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Leadership
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Tuesday, February 1st, 2011
The March of Millions occurred today in Egypt. Impressive. President Mubarak spoke and vowed not to run again, yet claimed that he would not leave office until the election in September. “Not soon enough,” chanted the people, as well as President Obama in his brief message. The entire Middle East is nervous. King Abdullah of Jordan dismissed him cabinet.
How to understand a “leaderless revolution”? Yesterday I discussed the idea of “self-organization” out of chaos and the Egyptian revolution. This process is related to the quantum concept “emergence,” or, as Jeff Goldstein defines it “the arising of novel and coherent structures, patterns and properties during the process of self-organization in complex systems.” Ah. What does that mean? In a popular, leaderless revolution means that similar aspirations, yearnings, and needs arise among people in a coherent fashion to form novel processes. Energy flows in reciprocal and confluent ways. Leadership is spontaneously dispersed into tasks that support the effort: security, mutual care, water and food, behaviors, expressions of shared values and demands.
Yet, this does not forego the need for a mindful person who can hear and speak with authority in the negotiations. Mohammed Elbaradei and Ayman Nour are such men. However, the Muslim Brotherhood is clever, highly organized, and well-funded. If a vacuum arises, they could move in. That is the fear here and abroad.
What will happen tomorrow? We’ll see.
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Egypt in revolution
Monday, January 31st, 2011
On the eve of the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, Morgan and I moved to Egypt. We lived there for two years and then returned for months at a time over the next two decades. We grew to know Egypt and its astounding peoples well, so we both rejoice and feel apprehensive as we watch the revolution. We are slated to return in May as part of an assignment in Beirut. We’ll see.
Egyptians are a loving, resilient people with a capacity for tolerance that comes from faith in their own lives and each other, their histories and beliefs. I am surprised at the intensity of the revolt, yet realize that Egypt was a powder keg ready to explore. Tunisia lit the match. The economy is a disaster, salaries incredibly low so that young people can see no way to marry and have a place of their own, individuals often work three jobs, the “war of terror” has reduced the livelihood that used to come from tourism, education is no assurance of employment, the police wielded its own form of justice, religious pressure has forced more and more women to wear the hijab, rigged elections have kept Mubarak in power for 30 years while also allowing larger numbers of the Muslim Brotherhood (running as “Independents”) to join the legislature. It’s complicated.
Especially for the United States. We are very, very involved in Egypt, which has been the more reasonable supporter of peace in the Middle East, an ally our adventures—many of them unwise—into the region. Mubarak has resisted fundamentalism, often in a heavy handed way. And then there is the Suez Canal and the price of oil. Our greatest fear, of course, is that we might see another Iran if a vacuum arises that becomes filled with more radical factions. That doesn’t seem to be occurring at the moment. Both Mohamed ElBaradei (Nobel Prize recipient and former chair of the Atomic Energy Commission) and Ayman Nour (a democratic leader whom we’ve followed for a few years, imprisoned by Mubarak when we tried to run for president) have great promise as democratic leaders. Yet in a country of 85 million, anything could happen. Tomorrow’s “ March of Millions” could turn the tables.
Former Ambassador Frank Wisner, who arrived today in Cairo, could be very helpful. We met him in Cairo and have followed his career. He is fluent in Arabic and respected by President Mubarak, so he could help pave the way for a transition of power. Yet, if Mubarak can hold onto the military. he could probably stay in office (certainly the appointment of two military leaders as Vice-President—this one, Sulieman, a rendition specialist—and Prime Minister suggests that is probably his strategy).
In Cairo Diary: an Egyptian fable, I sought to describe the prerequisite conditions that led to this week’s uprising.
One fascinating element about this ground swell of revolution is watching Egypt as a self-organizing system. In yesterday’s post, I noted that self-organization can mean complex systems that spontaneously create structures out of chaos. This is a keen lesson in quantum mechanics. Self-organization can arise when the profound pressures of the status quo connect with a refreshing vision of what is possible. A new future. Under the chaos exists the capacity to organize for cultural change. A few examples from Egypt include: people organizing to take responsibility for their country; defending the Egyptian museum; controlling traffic and clean-up; neighborhood watch groups; protecting each other; praying in front of tanks. Devotion to civil relationships with the respected military.
Self-organizing systems build leadership capacity. Very promising.
