Connectedness

As we look around in the global leadership circles, political and otherwise, we are clearly seeing some common trends.

The type of leaders that seems to connect with the majority are those who can appeal to the perceived aspirations of the powerful and the majority. Or the middle class who are the majority. The connect is through the power of rhetoric, and charisma, offering them what they want to hear, generally an immediate promise of a resource rich economy. Some use polarizations based on certain groups or ideologies as the binding force, but whatever it is, it the ability to connect and offer what the so-called majority seem to aspire that set these leaders apart.

The aspirations of the majority are, what they themselves see as best for them, the resources they require. The person who can “connect” is their leader and even adulated by some as their “saviour”. For e.g., If they have been longing for bread and these leaders, respond – “Last many years they have not offered what you needed, I will turn these stones into bread and use it to fulfil what you have been longing for.” Words that promise what the ears want to hear…..

But little do these people and the leaders realize that, the aspirations of the majority or the loudest voices are in cross purposes with those in the peripheries or those whose voices are generally unheard.

The other thing they do is, to seal or cement this connect, they end up promising and trying to do the spectacular, actions which speak louder than words. Seal the rhetoric with loud spectacular actions. Even jumping off from a “pinnacle of a building” to prove that he or she is not just a man of words but of actions. And these actions lead to cementing the connect better. And as they connect better, the adulation increases, anyone who questions the words and actions is looked down upon.. Reason is given up for emotions and the emotional connect.

But in pursuit of spectacular, one forgets that spectacular fireworks last only a short time. And that these displays of spectacular leaves quite of bit of smoke and smog around. The weak and those in the margins, end up fighting the impact of the pollution that these spectacular fireworks leave, while the those for whom the spectacular was displayed are protected in their pollution free environments. For the former, life goes on as usual once the spectacular is over, many a times worse than what it was before. The daily grind of their lives are forgotten since the loud voices are crying for more spectacular and the powers that be are planning for the next one – a bigger one….

And to continue in the pursuit of connectedness, initially through rhetoric and spectacular, they come up with a third way. They promise them the world’s best, systems as an answer to all the problems. A vision for a problem free smooth sailing by sorting out all the systemic hitches. The best of the worlds systems will be in place in a few years, the only condition is, submit. Do not question or raise unnecessary issues, hold on, the best is yet to be. Am I not for you and your saviour, jut align yourself to me and what I am planning for you, you will have the best life which you cannot even imagine today. The leaders do not ask much, but only allegiance and if possible worship.

And the followers left with this “promise of utopia” cement their connectedness, believing that he or she is the one they have been longing for, the one who will save them and give them all what they wanted.

But little do the followers realize that, the connectedness is only theatrics. The leaders are trained to communicate, connect and control through manipulation of information and facts. But if you look closely enough there are signs of disconnect. There are fissures in the mask of connectedness they are wearing. Their real inner connectedness is for self-preservation and self-promotion. The external masks of connectedness they wear is only to cover their own inner insecurity and need for significance. By the time the internal-external disconnect becomes visible, much damage would have been done, for those who were in the peripheries, those whose voices are generally not heard.

Where are those leaders who in one sense had internal and external connect? Those who held on to a paradigm of leadership undergirded by the following model…

”He didn’t think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn’t claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death”

Instead of self-preserving, self-promoting lives, a self-giving and self-sacrificing life for the sake of His followers, especially those in the margins and peripheries….?

A real connectedness, internal and external connectedness and connectedness to those who matter most….