October 15, 2011

Thoughts about Leadership

Just a few things about leadership that have me wondering lately:

First: What is all the ruckus in the media to push Bill Clinton back upon us. Weren't we rid of this joker?

Second: The idea of Occupy Wall Street being 'leaderless' seems to have the media real hot and bothered. But as soon as somebody is identified at a leader, self same media brings fangs out for the attack. Why do they think that they deserve to know what our leaders are thinking?

Third: How many people will tell you how to do something that they themselves have never done. Why do they think they have any expertise? Because they read about it in the media? Because somebody told them so? Why do we accept credentials from book work?

The last question is not rhetorical. The reason we accept credentials is because the people who have earned them have spent a considerable amount of time thinking about their field. To get a PhD requires writing a dissertation of original thought. However, there are specific boundaries set by the gate-keepers that keep the thinker 'real'.

The obvious is usually simple - we spend our life looking for complication, when it doesn't necessarily exist. I prefer people who think about things before they embark on action - but too much thinking leads to inaction. Perhaps inaction, while we reevaluate is in order, to characterize the coming chaos.

I think we need people trying the same thing in different ways without consulting each other. This way we get to apply original thought to a specific challenge. The group think motif currently employed forces everyone onto the same page, with compromise guaranteed not to work.


Do your own thing, not somebody else's image of what your thing should be. Be your own leader and do what you need to do.

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