The inauguration is over, appointments are agreed upon, our nation's capitol returns to itself and millions of Americans watch to see President Obama lead this country toward his vision for the United States of America. It will take his embodying that vision for the country and the congress to agree and follow the strategic plans supporting that vision. That is the stature of leadership needed. Our new president is not alone in this important undertaking.
Along with government leaders, thousands of business owners, some small, some employing many, but all fundamentally vital to the welfare of their communities, state or nation, will be re-assessing their business mission and vision statements to determine their place in the new economy. As our new President says, we are all involved and needed; everyone is key! Now is the time for all, big or small, government or commercial, local or international, to lead with a sense of vision rather than with a sense of desperation.
Peter Senge in The Dance of Change says "In today's organizations, the idealization of great leadership leads to an endless search for heroic figures that can come in to rescue the rest of us from recalcitrant, non-competitive institutions. But might this very thinking be a key reason such institutions prevail? Might not the continual search for the hero-leader be a critical factor in itself, diverting our attention away from building institutions that, by their very nature, continually adapt and reinvent themselves, with leadership coming from many people in many places, not just from the top?"
Both institutional organizations and businesses of all sizes are full of leaders where initiative and creativity are plentiful. The role of the leader is to harness and direct the activity. Modern leadership is adaptive and aware; responsive, not reactive.
Our new leader, President Obama, must enlist the existing pool of leaders within our government institutions and many industries to truly reinvent themselves. The change that is needed should occur as a result of new visions by both government and business. It is a leader's responsibility to implement this vision driven change. The bottom line - what our government institutions and business communities need right now is visionary leadership - not just coming from President Obama, but coming from many people in many places; and these people must be committed to living the vision.
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