Consider that the final responsibility of a leader is to say ‘thank you.’
Consider that a leader’s response-ability is not to inflict pain but to endure pain; and to do so gracefully. The concept ‘vulnerable’ is rooted in the Latin ‘vulnus’ – to carry the wound gracefully. Leaders, by their very role, will be wounded – the most painful will be those that are unintentional. Leaders are watched carefully by the led; the leader’s response to pain inflicted will be noted by the led. What will the leader demonstrate – anger, rage, resentment, pay-back, etc?
Consider some signs of outstanding leadership – which appear, by the by, mainly among the led: Are we all reaching our potential? Are we all learning? Are we all serving others with distinction? Are we all high achievers? Do we all ‘change with grace’? Do we all minimize/head-off conflict – especially conflict of values and styles?
Consider that leaders are charged with being concerned with the organization’s value system – this is the major tap root that nurtures and helps define the structure, the policies, the procedures, and the principles which motivate – or de-motivate – the each person. These values should be broadly understood yet deeply integrated at the personal, relational and organizational levels. Some guiding questions: What is the value system rooted in/based on? How are values expressed? What is the gap between the values we espouse and the values we live? How do we ‘audit’ our value system? How were the ‘corporate’ values determined in the first place?
Searcher-Seeker 