Re-authoring leadership
Looking back, 2020 has been a year of upheaval and uncertainty. At the same time, new leadership has been rising in our communities. What do we notice about this leadership? Where are stories we can all learn from?
Guests
Our guests shared stories and views about what leadership means to them. Louise Adongo reflected on how she sees herself as a leader, how others see her, and what it means to be a leader. She said that the leaders who inspire her most are those who act in service to what is needed—whether seeking justice, solving a problem or exploring a new frontier. She noted that in 2020 people can no longer ignore what they have been seeing—the way the pandemic has impacted marginalized communities and the climate change crisis as two examples.
Elder Albert Marshall commented that he hopes that people are starting to see what Indigenous people have been seeing all along—that there is an overlay of complacency that allows anyone in power to act without accountability. He added that when people are trained for long periods of time to feel degraded, this reinforces complacency and creates an environment in which they are oppressed forever. This is advantageous for big industry. He asks, When are we going to move towards transformational change? Who will lead us, bringing together all the little groups towards the transformation we need?
Jim Drescher defined leadership as a practice of healing. He shared his five-point logic of Nothing Missing Leadership:
The view is that everyone is fundamentally whole, healthy and worthy. Everyone has the capacity to thrive and everyone deserves to thrive.
The practice is creating the causes and conditions for everyone to thrive.
The activity is unlocking the natural and inherent capacity for this type of leadership.
The result in any organization, community, family or society is that everyone is a leader in their own place. At the same time, every leader is in training—no one has it all figured out.
Alfred Bergusson said that an example of inspiring leadership is the role that young people played in igniting the issue of climate change, bringing it to the forefront as a global priority. He echoed Elder Marshall’s earlier comment that many voices from diverse backgrounds speaking as a unified voice is powerful. He said he sees good leadership rising, and Indigenous and youth voices need to be included in order to move forward together. He also spoke about the power of collective action, citing the example of a viral response to an online campaign to support Mi’kmaq fishers.
What struck us about these stories?
“Connection”
“To serve and not to rule, and to collectively invite critical thinking.”
“We are all humans and no one knows it all. We are all prone to make mistakes.”
“I wonder when we are all going to gather to start building a new world. The potential for transformative change is there, but we need to animate it as a collective of thoughtful, well-intentioned people.”
“Leadership is not about being in charge of a group, but being in charge of oneself.”