If we could but realize it, the world is not made up of many individuals, but many groups of individuals. No matter how we view our reality, we are always part of something larger than just ourselves. The goal of every person, then, is to become aware of the needs and the purposes of the group in which they find themselves. Whether it be our family, a group of friends, our workplace, or humanity itself, there is something happening in the group at large that begins to matter more than what we want for ourselves as an individual. When we see and feel that we are part of something much bigger, we gain a new freedom, a new sense of belonging, and our need to be important falls away. The undue pressure we place on ourselves, that false sense of being entirely responsible for everything, gives way to the sharing of responsibility, which provides for us a much-needed sense of proportion in what we are able to contribute to our lives, others, and the world. My friends, it’s not just about us, all are needed to make the greater whole work. Life feels better now, the purpose of humanity and the world takes on an entirely new meaning. Once we figure out what our particular role is in any given group, and understand that each other also has their role, we find a sense of ease, and we will indeed be much more willing to cooperate and give it all we’ve got. It is the group which is significant you see, not the individual. With this understanding, we can breathe, we can truly create.
Remember, each of us has a gift, and our unique quality must be given to the group in order for the group to work properly. We all have our contribution to make, we’re all good at something. Some of us work behind the scenes as a supportive influence, or as a creative impetus, some of us work in the middle as mediators or communicators, and some of us put ourselves at the forefront to lead the group itself. Whatever your particular role is, it’s just as important as any other. Again, all are needed. As far as leadership goes, well, we’re all leaders in our own right. We lead because of what we know, we lead ourselves by making that necessary contribution. If you find yourself as a leader in a group, your position is not necessarily more important, but certainly more difficult. Very few of us want this job! Having said that, the difficulty arises out of what is required of a leader, the essential qualities that are needed today in order to make a group be a great group. This is what we’ll be discussing today.
What I would like to point out first, is that which made a person a great and effective leader in the past is no longer so. We know that everything is changing, changing for the better, and the area of leadership is no exception. Leadership of the past, whether we want to admit it or not, was mostly based on aggression, a demanding approach, and one person being the center of all things. There was only one person who had all importance, only one person who mattered in any given group. The role of every other person was simply to prop up and support their leader, to bring forward what only one person wanted. The function and purpose of the group was about an individual purpose and goal, that of the leader. In such cases, the self-interest of one would always override the interests and needs of the group. What could be created by the group, a purpose indicating the betterment of the greater whole, was entirely lacking. Unfortunately, we still see this today. If we want a better life, if we want to create a better world, this approach must change. If the group is to have greater meaning, if we are to provide a way for each person to make their necessary contribution, then the requirements of a leader must involve more than what any one person can offer. Many of the qualities, requirements, and skills of great leadership most of us already know. To bring forward a new type of leader, however, we need to consider five things this person must have in order to meet the challenges of our changing times. It is, my friends, a higher awareness of the greater whole that will build the better world we seek to build.
Vision
Are you attempting to be a leader? What is required first and foremost is a vision. This vision includes the awareness that what you are trying to create is what the group is trying to create, and these two must the same. The goal is not about you, it is not about power or recognition. What you and the group envision is the betterment of the whole in some way. It is about something more than personal achievement. If you’re just getting started, your goal is to find those of like mind and heart. All must be relatively on the same page. Perhaps you don’t even know exactly what you want to do or create, but the group will bring this to light. Many hearts, many minds, are better than one. Your number one awareness is that which each member within the group needs to provide to the whole in order for the envisioned goal and objective to be fulfilled. A vision of the past and what has been learned, a vision of the present and what is currently available, and a vision of a future that is possible needs to be clear. The purpose of it all will unfold and become more defined as the group moves forward together. I will tell you, my friends, the underlying purpose of every group is being together. It is a way to understand how love works. With loving interaction at all times, there is nothing that cannot be done. The specific purpose, what the group intends to accomplish, is of secondary importance. The role of a great leader is to help each individual within the group understand their role, and subsequently provide it to the group. When one is out of place, the group is out of place. The group’s vision must be about the well-being of humanity. Each leader, each individual, each group, must have the goal of improving world conditions in some way.
