From September 11 through ongoing crises in Afghanistan and the Middle East, we are today citizens of a nation in shock, where our basic freedoms of movement face concerns over needs for new security. With ongoing national and international concerns at times outweighing local issues, new thoughts arise of the role each of us has in a new order of things. What we end up weighing is the value as well as the cost of freedom itself. For me, it accelerates the need to consider the evolution of leadership, and sharpens as never before the need to better define the roles of leadership.
Many definitions have been offered, cultural stereotypes abound, numerous programs focus on leadership development, but the question remains. In fact, leadership is many different things to different people in different circumstances. When we think of leadership, we often think first of famous individuals. We may think of great political leaders: Washington, Churchill, Roosevelt. We may think of the leaders of social movements: Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Caesar Chavez. We may think of spiritual leaders: Jesus, Mohammed, Mother Theresa. Do we also include in our definition some of the infamous leaders such as Hitler, Stalin, or David Koresh? Obviously, leadership is not always or automatically good in and of itself. We are quickly reminded of the notion that power corrupts and that absolute power corrupts absolutely.
An exploration of leadership also quickly takes us beyond the lists of the famous when we consider the examples of leadership in our own lives: family members, friends, teachers, ministers, and others who by their lives and examples have influenced and led us in various ways. When we look at leadership in communities we see many leaders who may never become famous but whose leadership is essential to the life of the.....
