Unfortunately, many leaders overlook the chance for renewal and settle into the sameness of their entrenched routines. More importantly, many know some of the practices they represent are no longer quite ethical. Some have done great harm, and like society itself, we, far too often, turn our heads.
With our organizations, our communities, and our world buzzing with great challenges, pressing problems, far-reaching needs, and opportunities for innovation, problem solving, leading in our respective fields of influence --- there is a call for LEADERSHIP begging for our best performance and most ethical judgments. A critical step is stop to assess where we are.
Once in a while, a LEADER, who has witnessed and experienced the worst, helps all of us reach for redemption by their own willingness to share TRUTH. Peter Eigen, former director of the World Bank in Nairobi and founder of Transparency International is one of these brave leadership champions. He illustrates this in his TED Talk, How to Expose Corruption...
WISDOM that has passed the test of time has always been a reliable and inspiring force in my life, as my book, Putting Our Differences to Work intentionally reflects. It always surprises me when a piece of wisdom seems to show up when it is needed most. In the final days of writing my book, I opened one of my cherished books discovered by chance a few years ago. It is well out of print. The author, John Homer Miller, doesn’t have instant name recognition today, but he was a leader with many contributions and influence in another time. The following message came from his book Take a Second Look at Yourself, published over fifty years ago. It seems to be a perfect response to accompany Peter Eigen's message:
You want to make the world better is not more education of your intellect. What you need is something spiritual and ethical added to your knowledge. You need educated emotions and a dedicated heart. Shakespeare once said that we can always tell a wise man by the fact everything he says or does smacks
of something greater than himself. . .
Great leaders start from within and move out.
What contribution will you make to create a better world?
Lead the way!
Are you working to CHANGE things --- to make things better ---- spread a message, strategy, or NEW IDEA that will change your world?
Join me and futurist Joel Barker ONLINE for How to Get Buy-In for NEW IDEAS - MARCH 4 (or June 3 or September 6). It's a professional development class designed to help you breakthrough the NOISE and resistance you may be experiencing. Learn more... INVITATION: http://tinyurl.com/yz8rkgv
WEBSITE: www.howtogetbuyinfornewideas.com
Warm regards to all!
Debbe
Debbe Kennedy
founder, President and CEO Global Dialogue Center
and Leadership Solutions Companies
Twitter @debbekennedy @onlinedialogues author, Putting Our Differences to Work
The Fastest Way to Innovation, Leadership,
and High Performance (Berrett-Koehler 2008)
Buy a Copy at Amazon.com
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