I agree with some of Lao-tzu's leadership characteristics. I think a wise leader should be hardworking, honest, and able to time the appropriateness of their actions. If a leader does not work hard, how can they expect their followers to work hard? Honesty is essential. If you are not honest as a leader, you cannot be trusted. Lastly, there are times when tough calls need to be made. I am more cautious when he mentions being fair in handling conflict, and being selfless. A wise leaders should be selfless but only to a certain extent. A leader needs to take into consideration the people they are leading. A good, trusting relationship needs to be developed between leader and followers. However, constantly putting others first might create problems for finishing one's own work. When handling conflict, I agree with Lao-tzu in that it should be handled fair- but fair for who? This part needs to be worded more carefully. Leadership is not always the easiest thing to do, and there are times hard decisions need to be made. Sometimes people will be upset and angry with you. You cannot play devil's advocate all the time.

Throughout the years, I have had numerous "heart-to-heart," talks with my dad. He would call it "tough love." There have been occasions when I thought he was not being fair; but he was acting in my best interest. It was not always what I wanted to hear or do, but it was the right thing to do. Both of my parents empower, are honest, fair, think, and put both my sister and I first. They love us dearly and I love them dearly. I am choosing my father from a professional standpoint. We talk business and about my future. I trust my dad's professional opinion and he is always straight with me. He tells me what I need to do, what I need to work on, and how I can reach my goals. He informs me of my weaknesses. It is hard to swallow criticism- I think that is human nature. He lets me know about these things now so I can work on them and correct them for the future. He has helped me break/change some of my habits that detracted from my productivity in the classroom. We talk about mistakes he has made in the past and what he has learned from them. One of his strong suites is networking. I feel like he knows everyone on earth. He is very proud of my sister and I that he brings us up to other people and always wants us to meet new people. My father works extremely hard for others. He does this not only to support the family, but he knows that others will turn around and help him out if the need arises.