What Makes A Real Leader?

Gandhi, Clinton, Mason, Malcolm X, Hitler, Obama, Mandela, Bush, King Jr., and Bin Laden; they all had power because they said something that made people want to follow them – but were they truly leaders…how would you define a true leader?

In Reckoning’s quest to inspire and foster leadership,we have been exploring, educating, examining and executing the dynamics influence. At our core we desire to be transformative in our leadership – meaning incorporating holistic change in others and ourselves. In the books we have read (and there have been many Burns, Hagberg, Autry, Block McIntosh & Rima to name a few off the top of my head) they all keep circling around two main core principles: integrity and morals.

If these are the two harbingers of true leadership then not everyone who leads can be defined as a leader in the purest sense of the word. Have we become too fast and limiting as we label people in terms of leadership? If people follow you is that enough to be a real leader or can someone actually lead from behind? Do you need a position and title or can authority at times undermine the process? These are some of the things we wrestle with daily. If we chose to use integrity and morals as our anchors then a glance at the names above would cause an immediate divide. In James Mac Gregor Burns’ “Transforming Leadership,” he categorizes leaders as either transactional or transformational. Transactional leaders are bound to those they lead by an exchange of some valued entity (usually tangible – ex. I will give you lower taxes if you give me your vote) where as transformative types are closely involved with those they lead centered around a purpose that encourages the elevation of mankind by fostering higher levels of (yes you guessed it) morality and integrity. Transparency and mutual empowerment definitely separates the men from the boys. Idi Amin, Stalin and the like would quickly fall away even though they wielded power.

So if transformational leadership is the destination, then how point out leaders would shift things dramatically. Might we see people at the helm we never imagined? Wouldn’t have less to do with power, prestige or status. Portraying perfection would be ridiculous because every one on this planet can improve on something no matter who or where you happen to be. Being the CEO of a company may mean that you are a great manager but a questionable leader. We might recognize the janitor, who gives his time and energy to know and encourage the students, as the most pivotal and real guide at a prep school. True inspiration does not wait for the paycheck or title to lead, it just does.

Can you imagine what accountable, tireless, holistic, self-less, servant driven leadership might compel people towards? Can you imagine how it might shift the paradigms of people, communities or nations? You do not have to try hard to remember how one or two people have turned the world upside down in this fashion leading to an overwhelming and at times unexpected leap in consciousness. I do not know about you, but I am putting my bets on the dark horse; I believe in the end they will pay out, even if it means they lose everything to succeed.

My Dance with Grace

In recent days I have come to realize my relationship with Grace has been in disrepair. What’s Grace? I see it as a force not an it, so I choose to see Grace much like I would see a person who always adds a certain elegance to what is before her. Grace can only build on something, she cannot fathom something upon nothing. Grace is that desirable illustrious creature that offers herself completely and unselfishly to anyone who seeks her wholeheartedly – the catch - you have to continually seek her and fight to stay with her.

I have been examining the nature of my relationship with Grace and I could best quantify it as merely accidental brushes here and there. I can imagine grace as a noun or verb - something I desire to exude; when it comes to receiving or living with her, I have been lacking more times than I care to admit. She often invites me to come dance with her and when I do it is always wonderful and free, but it is so specific and ornate at the same time. When I am willing our movements start to intertwine, I become strangely unnerved and unraveled. Things begin to fall away and appear in ways I do not understand when you are moving with Grace. It feels so off-kilter - I can either move away or I can fall into Grace. If try to grab something to steady myself Grace disappears as quickly as she arrived. If I try to hold onto Grace, my grip is useless I just crash into Grace. When embraced the peace and disruption seem to explode at the same time. It is hard to be cool or feel in control when you are leaning into Grace. You follow and try to press into something that cannot be held or contain. You never feel more alive and ridiculously useless at the same time.

As we lumber along I start to I think this cannot be what it is suppose to be. I was expecting something else… I cannot tell you how many times I have gotten to this place with Grace only to find myself pushing away. But once I am on my own again, I eventually come to my senses and realize what I left. Sometimes I am bold enough to I think I can recreate it on my own without her but somehow I just end up further from where I wanted t be. Just when I think there is nothing more I can do and I lay everything down, I turn the corner and there she is again. She approaches with her arms open inviting me in.

