There are many aspects to leadership that parallel the philosophies, concepts, and perspectives of Zen Buddhism. I don't profess to have a great depth of knowledge regarding Zen Buddhism, but from the insights I do have, I can see the application with respect to effective leadership.

The parallel exists within the concept of leading without leading. It exists in the ebb and flow of leadership style. And it's reflected in the very duality of the role of a leader within an organization. Let me share my perspectives on each of those concepts as an insight into effective leadership.

The first concept to expand upon is that of leading without leading. Many people hold the notion that leadership is about leaders and followers. They feel that an effective leader learns how to either "pull" their followers along, or they become adept at "pushing" followers to "follow". At first blush, this might sound a bit simplistic, unrealistic, or naïve, but the practice of pulling or pushing followers is much more prevalent than one might expect.

When we push or pull followers along, they're simply acquiescing to our demands or desires. In contrast, when a leader truly has people following him or her, people act not because they "have to" so much as because they "want to". How is this accomplished? How do we shift our team from acquiescing because they feel they "have to" to a place where they excel because they "want to"?

That is captured within the concept of leading without leading. An accomplished leader develops the ability to inspire those around him or her to be, do, and give their best. The leader inspires them to be, do, and give willingly. An effective leader elicits excellence from their team. It's not about "getting" people to do anything. It's not about being viewed as "the leader". It's really about becoming the kind of person others admire, respect, rely on, and want to emulate. People are attracted to and respond to someone because of who they are, and not because of what they do.

Effective leadership is about leading without leading - a Zen-like philosophy.

The next concept to examine is the ebb and flow of leadership style. Many leaders make their mark on an organization by staying true to a certain style of leadership. And while consistency and acting in integrity are critical to strong leadership, one's style of leadership needs to ebb and flow with changing situations and circumstances. It's analogous to the Eastern concept of Yin and Yang. The very symbol for Yin/Yang illustrates the never-ending flow between hard and soft, strong and weak, expanding and contracting, masculine and feminine. And even within those concepts, the seed of its opposite exists.

For leadership to be truly effective, there needs to be a flow of style. Sometimes a strong, unyielding style is required, and other times, a determined, yet yielding style is called for. The more adept at masterfully flowing among the various leadership styles that one becomes (yes, there are more than two styles), the more effective that leader can be at eliciting excellence.

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