Celebrating Virtue In Performance

Revisiting “The Way” of Ancient Chinese Philosopher Confucius

Written by: Nina Cashman

Learnings from M.A. in Happiness Studies / October 1, 2024 (Published February 2025)

Performance, output, results—we learn these are the pathways to success at an early age.

Of course, we cannot help but notice the praise we receive when we achieve, not to mention the attention we gain when we are “best” at something. Our culture is obsessed with outputs, so much so that we overlook how they are achieved.

As any adult who’s worked in an organization can testify, there’s much more to driving success and building influence than what you do. Who you are “being” and how you choose to show up are significant factors in gaining followership and, ironically, driving lasting results.

You could be the most intelligent, most talented person in the room. Still, if you are a royal pain in the arse to work with, constantly causing conflict and distraction, or someone who negates and walks all over others to accomplish goals, then nobody wants to be around you, much less work with you!

When we prioritize achievement over virtue, we are doing our children a disservice. In the Analects and The Great Learning, the ancient Chinese philosopher Confucius teaches about “the Way.” Suppose we all cared a little more about “the way” we achieve our beloved results. In that case, we’d likely find more personal satisfaction and harmony within our immediate surroundings – families, teams, or communities.

So, in the spirit of my favorite mantra, “Pave Your Way,” here’s a distilled synopsis of Confucius’ Way to becoming a virtuous leader with genuine influence.

STUDY, PRACTICE, & KEEP LEARNING:
“When things are investigated, knowledge is extended.” (Muller, 1992).
No matter how accomplished you think you are, remember that the possibilities to learn and improve ourselves never stop. The Master said: “Study as if you have not reached your goal— as if you were afraid of losing what you have’” (Muller, 1990, [8:17]).
Arrogance is such a turn-off, and humility makes us capable of improving. Yet, “The Master said: ‘The ancient scholars studied for their own improvement. Modern scholars study to impress others’” (Muller, 1990, [14:24]). Perhaps we could reverse this trend and re-teach the way of the ancient scholars.
THE MORE YOU LEARN, THE CLEARER YOUR DIRECTION:
“When knowledge is extended, the will becomes sincere” (Muller, 1992).
Confucius taught that learning is self-transformative. Why? Learning new things challenges us in very personal ways. We can rarely be the best at something new to us. Honoring the messiness of the learning process can often lead to genuine expertise and professionalism in the long term. Expecting to be the best at something before it is adequately learned blocks our potential and confuses direction.
“The Master said: ‘Is anyone incapable of following words of correct instruction? But it is self-transformation according to it that is important. Is anyone incapable of enjoying words of gentle advice? But it is inquiring deeply into their meaning that is important. If I enjoy without inquiring deeply, and follow without changing myself, how can I say that I have understood them’” (Muller, 1990, [9:24] )?
THE MORE ALIGNED YOUR DIRECTION, THE CLEARER YOUR THINKING AND THE BETTER YOU WILL FEEL:
“When the will is sincere, the mind is correct” (Muller, 1992).
Think about it. Anytime we act in ways that are discordant with our knowledge or values, we feel awkward, unstable, and perhaps even frustrated or anxious! This is no way to lead or to live! Our pursuits bear more fruit when we are secure in our decisions. Decisions are solid when we have genuine knowledge to back them up.
Expecting higher results than we are willing to cultivate comes across as insincere to others and imposes unnecessary stress and pressure on ourselves. “The Master said: ‘The noble man is always at ease with himself. The inferior man is always anxious’” (Muller, 1990, [7:37]).
Perhaps we could all learn to relax a little more into the improvement processes instead of striving to be “the best.”
THE CLEARER YOUR THINKING AND THE BETTER YOU FEEL, THE EASIER IT BECOMES TO PUT YOUR KNOWLEDGE INTO PRACTICE:
“When the mind is correct, the self is cultivated” (Muller, 1992).
When we feel stable in our thinking, we can stand on our ground rather than bend like a blade of grass in whatever direction the wind blows. Great leaders seek fairness and truth, even when popular opinion crowds against them. This is due to a high level of trust in the knowledge they’ve worked hard to cultivate within themselves.
“The Master said: ‘The noble man is in harmony but does not follow the crowd. The inferior man follows the crowd, but is not in harmony’” (Muller, 1990, [13:23]).
WHEN YOUR KNOWLEDGE IS CULTIVATED, YOU CAN EFFORTLESSLY MODEL IT AND TEACH OTHERS:
“When the self is cultivated, the clan is harmonized” (Muller, 1992).
You cannot expect to lead or build sincere followership by stepping over the process of self-cultivation. Expecting to be treated like an influential person before you have mastered your craft and actually learned how to influence is putting that cart before the horse!
“The Master said: ‘When you have gotten your own life straightened out, things will go well without your giving orders. But if your own life isn't straightened out, even if you give orders, no one will follow them’” (Muller, 1990, [13:6]).
It’s hard to take someone earnestly who begs for attention before earning it. Your influence on others will expand as you cultivate and develop your world knowledge.
YOUR IMPACT IS THE GREATEST WHEN YOU GENUINELY INFLUENCE THOSE CLOSEST TO YOU:
“When the clan is harmonized, the country is well governed” (Muller, 1992).
How we treat people closest to us impacts our broader influence and ability to lead. Without the support and respect of our family members, close friends, colleagues, and clients, how can we expect to make a genuine impact within more extensive settings?
We often teach that becoming a leader is a virtue in and of itself instead of teaching the actual virtues that make up a great leader. Development of these qualities doesn’t begin in boardrooms, podiums, or social media platforms. It starts at home and our neighborhoods at the earliest stages of life.
“Zi Xia said, ‘If somewhat has just a small attainment of the way, it can be observed. But if he tries to extend it too far, it will lose its functioning. Therefore, the nobleman does not do this.’” (Muller, 1990, [19:4]).
Our influence at home is more potent than we think.
WHEN PEOPLE ARE INSPIRED BY GENUINE INFLUENCE, HARMONY IS WIDELY SPREAD:
“When the country is well governed, there will be peace throughout the land” (Muller, 1992).
When we commit our knowledge to positively impacting our closest surroundings, it has a ripple effect. Many people seek a large audience to make their impact and ignore their closest relationships in the process. Recognizing the potency of your presence on your children, friends, family, colleagues, and neighbors is perhaps the most concentrated way to make a meaningful impact on our world.
“Zi Gong said: ‘The faults of the noble man are like the eclipses of the sun and moon— everyone sees them. But when he corrects them, everyone looks up to him.’” (Muller, 1992, [19:21]).

