I am
often told that the challenges we face in the world are too big for one individual to make a difference. Indeed, many of us
believe that leadership is best left to others. But I believe that we are in a time that calls for a redefinition of what
it means to be a leader, a time that challenges each of us to take leadership in our lives and in our world. And I believe
that each of us has something unique and valuable that we can offer. Each of us is called to be a transformative leader.
There is no one work or action that defines transformative
leadership because the re-orientation that must occur in our culture, which is in the process of occurring, is so vast and
comprehensive. Transformative leadership needs to occur on multiple levels simultaneously.
It occurs through intellectual critique and deconstruction of our institutions,
scientific worldview and cultural paradigm. It occurs through transdisciplinary discussions and integral learning. It occurs
within troubled organizations and institutions as courageous individuals tackle difficult questions of corporate social responsibility,
as they confront the dysfunctional nature of corporate cultures, and as they attempt to integrate and apply spirituality and
whole-systems thinking. It also occurs as talented workers leave traditional organizations to create new structures, possibilities,
alliances and different ways of working.
It occurs in the schools, on the streets, in our homes, and in our hearts. It occurs both as we heal internally and as we
turn our gaze outward in an attempt to heal the structures we live in. It occurs as we compassionately listen to each other,
as we confront our own blindness and refuse to shirk away from our own power. It occurs as we hope, dream, envision, falter,
learn from our mis-steps and try again.
Transformative leadership is embodied in the regeneration of life in all of its dimensions. Although we may be working in
very different ways, ultimately, we are all working for and within the same organization – the organization of life.
And it is for that purpose that we must gather our energy, motivation and willingness to examine, experiment, change and find
solace and inspiration in each other’s work.
Yes, we need courageous leaders to stand up to multinationals, to facilitate international movements, to initiate new institutions,
to stand on podiums and inspire others… we need them to take the risks they take on behalf of the seeds, the water
and for future generations. But these leaders alone cannot accomplish the kind of transformation that is needed.
What is required is that each of us takes leadership in
our own lives, in our own families and sphere of influence. Small actions can and do make a difference – to our individual
lives and to the way our lives impact and intersect with the whole. What is our world made of but millions of small actions
every moment? What one does – or doesn’t do – matters.
Transformation does not require us to move out of our lives and become something other than
we are. It simply asks us to mindfully act in our lives, to act as if the well being of the entire web of life matters.
MARILYN DANIELS, 2006
