Note: This Fulcrum addresses a fundamental, pivotal element regarding the purpose of leadership. To help make the point, it is dressed with the mantle of world leadership. It is as relevant to human dynamics at all levels and practices, down to the individual.
Never confront people with a demand to make the wrong choices
We all remember those famous set of words: “You are either with us or against us”. An utterance that may carry reason from the level it was spoken, yet demonstrates a person’s state of disconnect from the essence of true leadership.
The way leadership is related to in the 21st century reflects the degree to which the human race lost its way. ‘Leadership’ is widely used as a general term to describe situations where an individual has sway over others. So ‘influencing people’ and ‘driving change’ became synonymous with leadership. People, however, can these days be influenced into just about anything and change is one of the most misunderstood, confused subjects because few perceive what is really happening and what it calls for.
Purpose alignment is the director of leadership
True leadership is deeply connected with a self-alignment that naturally lends itself to being an access point to the power and intelligence of a greater cause. Thus, becoming associated with being a source of enlightenment; helping people into greater self-realization; providing spiritual insight; helping people to make well informed choices; sharing critical perceptions regarding what is happening in the bigger picture…
Those who colour all and everything in their own mind can never perceive what is
First principle leadership calls for the development of neutrality and impartiality. Not in the way of not caring, but rather in the way of not letting one’s biases distort one’s perception and colour one’s actions. It calls for the ability to appear into the now mentally naked and vulnerable – not in the context of weak – out of one’s aspiration to be in the cutting edge of exploring in fullness the human opportunity in its currency. And, most importantly, receive the new – ideas, intelligence, perceptions, power – without it instantly degrading and losing potency and meaning upon landing in one’s mind.
Staying open and malleable
First principle leadership takes the impartial side of greater truth through ceaseless self-generated enquiry: What is the case? What am I missing? What am I not aware of that I need to be aware of? What do I need to let go of to create space for new?
The world’s moral slippage
The absence of a first principle located world leadership accelerates the moral slippage that the world is in the throes of. Highlighting one world arena; as we all know resorting to aggression as the default reaction to deal with real or perceived aggression leads to vicious cycles that keep giving birth to new forms of aggression, each more sophisticated and deadlier than the previous.
Similarly so, with the world’s system of justice. It can be argued that exerting harsh punishment – mostly by indiscriminately jailing people – to deal with certain aspects of non-destructive crime, as is routinely the case in many nations, ends up being a form of state sponsored crime in order to combat crime. The world is lacking the order of leadership that is capable of addressing the domains of justice from an illumined posture that will allow for a desperately needed radical update.
We are not being naïve here
Yes, of course, world leaders must make hard decisions in the context of protecting humanity’s core values – whatever is left of those – and keeping intact the hope of a better future. At the same time, part of the challenge is to realize the degree to which deeply engrained second principle habits and ways of thinking keep hijacking people’s minds from the first principle citadel.
Note: To be clear, the term ‘first principle’ is used here in the context of the calling of a higher cause, the mission, what needs to happen for the good of all, firmly beyond personal agendas and biases.
The task at hand
The task confronting world leaders here and now is the pressing need to forge ways to create across the world pods of human enlightenment that share an irrepressible desire to discover new meanings and values to being alive. Thereby generating a collective resonance towards a critical mass scenario of shifting the world’s centre of gravity into an overwhelmingly constructive mind-set.
It is a natural law that the higher we aspire in terms of human purpose, the easier it becomes to work together in constructive contexts. Two human beings connected to and sharing a higher purpose are able to instantly, magically find each other at great depth regardless of how long they know one other.
The first condition for real progress
Real progress can only ever happen through the portals of human enlightenment. How does a leader facilitate its emergence? First, by helping people escape non-constructive ways of thinking. Next to that, by helping people connect to and share the best of themselves. The rest follows naturally. Did I miss a few steps here..? Well, the task in writing the Fulcrums is to use brevity to address core fundamentals. Ways and means belong elsewhere. If you are interested in those you are invited to get in touch.
Leadership humility
The sign of a true leader is when she or he are seen at the kitchen table talking with people and listening – really listening. Not just because they want to connect with others, but because they know full well that the complexity of life is such that an individual can only perceive a small portion of what is happening. Thus, the keen interest in other people’s perspectives.
Can you spot the changes?
True leadership embodies a timeless essence and lives inside of the permanent lines of human endeavour. This is why people today still study the works of outstanding individuals who lived throughout history. The calling of these times of radical change, however, is for the creation of new leadership paradigms, with a radical shift in play from the masculine to the feminine way of leading.
Which is a good place to hit the ‘pause’ button as this leads to a book-size Fulcrum. So I shall leave it here for now.
David Gommé
World Copyright 2014 © David Gommé