I Love A Parade!

Last weekend went to the Gay Pride Parade in Amsterdam with some fellow yanks (sorry Texans and Southerners you will have to cope) to take in the festivities. Now being a California girl, I have been to epicenter of Pride parades in San Francisco and Hollywood; Amsterdam is a much tamer version of reality but the sister cities could learn from their Dutch ally.

Of course the house music was going full steam and the boys and girls were getting’ their twirls on much like anywhere else but there were a few twists on the parade boats that might stop the Americana parade. Firstly, any parade day in Holland is a family affair for all generations, cultures and creeds. I mean you saw just about everyone there and not to just gawk, they were fully invested in having a good time. Grandmothers, grandkids and every age in between lined the canals to cheer and celebrate. The parade may be dramatic but it is not vulgar (well the US boats were the sad exceptions). There was just an air of fun, community and joy.

Another difference, there were no protesters. Churches passed invitations throughout the crowd to join their fellowships offering a message of love. A group of churches even had a boat in the parade with a banner boasting of God’s love for EVERYONE.

Lastly, every high-ranking government office and officer (city, education, police, hospitals, etc) was represented in the parade. It did not seem like an obligation or public relations gig; they seemed to embrace it more as an opportunity to show their support. Many of these official boats created dance routines and skits, which they performed all along the parade route. We sat next to a gentleman who he took the time to point out all the dignitaries in the parade and translated for us. Our private narrator of the parade was there with his two daughters and he was really a wonderful host. Before he left I asked if he been before and he said yes, he comes every year with his kids. I asked him why and he said, “Because it is a parade and it is always fun; it is always a celebration.”

All these elements made me wonder how a country that prides itself on a no nonsense nonreligious lifestyle could foster such a compassionate environment. You may not agree with the practice or lifestyle of homosexuality, but it is something is woven the fabric of our global human existence much the same way as relationships, lying, theft and aging. It is here no matter if you choose to embrace, ignore, criticize or rejoice. I believe a follower of Jesus cannot take the easy out of indignation or self-righteousness to dismiss or by take a perceived moral high ground. After all it says judge not lest you be judged by the same measure (not for the same sin - your sins will be weighed with the same magnitude with which you dole out condemnation on others – ouch!).

Many people wear he WWJD bracelets, but I wonder if they really asks themselves what would Jesus do if he showed up on Gay Pride Day. My bet is that he would approach people much the same way he did when the crowd threw a prostitute at his feet for stoning, or the way he did when he walked among the untouchables – the leapers, the sick and the poor. I would be willing to bet that he would be moved to compassion and from that place act in love, wisdom and restoration. I am not saying that compassion was the aim of the day in Amsterdam, but I sensed a strong undercurrent of it in the crowd. Could that be why the Gay community here does not feel the need to be so militant or defensive in living out their lives because people have made room in their hearts to meet them as people first and homosexuals somewhere else down the line of priorities? Makes me think and wonder. I hope it does the same for you as well.

Come on Visa!

I’m Official! (Well for the next 6 months)

I had my appointment with the IND (Immigratie-en Naturalisatiedeinst) on the 6th and thanks to the help of my brilliant lawyer, Patrick Rovers, and faithful friend, Shawna Snow, I had all the documentation I needed to apply for immigration. It has come after months of stress and tons of money just to have this little beauty in my passport. Can you believe it?

It was rather miraculous how everything came together in less than 10 days! Seriously, I thought that I might need to fly home rather than risk being here illegally. That would have caused a 3-month delay in things so I am glad that it all panned out suddenly. Thanks for all the prayers and encouragement.

Well I am one step closer to my residency card. This sticker in my passport means that IND has deemed my application complete and will begin to process and decide my eligibility for residence. My application is contingent on the business I registered, past experience and proving I can make it here. I have done all I could do at this point and my fate is in their hands.