This week’s Q&A is an expansion of some insights I shared on my Facebook page about leadership and specifically, the death of Hugo Chavez who was a polarizing figure, to say the least. We look at people like Mr. Chavez, the pope, presidents, Queen Elizabeth and wonder what is wrong with them. Why can’t they be more honest, open, incorruptible, supportive, and doing the ‘right’ thing? What is it about power that makes it such a corrupting influence? And why do all leaders seem to fall into the same trap?
Then I started thinking about the concept of leadership and people in power, whether it is in politics, government, social, work or religious environments, and how they are often dishonest, corrupt, self-serving and dictatorial. What is the connection between power and the negative results we experience from its use and abuse? I found an answer in how we define the word ‘lead’, which actually means ‘to guide’ and comes from a 9th century word which meant ‘travel’. So a leader started out as a travel guide. Interesting. How many of today’s leaders would you trust as your travel guide?
In the simplest terms, a leader is someone who guides or shows us the way. As a travel guide, a leader would be our assistant, which implies that we’re on the same path, heading in the same direction, sharing a similar philosophy and they’re helping us get somewhere we want to go, to arrive at our destination. What a novel concept. How many of today’s leaders actually do that, without inserting their personal or private power agendas into the process? Now all leaders are not bad but something happens when a well-meaning person steps into a powerful position, and we give them our power. Their leader-ship shifts into ruler-ship. And when that happens they move from being a travel guide into becoming someone who tells us what to do, sets self serving policies, engages in backroom deals and instead of leading (in the true sense of the world), expects us to blindly follow their agenda. Our leader has now become our ruler.
How does this shift happen? When we think that a leader can do for us what we think we cannot do for ourselves. In the context of 3D energy, there is a power shift, where we give our power away to someone who tells us that they will use our power to help us become more powerful. When we think about it that way, it doesn’t make sense. But we do it all of the time. And we’re seeing the results in every area of the world today, from corporations to governments to churches.
When we follow a guide, we’re traveling together and they are serving our needs. We expect our travel guide to help us with our travel plans and ensure that we have the best experience. Can you imagine hiring a travel guide who plans the vacation they want to take, expects you to go along and pay for it, carry all of their baggage, and sit in coach while they travel first class? That travel guide wouldn’t have much business but this is how our leaders operate.
The resignation of the pope, hospitalization of Queen Elizabeth, the death of Hugo Chavez, resignation of Cuba’s president, the sequester of the US government are all signs of the demise of the 3D concept of leadership — rulership by a few that is made possible by our desire to be taken care of through the surrender of our power. As they step aside or are pushed aside because....continue reading here
