Who Will Save Us?

“The old conceptions and methods of leadership are as flawed as they are obsolete. Leadership is the answer to the question, Who will save us?

In the past, we’ve given our rights to kings and rulers in the hopes that they would take care of us. Our hopes were dashed by tyranny. We’ve looked to the church to rescue us. The oppression of the Dark Ages told the truth of that story. More recently, we fell asleep while trusting representative government to save us. We awakened to the hard reality that government is in many cases the source of the problems from which we’re trying to save ourselves. We’ve believed in corporations and institutions, only to become insignificant cogs in vast gears that often mash our spirits and dreams.

All of these old models have proven themselves inefficient and insufficient. There is one defining thread that runs through the fabric of all of them. It is the thread that has weakened the garment of society throughout history—with every person that we’ve elevated above ourselves, our personal power has diminished and our freedoms have eroded. We’ve believed that solutions were found outside of ourselves as individuals. We’ve wanted other people and institutions to fix our problems for us.

The new answer—the only real and lasting answer—is what we’ve known all along, but have been afraid to admit because of the responsibility we know will be required of us. The cures to societal ills are found within you and me. The real heroes and leaders are each of us as individuals. The new standard means that we will uplift and bless one another through conscious service.

The new vision of leadership becomes a reality as we turn inward for strength and introspection. We cast our gaze away from podiums and power centers and toward our own hearts, resources, and abilities. The new leadership is about common citizens living uncommon lives of service and contribution. It’s lived by rank-and-file members of society who discard fear and embrace the responsibility of greatness.”

Exert from: Social Leadership: A Fresh Vision for Old Problems