Australia: Leadership & The Ties That Bind

Australia is facing drought, fire…the unknown depths of global warming….and political bickering.

Catastrophic Fire Weather & Political Brawling

I was very impressed with community organisations and grassroots Australians successfully planning, co-operating and standing together through the catastrophic fire weather yesterday. However after politics reared its ugly head, I am wondering if our political class can see why the major parties have lost our respect…and our votes?

As a grassroots Australian, I think  that we, the people, ARE sick of the politicisation of everything in the chase for power!

• Party politics dominates all. There is no leadership or planning for a collaborative transition into a post-carbon era.
• Reports are commissioned, paid for with taxpayer funds, then ignored in the constant scramble for votes.
• FOI documents are hard to come by then blacked out. Why?
• We elect our MPs to lead, to inform us and chart the best way forward for all of us. We SHOULD know what government is doing.

Governments are meant to be leaders. Leaders inform and take people with them. 

The Ties That Bind….& A Giant Whiteboard?

‘The ties that bind us’ was a phrase I heard this week. These ties do exist. I believe they could and should be the starting point for a new and different route for Australia.

We need an open, ongoing discussion throughout all communities, and an evolving PLAN –  a ‘giant whiteboard’ (!!) figuratively speaking, on which all our efforts, worries, information can be listed and shared…a long term PLAN for TRANSITION and HOW we CAN do it, with new jobs, and with respect for all!

Ex-NSW Judge Anthony Whealey and former NSW Nationals MP Troy Grant speaking on The Drum on Monday agreed they were not Climate Change experts but wanted to understand, as do millions of Australians. The whole panel wanted a conversation, a discussion for all of us, about proposals and their consequences, without hype and hysteria, so we can have enough information to make decisions about our future.

Can we hope for a leader with a bi-partisan approach so we can all plan for our future, beyond the next election?

Leadership – Ancient Wisdom Says It All

Lao-Tzu, Chinese philosopher 6th-5th Century BCE, whose writings are thought to have influenced Confucious and Buddha, is quoted by The School of Life as saying:

“‘Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished’…it is particularly important that we remember that certain things—grieving, growing wiser, developing a new relationship—only happen on their own schedule, like the changing of leaves in the fall or the blossoming of the bulbs we planted months ago.

Inspire your team to feel ownership over their work

The intelligent leader will be careful not to speak as if he doubted or distrusted his followers’ ability to do the job suitably. When the work is done, and as he wanted it done, he will be happy if the followers say: ‘This is just the way we wanted it.’

Be strong, but lead with softness

‘Water is fluid, soft, and yielding. But water will wear away rock, which is rigid and cannot yield.’ This is another paradox: What is soft is strong.

There is a clear difference between controlling a team and leading a team, and everyone benefits from the latter. Leading involves an element of collaboration, taking the entire team’s thoughts and experiences into consideration rather than making unilateral decisions.

Be an example

‘A good leader guides by good example. A bad leader resorts to force and intrigue…Being calm and contented himself, he sets an example for his people.’

Both of these passages reflect Lao Tzu’s emphasis on the need to lead by example. Once a person achieves a leadership position in an organization, it’s crucial that they set the tone for the rest of the team.”

Heartfelt best wishes to those NSW and Queensland communities facing the 2019 fires from someone who will never forget the Victorian Ash Wednesday and Black Saturday summers.