Who Do We Choose To Be?, by Margaret Wheatley

¿Quién elegimos ser?
--por Margaret Wheatley

Los poderosos siempre defienden el status quo porque es la fuente de su poder y privilegio. Cualquier cambio que beneficie a otros destruiría su posición. Y su posición es todo lo que les importa defender.

Como activista de toda la vida centrad@ en cambiar el liderazgo en sistemas grandes, como alguien que todavía está dentro de esos grandes sistemas como consultor, asesor y amigo, me di cuenta hace años de que el cambio a gran escala no era posible. Los líderes estaban buscando el control, reaccionando exageradamente a las crisis en lugar de pensar sistemáticamente, tratando a las personas como 'unidades' más que como humanos. Sin embargo, también conocí y trabajé con líderes extraordinarios que estaban creando islas de sensatez donde todavía se hacía un buen trabajo y donde las personas disfrutaban de relaciones sanas en medio de condiciones caóticas, oposición feroz, derrotas desgarradoras, falta de apoyo, aislamiento, soledad y calumnias. He estado con ellos en circunstancias que causaron que la mayoría de los demás líderes se dieran por vencidos y se marcharan, pero aun así continuaron. [...]

Hace varios años, frente a los problemas mundiales irreversibles y la devolución del liderazgo, comencé a desafiar a todos los líderes que conocí con estas preguntas: ¿Quién eliges ser en este momento? ¿Estás dispuesto a usar cualquier poder e influencia que tengas para crear islas de cordura que evoquen y dependan de nuestras mejores cualidades humanas para crear, producir y perseverar?
Ahora te estoy preguntando.

Preguntas semilla para la reflexión: ¿Cómo se relaciona con la idea de que el cambio a gran escala no es posible? ¿Puedes compartir una historia personal de liderazgo extraordinario que ayudó a crear una isla de cordura? ¿Qué te ayuda a comprometerte a crear tu isla de cordura?

Extraído del libro de Margaret Wheatley ¿A quién elegimos?

Excerpted from Margaret Wheatley's book Who do we choose to be?

Seed Questions for Reflection

How do you relate to the notion that large-scale change is not possible? Can you share a personal story of extraordinary leadership that helped create an island of sanity? What helps you commit to creating your island of sanity?

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Add Your Reflection

10 Past Reflections

Janet Bartram-Thomasas

Jan 13, 2020

I relish the direction M.Wheatley is going - that of championing, nurturing and celebrating the human spirit. Technology, powerful and impressive though it is, has taken away our focus from the 'human' and put in its place the idealization of technology. (As I have experienced the medical world in most places, it has suffered from this too...When everything is reduced to 'charts' and computer-read questions, we have lost the kernel which is central to being human. And how can we talk about 'healing' without revering the kernel.) So many other areas of society suffer from a similar reliance on The Technical Fix. Margaret Wheatley has set us, her readers, off in a more rewarding path and I thank her for this from the bottom of my heart (which you can't measure on a computer!!( - :)

Alice Bolt

Sep 13, 2019

HP Printer not activated Error Code 20Is caused by the failure to properly configure the HP printer on your system. This error typically shows when trying to print a document, image or spreadsheet on your computer, and then you decide to print that document with your HP printer. “Printer not activated – Error code 20”

neela

May 8, 2018

I think change is happening every minute on a minute scale which is a part of the large scale. Because it is so slow and small that one can not see it in front of one's eyes immediately but can see it over time.
I believe When I choose to be my authentic self and act as per my inner voice I can not but create an island of "sanity" (I am also questioning what is "sanity")

Jeffrey Farrar Dean May 9, 2018

I would awake in the Morning and choose to be a Black Cat that lives forever.

Joao Perre Viana

May 7, 2018

A powerful question...a question to repeat in morning before starting the day...everyday!
If we don´t answer for ourselves, someone will and it might not be the answer we are looking for.

me too! May 10, 2018

YES!

david doane

May 5, 2018

I don't agree with Ms. Wheatley that large-scale change is not possible. Anything is possible, including large-scale change, and there have been many examples of large-scale change throughout history. I've been with a few extraordinary people who were leaders by the power of their personhood and wisdom and created islands of sanity. The group of us that were part of such an island were raised to a higher level of personal and interpersonal functioning by the presence of the leader, and it was a joy to be part of the experience. What helps me commit to creating my own island of sanity is knowing it is possible, knowing I have the wisdom to do it whether it is an island of just me or of a group of people, and knowing that the primary ingredient is to be myself.

me May 6, 2018

So true! (When I stand before God one day, it will be just me and He. I choose to be in Him ... The One of Eternal Power.)
Be true to yourself!

Jagdish P Dave

May 3, 2018

There are leaders who create islands of insanity and there are leaders who create islands of sanity. I have witnessed both kinds of leaders. When leaders relate to people as human beings and not as units, they create change in the society. They deeply care for them and bring about large changes.We are blessed to have such leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, Dalai Lama, Mother Teresa and Maria Montessori to name a few. Such leaders choose a path of serving people with courage, patience and perseverance. I participated in Free India movement under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi. He initiated the path of non-violence against the mighty British empire He chose the path of changing the hearts of the rulers. He worked tirelessly for the wellness of all people of India, especially the poor farmers, laborers and untouchables.He inspired many leaders in many lcountries to follow the path of non-violence against social injustice and exploitation. I a... View full comment

rahul

May 3, 2018

A brilliant and powerful question to pose, not just to leaders. I experienced this through two conflicts that arose: one with a conventionally powerful person, and the other with a tenant in one of my rental properties who occurs for me as a problematic and nasty personality. The powerful person occurs to me as everything Margaret Wheatley describes above, which is very much in contrast with the publicly projected persona. And yet in dealing with my nasty tenant, I found all sorts of horrible and mean thoughts about her occurring in my mind. Suddenly I realized the tremendous gift that I was receiving from having this difficult tenant: she was showing me my flaws and lack of integrity. I too project a public persona of being kind, generous, and easy-going but the thoughts in my head were downright mean, selfish, and manipulative / controlling. Oh how much I need to grow! How much I am just like that powerful person who is generatin... View full comment