So why aren’t we spending as much time teaching virtuous behavior to our children as we do praising their performance and results? Well, it’s never too late. As “The Master” himself, Confucius said,

“I don’t worry about not having a good position; I worry about the means I use to gain position. I don’t worry about being unknown; I seek to be known in the right way” (Muller, 4:14, 1990).

Read the great work of Confucius:

Check out “The Analects of Confucius” here

References

Muller, A. C. (1992, July 4). Great learning 大學. Www.acmuller.net. http://www.acmuller.net/con-dao/greatlearning.html

Muller, A. C. (2021, December 1). Analects of Confucius 論語. Acmuller.net. http://www.acmuller.net/con-dao/analects.html

Nina CashmanJanuary 31, 2025Pave Your WayComment

Celebrating Virtue In Performance

Revisiting “The Way” of Ancient Chinese Philosopher Confucius

Performance, output, results—we learn these are the pathways to success at an early age.

So, in the spirit of my favorite mantra, “Pave Your Way,” here’s a distilled synopsis of Confucius’ Way to becoming a virtuous leader with genuine influence.

STUDY, PRACTICE, & KEEP LEARNING:

“When things are investigated, knowledge is extended.” (Muller, 1992).

THE MORE YOU LEARN, THE CLEARER YOUR DIRECTION:

“When knowledge is extended, the will becomes sincere” (Muller, 1992).

THE MORE ALIGNED YOUR DIRECTION, THE CLEARER YOUR THINKING AND THE BETTER YOU WILL FEEL:

“When the will is sincere, the mind is correct” (Muller, 1992).

THE CLEARER YOUR THINKING AND THE BETTER YOU FEEL, THE EASIER IT BECOMES TO PUT YOUR KNOWLEDGE INTO PRACTICE:

“When the mind is correct, the self is cultivated” (Muller, 1992).

WHEN YOUR KNOWLEDGE IS CULTIVATED, YOU CAN EFFORTLESSLY MODEL IT AND TEACH OTHERS:

“When the self is cultivated, the clan is harmonized” (Muller, 1992).

YOUR IMPACT IS THE GREATEST WHEN YOU GENUINELY INFLUENCE THOSE CLOSEST TO YOU:

“When the clan is harmonized, the country is well governed” (Muller, 1992).

WHEN PEOPLE ARE INSPIRED BY GENUINE INFLUENCE, HARMONY IS WIDELY SPREAD:

“When the country is well governed, there will be peace throughout the land” (Muller, 1992).

“I don’t worry about not having a good position; I worry about the means I use to gain position. I don’t worry about being unknown; I seek to be known in the right way” (Muller, 4:14, 1990).