The Courage to Lead
Transform Self, Transform Society
by
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People are looking for a new approach to leadership. Perhaps it is due to our dissatisfaction with those who call themselves leaders and yet do not quite measure up to what we are looking for. We know there is more to leadership than effective management of an organization, getting elected again, or convincing people to do things a certain way. Yet we can lead in our own situation. Time and again people find themselves redefining their understanding of leadership. The Courage to Lead addresses this excitement, possibility and potential. This leadership compass reveals the structure of The Courage to Lead. The compass covers four basic relationships of authentic leadership: the relationship to life, to the world, to society, and to self. Each relationship asks a question of the reader. Relation to Life: Where do I find meaning in my everyday life? Relation to the World: In what context do I make decisions? Relation to Society: What role do I want to play in the change process in society, work, community and family? Relation to Self: How do I keep learning from my experience and trust my own inner wisdom? Each relationship is expressed through three stances, or inner convictions. The 12 stances are the stuff of the 12 chapters of this book. We will investigate these stances by exploring definitions, images, quotes, examples, personal experiences, philosophy and exercises. In The Courage to Lead, we mean leadership as a role that someone assumes, with or without a specific title or position. We can all be leaders in our life and in society. This book focuses on developing our own inner wisdom so that we can transform ourselves and society. The premise of the book is that life prepares us for leadership by throwing us into many different kinds of experiences that raise foundational human questions about life and what it means to be a human being.
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About the Book
To transform society, we first need to transform ourselves. The Courage to Lead starts from this premise and delivers a strong, simple message: if you relate authentically to life, to yourself, to the world and to society, you start the process of social change. Grounded in more than fifty years of in-depth research and practical experience in over thirty nations, The Courage to Lead uses a large canvas to paint a vivid picture of leadership in its many forms: personal, family, work, organization, community. Activist stories from around the world demonstrate the profound premise and inspires a deep understanding of leadership. This is a book that changes lives.
These days, the complexity of life tends to leave us paralyzed. The Courage to Lead will help people move out of their paralysis and invite them to join the ranks of those social pioneers who create what is needed for the 21st century. This book speaks to you in a strange language that you do not at first remember but that you will eventually recognize as your mother tongue.
David Patterson
CEO, Northwater Capital Management
The Courage to Lead provided me with a great deal of guidance and support at a time when I needed to make significant life decisions. It also provided me with a framework and a language to better understand who I am, where I needed to be and where I wanted to go. I recommend this course to anyone who is open to a transformative experience in which one brings many important life questions into focus.
Garret Keown
Teacher-in-Training, Lakehead University
325 University Health Network (UHN) staff have participated in The Courage to Lead study program over the last five years. The fundamental principles in the book align with our belief that "everyone can lead from where they stand." We think that leadership is not about a formal role or job title but about a philosophy, values and attitude in how one approaches life. This program has helped staff tap into the leader within themselves and, in doing so, has supported our mission to deliver excellent patient-centered care.
Irene Wright
Senior Development Manager, Human Resources, University Health Network
About the Author
Educator and researcher R. Brian Stanfield was the Director of Publications for ICA Canada. He was the editor of Edges: New Planetary Patterns, a newsstand magazine, and also wrote The Art of Focused Conversation, The Workshop Book and a journal to accompany this book. Australian born, he worked with the Institute of Cultural Affairs (ICA) in many communities, especially in Australia, India, USA and Canada. A non profit with a presence in 24 countries, ICA has 50 years of experience in organizational development, adult and child education, community development and methods of social change.