Demi-Gods Have Clay Feet

My thanks to a good friend who asked me, why does leadership development of Gen-Y matter to you? 


I've thought about it all day and conclude that it relates to the early experiences that shaped me. The most significant being the twin of displacement and exclusion.


As a child of Indian immigrants struggling to settle in 1960s London (UK), the assassination of Martin Luther King Jnr. ripped a hole in our lives. 


Assailed by petty acts of prejudice and exclusion, we too yearned for a time when we would "not be judged by the color of [our] skin, but by the content of [our] character." For a time, it felt as if hope died with him, because as young person in 1970s Britain, I couldn't see how to "lift...from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood."


Yet, his articulation of such high aspirations and my experience of injustice were the lightening rod to my values; as is Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: 

"All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood."

Therein lies the essence of my frustration with wasted opportunities as a sector - would an audit of our activity register credit or deficit? Yet, it could be the focus for hope, if we were to reimagine our sector as Organization Unbound asks us to. 


So, as I 'reimagine', the next question is: who should lead this process. And here, the Article's use of the word 'reason',  inspires me. 


I ask myself, what if:

• Activities impacting on communities were to be delivered through coherent and consistent processes, offering a layered response to human need and aspiration
• Those at the heart of the experience were to emerge as leaders,  shaping a dialogue with 'power' at mezzo and macro levels on the issues impacting upon them and their community?

What impacts would result?

Of course, I am aware that terms such as 'brotherhood' will inevitably arouse the cynics. 


However, confronted with the crisis of an aging population and a shift in economic primacy towards the orient; moving to a 'solid rock of brotherhood' strikes me as an economic, as well as social imperative. The wastage of human talent is no-longer sustainable.

None the less, such a shift demands that 'power' stand down and become accountable. How often in recent years have we pointed a finger of accusation at  unaccountable power: banks, trans-nationals, auto-manufacturers and governments.


Yet, should we not also look to ourselves and the way we exert 'power' at the micro-level. As providers and gatekeepers to resources, we knowingly or unknowingly are engaged in a power dynamic. 


My question is: overall, to what extent do we as a sector, organizations, and individuals, maintain the status quo by our behaviors and expectations of the people we serve?

I believe innovative, inspiring organizations continually grapple with this challenge. Their leaders seem to intuitively recruit people who are sensitive to the ambiguities of the situation and are mindful in their behavior.

So, if we are to reimagine the sector, we must ask whether the status quo makes economic or business sense? Or, do we equip the next generation to influence change and utilize their globalized perspectives to create a more savvy approach to social change?

Of course, for those with power, it will demand as a given an acceptance that demi-gods have clay feet and require an allowance for difficult questions to be asked of them, such as: 

• What did you get right and what did you get wrong?
• Were you, as an organization, competent to perform at all levels? 

However, imagine how rapid change will be, once they, Gen-Y, have a platform from which to exert influence. How liberating will it be to have a shared leadership operating at all levels.