Continuing our discussion on our power as leaders, I believe that it is important to get an appropriate sense of our own importance.
I want to spend a little time exploring this because leaders have the power to change things.
Of course, like all workers, leaders, etc. we are important and we hope to make a significant difference in whatever we are doing. However at another level, we are people who are, (as I stated already), driving a car for a particular segment of a journey and in due course, when we are finished driving, someone else will take the wheel. And the interesting (and sometimes frustrating) thing about this journey is that we may never really perceive ourselves getting to our destination.
I find this analogy helpful as it assists me in knowing my place and having an appropriate sense of my own position, my importance, and even the extent of my indispensability. I strongly believe that good enough leadership in any community is about having an awareness of these factors. This might not be true for leadership in other spheres e.g. political, business even sporting etc. but is crucial in our community of families affected by imprisonment.
For example, in many statutory agencies, people are behind the wheel for a very short time – they know that this is a feature of their working lives so they will moderate their expectations accordingly. And that is perfectly fine.
But in the community sector we may be driving for a much longer time. This means that we can get carried away a little! Perhaps we may unwittingly become complacent, take things for granted, and think we are a little more important than we are. And if we do this we might think that our way is the only way – whereas it is not.
I will expand on this point by, once again, referring to processing speed.
What is considered to be a desirable course of action [1] is something that we should be prepared to wait for if it eludes us at the first, the second or even the third attempt. Remembering our propagation from the Chapter on Systems Theory, it might take a while for the good idea (that I think I have) to filter through the organisation – and if it doesn’t propagate it probably isn’t a good idea anyway…..
But let us say that it is a good idea, and we are anxious to go with it.
Now when we consider our good idea in respect of processing speed (and accepting that leadership is about change), I believe that slow change is better than no change. And fast change almost inevitably results in reassertion of old patterns that have endured for a long time, resulting in the more things change the more they stay the same type change (which I am sure you are fed up reading now), that is, no real change.
Furthermore, we need to honestly ask ourselves does fast change arise from our desire that the changes we want will happen on our watch and we will both feel good about it inside and/or (wince) get the credit for it?
My hunch is that it is far better to let go of the desired destination (at least temporarily) and focus instead on the journey to the destination. By doing this we will have a much better chance of effecting real and sustainable change, and encourage others (the sceptical believers) to do the same.
Fast processing inevitably means that we will attract followers who are fast processors too, but crucially may not attract the people who matter most – people who have struggled alone for years, decades if not generations, whose hopes have been risen and dashed and risen and dashed again, who have been largely ignored by the Pillars, who have all but given up hope that anything will ever change, but whose involvement optimises the sustainability of change.
[1]. Perhaps I have a strong feeling that something will be of value (maybe I’ve looked into my heart)!