Lead

Over the last week I’ve received a lot of advice on leadership and it’s something to which I give a lot of thought. If there’s been a common thread in the words and thoughts, it’s that we need people around us that don’t agree with everything we say. When we surround ourselves with people that have the same viewpoint, we get arrogant and arrogance is not a good quality. We must stay open to new ideas and encourage others to think different than we do. We also have to listen. Instead of thinking about how were going to respond to someone in order to defend our own ideas, we should hear what the other person has to say. I’ll take it one step further and say that in order to lead, you have to be able to put differences aside in order to unite with others to accomplish common goals. One of the biggest reasons our country is in such bad shape is that we don’t have leaders that unite, and if they do, they’re bringing together people with the same ideas that they have. Do you see what I’m getting at? I’m so concerned about our country and my hope is that I’m able to be the change that I wish to see in the world, as Mahatma Gandhi so eloquently suggested. Another quote that comes to mind from Gandhi is “An eye for an eye, and soon the whole world is blind.” Quite appropriate for these times, no?