Running head: LEADERSHIP STYLES WITH A MEDITATION ON THE TAO 1

Leadership Styles with a Meditation on the Tao

Bryan Goldsmith

OGL 365: Reinventing Organizations (2022 Spring – B)

Dr. Michael Pryzdia

April 28, 2022

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Leadership Styles with a Meditation on the Tao

Leadership can be classified into several different styles. Each of these styles bears

uniquely identifiable traits. Frederick Laloux has identified different levels of consciousness in

organizational structures, which he has color coded. This essay will examine some specific

characteristics of Red, Amber, Orange, and Green leadership styles and identify persons who

embody these characteristics; according to Laloux’s work. Additionally, this essay will view

Laloux’s integral Teal leadership traits juxtaposed with John Heider’s The Tao of Leadership,

drawing correlations between the two works.

Part I: Examples of Leadership Styles

Michael Jordan: The Red Leader

I believe that Michael Jordan is a great example of an Impulsive Red leader. Jordan was

the centerpiece of a Chicago Bulls team that dominated the NBA throughout the 1990’s. His

tenacity and competitiveness elevated him, as well as his teammates, to stardom and great

success. The reason I chose Jordan as an example of a Red leader is because his leadership was

based from a sense of fear and demand for excellence. Anything short of that was unacceptable

and a teammate would suffer severe and relentless chiding from Jordan if the mark was not met.

He exercised continuous and overwhelming power in interpersonal relationships, bending other

to his will to remain dominant (Laloux, 2014). Jordan united and inspired his teammates through

fear.

“The fear factor of MJ was so, so thick. Yeah, let’s not get it wrong, he was an asshole,

he was a jerk, he crossed the line numerous times; but as time goes on and you think back about

what he was actually trying to accomplish. You’re like, yeah, he was a hell of a teammate.
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You’re playing with a guy that has the highest standards of any basketball player ever. You want

to live up to that challenge (CroPETROforeverNBA, 2020). Jordan constantly exercised his

control and power, leading his team with the short-term focus of “just beat the next team”.

Norman Schwarzkopf: The Amber Leader

Norman Schwarzkopf is my example of a Conformist Amber leader and I chose him

because of his use of rigorous processes, hierarchical structures, and top-down command and

control (Laloux, 2014). A staunch disciplinarian, Schwarzkopf embodies the Amber paradigms

of order and predictability. He commanded the American-led military action in the first Gulf

War that liberated Kuwait from Iraqi occupation (Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d.). Schwarzkopf

devised a military a campaign which decisively incapacitated his enemy in a matter of a few

weeks. In particular, the “ground war” lasted only 100 hours (Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d.).

Amber Organizations can be characterized by two major breakthroughs, which are stable process

via long-term perspectives and stability derived from formal hierarchies (Laloux, 2014).

Schwarzkopf embraced those characteristics and they were plainly evident in the manner in

which he led the campaign. His rule-based leadership and penchant for formal roles and

processes are a key factor in why Schwarzkopf was a successful military leader.

Jeff Bezos: The Orange Leader

The Achievement Orange model is best personified by Jeff Bezos, the founder of

Amazon. He has a background in computer science and electrical engineering, so he is a smart

man. Achievement Orange leadership looks at management through an engineering perspective

(Laloux, 2014). But it is his vision and drive that propelled him to the success he has today.

Bezos is an innovator more than anything else. He started Amazon purely as an online book

distributor. Yet it was not books that intrigued Bezos, it was the integration of the internet in
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business. He saw untapped potential and he seized it and he believed that innovation was the key

to getting ahead of the curve. In navigating the expansive growth that came, Bezos had to build

teams that followed his vision. He hires his employees by measuring their potential with

interview questions that explore if they have the grit, courage, and motivation to run at his pace

and be brave enough to consistently jump with him and level up (The Economic Times, n.d.).

One example of his interview tactic is “I want you to estimate the number of panes of glass in the

city of Seattle” (The Economic Times, n.d.).  Questions like this help him know that his

employees will be able to think creatively and work independently toward the goals he has set.

Elon Musk: The Green Leader

My example of a Pluralistic Green leader is Elon Musk. He is the owner of several

companies such as Tesla, Space X, The Boring Company, and now Twitter. He runs all of

these companies with the same “Green” sensibilities. Musk embodies the notion that

businesses have a responsibility not only to investors, but also to management, employees,

customers, suppliers, local communities, society at large, and the environment, (Laloux,

2014, p. 43). Musk takes his social responsibility very seriously and has made it integral to

how he does business. He is a servant leader, focused on the greater good, and does not

concern himself with the amount of profit he makes. One example of this is his recent

purchase of Twitter. Musk rightly believes that free speech is the bedrock of a functioning

democracy and he views Twitter as the 21st century town square, where matters vital to the

future of humanity are debated (MSN,n.d.). Another example of this is his attitude

towards failure. He has created a safe environment to fail by destigmatizing the shame of

failure in favor of viewing failure as a lesson to learn from, and implementation of lessons

learned (Miller, 2022). Musk values the unconventional and he empowers his people to
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reach beyond traditional ways of doing things. As such, his companies have achieved true

creativity and productivity. This is why Elon Musk is a Green leader.

