Leading the Way..

This book’s title reminds me a little of the new languages we reinvent to describe all of what's happened before (sometimes not as well as they did before). Of the new organisations we create that pretty much do what they old ones did before them (sometimes not as good as the ones that went before)….and sometimes of the fact that no matter what we call it-Emotional Intelligence is in old fashioned terms just plain good character.
 
We were talking about the subject of this book with one of our groups because, I was 'making excuses for another person' at our meeting and the group wanted to know why I always spoke positively about the people who sometimes give us cause for concern.  I had to deprive them of the idea that somehow I was some kind of saint, always doing and saying the right thing.
 
I reminded them that during my time in my work I had learned many things-the most important being that I always have something to learn and that in a workplace there are many many leaders, not just one that’s I might learn from. They were surprised to find that I  believe that leadership is shared across organisations, not solely in the individual at the top, but in every person at every level who, in one way or another, acts as a leader to a group of followers - wherever that person is, whether shop steward, team leader, participant, or CEO.  And that learning this lesson taught me much about my own emotional intelligence. I know I start from the premise that most people want to be good, do a good job, be patient and understanding with those of us who need some extra help but sometimes, their ordinary life gets in the way. 
 
The problems arise when we become important or think we are, when we start to try and tell other people what to do and how to be, when we forget to empathise with others and just be nice.  It’s one of the things that costs us nothing but means a lot-be nice, be patient, be kind and most of all be mindful of the fact that the other person is after all just that a person, deserving of your time and who knows what they might achieve with that little bit of encouragement.
 
“Our chief want is someone who will inspire us to be what we know we could be.”
Ralph Waldo Emmerson