Inclusiveness – Decentralization
The new type of leader will have an inclusive awareness. He or she will see themselves as an integral part of the group, but also see each other member as equally integral. A strong desire to be top dog, to be placed on a pedestal, to have unquestioned power and ability, will become a thing of the past. The new leader will share power, and see the group as a whole to have the real and essential power. What we’re talking about here is a required decentralization of the group leader, and indeed, every other group member as well. The needs of the individual self must be forgotten to a great extent in order for the group to be truly effective. Self-interest gives way to group-interest. The new type of group in the current age will essentially be the creation of a greater self. Yes, a group is in fact a self, a self with a bigger and more inclusive identity. What each individual contributes can be found a necessary integration into this new identity created. This is the nature of the heart. It is about inclusion. The role of every leader is one of loving support, consistent encouragement, and a gentle pushing forward. A great leader in the new age does not demand or dictate. A great leader cooperates and indicates. This warrants our most careful thought. Each member of the group can help its leader lead in the very best way, by not insisting that they are the all-knowing and all-seeing one. The responsibility of the greater group will therefore be spread out accordingly and appropriately.
Sincerity
Sincerity, honesty, openness? Yes, these qualities must be exhibited by every person in the group to the best of their ability, not just the leader of such group. We’re all working on the same things, my friends, we’ll all becoming a better self. We must be absolutely clear that nobody is perfect, not even our leader. If we know this of ourselves, can we not offer this to the leader as well? Now, with this simple acknowledgement, we have every right to expect of our group leader the utmost sincerity. If you happen to be the leader, then you must be honest with yourself about who you are and where you are, and you need to show all others this self, this imperfect self. It is totally unnecessary to pretend, or try to be something you are not. If you go about your leadership in this way, you will never be trusted, you will never be respected. It is a genuine person we all seek, so take a risk and be real. What you will find is even greater cooperation, and more help when it is asked for. And yes, it must be asked for, for the leader also grows through vulnerability. With an honest approach, even a leader can receive the group love he or she requires, a love given by all. This is a position of power. True leadership ensues. Now, if the group is to be successful in its venture, each of the individuals within cannot expect the leader to have all the answers, nor should he or she be required to do all the work. Each of us has our role and part to play. The wise functionality of the group is dependent on a wide and equal distribution of effort and dedication, and the success these bring, leader and all.
Observation
When all of the above is well established, the role of the group leader becomes one of observation. My friends, the role of the observer is an activity, believe it or not, and it is a difficult one. We can honor and respect that. So, you may ask, “What is the group leader observing exactly?” Well, a great leader would observe everything! A true leader cares and loves, above all else, but does not allow any part of the group to inhibit the forward movement and success of the group either. If one individual is having difficulty, then attention must be given, but not so much that the entire group comes to a standstill. The integrity of the group must be given the utmost consideration. In other words, no individual member can or should have the final say on any matter or issue, not even the leader. However, if someone is behind, give them every opportunity to catch up. If one is down, another must fill the void. We work together. The leader observes the strength of the group thereby. A great leader reminds the group where it is headed and how to get there. A great leader does not over-emphasize the failure of any particular individual, but always acknowledges the successes of each other, and the overall progress of the group itself. Any problem or apparent failure is always to be seen as temporary and relative. The group leader observes and maintains the vision of the group. What are we creating, how can we improve? Who is being helpful and who is not? Above and beyond every goal the group may in fact have, the leader always sees the ultimate goal, the glory of that which is possible. Each individual within the greater group must see the same. What the group leader observes is a necessary balance of all that is. It’s always about give and take, a constant mutual interplay. One of the most important things the leader has to balance is how to handle information. All information pertaining to the group is always available. A proper balance must be achieved between the information that can be withheld temporarily, perhaps due to timing, and the information that must be shared immediately, due to obvious necessity. Whatever the case may be, absolute transparency must be in place at all times. My advice to all leaders is to provide all information from a teaching perspective. Teaching should be the most substantial goal of all leadership. Providing what is needed by the group cannot therefore be pursued on a need-to-know basis, for this approach is no longer adequate or fair. All that is given to the group must be provided on a right-to-know basis instead. This brings in a necessary respect, and a required appreciation of all involved. The knowledge and power of the group stands as the significant factor, not the self-interest of its leadership. The health and success of the group is understood as the most important accomplishment. All personal or individual success is seen as secondary and incidental. It is a hard pressing forward on the new way!
