leader can be forgiven for making the occasional mistake because they have their heart in the right place. No matter how many good deeds a petty person carries out, on the other hand, they still do not have a chance of achieving goodness because they are not doing them for the right reason.

(2) Compare and contrast this statement with Confucius’s comments in 4.5: “If a leader abandons goodness, how can they live up to that name? A leader never abandons goodness, even for as long as it takes to eat a single meal; in moments of haste and confusion they still stay true to it.” Perhaps Confucius became a little softer in his old age.

I took the top image at the Zhusi Academy in Qufu. Confucius is said to have taught his students here after returning to Lu from exile in around 483 BCE, as well as compiling or editing the Book of Songs, Book of History, Book of Ritual, Book of Music, and Book of Changes.