Leadership Beyond The Age of Likes

Yesterday afternoon, I found myself spending a bit more time than usual engaging with people at NSW voting centres. I say more than usual, because while I grew up surrounded by local government policy making and am no stranger to that realm, precisely because of that, I’ve spent a lot of past elections trying to get in and out of voting centres as fast and stealthily as I could manage. Except this year, given the focus of my last several years in business, obviously I’ve had a bit more of a vested interest in showing up and putting my opinion on the table to anyone who’d listen this time.

​So there I was, waiting, listening to local politicians talking to people about local community issues going on right now. Listening to the same kind of thing people in council get hundreds and hundreds of heated phone calls over every day; neighbours putting stuff in my bins, what are you doing about the section of concrete in front of “x” address thats 2cm higher than the slab next to it that someone might injure themselves over. What are you doing to fix access to that hospital. And many of those conversations also centred on exactly the same issues that the majority of polls say the majority of Australia are really most concerned with short term right now 1) individual financial stability 2) affordable housing 3) health and hospitals ...the very issues of survival that so many are so busy living in a state of me focused “survive” with every day, that things like the environment quite literally come a more distant 5th or less down the list.


And while all those have been many of our focus in addressing over many years and need to be someone’s focus to ensure that people can have an awesome quality of life going forward, long term though, what I couldn’t help but be concerned with though, was this:


Widespread community awareness of the kind of environmental and health challenges we are going to face over the next several generations and the kind of change needed to address it, from the grass roots level up, is just not happening fast enough this way.

• If we’re NOT going to have our grandchildren and beyond breathing more toxic air than the toxin filled environment every Integrative Medicine Practitioner and Naturopath will tell you we already live in, bathe in, take in every day
•  If we want to slow down the massive impact we’re having on the environment, from the tops of mountains to the bottoms of dying coral reefs, to the half a truck of garbage inside the average whale,
• If we want to halt the massive degree of decline of species
• If we’re going to get on top of lifestyle related illness and
• A mental health crises of depression, anxiety and purpose, or
• Global human rights violations or
• Inequality, and
• keep making headway on corporate and economic responsibility

We also need leaders who are willing to go beyond just playing the old popularity contest game, responding to the short term things people think they want, to win funding and support. And dare to bring up the shit that’s actually going to change the global game of things to come.


We need Leaders who are willing to start the kind of conversations that:


CREATE CONNECTION, COLLABORATION and UNITY


I don't imagine it's exactly anything new for you to hear out of me, since I’d been banging on about the importance of reconnection- to ourselves and our purpose, to the planet, to each other personally, and each other professionally….and how this will be crucial in turning around the world on so many levels from the tipping point we’ve now gone beyond, since at least 2007, if not since the moment I could speak.


But now more than ever, we need Leaders who can cleverly redirect the focus from the “me” style thinking that is now rife throughout mass culture, (and is, as a wise Swami once said, is what’s gone wrong with a medical system focused mainly on fixing MY “I”llness) to shift it to the mentality of “WE” that predominantly underlies being instead in a state of “WE”llness, in which connecting and co-creating a life with others, personally and professionally is key to both our individual, collective and planetary wellbeing.


LEADERS WHO LIVE "CONNECTED"
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But more than that, we need Leaders who don’t just drive conversations about connection collaboration and unity, but ones who also stand there as a living, breathing embodiment of it. Who, the more they stand there in alignment with themselves, and then connect with others, innately bring others back into themselves, simply doing something as simple as connecting with their hearts and looking them in the eyes.  When you offer the invitation of connecting from that place, the gravity of every-day first-world entitlement related grievances, tend to suddenly become infinitely less what matters. And what really matters most tends to re-emerge. Concern for others we care about and being of service is often foremost, forefront of mind and heart in that place. That’s the place we need Leaders bringing people back to en masse right now, if we’re going to inspire people to work together towards creating change, at the speed that it is needed, to avert the impact of scenarios that could unfold over the century to come. How we collaborate to create it, and Leaders lead that, is a whole other discussion entirely. 



LEADERS WHO HAVE THE COURAGE TO TABLE THE TOUGH TOPICS


But right now, we need authentic, integral Leaders, who have the courage to go against the status quo, to actually take a stand for doing whats best for the people, to keep putting on the agenda the things we need to be talking about and strategising about NOW to make a difference to the generations to come and the future of this planet. 

Bless those that are already doing it. There are many of them already everywhere around us. And then there is also the next generation of Leaders so to speak ready to rise. The ones currently waiting for the ones still hanging on for dear life to the old ways that got us here, waiting on the Leaders that have been, to realise that they’re here, they’re ready and waiting with answers that need to be heard as a part of the solution, in the places it matters most. Baby Boomers, Gen X, Gen Y, Gen Z, primary aged children everywhere, who's fingers are on the pulse of the collective, who are all too aware of what needs to be done, who’s messages and wisdom are needed NOW, as part of a global effort of people of all ages and walks of life, to turn things around, by being exactly who they are.



Days like yesterday make me 200 times more determined to do whatever I can to support the future leaders, who have important messages and solutions to be shared, to connect with the confidence, the courage and the resources, internal and external, they need to get out there connecting, collaborating and getting done what really needs to be done for the future of humanity and this planet. And to help them look after themselves in ways that ensure they can stay in the game for the long-haul.

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Until next time....

Nat xx