New Era Leadership November 07

Out of clutter, find simplicity.

From discord, find harmony.

In the middle of difficulty, lies opportunity.

 

Albert Einstein

 

What do you think is expected from you in your work, what is expected from you as a member of your family, a member of your church community, a citizen of this country, as a human being? Seriously, think about it and try and answer the question. It can be overwhelming and paralyzing. Right?

 

Now let me ask you a different question. What do you believe you have to offer to other people? What of yourself, would you like to give to others?

Do you sense the difference in emotional energy that you experience when answering this question? There is that lifting feeling of potential. Even if it is with some trepidation that one ponders the answer. When I ask this question in my coaching sessions I invariably get the feeling that people want to reply: do you really think I have something special to offer over and above the demands of my job? It reminds me of Marianne Williamson’s insight: ‘Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful … We ask ourselves who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually who are you NOT to be? . . .’

         

Where the first question evokes thoughts and feelings of clutter and discord, the second question simplifies and harmonize. Most of us were brought up with a lot of instructions and demands to conform to others’ expectations. And of course, for society to be functional there has to be a significant degree of conformity. However, abiding to the country’s laws is one thing, but conforming to imagined ideas about what is acceptable, what is in, hip, cool or right, is another. Richard Tarnas in his book The Passion of the Western Mind describes this aspect of modern life well: ‘The great overriding impulse defining Western man since the Renaissance - the quest for independence, self-determination, and individualism - had in­deed brought those ideals to reality in many lives; yet it had also eventuated in a world where individual spontaneity and freedom were increasingly smothered, not just in theory by a reductionist scientism, but in practice by the ubiquitous collectivity and conformism of mass societies. The great revolutionary political projects of the modern era, heralding personal and social liberation, had gradually led to conditions in which the modem individual's fate was ever more dominated by bureaucratic commercial and political superstructures. Just as man had become a meaningless speck in the modern universe, so had individual persons become insignificant ciphers in modern states, to be manipulated or coerced by the millions.’

 

My first questions about others’ expectations has an ‘outside – in’ direction. What demands does the world put on us? The question is not meaningless or without value. It makes us aware of many things. However, to quote Tarnas again on the kind of world we live in today: ‘An unprecedented broadening of horizons and exposure to the experience of others coincided with a private alienation of no less extreme proportions. A stupendous quantity of information had become available about all aspects of life ...  yet there was also less ordering vision, less coherence and comprehension, less certainty.’ We only sense ordering of vision, coherence, comprehension and certainty once we can comfortably answer the second question which is an ‘inside – out’ question. What sprouts forth from my spirit towards the world around me?

 

To be able to answer the second question positively, I think belief in the following as fundamental truths is required:

 

You are unique. Not only genetically but more so as a result of life situations (good and bad) you found yourself in, how you responded to them, what you have learned from them, the discoveries you made about your own abilities, things you enjoy doing and do with ease, and memories of your life journey. Even if a lot of the above could be very similar to another person, there is a unique quality, a unique X factor that makes you you.

You are created to relate. As much as you are a unique individual, you can only appreciate that uniqueness and love yourself in relation to others. You are created to relate to God, to others and to the world as a whole. To grow these relationships is to grow yourself and through that simplicity, harmony and opportunity. It means that we constantly have to open the door of our being to the outside, to God to others and to nature.

Whilst life is difficult, your life has meaning. That life is difficult, is a truth based in our experience. That your life has meaning, is a belief. If we believe our lives have meaing we will find opportunity in the middle of difficulty.

 

I wish you all the best in overcoming your difficulties and trust that by answering the ‘inside-out’ question you will find simplicity and harmony in all areas of your life.   

 

See my published article (Beeld, October 23rd) below about the kind of leader we need with the forthcoming ANC leadership election in mind.  

 

Warm regards

 

Gerhard

 

Beeld, Dinsdag 23 Oktober 2007

 

Gesoek: Dienende leier met morele, menslike integriteit

 

Met die oog op die ANC se vyfjaarlikse nasionale konfersie in Desember in Polok­wane waar onder meer ‘n partyleierskorps verkies gaan word, bied Gerhard van Rensburg 'n perspektief op leierskap.

 

 

Daar is klaarblyklik deesdae meer belangstelling in leierskap, belangstelling wat verder strek as die verkiesing van 'n nuwe president.

Ek hoop my waarneming is korrek, want om te fokus op lei­erskap, is om te fokus op die dinge wat die goeie en die beste in mense na vore bring. Dit is om te fokus op onontginde po­tensiaal.

 

Miskien het die groeiende be­langstelling in leierskap onder meer daarmee te doen dat vorige persepsies en teorieë dat leier­skap by geboorte aan sekere mense toegedeel word en dat dit herkenbaar is in groot, sterk en dapper manlike helde se cha­risma, nie die toets van die tyd deurstaan het nie.

Ook die beperkende leierskap­teorie waarvolgens leierskap op­gesluit is in die konsep van be­stuur, met die klem op posisio­nele gesag (wat verwerf kan word deur funksionele be­kwaamheid) en die sluit van oor­eenkomste of transaksies met be­loning of straf as gevolg, het uit­gedien geraak.

