In Joan Chittister's book, "The Monastery of the Heart," which deals with Benedictine spirituality, she defines leadership in the monastery in much the same way I tried to define it in the workplace. Here are some quotes from her chapter on leadership that I think apply to any group, be it a pizza delivery service or the CIA.
It (leadership) demands that we work together to release one another's gifts to strengthen the communal voice.
It insists that the ideas of each must be both solicited and respected...
...it does mean that the community binds itself together for the sake of learning from the wisdom of all.
It is easy to choose as leaders those who claim to have answers we do not want to trouble ourselves with discovering. Better to simply follow orders, we are tempted to believe
...to choose for leaders those who allow the community to drift into nice, comfortable, secure routines...
The complacent community asks itself no difficult questions...
The comfortable community opens no new or challenging paths...
The self-satisfied community carves out no new directions, risks no new questions...
The placid community forgoes its prophetic role...
Leaders must be an example to the community of its best self: open, loving, hospitable...
The leader must maintain the integrity of the community.
Identifying and choosing good leaders is of the essence of community building. We will become what we choose.
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