When I was as a child, I never thought that I would have the ability to lead a change effort, yet here I am imploring humanity to lead itself from the inside-out.
Back then, I didn’t believe that I had the power to shift people’s thinking about poverty, crime, violence, and most of all, how they viewed themselves. I never thought I had the skills, persona, or proper upbringing to lead others. Like much of humanity, I believed that a new leader would emerge and take charge. Therefore, I waited for our generation’s Dr. King, John F. Kennedy, Nelson Mandela, and Gandhi. Well, I waited and waited, while the problems around the world (such as poverty, hunger, racism, and genocide) that called for leadership were not getting the attention they deserved. You see, the problem with me, like with most of us is that we do not see ourselves as leaders, relegating us to waiting for the “one” who we think is. The problem is that while we wait, often times, the world’s problems get worse.
So, who is the “one” you ask?
· The “one” is that individual that we perceive to be a leader, who will step in and correct all of the world’s ills and save us.
· The “one” is that individual that we believe is larger than life and can move mountains with his/her charisma, intelligence, oratory skill, or cunning.
· The “one” is that individual that can draw large groups of followers to support him/her in causes of concern to all of us.
· The “one” is that individual that gets us into action, when we can’t get into action on our own.
Crazy enough, it was not until recently that I realized that I am the “one,” I mean, we all are. And while, we may not have all or any of the attributes that I just described, we all have a passion to take action on causes that we hold dear to our hearts. In my case, my passion for self-empowerment has led to my development of the attributes necessary for successfully leading others to addressing their causes.
· We are all the “one,” because we cannot continue to wait for the next coming of King or Gandhi.
· We are all the “one,” because the world’s ills will not go away on their own.
· We are all the “one,” because if not us, then who?
The truth is that the responsibility to solve the world’s ills resides in all of us. We all have the ability to lead others to take action(s) on causes that we hold dear. We all are versions of King and Gandhi, as they were versions of us. Get it through your head, we all are leaders and have the the ability to transform the world into a place that works for all of us.
With all of this in mind, when will you start moving mountains and embrace yourself as the “one?”
Thanks again,
Mario Barrett has over twenty years of experience with organizations such as the United States Air Force and Verizon Communications. Currently, Mario is CEO of The Barrett Center for Leadership Development, a global leadership and organizational development firm. Mario is an author, frequent speaker, and blogger on leadership and organizational change issues. Mario has a PhD in Applied Management and Decision Sciences from Walden University, an MS in Organizational Leadership from Mercy College, BS in Organizational Management from Nyack College and is currently a full-time faculty member at the Jack Welch Management Institute at Strayer Universty.