More tomorrow. Linda
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Mindful Leadership
Monday, January 31st, 2011
Democracy means paying attention…Robert Bellah
A couple of years ago, Marghi Hagan and I started a Community Leadership Class for
the Mendocino-Sonoma coast (referred to as Mendonoma). To our astonishment,
36 people, ages 15 to 85, showed up. It was a great success. In the second round, we were joined by Gail Taylor of Tomorrowmakers. For the third incarnation of our series, now being held monthly, each participant is a session leader. We take turns.
In January, Mary Dee Bowers helped us to examine “mindfulness,” a concept that has rightly gained attention in schooling, business, and politics. Education around the world has found salvation in the ideas of mindfulness. Mindfulness has taken on magical meaning. Mindfulness suggests paying attention in the moment—self-regulated and conscious awareness.
Mindful leadership tells us that when we truly attend, pay attention, know that spontaneous action arises from mindfulness, and realize that we are reciprocally responsible for each other’s learning and evolution, we are authentic leaders. As a mindful leader, ask yourself: Do you…
• follow your authentic, aware self, even if it means taking risks?
• allow yourself to be open and vulnerable to others?
• enjoy talking to and playing with young children?
• feel an ecstatic sense that the whole of reality or existence is present for
you now, in this moment?
• feel that an inner compass guides you (your deepest held values)?
(Zohar & Marshall)
Mindfulness is essential to self-organization, the capacity of complex systems to spontaneously create structures out of chaos. Egypt comes to mind.
Thanks, Mary Dee
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Leadership as Purposeful Learning…
Monday, January 24th, 2011
Yesterday, Debbie Ellisen of Go-to-Marketing Lab asked us this question: “What is your purpose in writing about women’s leadership?” She was coaching us in enhancing our use of social media to accomplish that purpose.
Our purpose, we told her, is to influence the meaning/conception, contours and direction of leadership. Women’s Ways of Leading highlights the leadership journey of women: growing into leadership, overcoming barriers, and relishing and embracing the mentorship of emerging women leaders.
Mary and I will be using this blog site, Twitter and Facebook to stimulate dialogue and shape leadership actions.
Stay tuned. Linda Lambert and Mary e Gardner
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The Lamberts Living Life Fully….
Monday, January 10th, 2011
The Year that Was….
The Lamberts Living Life Fully-2010
Power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice.
Justice at its best is love correcting everything that stands against love.
—-Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
To reduce the length of this year’s message and minimize redundancy, we suggest that you take last year’s letter out of your file and simply add one year to many of the stories contained therein. For example, each grandchild is now one year older. What…you can’t find our 2010 letter?…Shocking! OK, we’ll bring you up to date. Life at The Sea Ranch continues to be very satisfying—a gorgeous environment and an ever-widening circle of stimulating friends and activities. We continue work with the Democrats United for Progress and write editorials (the latest enclosed), participate in two book clubs, Readers Theater, a writing group, a “Blue Brothers” luncheon group, as well as several circles of friends meeting for conversation and films. Healthwise, Morgan has adapted fairly well to the limits on vigorous hiking imposed by his spinal stenosis and stays healthy generally. Just this week, we learned that Linda’s sarcoidosis condition is improving (smaller lymph nodes).
Every year is a grandchild year for us—14 of them so far. How fortunate we are! Entering the world: Abbey Morita (see Abbey’sFirstYear on the web), Feb. 11, 2010, daughter of grandson, Eric Morita and partner, Julie (who will begin nurse’s training this month). Abbey joined the “month of great grandchildren,” Emily on the 7th, Bradley on the 13th. Entering and learning in the world of higher education: Ashley Lambert, Santa Barbara, and Shannon Pintane, Ft. Collins, CO; Keely Lambert, a sophomore at Chico, Chloe Smock, a junior in the School of Education at the University of Oregon. In June, grandson Dylan Smock and granddaughter, Catherine Lambert will graduate from high school and launch their university lives. Our children have also had interesting years, including recognition of Citizens of the Year for son, Kent, and his wife, Darcy; and a 25-year anniversary for daughter, April, and son-in-law, David. A June family reunion was beautifully hosted by daughter Laura, son-in-law, Terry, and granddaughter, Shannon (where we also spent Thanksgiving). And daughter Ellen finally was able to sell her property in Somerset and begin a new chapter of her life.
