Dear Learners
I am mindful of something Gandhi wrote.
There is a story that is quite well known in the Highlands of Scotland.
And, since the Clan Chief of my family (clan) Ian Campbell died recently I
would like to try to tell a story about leadership in isolation. Both the
'becoming' and 'being' and maybe of it conveys something else about the
capacity to 'overcome' the 'snapshot' picturing mentality of our talking
about 'entropy' and creating a new vision of 'entropy production' as the
'doing of the knowing' as per 'the movie' which I am coming to see
possibly as a temporally 'invisible' agent of change through the physical
world. A shepherd crofter noticed on a distant neighbour's farm he was
visiting that in two adjoined fields separated by a high wall there was in
the one field a lone anxious sheep, the grass was all but gone, thin
pickings. All the others of the flock were nibbling contentedly away in
the adjacent field on taller lush grass. There was no gate. As the visitor
looked, scanning the entire croft of about seven;-) fields he saw that
none of the fields had gates, yet from droppings, water troughs and other
clues it was obvious all the fields were used in the cycles of the year.
He was puzzled but didn't ask, Why? How? Now you might want to 'become'
the visiting shepherd walking home the next morning passing the same
fields from high ground as they pass once again from the one field back to
the other, leaving the other 'one' behind. "They taught me nothing, yet I
have learned from them." Giotto, the great artist of the Italian
Renaissance, who introduced the 'passion inhering of spatial psychology'
into Art began his life as a shepherd in the mountains.
Liquid Leadership follows below (*Mary Parker Follet)
List supplied in March 1996 as the result of a brainstorming exercise with
about twenty executives by Trond Sjovoll TS Leadership Consulting
Leaders....
Leaders always look for ways to improve Leaders don't complain Leaders
encourage others Leaders have faith in themselves Leaders have faith in
others Leaders have faith in the organization Leaders keeps others in mind
Leaders look outside the company Leaders are able to "let go" Leaders allow
others to grow by delegating to them Leaders speak clearly and understandably
Leaders look at things globally, not in littlest detail Leaders generate a
positive attitude Leaders are relaxed and present Leaders know the value of
friends and family Leaders read Leaders teach Leaders share their skills
Leaders present themselves professionally Leaders do what they believe in,
and believe in what they do Leaders provide guidance to those they work with
Leaders have loyalty to all people Leaders let workers know how important
they are to the company Leaders know their role in the bigger picture Leaders
earn respect, don t demand it Leaders aren't afraid of the ramifications of
their decisions Leaders believe they have the power and ability to act
Leaders are willing to take risks Leaders are willing to learn from their
mistakes Leaders understand Leaders need support Leaders put good of the
whole before self Leaders take time for their people Leaders can quickly
assess a situation and take appropriate action Leaders generate feedback
Leaders can laugh at themselves Leaders come in many styles Leaders are not
afraid to admit they don t have all the answers Leaders are fair and promotes
fairness Leaders truly care about co-workers Leaders are knowledgeable
Leaders put others first Leaders build teams Leaders don t let their emotions
run their life Leaders motivate people and promote their skills Leaders
encourage employees to be their best Leaders are disciples Leaders know how
to have fun Leaders are creative Leaders keep abreast of changes Leaders
communicate information to staff
Leaders are servants Leaders take initiatives and responsibility Leaders take
action Leaders are friendly and concerned about their people Leaders
communicate Leaders have visions for themselves and their co-workers
Leaders listen Leaders share their knowledge Leaders provide direction
Leaders act and participate Leaders lead by example Leaders provide positive
reinforcement to employees Leaders get to know their employees Leaders see
the big picture Leaders recognize that they are subject to higher authority
Leaders make decisions Leaders are visionaries Leaders make suggestions to
improve processes Leaders inspire Leaders are open-minded
Leaders are adventurous Leaders are open to suggestions from others Leaders
compliment others Leaders give people confidence in themselves Leaders
believe in what they do and who they do it for Leaders are personally liked
by their people Leaders think out of the box Leaders don t put themselves on
a pedestal Leaders express their goals on paper Leaders prepare themselves
and their people for future advancements and opportunities
Leaders know no gender Leaders are open to feedback Leaders are assertive
Leaders are coaches Leaders provide support Leaders look at the whole Leaders
are willing to bend Leaders are nurturers Leaders coordinate
Leaders are energetic Leaders build Leaders know the strengths and weaknesses
of others Leaders protect us from negative internal and external forces
Leaders provide an environment of trust and concern Leaders protects us from
waste and bureaucracy Leaders treats everyone as an individual Leaders are
people you re not afraid to approach about anything Leaders bring out the
best in all of us Leaders make mistakes Leaders are involved Leaders don t
sit in glass houses Leaders employ the strength and skills of those around
them Leaders don t put others down to build themselves up Leaders are
respected Leaders are liked by those around them Leaders don t hold grudges
Leaders empower Leaders are zealous Leaders do external analysis Leaders plan
for the future Leaders express their opinions in a respectful manner Leaders
are proactive Leaders understand their affect on others Leaders treat others
as teammates Leaders anticipate change Leaders are energizing forces in the
organization Leaders aren't held in by others or by policies Leaders
challenge us all Leaders are coach-able Leaders ensure the success of others
Leaders facilitate Leaders enjoy working with people Leaders give praise
Leaders are honest Leaders need coaches
Leaders improves themselves continuously Leaders have a sense of humor
Leaders help people work out problems without taking over the ownership of
the problems Leaders give suggestions, not just solutions Leaders are
available Leaders understand human psychology Leaders follow through on
requests, and do so in a timely fashion
Leaders don t let people down Leaders are positive Leaders have good
intentions Leaders are passionate Leaders mediate Leaders make others feel
good Leaders have strong beliefs Leaders are involved in organizations and
activities outside their own company Leaders can deal with the good, the
bad, and the ugly Leaders enable
Leaders are trustworthy Leaders support co-workers ideas Leaders are
courageous Leaders are trusting
Leaders are considerate Leaders share ideas Leaders foster an environment of
learning and creativity
Leaders are quick Leaders give verbal direction Leaders are decisive Leaders
listen carefully
Leaders don t have all the answers, but know the resources to get the answers
Leaders persevere
Leaders promote their people in a variety of ways.
What this told me today is that a Leader (one) doesn't truly exist except
in the envisioned needs of all others around (the many) and as such he is
an emergent social property (servant) or phenomenon of the whole (as
'leader' as 'attractor'). I could be wrong!
Love
Andrew
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