Many people remember Bruce Lee as a famous actor and as one of history's greatest athletes.  What many don't know is that he was also a philosopher.  As someone who has idolized him since childhood, much of my own personal philosophy is based on his beliefs. Bruce Lee often sought personal enlightenment from nature and there is where he found it - the element of water.

Though his philosophy is centered on combat, I have found that much of it is directly applicable to leadership and the business environment.  When one thinks about the business environment, it really does resemble that of war or the combat environment.  This is probably why so many business people consider reading "The Art of War" as essential.  One can draw many parallels, but that is not the focus of this entry.

"Empty your mind.  Be formless, shapeless - like water.  When you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. When you put it into a bottle, it becomes the bottle.  When you put it into a teapot, it becomes the teapot.  Water can flow, or it can crash.  Water is the softest substance in the world, but it can also penetrate rock. Be water my friend."  - Bruce Lee

To be an effective leader, one must take on the nature of water.  A true leader favors formlessness so that s/he can assume all forms. A leader must not have any one style, so that s/he can fit with all styles.  As a result, the adaptive leader utilizes all tools and techniques, bound by nothing, to achieve a vision. A leader adapts to the preferred style of those who follow to obtain the best results and reduce conflict.

A leader who has a mind that is shapeless like water has no ego.  Ego resists influences and ideas from others that may be the key to achieving a vision, or a way to obtain personal growth.  Ego confines one to follow a narrow thought process that cannot be adapted to all situations and is doomed to fail given the right mix of situations. Following a set of patterns that are incapable of adaptability or flexibility only constrain a leader into a smaller cage.

A leader who follows the nature of water can achieve true communication, as a formless mind is free from acceptance, denial, conviction, and other mental barriers that block communication.  When entering communication with stakeholders or anyone else, the successful leader must empty his mind of all conclusions - only then can communication "flow" and true understanding of the others' messages and needs be realized and aligned with the vision of the organization. 

I have found adapting the philosophy of being like the nature of water to leadership and the business environment to be... well natural.  The business/project environment is alive and constantly changing.  Business and project leaders must be able to adapt to whatever situation may come.  One cannot do this by following a handful of patterns or one way of doing things.  There is no one-way, especially in project management.  As project managers and business leaders we must learn all the tools and techniques we can and apply them to the situation at hand, changing/adapting the tools and techniques as necessary to achieve a vision and/or objective. Being like water allows leaders to accomplish this easily.

I leave you by asking this question - In what other ways can we achieve better leadership by following the nature of water?

- Richard Ybarra

Leaders radiate consistency which builds trust, 

When we wake up every morning, we inherently trust that the sky will above and the ground will still be below us, the sun and the moon will still exist, the gravitation pull will not decrease forcing us to float to work, water will still boil at 212 degrees centigrade, ice will still form at 0 degrees centigrade, the birds will fly, fish will swim and animals will not overthrow humans and rule the world.  This is consistency which nature has radiated for thousands of years and which has allowed us to trust it effortlessly.  

Can you think of a more consistent and natural leader than nature?  Think and thank!  

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