Die insig dat leierskap sy be­ginsel in interpersoonlike in­vloed het, lei tot groter identifi­kasie met die idee van leierskap as vermoe en vaardigheid wat enige mens kan hê.

Ons kan en wil almal ons in­vloed laat geld.

Die vraag is hoe 'n mens dit beter en doeltreffender kan doen.

 

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As die beginsel van leierskap in interpersoonlike invloed lê, dan hang die invloed se uitbou­ing in 'n groot mate saam met die gehalte van insig in die kom­pleksiteit van die uitdagings wat voor die leier lê en die moed om die uitdagings met visie te pak.

Verder is volhoubare goeie lei­erskap nie 'n gegewe nie en word die leier se karakter en

morele integriteit al meer ge­toets in die mate wat hy/sy gro­ter mag en geleenthede tot die misbruik daarvan kry.

Ons uitdagings lê in die kon­teks van Suid-Afrika, daarna Afrika en die res van die wêreld.

Vir die vorming van ons ge­dagtes oor leierskap en vooruit­gang het wit mense vir die eer­ste sowat 300 jaar 'n kulturele kortpad na Europese en later Amerikaanse idees en kennis ge­vat.

Wat betref politieke leierskap het ook Afrika-leiers na kolonia­lisasie die Westerse outokratiese leierskapstyle gevolg eerder as tradisionele Afrika-leierskap­style met inheemse strukture.

Die klem wat pres. Thabo Mbeki sedert sy verkiesing op 'n Afrika-Renaissance geplaas het, het die kollig laat val op die soort leierskap en leierskapidees wat nodig sal wees om so 'n Re­naissance werklikheid te maak en die potensiaal in Afrika te ontsluit. Suid-Afrika kan beskou word as die enjinkamer en dryf­veer vir 'n Afrika-Renaissance.

Sy leierskap is daarom vir ver­skeie redes onder die vergrootglas:

• Sal dit daarin kan slaag om eenheid en die beginsels van demokrasie in Afrika gevestig en deurgevoer te kry?

• Sal dit terselfdertyd daarin kan slaag om 'n Afrika-identiteit en -trots te versterk?

• Sal dit daarin kan slaag om ubuntu en tipiese Afrika-gemeenskapswaardes te balanseer met individualistiese waardes wat persoonlike aanspreeklikheid, dryfkrag en resultate beklemtoon?

• Sal dit daarin kan slaag om vir veral die tegniese vaardighede wat groeiende 21ste eeuse ekonomieë vereis, teen 'n vinnige tempo te ontwikkel?

 

Die literatuur oor 'n Afrika-Renaissance en oor Afrika-leierskap laat blyk die tyd het aangebreek waar Afrika-leiers nie langer wil bakhand staan by die Weste nie. Afrika was immers nie altyd die armsaligste en patetieste van vastelande nie. Vorige Afrika-beskawings se prestasies en hoë standaarde word vandag opgediep en gee die nodige selfrespek en trots aan die vasteland.

Wat leierskapmodelle betref, het daar vanuit die VSA in die laaste paar dekades, met Robert Greenleaf as die grondlegger, diensleierskap na vore getree.

Studies van sekere tradisio­nele Afrika-gemeenskappe toon die diensmotief by hul leiers is deurslaggewend en diensleier­skap is in werklikheid eie aan die tradisionele Afrika-kultuur.

Die klem val dan op kenmerke soos medemenslikheid, respek vir andere, geduld, nederigheid, morele verantwoordelikheid en gerigtheid, rentmeesterskap en plig teenoor die gemeenskap.

In sy eie woorde was dit juis sy wil en passie om diens aan sy mense te lewer wat oudpres. Nel­son Mandela gedryf en motiveer het. Dit was die krag agter sy lei­erskap. In 'n nuwe Suid-Afrika kon hy sy dienswilligheid verder verruim deur uit te reik na groepe en gemeenskappe wat voorheen sy vyande was.

 

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Die tragiese voorbeelde van Afrika-diktators van die laaste klomp dekades het 'n skewe beeld gegee van egte Afrika-leierskap.

So belangrik soos wat bekwaamheid ook al is, bly grootste toets vir leierskap versoekinge wat aan die “eie ego” gestel word.

Daarom sal karakter en spirituele diepgang altyd deurslaggewend wees.

As daar dan charisma by ‘n leier moet wees, laat dit dié wees wat spruit uit menslikheid en morele integriteit.

As materialisme en statusbeheptheid in Suid Afrika in toom gehou kan word, het ons ‘n groot geleentheid om vanuit die divesiteit van ons samelewing (met die beste deel van Afrika- en Westerse waardes) leiers te kweek wat in Mandela se voetspoor sal volg om só ons en Afrika se kollektiewe potensiaal te ontsluit.

< Dr. Gerhard van Rensburg is 'n private konsultant en skrywer van die boek The leadership challenge in Africa.