Dear Pete,
This is in response to your letter on the above subject in which you
wrote: "Our search for strong leadership in others expresses a desire for
others to assume the ownership and responsibility for our group, our
organization, our society. The effect is to localize power, purpose, in
the one we call leader." My assumptions about leaders are different:
* I don't assume that leaders automatically translate
or act as patriarchs.
* I assume it is possible to follow a leader without
giving up personal responsibility or giving control
to the leader.
* I assume that many of the important lessons we learn
occur when we follow leaders.
* I assume that all human beings have tendencies to follow
and lead and that attempts to be completely independent
of either drive are futile. I believe we are biological
connected in hierarchies and networks that are too
complex to understand with absolutes or either ors.
* Finally, I believe that leadership is an essential
ingrediant for organizational change. Pete, you pose
the question if anyone can or should be a leader.
I think people are leaders whether they know they can
or should be leaders.
Finally, I am not sure if leadership can be taught, but I am pretty sure
that it teaches us. I would like to hear other points of view.
-- Charlie Fleetham