I was honored by a request to participate at the 2011 Colorado Bioneers conference, both speaking on leadership for resilient communities and hosting a plenary discussion following Gloria Steinem’s talk. Throughout the world, local communities gather when the international Bioneers event is scheduled to inspire innovators “whose key purpose is to serve human ends without harming the web of life.” Never having heard Gloria speak before, I was struck by the momentous clarity of her statement that, “Labels can become enemies of connection.” In our world that is a web of relationships, which from a systems perspective is a constant flow of connectivity, enemies of connection can be a great threat to our success. As a leadership practice, it can be helpful to consider the questions that I presented for the discussion in Colorado:
“Where has my labeling gone beyond helpful to harmful for others and myself?”
“What would be a better choice?”
“Where do I rank or rate when I could link?”
“What can I do differently to create connection?”
Please let us know what you discover in your reflection and what we can learn from how it serves your leadership.
