Leadership and Hope Hope is the knowledge that we can choose; that we can learn from our mistakes and act differently next time. (Jonathan Sacks) John West-Burnham

“…if you want to be a leader, you have to be a real human being. You must recognise the true meaning of life before you can become a great leader. You must understand yourself first. …in this sense, the cultivated self is the leader’s greatest tool…It’s the journey of a lifetime.” Senge 2004 p186

Song of the Open Road Here is the test of wisdom, Wisdom is not finally tested in schools, Wisdom cannot be passed from one having it, to an- other not having it, Wisdom is of the Soul, is not susceptible of proof, is its own proof, Applies to all stages and objects and qualities, and is content, Is the certainty of the reality and immortality of things, and the excellence of things; Something there is in the float of the sight of things that provokes it out of the Soul. Leaves of Grass Walt Whitman

Becoming a Leader As Bennis and Goldsmith (1997) express it: …the process of becoming a leader is much the same as the process of becoming an integrated human being…leadership is a metaphor for centeredness, congruity and balance in one’s life. (p8) For Taylor (1991) authenticity is about developing a personal integrity: Being true to myself means being true to my own originality, and that is something only I can articulate and discover. In articulating it, I am also defining myself. (p29)

LITERACY ACTIONSVALUES Cognitive Affective Moral SpiritualInterpersonal Personal Authenticity Understanding Personal Authenticity

Becoming an Authentic Person Understanding self in relation to others, living and working through social relationships Growing through the multiple manifestations of loving and being loved, through family life and friendships (social and spiritual) A sense of having the potential to achieve self-actualization The ability to be creative The engagement with beauty in art and nature, from mindscapes to landscapes.

Ubuntu: “a person is a person through other persons.” “A person with Ubuntu is open and available to others, affirming of others, does not feel threatened that others are able and good, for he or she has a proper self- assurance that comes from knowing that he or she belongs in a greater whole…” Archbishop Desmond Tutu “I am because we are.”

Learning, Authenticity and Complexity Personal Experience Emergent Development TrainingAcademic Study High Low Authenticity LowComplexityHigh

A Typology of Helping Strategies Counselling Mentoring Coaching Generic Training Friendship Non-directive Directive Personal

The first discovery My ideal self Who do I want to be? What metaphors and images do you use to describe your ideal self? (Richard Boyatzis in Goleman, D. (2002) The New Leaders)

The Second Discovery My real self Who am I? What would your closest friend describe as your greatest strengths and weaknesses?

The third discovery My learning agenda How do I build on my strengths and reduce the gaps between my ideal and real self? How well do you understand yourself as a learner?

The fourth discovery Experimenting with new behaviour What strategies can I put in place and how do I develop mastery? How rich is your portfolio of developmental strategies?

The fifth discovery Developing supportive and trusting relationships to make change possible Who can help me? What have been the most significant learning relationships in your life?

Reservoirs of Hope Relationships Reflection Resilience Rejoicing

Scaffolding Masons, when they start upon a building, Are careful to test out the scaffolding; Make sure that planks won’t slip at busy points, Secure all ladders, tighten bolted joints. And yet all this comes down when the job’s done, Showing off walls of sure and solid stone. So if, my dear, there sometimes seem to be Old bridges breaking between you and me, Never fear. We may let the scaffolds fall, Confident that we have built our wall. Seamus Heaney From ‘Death of a Naturalist’, Faber & Faber (1st published 1966)

References Bennis, W. & Goldsmith, J. (1997) Learning to Lead, London, Nicholas Brealey Publishing Goleman, D. (2002) The New Leaders, London, Little, Brown Senge, P. et al (2004) Presence, Cambridge MA, Society of Organizational Learning Taylor, C. (1991) The Ethics of Authenticity, Cambridge MA, Harvard University Press