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What Are We Doing?
Leadership is not about the clout and stroking of the ego that comes from holding a position.
No matter our titles or status, the action or inaction we take as leaders directly impacts the livelihoods of "real" people.
The word "real" is used intentionally because, in a world where our devices can connect us to anything in mere seconds, we can easily lose sight of humanity's essence. But on the other side of these devices are human beings with real dreams, real fears, real curiosities and real stories.
Leadership is not about the clout and stroking of the ego that comes from holding a position. At its most fundamental core, leadership is about empowering and transforming people's lives for the better.
Humanity and leadership are at a critical crossroads right now. Amid disruption, leadership has become complacent and lost its human touch. Too much of today's leadership has become empty rhetoric and broken promises within the fabrics of our organizations, institutions and communities. How we choose to respond to these urgent times as change agents and positive difference-makers will be a defining and telling tale for generations to come.
One day, our silences will come to testify against us on issues we turned a blind eye to. No matter our profession, as leaders, we must ask ourselves, what are we doing to leave the places we live and navigate at the very least slightly better than how we found them?
The time is here and now. We can no longer sit on the bench or in the stands as spectators patiently waiting and thinking someone else will make the play or call the correct formation to find actionable solutions to today's most dire challenges. Collectively, we are the problem and the answer to championing tomorrow's change.
As we stand in the mirror to lead today, we must journey inward and first look at ourselves. In these moments of mindful reflection, we should aspire to cultivate a deeper conviction to listen and to learn what we don't know but need to. This will help us lead with courage from the heart instead of from a place of hurt, division and fear.
As human beings, we all wear invisible masks, yearning to feel appreciated, valued, and treated with a level of respect and dignity. No one should have to carry the burden of fearing for his/her life for merely being at the grocery store, school or a place of worship.
In moments of chaos, darkness, devastation and unrest, the transformational leaders and positive difference-makers become the guiding light for resilient empathy and truth-seeking solutions. Realize, our words must be manifested in our daily behavior. Anything short of that, and we are living and perpetuating a lie, while failing the leaders of tomorrow.
The time is now to take a stand, to do better, and to collectively be better as leaders and neighbors.
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