10 verses after my favorite verse in the Tao Te Ching, comes verse 27:
A good traveler has no fixed plans
and is not intent upon arriving.
A good artist lets his intuition
lead him wherever it wants.
A good scientist has freed himself of concepts
and keeps his mind open to what is.
Thus the Master is available to all people
and doesn’t reject anyone.
He is ready to use all situations
and doesn’t waste anything.
This is called embodying the light.
What is a good man but a bad man’s teacher?
What is a bad man but a good man’s job?
If you don’t understand this, you will get lost,
however intelligent you are.
It is the great secret.
Here was Flyers HC, ‘Torts’ a few nights ago:
Here’s the issue with sports leadership ‘still’ today…
We conflate this with ‘passion’ and ‘passion’ with caring about his players, his job, the profession, etc…
Couldn’t be further from the truth.
Focus on the 5th and 6th lines of the verse for a second:
A good scientist has freed himself of concepts
and keeps his mind open to what is.
The media is full of bad scientists. The sports writers too. Filling your head with what passionate coaching looks like.
This is not passion for the craft… To quote one Chris Webby, “it’s all hype, it’s a joke.”
Be a ‘good scientist’ like the writer of the Tao suggests and free yourself of ‘concepts’ and keep your mind open to what is.
What is a bad man but a good man’s job?
This is our job as In-Powered Coaches. To spread the word that “Force Coaching” is not the way. The perpetuation needs to end, the careers of these coaches need to end.
The way of the Tao is the way of Power. The way of In-Powered.
Where the true leader isn’t so obviously seen as Torts is.
Everyone can see who the coach is in that clip…
My question is where is the leader?
I’m still looking.