Sunday, November 28, 2010

Silent Leadership

I often hear we are all called to be leaders. I think it would be more useful if we all feel led to be followers and encourage others to do the same.
New movements are often started by someone willing to stand alone and look silly- someone willing to walk into the Dead Sea and eat strange Manna that falls from the sky.
One leader alone, is one leader alone. the movement begins when we can welcome the followers, embrace them as equals and lead them in the ways of the movement. It is no longer about the leader. It is about the movement. It takes followers to transform a lone being into a community.
Servant Leadership must be about the movement and not the leader.
Equal courage is required to lead and to follow. Courage is fear mixed with faith.
I often wonder why our movements- peace, ecology,justice- seem to fail.
Partially I think it is because we know more about what we don't want than what it is we do want.
Partially It is because we need to practice the art of following and silent leadership.
I'm willing to stand alone and look silly.
Will you join me?
Please leave a comment.

1 comment:

heartgarden said...

Two words seem to jump out at me what I read your piece: encourage and courage. Whatever transforming community into a more loving, peaceful place is, it seems to require encouragement and courage. We need to be able to allow each other to move in a way that doesn't always look familiar or comfortable. Sometimes it requires a time out/away/apart to that we can sort out what the dominate culture's message is can fade and so the quiet message of Love can be heard.