The Global Conversation

Tag: Leadership

  • First Domino

    Dear Therese,

    I see Neale, and others, talking about world peace, but I sure don’t see much peace around me these days. I hear them talking, talking, talking, but what am I supposed to do? Where are the leaders like Martin Luther King and Ghandi and Mandela for NOW, and for moving forward? Who is going to lead ME? I am confused as to what I can do!

    Jason in Detroit

    Dear Jason,

    I think any rational person sometimes takes a look around at this world and feels hopeless.  The energy does feel pretty overwhelming.  But here’s what I believe. I believe that there may never be “leaders” in the same manner there were in the past. I think they had their place in space and time, and were necessary, because it wasn’t time for the next step…for ALL of us to be leaders.

    We no longer require a specific leader to be the genesis of change. In fact, we no longer have to know just who was the first to promote and work for an idea, because now an idea whose time has come can spread across the world in seconds with no one having to know who first thought it.

    It does mean that we all get to choose, instantly, whether or not we are going to “Be the change we wish to see.” Are we going to follow the example of those brave souls who were recognized as leaders, and allow them continue to lead us into our own power?

    We can choose how we feel about it all.   We can choose to give up and just let it all happen, or we can choose to do something about what we see.  For me, even if I never “succeed” at changing the world, just the fact that I don’t give up gives my life purpose and meaning.  I will know, at the very least, that I have exampled for my children, and grandchildren, what I feel the world should look like…and maybe THEY will be the ones who change things.

    In any case, we could all, literally, because all of the negativity of this world, stay in bed, under the covers, and be depressed, or we could choose to talk to everyone we meet with a smile on our faces, engage them in conversation, and let all know that we are doing our best to live differently than the energy we feel around us. We could invite them to join us by simply living our lives joyously, and encouraging them to live their lives as joyously as possible as well!

    And lead. By our own example and power.

    And maybe you, or I, will be the genesis of the next great paradigm shift…and never have to know it.

    We may be the first Domino. (Hey, it could happen!)

    When a waitress or waiter asks me if they can do anything else for me, I always say, “Yes, you can give me peace!”, and then a conversation (short or long) ensues about how each of us must first create peace in ourselves, and how peace spreads from our own peacefulness.  I actually had a really long conversation about just that when I went out to dinner yesterday! And I have the conversation in grocery stores and when standing in lines. As a matter of fact, if someone really wants to talk, the one question that really gets the conversation going comes from right here, The Global Conversation.

    “How is it that 7 billion people, all claiming to want the same things…are not able to achieve them?”  (By the way, have you read Neale’s book,  “The Storm Before the Calm”?)

    I believe that “talking, talking, talking” really is the answer, but it has to move off the page and into our personal being and radiate outward to our own corners of the world first.

    So don’t be afraid to be confused.  It is my opinion that being confused, being mad, or being afraid are all simply signals that we should look at things in a different way…because if the current way is making you confused/angry/afraid, it obviously isn’t really working for you!  Consider, if you will, what might work for you.  In what way  might you be getting called to lead?

    Therese

    (Therese Wilson is a published poet, and is the administrator of the global website at www.ChangingChange.net, which offers spiritual assistance from a team of Spiritual Helpers responding to every post from readers within 24 hours or less, and offers insight, suggestions, and companionship during moments of unbidden, unexpected, unwelcome change on the journey of life. She may be contacted at Therese@TheGlobalConversation.com.)

    (If you would like a question considered for publication, please submit your request to Advice@TheGlobalConversation.com, where our team is waiting to hear from you.)

  • Leadership: How to accept High School’s Call of Duty

    If you are a high school student (anywhere) and have participated in (any) sport or activity, it’s very likely that you have been asked (multiple times) to be a leader. Whether it was president, captain, treasurer, or secretary, taking on a role of leadership is nothing short of daunting. Though we may have tried to avoid it, by senior year the responsibility ultimately falls upon us to take the lead. (Lucky us). And so we ask ourselves:

    Can I take up the reins? Can I fill those big shoes? Can I accept the challenge?

    No matter what your answers are, you have nothing to fear. As seen by our flawless political systems, we have been conditioned to believe that being a leader is about standing behind a podium (with a teleprompter in the background), making scandalous remarks to the press (about the last session of Congress and the last episode of Keeping Up with the Kardashians, respectively), and promising for a better tomorrow (while accomplishing absolutely nothing today). Though it may make the whole “leadership deal” appear a lot easier, it hardly seems legitimate. Does this really sound like what a true leader does?

    Being a leader is not about the next election, the infamy, or even the memorials. Instead of fixating on their personal gain, a true leader is focused on the collective gain. The answer to the questions above are not about stepping up and stepping over – but rather stepping aside. Lao Tzu, founding Chinese philosopher of Taoism and author of the Tao Te Ching, eloquently summed it up with the following:   

    True leaders

    are hardly known to their followers.

    Next after them are the leaders

    the people know and admire;

    after them, those they fear;

    after them, those they despise.

     

    When the work’s done right,

    with no fuss or boasting,

    ordinary people say,

    “Oh, we did it.”

     

    Though Lao Tzu said these words in 500 BC, they still ring just as true in 2013 AD. Though a leader may have massive amounts of power, a true leader disregards their own ego and its conquest for more power. To be empowering, not powerful, is what drives a group to harmony, unity, and ultimately, success. By simply serving as a voice of inspiration, rather than authority, ideas from all ranks of the group can flourish. Letting the group speak for itself leads its members to recognize just how creative they are. Sensing their own abilities, the group fosters trust in each other’s potential. As the group recognizes their own awe, the final step of the leader is to let it all happen seamlessly without any indication of intervention.  With this dynamic change, the followers and the leader become one; a singular body with a sole vision to be the best that they can be. With a single greatest vision of the grandest version, the group will thrive.

    In my years of high school, I have had the honor of being Speech Captain and Student Director. In both of those years, our team was Regional Champions for Individual Events and State Finalists for Group Interpretation. Though yes, I was a leader for both of these highly respected and esteemed events, I cannot take responsibility for their successes. I only reminded them of their greatness. And with that reminder, they choose to be beyond great. I couldn’t ask for anything more. I love you Titans.

    (Lauren is a Feature Editor of The Global Conversation. She lives in Wood Dale, IL, and can be reached at Lauren@TheGlobalConversation.com)