I was listening to the radio a few weeks ago where a comic was making fun of the idea that we, as adults, had no idea where we were going. We acted like we knew what was going and that this was really the difference between being a child and a grownup. Later, a friend of mine said that, as kids, we had a safety net that disappears as we grow older. We could make decisions but our parents were there to correct us if we were wrong. In the end, this really adds weight to the idea that most people, to some extent, are leaders: leading their own lives.
One of the biggest hardships of leadership is this lack of a safety net. You can have advisors, but in most cases you are the one taking the decisions and the risks. You also have to act like you are certain about what you are doing even if you have doubt lest people undermine your leadership. You are alone as a leader, the same way you are, to some extent, alone as an adult. Of course, there are exceptions and variations to this. Some people take fewer decisions in their lives than others while some haven't really passed the childhood stage and still let others rule their lives completely. Also, (some) couples have this twin leader structure within their unit that shows as a single entity when compared to the rest of society. The fact though, is that our society encourages each adult to act as the leader of their lives.
3 comments:
Letting go of the safety net as you grow up can have very different effects depending on the way you deal with it. Sometimes, in order to do this, we start making our own axiomatic beliefs and these may not be always consistent with each other or with reality. I think is why we all are hypocrites to a certain extent.
The problem with being a self made person is that sometimes you are so sure of yourself that you don't bother to rethink a decision. Of course, over time, this kind of experience may lead you to become an excellent decision maker, but it still pays to be a bit cautious when you start off!
Anyway, how's your PCS going? I didn't know following the blog made me a member of the project!
You are right. We are technically hypocrites, but I think that a lot of people couldn't really go on without those made-up beliefs.
You won't be able to lead if you can't cast doubts away and take a decision. If the results are positive this becomes what society calls courage.
About the PCS, we are still in the early phase but there should be some developments. And everyone who follows the blog is basically telling us that they value what the PCS might become and we thank you for that.
Ah I couldn't have put it better. "..value what the PCS may become..". This is exactly the reason for my joining the blog.
As I understand it, your inspiration for PCS comes from the Grameen Bank which has been implemented in Bangladesh. You are trying to apply the concept in a developed economy like Canada. Now I come from a country which is somewhere in between these two in terms of development, and hence am keen on how this works out. If some day a similar initiative is to be launched in India, both the Grameen Bank and PCS will serve as excellent case studies.
That being said, I wish PCS all the best!
About the other part, I do agree with you, although please don't think I was trying to criticize earlier. Just adding a point. Good day!
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