LEADERSHIP, BEING DIFFERENT AND THE DESERT FATHERS
Without solitude we remain victims of our society and continue to be entangled in the illusions of the false self- Henri Nouwen
The mass man … he is the shell of a man ... he lacks an inner self, an intimacy ... a self that cannot be revoked - Jose Ortega
The more we hear disappointing news about poor or no service delivery, incompetence, lack of urgency and commitment, corruption and greed, or experience it ourselves, the more we ask: why can’t there be better, more responsible and competent leaders? For a moment we might even think … like ourselves. Are our expectations of a better and more just world for all realistic? Are we guilty of imagining that somehow, somewhere, there is a reservoir of good leaders ready to take over where others are failing? Why would the replacements be different? ‘Being different’ is indeed key to effective leadership and a legitimate expectation of leaders. Where does the difference need to be?
Leadership is more an art than a science. It is more about heart and will than it is about mind and calculations. It is more about the depth and power of our inspiration than it is about the width and reach of our knowledge and networks. As it is with an artist, the leader also loses his creative and transforming ability if he is not inspired. From our inspiration comes our commitment, our strength and our resilience. It begs the question: where do we find and sustain inspiration?
Many, many years ago, in the 4th century, a group of people called the Desert Fathers regarded society as a shipwreck from which each single individual man had to swim for his life. These were men who believed that to let oneself drift along, passively accepting the tenets and values of what they knew as society, was purely and simply a disaster. They lived their lives in solitude and devotion to God in the Egyptian desert. Do you perhaps share their view and sometimes quietly wonder if it would not be better to leave everything behind and go and live in the Kalahari desert?
In the centuries to follow, since the time of the Desert Fathers, tradition and religion (through religious institutions) became the cornerstones and sources of inspiration to most people of the world who, typically, lived in small and intimate communities. The role of society was obviously viewed more favourably than what the Desert Fathers thought of society under Roman rule. Industrialisation, urbanisation and modernisation since the 18th century, however, turned societies, their needs and philosophies of life, upside down. Early in the 20th century Max Scheler described Western culture as ‘in the midst of a moral and cultural crisis’. The root of this crisis was according to him ‘a vast process of equalization that produced a homogeneous and monotonous society only superficially integrated by political and state mechanisms’. He was of the view that modern man is ceasing to be an individual and only part of the mass.
The modern man or mass man, according to the above description, clearly cannot be an inspiration to others, yet yearns for inspiration. To what extent do you think this describes our society? Don’t we often, after all the excitement that mass media can create, think to ourselves: it is more of the same, only packaged differently? How often do you think to yourself ‘talk, talk, talk … ’ after a meeting, social gathering, sales presentation, public speech or news broadcast? How truly fruitful are all the opinions that we express, all the words we speak? Will people not often be served better by our silence than our words? How often do we really feel understood when we speak about our ideas or feelings? As Henri Nouwen says: ‘Words often leave us with a sense of inner defeat. They can even create a sense of numbness and a feeling of being bogged down in swampy ground.’ I also agree with him when he says that ‘without solitude we remain victims of our society and continue to be entangled in the illusions of the false self.’ And I believe that especially leaders, who hope to make sustained and positive differences in society, need to practice solitude.
Solitude, not in the sense that we need to get away from the rush to recharge our batteries so that we can come back to fight the competition with new vigor and dedication. If we don’t want to remain victims of society and ‘continue to be entangled in the illusions of the false self’, it will take a lot more than the quick breakaway. If our practice of solitude does not result in our own transformation and growth, then it will do little more than helping us to cope with the world of rapid changes, constant stimulation and stress. Solitude, as the term is used here, incorporates reflecting on what is happening in our relationships and what course our life is taking. It incorporates listening to the voices of our heart, soul and conscience. And for the believer it incorporates listening to God. If you believe in God, you want Him to intervene in your life, your thoughts and actions. You want Him to inspire and transform you. We need to fashion our own desert where we can shake off our compulsions and focus on what is in our heart and spirit. We need to learn to bear our own faults and not to pay attention to others, wondering whether they are good or bad.
What appears to be so simple and easy to do, as we know, is a major challenge in our time. One reason is that silence has become a fearful thing. We get so used to noise and constant stimulation that the idea of empty space and silence scares us. In meetings we find that people close the gap of silence as soon as it appears and those who are too slow off the mark tell themselves they need to work on the ability to jump in with the next opinion/comment. People can feel itchy and nervous when it is silent. Seeking and embracing solitude, therefore, is not a common thing. Likewise, good leaders. Most of us are intimidated by the modern belief that there is no greater sin than inactivity. We are trained to use the excuse of one more phone call, one more email, one more visit, one more meeting or one more party … then I will get to the good things I need to do.
Leaders who will be able to make a difference are clearly those who also do things differently, who are prepared to live differently and make different choices to the masses.
Diadochus of Photiki offers us a very concrete image:
When the door of the steambath is continually left open, the heat inside rapidly escapes through it; likewise the soul, in its desire to say many things, dissipates its remembrance of God through the door of speech, even though everything it says may be good. Thereafter the intellect, though lacking appropriate ideas, pours out a welter of confused thoughts to anyone it meets, as it no longer has the Holy Spirit to keep its understanding free from fantasy. Ideas of value always shun verbosity, being foreign to confusion and fantasy. Timely silence, then, is precious, for it is nothing less than the mother of the wisest thoughts. (from The Way of the Heart – Henri Nouwen)
May you experience good things in August 2009!
Best regards
Gerhard
Remember my offer of inspirational talks on the following topics:
· Inspire yourself, inspire others
· Resilience and tenacity
· Accountability and responsibility
· The illusion of security
· The power of character
· Excellence and success
· Busyness and prioritising
· Mental and spiritual fitness
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
GOD WALKER INITIATIVE
Take a moment to read more about this life enrichment series and visit our website and invitation to the Launch Chapter Experience.
Gerhard van Rensburg (Phd, MCom leadership)
Leadership and Executive coach (Member of Comensa)
Cell: 0834556513/Fax: 0865016020
Email: gerhard@neweraleadership.co.za
Website: www.neweraleadership.co.za
New Era Leadership -
Unlocking potential through leadership
and organisational development
