Do you consider yourself a leader?
If not, think again. We are ALL leaders, if not as a parent, for a work group or on a sports team, we are always a leader of our own personal change. We are somewhat familiar with the pending apocalypse with the end of the Mayan calendar (and other colliding hypotheses) in December of this year. What just dawned on me is that instead of a flashpoint, it may very well be a tipping point of collective wisdom to make a transformational change in how we relate to the world around us.
I have been researching the numerous offerings online about how to facilitate this transformational change. In a sense, it is a calling to be a leader in this paradigm shift that intrigues me. The reasons for my attraction to this concept are many fold:
1. Transformational leadership starts with change within. The level and depth that we are willing to go on a personal level will guide how effective of a leader we are for this change – even and especially on a global level. As Deepak Chopra says, “To be a leader, look within.”
2. The process is whole systems thinking. As a big picture kind of thinker/player, the inter-disciplinary approach to making this change makes sense to me. It is holistic and sustainable. The interplay and connectedness of all components are honored, which is the way we need to think for the right kind of change.
3. This leadership facilitates an inclusive process. The principles that guide a leader are based on a collective effort: shared language, shared understanding, dialogue and inquiry are all essential for making an authentic and sustainable change.
4. The leader is enabled to go beyond reaction and quick fixes. Conventional leadership tends to be short-sighted which limits effective change. The ability to go beyond reactionary decisions and policy making will lead to re-framing around beliefs and values (of the collective) and re-imagining a new paradigm that will bring about commitment and positive energy.
These are the messages I got from viewing this short but powerful video offered by the Sustainability Learning Centre: Leadership for Transformational Change. Let me know if any of this resonates with you.
Are you or your organization ready to become the leaders we need now? Let me help you.