Consensus
All the efforts of leadership are geared toward one outcome. All activities, goals, intents, and purposes lead to one end. A group consensus. The majority has the final say, my friends, and all leaders, all groups will fail without it. The majority rules, and it must, for what the majority believes as correct will be seen by all, to benefit all, eventually. When each individual within the greater group is allowed to contribute their necessary part, the group will be able to contribute its best to the world. Again, it must be understood by everyone that the group has greater power, a greater ability to improve, and a much more positive impact on the whole of humanity than any individual could ever have. This is a good thing, for we see the need to work together, to let all have their say, and to cooperate with one another in order for the whole of humanity to have real purpose and value. An effective and powerful leader is always aware of what the group consensus is on any matter. In this way, the proper direction will be chosen. Even if the majority is wrong, confused, or intends to pursue a less than beneficial way for all, it must be given a chance to play out. This is how we know whether our direction is correct or not. Mistakes, losing our way, can and should be allowed, for wisdom will be gleaned, and the path for all will widen even further. Leadership is not about the glorification or importance of any individual. It is about the glorification of the greater whole. Self-interest must be left behind. The wants and needs of the group must supersede the wants and needs of the individual. There will be no individual self lost in this process, for when the greater group decides correctly, all individuals will be seen to benefit. My friends, we are all leaders, for we lead ourselves through a willing participation in this group. Again, a true leader will see and know what benefits all. This is the vision intended. When the majority wins, all will indeed win. For those who do not wish to comply with what the greater group sees, they will have every opportunity to change their mind, for the isolation they experience will be too painful for them to endure long term. This is a time to create a different and better reality for all of us, and this opportunity is more possible today than any other time in human history. A better world will absolutely be ours. Leaders who intend to harm, to destroy, and keep humanity from achieving the freedom and equality it requires will be a thing of the past. Vision, my fellow brothers and sisters, vision. A vision of hope for all. We will succeed, for we have the power of the group upon us. We feel better, we gain a sense of purpose, we make our contribution. Our destiny is revealed through a full understanding of love as the building agent in all of it. Love and cooperation create the new reality, the new world we seek. We lead, we create. We lead ourselves out of the limitations and darkness personal power and excessive wealth creates. We give everything of ourselves to the greater whole, for this is the one group of which we all have a place, of which we do indeed belong. We leave no one behind, we include all in this grand adventure. Yes, we create a new peace. Yes, we create a new and better consensus. The world and humanity is ours.
The essential requirements of leadership belong to the group, not the individual
All individual successes can therefore be seen to benefit the group, not inhibit its progress
The meaning and purpose of the group is thereby defined and greatly enhanced with this understanding
The intent of every person, then, is to become part of a group, part of the greater whole
True leadership requires all individuals within this whole to move forward as one
All are important, all are necessary, and all must participate
To lead is to love and include, for this is the way
It is the life within the greater whole that truly matters, and this life is our hope and guarantee
My friends, I ask you, who could deny this kind of leadership
* We’ll return to this topic of a new kind of leadership, a leadership that we will indeed see in our near future. Some have already begun, and we thank you. I understand it is difficult to conceptualize that the true leader is the group itself, not any individual person. But, we will find out with a simple willingness to participate in the new way. In the past, a leader was to be followed at any cost. I’m afraid we cannot allow our power to be given away, in this way, any longer. What we need, my friends, is the betterment of all. The new leader shall have this be at the forefront of their very consciousness. This, each of us, must also pursue.
All my love and support, be well