Part II: Teal and The Tao

For part II of this essay, I have explored John Heider’s adaptation on the Tao of

Leadership. There are four excerpts that stood out to me, which are Equal Treatment, Water,

This Versus That, and Traditional Wisdom. I was able to consider these in relation to Frederick

Laloux’s work in Reinventing Organizations.

I found that The Tao’s excerpt on Equal Treatment (#5) is a dovetail with the Self-

Management aspects of Teal leadership. The wise leader does not try to protect people from

themselves. The light of awareness shines equally on what is pleasant and what is not pleasant

(Heider, 1985). I find this to correlate with the trust aspects of Teal. Freedom and accountability

are two sides of the same coin. In leading our teams, we find trust as our default means of

engagement (Laloux, 2014). This goes until it is proven wrong. A leader does not need to

institute this premise. It naturally exists among a team whose aim is self-management. Team

members relate to each other on the assumption of positive intent. The consequences of one’s

behavior, whether positive or negative, are inescapable. I believe this to be a goal to strive

towards. Implementing conditions that cause team members to rely on one another and trust that

motives will remain pure has great value in the future of organizations.

Another one my favorite correlations is the Tao’s Water (#8) and its relation to Teal’s

Sensing. The wise leader is like water, fluid and responsive (Heider, 1985). It is the fluidity and

responsiveness that I find in sensing. We are keen to notice when new opportunities present

themselves or when something has gone awry (Laloux, 2014). This allows that anyone on the

team can initiate needed change as timing dictates. From watching the movement of water, the
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leader has learned that in action, timing is everything (Heider, 1985). I find this to be a key facet

in self-motivated teams. People need to be observant to both seizing opportunity and problem

solving. Viewing leadership as both fluid and responsive is valuable to build into a teams’

mindset.

I find the principle of aversion in the Tao’s This Versus That (#18) piece. Do not lose

sight of the single principle: how everything works (Heider, 1985). When we fail at mediation,

we lose group cohesion. Teal leadership suggests that through self-management we strive for

wholeness and listen to evolutionary purpose (Laloux, 2014). These principles ground us in

authentic unity and help to thwart taking sides and favoring this over that. I think it is important

to acknowledge that teams are not immune to conflict or strife. There will be times of dissent.

The lesson to draw from the This Versus That principle is to remain mindful of how everything

works. Regarding Teal principles, we view conflict as an invitation to reflect on how we might

be a part of the problem and the pathway to solution (Laloux, 2014).

The final aspect of the Tao that really resonates with me is the principle of Traditional

Wisdom (#20). The wise leader serves others and is relatively desireless, even defenseless

(Heider, 1985). I believe in servant leadership, because it inspires authenticity. In consideration

of Teal practices, this correlates with Wholeness in creating safe and caring workplaces. Leaders

endeavor to create emotionally and spiritually safe environments where team members can

behave authentically (Laloux, 2014). I find great value in authenticity. I want to work with

people who bring their whole selves into the workplace. Traditional Wisdom acknowledges

admiration, service, contentedness, reflectiveness, and simplicity. I strive to keep these attributes

ever-present in my daily leadership of people.

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Summary

In conclusion, we have seen that Leadership can be classified into several different and

uniquely identifiable styles. We examined the specific characteristics of Laloux’s color coded

levels of consciousness in organizations, citing leadership styles and identify persons who

embody these characteristics. Additionally, we viewed Laloux’s Teal leadership traits in

comparison with with John Heider’s The Tao of Leadership, drawing correlations between the

two works. The final analysis of it all is that the integral characteristics of Evolutionary Teal will

define the future of organizations.

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References

CroPETROforeverNBA. (2020, August 25). The last dance | Michael Jordan's all bullying &

insults to teammates & everyone during practise. YouTube. Retrieved April 27, 2022,

from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6oSg1o8YB-U

Encyclopædia Britannica, inc. (n.d.). Norman Schwarzkopf. Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved

April 27, 2022, from https://www.britannica.com/biography/Norman-Schwarzkopf

Heider, J. (1985). The Tao of Leadership: Lao Tzu’s Tao Te Ching Adapted for a New Age.

Bantam Books. New York.

Jeff Bezos asked this Amazon candidate two questions, then hired her on the spot. The Economic

Times. (n.d.). Retrieved April 27, 2022, from

https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/magazines/panache/jeff-bezos-asked-this-amazon-

candidate-two-questions-then-hired-her-on-the-spot/articleshow/88162927.cms?

utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst

Miller, H. L. (2022, April 5). 4 ways to apply Elon Musk's leadership style. Leaders.com.

Retrieved April 27, 2022, from https://leaders.com/articles/leadership/elon-musk-

leadership-style/

What does Musk want with Twitter? check out his tweets for clues. MSN. (n.d.). Retrieved April

28, 2022, from https://www.msn.com/en-ca/money/topstories/what-does-musk-want-

with-twitter-check-out-his-tweets-for-clues/ar-AAWAkIG