If Sages Worked in Tech: Ancient Wisdom for Future-Proof Leadership

Leadership and its definition is on a continual evolution that is often no more than exchanging one outdated characteristic (goodbye "Charismatic Leadership" - the idea that one figurehead inspires and directs the company) (Vergauwe, Wille, Hofmans, Kaiser, & De Fruyt, 2018) for more progressive examples, (hello "Servant Leadership" - the idea that the purpose of leaders it to serve those who deliver the 'product') (Linuesa-Langreo, Ruiz-Palomino, & Elche-Hortelano, 2017); without fully explaining the transition. Partly due to the newness of the field compared to other academic disciplines, and partly to the acceleration of business behavior; academic and business definitions of leadership seem to be struggling to keep pace. The current article presents evidence to support a more enduring lens of leadership, with particular attention to leadership definitions from Taoism and contemporary texts that describe the Tao. In the context of "second-tier" leadership, a relatively modern concept, it suggests approaches to the attainment of the Tao style may be another route to a post-conventional worldview more applicable in the modern age. The future-proof leader has a greater capacity to wrestle the complexities of the modern world (Kegan, 1994) and take multiple perspectives on any given problem. Future-proofed "wise" leadership is agnostic of the change speed of technology, yet the momentum of technology, globalization, and instant communication are what makes its understanding a modern necessity.