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Lao Tse – "Give a man a fish, feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, feed him a lifetime"

In Chinese antiquity, sometime between the 4th and 6th centuries BC, Lao Tzu was the founder of Taoism, the mystical ‘way’ or ‘way’ that many have followed ever since.

And with it came the many sayings for which he is famous.

One of the best known is the one quoted above, “Give a man a fish; feed him for a day. Teach him to fish; feed him for life,” which has a wonderful analogy with the modern world of management. from today.

The metaphor of feeding someone and that’s enough to get through a day, and just one day, shows that people can only be helped so far. If we help them and do things for them all the time then they trust us which is not only detrimental to their skill development but also potentially dangerous, if we are not there to help them one day their future is at risk.

The principle by which we totally rely on the support, guidance and even nurturing of another person, for too long a period, is typical of many modern management environments. Old-style ‘command and control’ management processes lead to employees only being required or even able to do what they are told, putting great pressure on those who say so.

Not only that, but when employees are not provided with stimulating work and asked to mentally challenge themselves, this often leads to demotivation and later higher absence rates, as well as employee turnover that boredom precipitates.

Lack of stimulation = boredom = frustration = going out to find something else.

Let’s look at the other side, where “we teach a man to fish.” Man not only becomes self-sufficient and can survive without being provided, but has a sense of accomplishment and accomplishment. How good does a fisherman feel when he takes a fish out of the water?

Much better than when one is generously placed in front of him, simply to eat. Sure it may be good, for a while, to be provided, but the human psyche is bigger than that in a healthy human being. People must be valued for who they are.

So, ‘we teach them to fish’. In the workplace, by teaching people new skills, we validate them for who they are and the contribution they can make. They know that they are useful and valued and with this confidence they do more. They learn that stretching is good. That they have in themselves untapped resources that show the potential that they have always had, now unleashed.

In fact, ‘teaching them to fish’ not only realizes the material potential they have, but it catalyzes even greater capacities in them. His development muscle has been stretched and exercised, making him bigger and more capable.

What is the business advantage of ‘teaching our people to fish’? Well, managers can offload some of their tactical workload to others who relish the opportunity. This frees up managers to do more with more people.

A work environment that becomes the breeding ground for capable, committed and enthusiastic employees who strive to do more. Managers allow their business to become a mixing bowl of capacity and idea development like never before.

In a corporate world where the embodiment of excellent management is an operation that performs at least as well (and sometimes better!), When the manager is absent it must be recognized as the purest quality.

And with that level of skill developed, all because the manager taught his people ‘how to fish’, the business thrives.

How would Lao Tzu smile if he saw that his little saying is so important, in the hustle and bustle of today’s business world, as it was so many years ago!

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