Leadership

[Ishtahota]

When I started down my personal path to spiritual growth, I remember what one of my teachers said to me about bringing change to this world and its people. One of my teachers named Horse said: “if everyone liked you and what you were doing, that you most likly were not doing anything that would help this world or others in it”. People fight change in this world and they do not like leaving their comfort zone. So if half of the people hate you and the other half like what you are doing and what you stand for, then most likly you are becoming a good leader and the kind of person that will bring positive change to this world and its people.

People love to feel good about themselves and they love to get the most that they can by giving the least amout as possible. People also love the easier softer way to anything, when there really is no easier softer way. That is why we tend to follow people that want to take advantage of us, or they want to take us for all that they can. This is why the world has the tendancy to follow the worst kind of leaders that it possibly can.

Does a good leader give the people what they want or does a good leader give the people what it is that they need? If a man and his family came to you hungry, would you give them a fish so that they could eat for a day or would you teach them to fish so that they could eat for a lifetime?

Do we want leaders in our world who only serve their own self interest, or do we want leaders that serve the greater good of the whole? What qualities do you think a good leader should have?

[aceofcups]

hi,, i would say to me a good leader has confidence within their own path,, to allow others to find there own... and when working in a group allow each to find their niche, their useful process in relationship to the whole group process.

It would be great if one can find more leaders who are dedicated to self-less service. But the games of the the Trickster ego does sneak in at times. In both the leaders and followers. It all a growth learning process.

Leaders/Teachers: I have met teachers who were imbibed with the wisdom I needed in different cycles. And with open eyes, mind and heart pursued the teaching they wanted to share. But learning discernment about which teaching to accept or not has been an on-going process of my 45 years on path.

[gruntal]

That reminds me a bit of the time I applied for a job at a medium sized machine shop and the personnel manager asked a few generic questions like "what would be your ideal type of boss?". Being a teckie I wasn't much used to that sort of question so I guess I mumbled something stupid. I should have said: "I would NOT". "I would not work for anyone if I had a choice - I would work for myself and not some incompetent".

I have not generally had pleasant experiences depending on other human beings. At some level it is necessary to have a teacher because you are incapable of learning things by yourself or it takes forever. If you think all knowledge is free for the asking you will get much of little value. At another level you are denoucing yourself to relie on the others and even doing them a disservice by bothering them so much. You altimately will never find a leader that knows you and what you need to be better then you yourself.

There is no best leader and you are in danger of surrending your birthright every time you accept one. But all the Cosmos consists of choices. If it were not so it would make no difference what we or our leaders did. It appears it does matter. So at the highest level I wonder if leadership is a moot point. Any one of the group should be able to step up and take leadership if the need arises even as the leader is just the master servant of the group think. Those choices do not go from the top down - they go from the lowest to the highest.

In the mean time I guess the best leader is the best fall guy ...because we really have nobody but ourselves to blame.

[baangus]

I worked in theater for years and directed many plays. I learned that a good director is someone who shapes the activity of each particular group of actors, and that's about it. There is no such thing as a bad actor, and years of directing community plays has taught me that everyone can act. A good director will simply shape the final product to best reflect the strengths of every actor in the production, regardless of their level of experience and talent.

And that's exactly why politics doesn't work for example. You can't have a group, kowtowing to the absolute vision of one person. There's no movement, growth, inspiration or creative expression in that setup. It's a dead form of human action and activity. And if we're not instituting forms of social partnership that continuously lead to higher expressions of inspired being, then we're wasting our time in this incarnation, period.

[sparklekaz]

An interesting post Ishta, and I agree with many of the points of view expressed by Ace, George and Baangus. When I first read your post, I focused on the same perspective as the other three gentlemen. That ultimately we are our own masters, we steer our own ships. That all anyone else can and should do for us, if it is necessary, is to help us recognise our own strengths and abilities. Particularly if we do not see them for ourselves. So that we do not have to rely on other people and can become self-sufficient. But, I do think that some people are natural born leaders and others are not only happy to follow, but prefer it. Not wanting the responsibility. That is human nature. Yes, I know it is hard to believe that some people prefer others to make decisions for them, particularly if we do not fall into that category. But it is true, many do. There will always be one person who will stand out from the crowd and be willing to make decisions for the betterment of all. The problem arises when you get someone who has that strength of character, but is not someone of high moral fibre and integrity. Who will use their influence and charisma for their own personal gain. And that is when problems arise. Abuse of authority and power. We see it all the time in dictatorships, in all levels of society.

I do believe though, that there is a fine line that people walk, between following someone out of respect and a belief in their abilities; to a blind belief where people will follow like sheep to the slaughter. I believe we should all retain a sense of individuality and realisation that ultimately we do have self autonomy. That we should challenge any decisions taken on our behalf, if it does not sit right with our own moral compasses. That following another person should always be a matter of choice, not enforced or coerced. That at any moment we can withdraw it. As others have said, no one else can say with any surety what is right for us, only ourselves. I also believe that a group of people can work together on an equal basis, each one bringing something vital to the dynamic. That there is strength in diversity, if people can work together harmoniously. Sad to say though that many people do still have the 'I' mentality and will still only view something from their own perspective. It is no mean feat trying to get a group to work together as one. Sometimes it does take one person, to bring it all together. But that should not mean we lose our own sense of identity and the ability to steer our own course in life. I also firmly believe that as individuals we do have the power to make changes. That it only takes one voice to stand up and say 'this is wrong'. Often we all know something isn't right, but lack the courage to go against the majority. One voice raised against oppression and immoral acts, can and has been the catalyst for positive change in the world. I think there is power in standing together and standing apart.

Love and light
Kaz