The Eve of the Dawn: Evolutionary Leadership: Ubuntu!
Tuesday, January 5, 2010 at 6:23PM Happy New Year and Happy New Decade!
I had no idea when I wrote the last post all that would transpire to affirm that we are truly on the "eve of the dawn" in terms of leadership, but something happened that is hard to ignore. As background, many of you know that I have written about ubuntu (the concept that states essentially that "I am because of who we are"). The concept was introduced globally during the Truth and Reconcillation sessions in South Africa calling upon the need for forgiveness. I myself, have been talking about it since 2002 and have owned several ubuntu leadership dot com names while I waited for the right time to work with it.
Well,
on New Year's Day,...
in a bowling ally,....
in Cincinnati OH;....
I saw a man wearing a baseball hat and on the back it said "I am who I am because of who we all are". I immediately identified the saying as ubuntu but couldn't believe it! So, I tried to get in front of him (no small feat because I am only 5' tall and he was actually bowling so in order to get a view I would need to stand actually in a lane). Eventually I just asked him and then said - do you mean the operating system? And he said "no, my wife and I lived in South Africa in 2001-2002" and love the concept of ubuntu. I am sure I was speechless as I too had been in South Africa during that time period. Nonetheless, I took it as a sign.. a major sign! As I indicated earlier in blog posts, I try and reassess direction at the beginning of each year and I was struggling a bit with all the subtypes of leadership that I am working on (culturally adaptive leadership...) but then I realized that the time is NOW. The world needs to learn about ubuntu as a concept and as it applies to leadership! So, this is a call to action! I see it as my umbrella concept for my work - my stake in the ground so to speak and yet I also see the need to be more directive about delivering ubuntu leadership.
Please let me know if you are interested in learning more about ubuntu and also about ubuntu in terms of leadership. I cannot wait to see what bubbles up for all of us! Clearly this was a sign meant not only for 2010 but for the entire decade. "The eve of the dawn" ..... Yes we are!!! Let's step up together for all of humanity!
With much love and light,
Ubuntu,
Ann
Ann Dinan, Ph.D., M.S.S.A., C.P.C.C.
Reader Comments (2)
Brilliant!! I guess every culture has to offer something wonderful to mankind. We take our cultures for granted but when we look closer especially from a foreigner's perspective things make so much more sense.
Thanks for sharing Ubuntu concept. It gave me so much of changed perspective on my situation.
Your story about New Year's Day at the bowling alley is the universe affirming that the time for ubuntu leadership is now. I am very interested in learning more! Since I read your blog, and learned the phrase, 'I am who I am because of who we all are', I have found myself unconsciously repeating it to my sons when they are either teasing me or frustrated with me. Somehow the ubuntu concept works right now for me, and makes sense.
It reminds me of the 'ripple in the pond' effect that I truly believe in, and try to adhere to. For example, when my 18 year old and 20 year old sons are raising their voice with one another, that energy carries through the entire house, and affects my energy. I find that if not careful, I become agitated and then am more likely to snap back at them.
Another example of a more direct ripple effect, is when I place a call to my local phone company because my internet is not working properly, and I am met with a person on the phone with an attitude that is far from compassionate, and almost rude. Their negativity escalates my already stressed energy field. On the other hand, had I been met with warmth, compassion, and a pleasant attitude and voice, my energy would have relaxed.
I am not sure these examples even begin to speak to the concept of ubuntu, but this is what 'bubbled' up for me. They do however speak to the importance of our awareness that who we are at a particular moment in time impacts who the other person is at that same moment.