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WISER LEADERSHIP
For a Leader
A poetic summary of true leadership
I have been studying leadership for a while now. The general flow of the field seems to be:
- Break new ground
- Overinflate new ground
- Snapback to reality
- Summarise
But because this happens so frequently it can be really tough to assess where we have got to. I was excited to be shown the following poem whilst attending training at the Henka Institute. It is one of the most complete ‘step 4’s I have read in a long time and yet, because it is a poem, still quite thought-provoking.
Enjoy.
“For A Leader” by John O’Donohue
May you have the grace and wisdom
To act kindly, learning
To distinguish between what is
Personal and what is not.
May you be hospitable to criticism.
May you never put yourself at the center of things.
May you act not from arrogance but out of service.
May you work on yourself,
Building up and refining the ways of your mind.
May those who work for you know
You see and respect them.
May you learn to cultivate the art of presence
In order to engage with those who…
