Leadership and Change

Watching the movie "Whale Rider" elicited some intense feelings deep inside me that I'd long forgotten. The young girl, Pai, reminded me of when I was around her age and feeling very hurt and angry when I was left out of activities or discussions just because I was female.

Male hegemony has overstayed its welcome, in my book, and it's high time the glass ceiling is broken. Unfortunately, I still don't see enough happening; however, I'll take any small strides that come my way. Having said that, it really is up to me to help make change happen. Sitting back certainly hasn't helped - fighting sometimes only had me labeled as too emotional. By enlisting some of the leadership qualities discovered and discussed in our text by Kouzes and Posner, perhaps the movement toward equality will progress at a quicker pace. As stated in Ch. 1 of the text, "All leaders challenge the process." It may not happen in one giant step, but (as the text suggests) "change can happen through incremental steps and small wins...little victories building confidence" that strengthen the commitment to long-term future.

Pai understood true leadership qualities - that leaders need others to also be leaders, as leaders sometimes get tired and need help leading. By all working together, anything is possible. By leaning on each other, gaining knowledge from each other, and leading together, the world can indeed change.