John Quincy Adams Views On Pura Vida And Leadership

Pura Vida and Leadership When speaking about leadership, what often comes to mind are images of success and grandeur: presidents, generals, CEO’s, names such as George Washington, Steve Jobs, Nelson Mandela, and Martin Luther King Jr; the greats whose names are etched into history to be remembered and admired for generations to come. When it is looked at this way it makes sense that your average Joe would feel intimidated by the idea of leading, who is he to try to cast his name alongside those who are the epitome of greatness? This perspective is a common one, but while these names are rightfully associated with the concept of leadership, to view them as the whole of leadership is a far too close-minded perspective on this expansive topic. John Quincy Adams, 6th president of the United States of America, provides a lovely sentiment that emphasizes the broadness of leading when he says “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more, you are a leader.” This, I believe, truly embodies the essence behind being a leader: you don’t need a title, or a group of underlings to order around in order to lead, you simply need to take actions that better yourself

This is complimented by a notion put forth by Lao Tzu, a Chinese philosopher and founder of Taoism, who said “A leader is best when people barely know he exists, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled they will say: we did it ourselves.” This perspective on leadership is one that I personally appreciate, and is one that I feel is particularly relevant to leadership