Welcome to The Way of the Fife

When the Master governs, the people are hardly aware that he exists.

Next best is a leader who is loved.

Next, one who is feared.

The worst is one who is despised.

If you don’t trust the people, you make them untrustworthy.

The Master doesn’t talk, he acts.

When his work is done, the people say, “Amazing: we did it, all by ourselves!”

- Chapter 17 of Lao Tzu’s Tao Te Ching (Stephen Mitchell Translation)

I find this quote from Lao Tzu fascinating, not only because it’s deeply illuminating but also because it runs counter to the version of leadership most of us were taught. In Western culture, leadership is often portrayed as loud, boastful, and brash: a leadership that demands attention and takes credit for every accomplishment. It struts like a peacock, chest poked out for all to see.

Sound familiar?

It reminds me of one of my favorite fictional characters, Deputy Bernard P. Fife, better known as Barney Fife, portrayed brilliantly by Don Knotts on the beloved 1960s television series The Andy Griffith Show. Barney is the comedic embodiment of this flawed, showy style of leadership. His counterpart, Sheriff Andy Taylor (played by Andy Griffith), offers a striking contrast. Andy leads with quiet strength, wisdom, humility, and compassion: embodying the ideal of Lao Tzu’s “Master.”

One of the earliest leadership lessons I learned came from a quote by Marv Levy, shared with me by one of my first mentors, Steve Farmer:

“Leadership is the ability to get other people to get the best out of themselves, and it’s manifested not by getting them to follow you, but by getting them to join you.”

True leadership, I believe, requires the perfect balance of competence, confidence, and compassion.

This website invites you to explore these values with me. Together, we’ll explore leadership lessons drawn from personal experiences, books, articles, movies, and, of course, The Andy Griffith Show.

I’m excited to get started. I hope you are, too.