Linda continues the joys of her writing life—and travels of research. In March, Cairo Diary: an Egyptian fable was released. Etruscan Evenings, the sequel in this trilogy, will be released this summer. The research on Taos Sunrise (working title) led us into Queen Isabella’s Spain in April and the Taos (New Mexico) of D.H. Lawrence in the fall (for 3 months!). While fiction is her primary passion, she continues to work with school districts and universities (mostly on Skype), review publications, and do some educational writing herself. On February 4, Dear Maxine, the Conversation Continues will be released at an event in Lincoln Center, New York, a publication to which she contributed a letter recounting her nearly 30 year relationship with the philosopher, Maxine Greene. On March 28, Morgan and Linda will conduct a workshop on transforming schools at the National ASCD conference in San Francisco. And, in May, we will both travel to Beirut, Lebanon, for a Middle Eastern conference of schools from Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan. For more information on Linda’s work, see her blog at www.Lambertleadership.org.
Morgan’s current writing project is an article on school transformation; applying “lessons learned” in his career to the huge problems schools face today. Ambitious readers can merely request a copy by February 1. He would really appreciate candid critical feedback. One of his New Year resolutions is to expand on this theme in an “education memoir” over the next few months (hoping to complete it before Linda finishes her third novel!)??
Among the celebratory events this year will be our 30th anniversary. My, time goes fast when you’re having fun! We still have great faith and affection for our President, whom we consider to be extraordinary. And we hope that today’s “Breaking News” about the tragic event in Tucson will lead to a reduction in vitriolic political rhetoric and to candid and respectful dialogue.
With much love, Linda and Morgan
Linda and Morgan Lambert
PO Box 135, The Sea Ranch, CA, 95497
707-785-1733; 707-328-4645 (cell)
Morganlamb@aol.com; LinLambert@aol.com
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Emergence and…
Friday, November 5th, 2010
Emergence has many definitions but can be considered as complex patterns of life that arise from less complicated parts or elements. Whether in biology, psychology, or philosophy, emergence explains how complex systems grow from dynamic interactions among basic cells or ideas, beliefs or feelings. Perhaps the older biological metaphor is “primordial soup.”
The Indians of the Taos Pueblo here—Tewa Red Willow people—believe that they emerged from the darkness underneath the Blue Lake on Sacred Mountain into summer and winter people. This morning I was listening to a Jewish Kabala story send to us by friend Daniel Callahan of emergence from the dark into the light. And, Morgan and I are watching a DVD on complexity theory in conjunction with our friend, Sharon Albert, from the Sea Ranch. Emergence seems to be everywhere.
In Who Will Save Our Schools (1997) I wrote of emergence as it relates to teachers emerging into leadership roles and how they can tap into talents and intentions they didn’t know they had. Within the next week, I’ll write about the emergent properties of leadership capacity.
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about “synchronicities.” Well, they continue to happen with such frequency that they are almost commonplace in the shadow of the Sacred Mountain.
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Leadership is the answer…is it not?
Sunday, October 17th, 2010
Whether we are talking about the national, global, state or school district leadership–leadership is a key consideration.
On Friday, October 8, I experienced my first Skype conference with the Leadership Team of facilitators of the Teacher Leadership Academy in the Denver Public Schools. Nikki Rivera and her colleagues are doing an extraordinary job of putting into place the major dimensions for a success program: the structure, training, roles, interconnections and relationship to provide a fabric for success.
As with all such programs, I’ve found that the most vital questions are: How to best work with principals in the implementation of new role dynamics? and How to best work with teachers reluctant to support such changes.
Such a discussion is vital in all arenas transitioning through changing times. Join us. Next week I’ll continue with Taos stories and begin to respond to the above questions.
Wishing you blue skies, Linda
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Leadership and Literature – a conflict?
Sunday, October 3rd, 2010
I am a skeptical consumer of astrology. A Gemini by birth, and therefore naturally dualistic, I find myself believing star signs if it provides a schema for thinking about ideas. In this case, I am pondering the edginess between leadership and the pursuit of literature. As a leader, I value voice, opinion and influence in balance with listening and observing, believing that listening is an essential aspect of provoking others to think and lead, as well as a vital pathway to learning. Yet as a researcher (inquirer), observing, listening, and inferring must occasionally quiet my leadership voice.
This has long been a dilemma for me. In studying schools, I found that when strong patterns emerged, I would place those patterns of behaviors into archetypes and schemas and deduce meanings, such as my understandings of “leadership capacity.” Once developed, I began to influence educators to think in terms of enhancing the leadership capacity of their schools and systems. I shifted from inquirer to activist.
