Making Leadership More Inclusive
After spending the past four days editing my first blog entry, I thought I should probably write another post. I have a lot to write, but just not enough time to make it happen. I haven't done anything to share my blog with the world as of yet, but am hoping to share the URL with some friends who can give me some feedback. I would love to see my friends write something to post here as well.
When I first decided I wanted to start a blog, I went through several names and couldn't decide on one. I actually started a blog that I called "Making Leadership More Inclusive". Much of my leadership philosophy is driven by the idea that leadership should be something accessible to all who seek it. Perhaps some could think inherently leadership is an exclusive thing. "Not everyone can be the leader all the time" is a phrase I often hear. The other I hear often is that we all need to learn when we should be "the leader" and when we should be "the follower".
The binary of "leader" and "follower" is not something that resonates with me. If we buy in to the idea that leadership is about a process of people coming together - working together - to make some sort of positive contribution to the greater good, then we all have to play some sort of role. We can't just wait around to be told what to do. We all must contribute to the creation of a shared vision and then play our role. Each role should be just as important as the other whether it is "out front" or not.
Those of us who work in leadership should reject the notion that leadership is for a select few who achieved some sort of positional status. How do we reject this? I think we can start by examining what systems are in place that makes leadership an exclusive idea. We should identify those systems and then break them down to make them more accessible. Breaking down these systems will not some how lessen the prestige of leadership, but will make it a richer and more inclusive experience for all.
More later on just HOW we identify these systems and design viable alternatives!
When I first decided I wanted to start a blog, I went through several names and couldn't decide on one. I actually started a blog that I called "Making Leadership More Inclusive". Much of my leadership philosophy is driven by the idea that leadership should be something accessible to all who seek it. Perhaps some could think inherently leadership is an exclusive thing. "Not everyone can be the leader all the time" is a phrase I often hear. The other I hear often is that we all need to learn when we should be "the leader" and when we should be "the follower".
The binary of "leader" and "follower" is not something that resonates with me. If we buy in to the idea that leadership is about a process of people coming together - working together - to make some sort of positive contribution to the greater good, then we all have to play some sort of role. We can't just wait around to be told what to do. We all must contribute to the creation of a shared vision and then play our role. Each role should be just as important as the other whether it is "out front" or not.
Those of us who work in leadership should reject the notion that leadership is for a select few who achieved some sort of positional status. How do we reject this? I think we can start by examining what systems are in place that makes leadership an exclusive idea. We should identify those systems and then break them down to make them more accessible. Breaking down these systems will not some how lessen the prestige of leadership, but will make it a richer and more inclusive experience for all.
More later on just HOW we identify these systems and design viable alternatives!
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