The Tao of Personal Leadership

This was a great book - the author incorporated ideas from both Eastern and Western schools of thought to give sound advice on how to be not only a good manager, but how to manage your own life. A copy was gifted to me many years ago by a colleague; I put it in my bookshelf for reading at a later time. After finally reading it and seeing how valuable it was, I 'paid it forward' by buying another copy for a co-worker.

The author, Diane Dreher, apparently has some interesting credentials: Chair of an English Department, aikido practitioner, spiritual counselor, and holistic health counselor. I think that this background goes a long way toward explaining why this is an excellent book on personal leadership, and personal growth in general.Dreher does quote from the "Tao Te Ching" and draws on Taoist ideas generally, but her sources and influences are actually much broader and more diverse than Taoism. Purist Taoists may (understandably) not care for this, but I'm not a purist, and I think that Dreher's ability to connect many dots greatly strengthens and enriches the book. What the book conveys is useful wisdom, which is what really counts. And the book is also written in a sincere and unpretentious voice, which makes it easy and enjoyable to read.Highly recommended for anyone interested in personal growth, especially in the arena of leadership. Another similar book I can recommend, which adheres more strictly to Taoist ideas, is  Real Power  by James Autry.

I read this book years ago and needed another copy as the original was falling apart. I refer to it often. It has really helped me lead teams well and stay centered.

The Tao of Personal Leadership takes you on a personal leadership journey using the I-Ching as your guide. Diane Dreher did a great job of creating a guide for Leaders in all types of organizations that you can put to work immediately to increase your effectiveness. If you believe that the essence of leadership is creating willing followership then this is a resource you need to add to your toolkit. I find I'm frequently referring to Diane's work in both my executive coaching and seminars/workshops. business.

It was good for my leadership class.

It’s tried and tested!

one of the best books ever!!!

Dreher writes a detailed and very interesting book on personalleadership according to the Tao. She gives a lot of examples (personal and also not from her life) which make the book credible and practical. I highly recommend the book to whoever is interested in personal development.

Can't quite believe this didn't make into into a new edition.It is, in my view, quite wonderful, especially if you like stories and metaphors based around Taoism and how to apply it to management and life.