Tuesday, September 28, 2010

What is wrong with "Leadership"


Often leadership is striven for with promises that are often not kept. Why do people strive for leadership, but when in power lose most of the principles they stood for during the election. What constitute leadership, how does one become a leader and how is leadership sustained? These are questions that haunt the people who are waiting to be lead. What is the main purpose of leadership? This is the question that will determine the process, election, establishment and sustainability of good governance for an institution, country and the world.

Purpose of Leadership

To most "leadership" is synonymous with control and hence the guidelines and characteristics of control then dominates the principles of leadership. The focus of many leadership programs lies within the goal of the activity and not in the transformation of self through the activity/ opportunity of "leadership". When one focuses on personal transformation then one enters the realm of purpose of self-transformation, which in essence is spiritual and thus spaceless and timeless. The purpose of leadership is thus beyond self, the situation, and the participants - rather the satisfaction of the Divine ethics of world well-being, as an act of charity to gain nearness to the Creator - the Provider of health, opportunity, energy and creativity.

We now immediately enter the real of Divine Purpose and Choice. This then translates into leadership cannot be striven for, leadership cannot be aspired to, leadership cannot be trained for - leadership in real terms is non-existent, but that "Exemplary Servanthood - ES" is the reality. When a person has reflected of ES then the whole stage changes he/she has a brand new focus, a complete different demeanor and a spiritual light that shine from him/her that makes the task at hand creative, exemplary, accelerated and fulfilling. Now then question is how does one become that ES

Principles of ES

Exemplary Servanthood (ES) is linked to 1) Belief in One God, The Omnipresent and the realisation that mankind is His vicegerent/ divine diplomat. Without belief in a Higher Power, a person regresses into self-agrandisement - the fatal disease of the heart that destroys the inner-self and prevents personal progress and new opportunities. 2) Truthfulness is an ingredient of belief. 3) Recognition of the Divine Spirit in all irrespective of race, creed, colour or gender, which translates in a non-prejudicial essence - and this is the cornerstone of truthfulness 4) equality of people before God, and hence the person who is in a position of ES, does not have any feelings of status above those he/she serves. 5) Honours and values those he/she works with. 6) see the task for which he/she has been chosen as ES, as a test from The Creator and hence an act of worship (I-BAA-DAH). 7) Sincerity is necessary for an act of worship.

ES is thus not position that is taken, but a granted position from those who trusts their elected ES, on a track record of previous quality work, inter-personal relationships and commitment they have experienced with the person they chose as their "leader"/ ES.

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