What does Leadership mean to me?

What does Leadership mean to me?

My understanding of leadership can be summarised as a belief that I should do my best. Do my best to develop and conduct myself for the greatest benefit of the whole. That is, I must be the change you want to see in the world, to act as if’ I am the world. This approach necessitates I understand that ‘I’ am not separate from the whole, must widen my circle of compassion, and consciously feel the deep interconnection and interdependence of the whole of nature.

Dictionary definitions of leadership refer back to lead). Key words and ideas associated with lead include to: show the way by going in advance, guide the behaviour of, induce, direct, inspire, take the principle role, be first and be ahead. These definitions highlight the concept’s importance in creating the shift from unsustainability to sustainability. This shift can be described as a ‘transformation’ – in this case, perhaps the most significant change in the way we think and act in the history of this civilisation. Such a huge shift needs people to act consciously, deliberately and truthfully to create the required momentum.

In approaching this topic, I decided to review my past experiences and how they have informed my understanding of leadership and where I may have acted in a way that lead to shifts or changes. Thinking back, I recalled specific situations in which I felt like I had been a leader, and try to deduce what exactly I had done. Similarly, I could recall when I felt like I was not behaving like a leader. Some of these previous situations were accompanied by strong emotions which induced deep learning (Level 3 in Appendix 1) either immediately or during periods of reflection later on.

As well as my previous experiences, particular people I have met through my life have impressed me with their leadership characteristics[3]. And, when thinking about specific people in the public domain, who I recognised as leaders, another set of characteristics came to mind[4]. When you make enough of them, these long lists of characteristics feel superficial: feel like I am trying to distill an experience of a whole person, or a situation rich with emotion, detail and context down to a few words. At the same time, if I can’t name these characteristics and qualities…are they real?

Sometimes I think there is a sort of perception paradox that affects what I recognise as leadership qualities in myself and others: I can only see it when I know it; and I can only know it when I have seen it. As with other learning too, so the ability to name what leaderships is becomes useful way to extend my intellectual understanding of leadership. Exploring ideas about leadership attunes and sensitizes me to ideas and characteristics that I can ‘try’ or ‘practice’ in the future, or may help me to make more sense of my past experience. This sort of thinking can help understand how I can best work to empower others to be their best: by helping them interpret their experiences, and helping create the space for them to ‘try’ and ‘practice’.

For my learning about leadership to occur in this way, the ability to observe the reality ‘as it is, and not how I would like it to be’ is critical. Filtering new experiences through the lens of new, and a pre-occupation with ‘naming’ can prevent the real, deep learning. A sharpened, objective-as-possible mind and high level of awareness about myself, the group, the environment: the whole, at any/every point in time is key to developing those deeper understandings (Level 3 in Appendix 1). My journey towards a heightened awareness and the learning that flows

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