Leadership shows up in many forms. Sometimes we recognize leadership more after the fact than in the moment. The readings we came together to discuss were from the time of the Civil War in the United States of America. You guessed it. Abraham Lincoln. And new to me, Sojourner Truth.
The words of Sojourner spoke of responsibility for us and our lives … on our life’s journey.
At the same time, we are existing without impeding the journey of others. She speaks of equal capability - that regardless of race or sex we can do what another can do.
When things are not collaborative - the coming together to move ourselves and communities forward, there is a loss of dignity. Sojourner acknowledged how a person loses their dignity:
- Humiliation has happened.
- Individual strength comes from deep within their heart, regardless of what they are forced to do.
- What a person MUST do that is different than who they are.
Her voice, her experience, her view influenced Abraham Lincoln who also believed in his heart of hearts that all beings are equal and there is not a need to hold people down to get what we want.
And, his leadership guided our country through a time where some felt they were losing their dignity and others were fighting to proudly own theirs.
The conversation turned to the relevance of her words (and his) today in our time…
Contribution is different than seeking power. We are told our value by the money we make for the job we do. We tell people and companies their value by the money we spend.
With equality being championed on many fronts - we’ve seen much change, legally, since 1960 including:
- Legalization of interracial marriage
- Legalizing same-sex marriage
- One person, one vote
- Full access to all amenities
- Women’s access to contraceptives
- Women’s right to be Pro-Choice
- Illuminating men vs women stereotypes engrained in our culture
...The pendulum keeps swinging.
When we can hold true our personal values (without imposing them on others) and be open to ideas that differs from our own, the grip of frustration and fear loses hold.
The women that participated in this conversation:
and me, Jessica Dewell
We want to hear your thoughts.
The excerpts from Sojourner Truth and Abraham Lincoln we discussed were from:
The excerpts from Sojourner Truth and Abraham Lincoln we discussed were from:
Title: Leadership: Essential Selections on Power, Authority, and Influence
Pages: 214-223
Our next book club meeting is November (you do not have to be a member to join us).
You can register here.
You can register here.
The confirmation email will detail the excerpt we will discuss, and it will be from the same book.
No comments:
Post a Comment