Yet the challenge is to never let go of the inquiring self, the yearning to create knowledge as an essential aspect of leading. I am persuaded that the primary stance of a leader is to inquire and derive meanings from a setting or experience. These two compose a dynamic constellation called learning.
The challenge of research here in Taos is to listen and observe and seek to understand the richly variant cultures, each respectful of each other, buoyant with their own interpretations of history and spirituality. In introducing my purpose and myself. I report that I am here to research the third in a trilogy of historical novels. The first, Cairo Diary, can be found at the local bookstore, Moby Dickens. The second, Etruscan Evenings, is complete in its first draft. Found letters from D.H. Lawrence in Italy in the second novel have led me to Taos. That is enough to open the gates of local knowledge.
Remember, Linda, to keep your voice soft and subtle.
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Steinbeck, Literary Leader
Sunday, June 13th, 2010
The arc of Steinbeck’s life and work was finely drawn by an adherence to remarkable values: social justice, equity, caring, democratic principles. Each novel or short story captured the essence of these values made real by his thoughtful narratives. I was struck last week at the Steinbeck museum in Salinas, California, to be reminded that the man who recommended shipping vegetables across country with refrigeration in East of Eden was in fact the Chinese grocer, not the landowner. In his Nobel speech, he reminds us that:
“…the writer is delegated to declare and to celebrate man’s proven capacity for greatness of heart and spirit–for gallantry in defeat, for courage, compassion and love. In the endless war against weakness and despair, these are the bright rally flags of hope and of emulation. I hold that a writer who does not passionately believe in the perfectibility of man has no dedication nor any membership in literature.”
Leaders have the same charge, the same responsibilities that Steinbeck posits for writers…to have faith in the capacities of humans to respond with hope and loving actions, to frame the arc of their lives around deep human values.
Tomorrow, Mary Gardner, my friend, colleague and co-author of Women’s Ways of Leading, will post two conversations about this new book that describes in depth the value journey of women—and men—leaders.
Watch for two new postings tomorrow, Monday, June 14. Linda
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Reflections on a Conversation
Sunday, April 18th, 2010
On Tuesday last I had the opportunity to visit with Julie Biddle’s urban principal endorsement program candidates at Antioch University by Skype. We were struggling with this notion of framing leadership as larger than person or role, but as reciprocal, purposeful learning in community. Here are a few of their reflections:
• I love the idea of changing my idea of leadership – it’s changing already. I really look forward to this journey and am already enjoying the text. Enjoy a text? What’s that?!
• I used to think that Principals have an S on their chest – Super Human. Now I think that I must develop the skill of building leadership capacity in others.
• I enjoyed meeting Linda and the conversation not only drew me into her journey – onto the road of liberation but also caused me to begin reflecting on my journey of building capacity in leadership. Linda’s statement of leadership toward purpose and change begins my journey. I am looking forward to breaking old paradigms and building more capacity.
• I used to think committees consisted of a few teachers in a building but after reading Linda’s text and talking with her I learned that communication could flow laterally as well or better than top-down.
• One of the most powerful things I’ve learned is that leadership is about learning together. Our conversation with Linda made me realize the importance of the small acts of leadership and the power they have.
• I found it extremely important to see that Linda’s road to this point was genuine and not just philosophical data.
• I used to think that is would be much more difficult to move a school from quadrant to quadrant. I now think that this will be possible. It is evident that our initial move must be in increasing communication if we are to begin to make progress.
• Our conversation with Linda and my reading so far have given me a better appreciation for her definition of leadership. I have not considered the smallest gesture of individuals, such as asking a specific question or sharing insight as a form of leadership. I need to adjust my attitude or response to some people to be more open and receptive.
• I used to think that certain staff members had leadership abilities and should be provided with opportunities to lead in the school. I now know that in order for a school to build capacity and sustainability, everyone must have an opportunity to lead whether formally or informally. I believe that involving everyone and including them in decisions helps to develop ownership, accountability and pride in the operations of the school community. I have also come to realize that community is about healthy relationships that foster unity and shared purpose throughout the organization.
Thanks Julie for sharing these!
We are supposed to leave for Spain this week…but with the Iceland Volcanic ash cloud over Europe, we’re not sure. Perhaps next week I’ll be writing from Spain….
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