That may seem a strange title for this thought piece but I am feeling a weight of sadness about how leadership, that may well set out with altruistic ideals, can so easily be compromised when it fails to uphold the values of honesty and integrity in order to gain popularity, power or wealth.
When I am pointing a finger at a person or group exercising such compromised leadership, I look at the three fingers pointing back at me.
· In what ways am I also guilty in my somewhat smaller world?
· When have I failed to speak out my disagreement to a decision being made because the tide seems to be against my opinion? I reason with myself that I have no power or that it would be pointless in view of the strength of feeling of others. Why put myself ‘out there’ and end up feeling foolish, embarrassed and unlikely to have my opinion sought another time?
· When have I agreed to something that I thought was a necessary compromise in order to get something done? I’m not talking about negotiating a mutually beneficial compromise when both parties give way a little. I’m talking about deciding on a course of action that goes against, or cuts the corners of, my values in some way; that makes me feel I’ve let myself or others down.
We expect a lot from our leaders. How accountable are we to ourselves in the way we lead and follow?
· What changes would you like to make in order to live and work aligned to your values?
· How might you help others to live to theirs by supporting and encouraging them and bravely challenging them when you see them compromising the values by which they purport to stand?
To me, the true heroes are those who walk the way of peace and kindness whilst persevering in their calling to change the world and make it a better place. Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr come to mind.
· How about you? You may not see yourself as a mover and shaker – but you are in this world and placed in your particular context to simply do your best. You have a unique contribution to make and many small acts bring about great change. What will yours be today, tomorrow and onwards?
