Deeper Dive - You Are The Leader - May 3, 2022
Our world is screaming for good leadership....the nonprofit sector must fill the void.
Where Have All Our Leaders Gone?
In 1968, Dion DiMucci released his song, “Abraham, Martin and John”, the song was released after the assassination of Robert Kennedy and the tune talks about the song writer’s longing for those leaders who were taken too soon, all through the hands of an assassin. It’s a sad song, but one that I heard more than once on the radio growing up as my father would listen to “oldies” radio.
Fast forward fifty years later and Mr. DiMucci’s words still seem to ring true, where are the leaders these days? Fortunately, as a society, we haven’t gone through the trauma of losing a leader through an assassination, but there is still a general feeling of malaise. Visions that helped us look to the future have been supplanted with less than optimal replacements. Instead we are offered up short-term band aids that are designed for victory in a zero-sum game. It’s like we are playing a game where we feel it’s heads they win; tails we lose.
And that attitude causes horrendous damage to our civic infrastructure. We allow false statements slide as truth. We cower away from accountability. We act as if every statement we don’t agree with is a slander against us as a person. It opens up the door for more extreme and dramatic behavior. This short-term thinking has to stop.
Politics Hates Solving The Problem
If there is one thing I have learned from my time as a nonprofit leader, it’s that we can’t expect those people that we put in charge of our institutions to solve our problems. In fact, some of those institutions, like politics and government, must have those problems around.
Any politician that runs or promotes an agenda filled with those fights on the fronts of the modern day culture war aren’t rewarded for solving problems; they are are perversely rewarded for keeping the culture war going. Don’t believe me? Just look at any television advertisement for any political candidate. They want your vote to help “fight” or “take on” the other group. Very rarely are political leaders elected on a campaign to solve problems.
Our political leaders aren’t dumb. They realize that once the problem is solved, things change. Their identify as being the biggest brawler on a particular issue no longer holds any currency. The next up and comer talking a new game with a new issue quickly becomes the next candidate to support with money, advertising, votes, etc.
Politicians quickly understand the game. Everyday is groundhog day - keep the machine grinding out soundbites and press releases but never make any progress.
Philanthropy Has Always Looked Forward
I’ll be the first to admit, my view is less than optimistic. Probably cynical.
However, one of the greatest aspects I have learned from working in the philanthropic and nonprofit sector is that we are not in the business of playing the short game. Short-term games rarely gain long-term successes.
And the philanthropic world is all about the long-term game. Sure, we look at the short-term outputs - how many meals were served or how many kids participated, but we all know that is not what drive us. What drives us are the lives behind the numbers. We are in the business of improving the trajectory of a life for now and for generations to come.
And it’s hard work. Each and every success story we come across is precious because it takes a lot of time and a lot of resources and often a lot of falling down and getting back up. Yet, we persevere because those we serve are persevering as well.
We are the Leaders
Friends, if we are in this line of work together, we are the ones that at are leaders. We are the ones looking forward generations ahead, while others can look barely over the horizon. We are the ones that are trusted to take care of the communities we call home. We are the ones that have a unique calling to treat our neighbors with dignity, respect and care that goes above and beyond what is expected.
When we need to look for leadership in our world, we need not go any farther than our own bathroom mirror. We are changing our world each and every day.
Thank you!
I have had my say, what’s yours? Please feel free to share this post with your colleagues and leave a comment. Of course, you can always drop me a line at pinnaclestrategiesltd@gmail.com.