Leadership PSA: Challenge Ignorance, Love in Spite of Hate, and Vote.
We have again reached a week with ample political noise. The topics are emotionally charged; from perceived timely allegations, to the simple notion that sexual abuse isn’t partisan. Amidst the sound, might there be any leadership lessons worth retrieving?
Though I am slow to type this afternoon, the topics at hand have my mind running with fervor. We, the collective American people, stand in a volatile landscape. The current president actively rejects concern for conflict – whether on the personal, national, or international scale. To our dismay, the verbal onslaught of divisive aggression may very well alienate our allies, fuel war, or will simply go down in history for blinding maladroitness.
Mr. Trump was elected into office regardless of crude, vicious statements against women. Let’s not rehash the language, for it is not welcome in my home. And now, another somber day for women, as we face the Supreme Court nominee, accused of conduct for which I have no tolerance.
The rebuttal: “What boy hasn’t done this in high school?” Oh my God. The unexamined, pompous, and elitist life of Kavanaugh, lends him the verbiage and core belief only this kind of gem can muster. It’s not about his behaviors. Every boy does it… There’s a security blanket, drenched in enablement and piteousness. This “boys will be boys” rhetoric possesses no ownership for disgraceful behavior. It’s a statement worthy to eschew. As Patti Doyle, Selena Strandberg, and other brilliant minds declare: Burn. It. Down.
Women leaders are coming together. So much so I intend to write my pending dissertation on the insurmountable influence women have – with challenge adjacencies and all. We are yet again in the trenches of stifled silence but aren’t going to be quiet this time.
Let’s look to the future… What we can do. We can fuel a culture of dignity and respect. We can speak with, and for, those who do not have a voice. We can vote. For the love of God, please vote.
It is with these words I leave you. To think about how you can harness a reality of betterment. To think how your decisions and your actions matter. And yes, all of this does have to do with leadership.