The Tao of Influence

Ancient Wisdom for Modern Leaders and Entrepreneurs

By: Karen McGregor

Narrated by: Tanya Eby

Length: 6 hrs and 33 mins

Publisher's summary

A Unique Leadership Book

Tao and the Four Pillars of Influence stands apart as a business book. It speaks ancient wisdom to the modern-day leader, while providing practical and tangible actions that lead to high levels of sustainable influence. The book is an easy-to-follow roadmap to creating lasting change in your workplace, community and family, while navigating chaotic and demanding environments.

Make an impact and positively influence others to create much needed change. As the “old world” influence of manipulation, hidden agendas, control and greed crumble, people are seeking a replacement. They want to be part of the solution. Tao and the Four Pillars of Influence is this replacement: it fills the gap between old and new world influence through the teachings and application of the Tao Te Ching, a 4000-year-old wisdom book written by Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu.

The greatest power is in understanding the use of power. Karen McGregor is an international keynote speaker, TEDx speaker, and a guide to thousands of entrepreneurs and professionals seeking to become more influential leaders. In the Tao Te Ching, the Tao represents masculine creation and Te represents feminine nurturing. Tao and the Four Pillars of Influence speaks to both the feminine and masculine within, using words and concepts that are in keeping with the wisdom of the Tao Te Ching, and that don’t rely on having to force, beat or defeat anything.

Each chapter begins with a quote from the Tao Te Ching that connects with that chapter’s theme. Then concludes with reflections and recommended action. Learn how to:

• Handle challenges, including difficult people
• End the dynamic that heightens power struggles and destroys influence
• Create stillness and space to generate more presence and authentic power

If you have read books such as Weconomy, Leaders Eat Last, or Eckhart Tolle’s A New Earth, you will want to read and learn from Karen McGregor’s Tao and the Four Pillars of Influence.

©2020 Karen McGregor (P)2020 Insatiable Press

This is a very good book

A lot of knowledge in this book, and well worth your time to listen to

Mixed Bag

If you can get past the blatant pseudoscience and frequent references to Christianity, it's not a bad read. Focusing only on the content actually relevant to Taoism and eastern philosophy, it's mostly just a rehash of content already "out there". And that's not nessecarily a bad thing.

I wouldn't recommend it as an intro to taoism, but if you just happen to be looking for a book that discusses leadership and taoism, it's worth picking up. Just don't expect anything new, and be prepared to roll your eyes a few times.

There's one part that talks about how "science is beginning to realize that reality is a hologram and all dimensions are one" which supposedly validates the theory that "we may be living multiple lives in parallel" because time is an illusion. I can imagine that sounding pretty deep to someone without a background in the hard sciences, or someone who is stoned out of their mind. But, this sort of nonsense is pretty isolated from the core concepts, and not too detracting.

I'm mostly disappointed that the author seems to feel that Taoism needs to be justified by fake science. It doesn't. And this isn't just a problem with this book, I've seen it in Effortless Living as well. It's an issue with the entire genre.