Saturday, September 5, 2009
Are leaders born or made?
You know, debates about whether leaders are born or made are a little bit like debating whether there is a God... depends what you mean by 'God'. I think we have to start by defining the notion of 'leader' we are holding in mind. For example, many of us when 'leader' is mentioned think Gandhi, Obama, JFK, or business leaders. I'd lke the expand the thought process a bit. If a great leader is someone who makes things happen, provides a great role model, causes other people to drop what they're doing and follow, we should think a little about the unsung quiet leaders in our midst. Maybe those who act out of principle, inspiration, higher purpose, voluntarily, rather than for bonuses. For me, those are the great leaders, people I aspire to be like. And I dont think you can categorise those people as either born or made, and training certainly didnt make the difference. How can we find our passion, our inspiration, our contribution? Then, we can't help but lead!
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Personal Leadership
A few thoughts of my own on personal leadership from my blog at http://soulworkblog.blogspot.com/...
we hear all the time that we are living through a period of furious pace of change. One take on this can be seen in the (technology-centric) 'shift happens' video, see http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=ljbI-363A2Q
Clearly, we can't stop change happening, nor slow it's pace...
Change is not a bad thing. It is inevitable, and it is fast.
Some things change and some things don't...
For me, personal leadership is about knowing who you are and what you are for, having a beacon to guide you through the storm of change. Many people today are clear what they are against... many people today find purpose and fulfilment from being against something, whether it be wind farms, nuclear energy or the prospect of an eco-town being built near their home. Another perspective is to decide what you are for in this world.
The good news is, we needn't be like a cork bobbing on the tide of popular opinion and ever-changing (not always for the better) societal values. Indeed, there is little virtue in just 'going along with the others'. As philosopher Edmund Burke is reputed to have said: "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing".
We have the option to decide who we are, who we will be, what we are for, what difference we will make in this world. This is effortful work, requiring much contemplation and deep personal honesty (it comes from within). However, deciding our purpose and reason for being is the first step to discovering a level of passion and inspiration within ourselves that can lead to an extraordinary quality of life.
And, guess what, change begins with ourselves, as Gandhi memorably remarked: "Be the change you want to see in the world".
How much more fulfilling such a life is than living the life of a grazing cow...
Personal opinion! Paul
we hear all the time that we are living through a period of furious pace of change. One take on this can be seen in the (technology-centric) 'shift happens' video, see http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=ljbI-363A2Q
Clearly, we can't stop change happening, nor slow it's pace...
Change is not a bad thing. It is inevitable, and it is fast.
Some things change and some things don't...
For me, personal leadership is about knowing who you are and what you are for, having a beacon to guide you through the storm of change. Many people today are clear what they are against... many people today find purpose and fulfilment from being against something, whether it be wind farms, nuclear energy or the prospect of an eco-town being built near their home. Another perspective is to decide what you are for in this world.
The good news is, we needn't be like a cork bobbing on the tide of popular opinion and ever-changing (not always for the better) societal values. Indeed, there is little virtue in just 'going along with the others'. As philosopher Edmund Burke is reputed to have said: "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing".
We have the option to decide who we are, who we will be, what we are for, what difference we will make in this world. This is effortful work, requiring much contemplation and deep personal honesty (it comes from within). However, deciding our purpose and reason for being is the first step to discovering a level of passion and inspiration within ourselves that can lead to an extraordinary quality of life.
And, guess what, change begins with ourselves, as Gandhi memorably remarked: "Be the change you want to see in the world".
How much more fulfilling such a life is than living the life of a grazing cow...
Personal opinion! Paul
Friday, June 26, 2009
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
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