Many years ago, I came upon Lao Tzu's description…

Many years ago, I came upon Lao Tzu's description of the kind of leader he believed best served his followers. He described that leader as "one who is never seen, never heard, and never felt, but is revered for one thousand years by his followers for his excellent leadership."

— from Leadership & Business (Leadership/Business) · Family: The Compact Among Generations by James E. Hughes Jr.

In the book

That is the real prize, and the wisest traditions saw it long ago. Lao Tzu described the finest leader as one who is "never seen, never heard, and never felt, but is revered for a thousand years by his followers" — because the people did it themselves, and felt that they did. Sun Tzu said the greatest general is the one who never has to fight a battle, because he planned so far ahead that the outcome was settled before the first move; for such a leader, long-term strategy is everything and tactics merely bring it to life. […] Back the right people and support them. That, more than any deal, is where the real return lives. Build to outlast yourself. Plan like Sun Tzu; lead like Lao Tzu; leave something that flies for a thousand years. Children — most of my working life I was captivated by one thing: that success in business could buy me freedom and independence, the freedom to do what I wanted, when and how I wanted, to merge money and freedom into one. — Leadership & Business (Leadership/Business)

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