Great Necessities

In 1790, Abigail Adams wrote Thomas Jefferson stating that,

“Great necessities call forth great leaders.”

The mandate for leaders today to smartly navigate through the turbulent situations we face, (politically, globally, financially, organizationally, institutionally, etc) is not an undertaking for the faint of heart.

The success and health of an organization or a nation or the world (if you want to go big) is intrinsically tied to the growth and development of those who have the privilege of leading it. Leaders must be willing themselves to be open, humble and wise in seeking answers, broadly and deeply, so that issues can be elevated to a place where the answers are holistic, systemic and achieve the desired results. This is a leader's task that requires true leadership!

I have been so disappointed recently by the unchanging "conversation" in our politics, regardless of political party. As leaders in our own organizations and as citizens we can change the quality and breadth of the conversation but we have to be willing to get involved where we can and learn about how change really happens. Scapegoating may be satisfying, but it generally does not create the results needed and it prevents the truth and holistic answers from emerging in a timely fashion when action is most critical.

Given the challenges, there are a couple of books I recommend:

The book, Influencer: The Power to Change Anything, is a great book for learning how to get to the real levers of change in any situation. It is helpful as a leader or a social activist to understand that there are vital levers to change. The authors recount, "by changing just a few vital behaviors" they were able to eliminate the Guinea worm disease that was killing people at epidemic rates in small villages all across West Asia including many Sub-Saharan villages so decentralized that the task should have been impossible!

For anyone interested in real and substantial change this is a great read.

For those of you who are actively involved in organizational change, Theory U: Leading from the Future as It Emerges takes a deeper look at how real time systemic change tied to individual/leader development is critical for today's environment and challenges. I found it to be very thought provoking; a worthwhile read.