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About Leadership

Somebody suggested that I write about politics. I responded by telling her that politics is a deeply depressing and disappointing topic for me. My problem with politics is that I see very few individuals exhibit the morality and integrity that I expect from those that we trust to lead us through both difficult and prosperous times. I can’t relate to it nor does any of the behavior that I witness resonate with me. Perhaps I don’t understand the game well enough to become deeply interested. I try to engage and do the right thing. I vote. I donate to the promising candidates, but inevitably I end up feeling frustrated and ineffective. I often think something is wrong with me. What am I missing that others are able to wrap their enthusiasm around?

There are a handful of politicians that have not lost their souls and do operate from a place of integrity, but they are a rare breed.

It finally dawned on me that my lack of enthusiasm I have toward the topic has more to do with the negative and unsavory behavior that, to me do not harmoniously exist in the moral character of a great leader. So, my real issue is not with politics per se, but the lack of leadership skills that I don’t observe in most individuals that are in a position of power. This behavior not only applies to politics it applies to sports figures, musicians, CEO’s of organizations and the list goes on and on. It is more prevalent these days in the political realm. Or, the political climate occupies so much space in journalism and everyday conversation. The topic eclipses any other topic. At least that is my observation when I overhear conversations at the restaurant. My negative visceral response has more to do with behavior and unsportsmanlike conduct than it has to do with the actual practice or profession of politics itself. The hunger and thirst for power, money and fame infect people who achieve or attain a certain level of recognition and most of the time it isn’t pretty.

So, what does it mean to be a solid and effective leader? To my knowledge, the definition of a good leader hasn’t changed. Call me old fashioned or traditional, but I think we have dramatically strayed from understanding what it means to be a good leader. What happened to leading with dignity and respect? What does that actually mean? I can only communicate my definition of leadership and what I have witnessed in those individuals who I believe are truly great leaders. These characteristics are: honesty, transparency, accountability, ability to delegate, unite people versus turning people against each other, resilience, empathy. It seems to me that we have lost our way as a culture as it pertains to raising and nurturing effective leaders that encompass those attributes.

Something that has troubled me over the past several decades is how our Presidents lead. In my opinion, as soon as a President steps into the role they assume the leadership of the country. Shouldn’t the party affiliation mindset dissolve. They are in the position to serve our country. A good leader does not lead from a place of negativity and divisiveness. Their job is to unite around a common cause and ideology. The President should never blame a specific party for a failure to unite or rally around an issue or cause. However, every President in my lifetime has engaged in some form of blame, accusing the other party of not cooperating. It is analogous to me pitting the kitchen staff and the front of the house staff against each other. I think we can all agree that would be incredibly toxic and we would be wrapped up in our own drama that we would not be able to function.

It took me a long time to gather my thoughts around this topic. My goal was to write a blog post once a week. This post derailed my effort. I had to ask myself whether it was because someone suggested that I write about this topic or that the negative behavior often demonstrated these days is magnifying my sadness and utter depression around our inability to relate to each other in a healthy and positive way.

Sometimes our greatest teachers are those that teach us how we DON’T want to be in the world.





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