The Many Different Styles of Leadership

Misty Hollow Carving
This BLOG is sponsored by “Misty Hollow Carving”. You are welcome to visit Misty Hollow and see all of my carvings.

My Web Site is a like a Gallery – please drop in for a stroll through.

To help me promote my Web Site please copy this URL address and email to someone today http://www.murraylincoln.com/

* * * * * * * *
Today’s Blog Post
The Many Different Styles of Leadership

I watch people. I watch Leadership. I watch and see the different styles that are now coming into our view at many different levels of community.

The NDP are now trying to find their main leader. In fact about two hours from the time that this Blog is published the first ballot will give the delegates and Canada some idea who will replace their former leader that passed away.

The Conservative Party of Canada, in our Federal Government, has a strong leader. Strong may be too light in describing this leader. From all that we read he is not just strong he is all powerful. What he wants he gets. It matters not what others think, want or need.

Locally we are watching a young leader that is being thrust forward into roles that I doubt he is comfortable in. Our local MP is the “Secretary” for the Prime Minister, who is the one mentioned in the last paragraph. What the PM wants the Secretary delivers. Kind of like the old movies where the women that served as secretaries were at the whim of the Lord and Master of that Office.

I am purposely not stating names as my readers around world will not know the characters that play in these key acting positions of our “Canadian Political Play”. And like any play in a theatre the actress can change as the understudy steps up with their own ideas and leadership/actorship.

Locally we are watching three other positions with interest. Both positions are Mayoral – the folk serving in these areas are all Mayors of their cities.

In Mississauga, Ontario there is a Lady Mayor that is old and wrinkled. She has served her community for years as a remarkable leader.

In Toronto, Ontario there is a younger man serving in his new role of Mayor.

In our city of Peterborough, Ontario there is an older man that serves as our new Mayor.

In these three different Mayoral types there is a vast difference in styles of leadership. The lady is very different from the two men.

The young man is arrogant and feisty. He is a dictator type that knows best what his city needs. It is a circus of political things happening less than an hour from where we live.

The older man serving as Mayor in our city is very different again. What he says he wants. His power is partly in the fact that he has always been taller than all the rest on the school yard. Some people call that style a “bully”. Others that know him say he is a good guy that sings in his church choir, and has been in business a long time.

The old lady Mayor is congenial, warm, well spoke and seems to care. I have met her and when you get past her wrinkles you see the sparkle in her eyes… and you just wish you could vote for her. (Our meeting was at a conference held in her city where addressed our delegates.)

What an amazing difference in each of these leaders. Some we love, and some we hate so bad now that we cannot wait until another voting time comes – so we can oust them. Yet the great contrast is “we”, as a population and citizenship, voted them in.

How can we love them at one stupid moment and then hate them so much a little later when they start pulling off their stunts of power and dictatorship?

The answer is likely more complicated than my suggestion here. They show us only on side, the side they know we want to see, when we are making our choices at the voting station.

We really don’t know what kind of jerks they are – or what kind of saints they will be – after they are elected.

Now I seem to be knocking our revered leadership. You know the ones that our English Language and protocol is adamant that we use.

The one where the dictator type Mayor is introduced(properly) as “His Worship” or “Her Worship”.

The one where we almost stand in awe of the Prime Minister of Canada, the Right Honourable ……”
Or the one where we stand to say, “Ladies and Gentlemen I would like to introduce to you The Premier of Ontario, Premier…..”

The awe and respect that is still there in me is almost shocking… at times.

When the guys and gals that were elected to these positions, lives across the street from us, they were our friends, our football coaches, our committee members… and our friends. Now elected they are something different and at times obnoxious and plain old stupid… with a powerful title.

Nope it is not just in politics but also in other places. The one place that I know is the church. We see it here as well. And it happens in every denomination and style.

The top guy in this role of course (and it has to be a GUY) is the beloved Pope. Upon his elevation point he moves from a human being to almost God like. People bow and bend to this Holy Man. Kissing his hand and ring… yikes. (Oddly enough they also have been known to assassinate him.)

As some of you know I am Protestant… from the protester’s group that at one point in the far past refused to scrape and bow to some dude in a big house in Italy.

Instead we set up our own kingdoms of Protesters… Protestants that is!

And being as human as we are we just had to have leadership in place to lead us. And leadership always has its special way of being above others, in privilege and remuneration.

I have served in a number or roles within my own church group. I have seen it all.

Moving from the top Politicians in our country to the lesser politicians; to the top city politicians and the lowest leadership within the community; to the church and community group leadership… I can honestly say I have seen almost all of it – good and bad.

I am confused at times why I – or we – need the dictator type. But we get them or accept them anyway… then we hate them later and try everything in our power to get rid of them… and then simply find another person to replace the one that hated with some one that is every bit the same.

Why can’t a leader be like they were before they became a leader?

God, help us all. Here is to better leadership and a stronger community that doesn’t need dictators of any kind.

~ Murray Lincoln ~
http://www.murraylincoln.com/