I wonder about the function of elected Leadership in Indian country…or more concisely stated the ability and capacity to be responsible in the wake and tides of all the difficulties and challenges facing our communities. I also mean ‘communities’ to include not only those micro-universes called ‘reservations’, but also larger Nation concepts and our urban brothers and sisters. I can appreciate how overwhelming it can all be…and how the most minute and innocuous item can consume Leadership somehow, while the larger more important matters are dealt with haphazardly…leaving each situation and outcome a net result that is not fair or demonstrable to the energy required to manage it – to lead through it. These are the distractions that compromise Nation building…that confound our ability to create and sustain healthy and thriving communities…and people. Leadership is a function of making choices…often considered making decisions that impact resources, people, time and slew of other out-puts. I would suggest a slightly different consideration…that Leadership is a function of making choices that determine out-comes…a very subtle but significant adjustment, and one that can make all the difference for our Nations, communities and people.
“It’s a full on job just looking for human social responsibility.” – Colin Greenwood
About Lawrence Lewis
I do a number of things professionally...but most of all and the true purpose of what I do through "my work" is to provide for my family, be a good husband and great father, and try to make a difference as a world citizen...I guess it's not much more complicated than that 🙂
Lawrence, I agree with you that leadership is a function of making choices that determine out-comes. The subtle difference is miniscule but significant enough to shade what the elected leadership function should or could be in Indian country. If only, the elected leaders in Indian country approached everything they did with “outcomes” in mind! I suspect there would be a different result – Indian country would look and feel different today; however, how leadership is carried out is far from the outcome mindset. Instead, we observe choices being made on immediate and crisis mode situations. You know as well as I do there are no shortage of crisis’s in Indian country. When elected leaders make choices they tend to make within the context of their season. What I mean by that is they are fully aware their leadership function comes up for competition in two, three and for the very few, four years from today. Therefore, choices are made within this durational context. Yes, we have heard over and over again about making decisions that affect the next seven generations but as far as I can tell it’s all lip service because someone or some other entity has the final choice at the end of the day. I am not sure if the elected leaders operate from this understanding and if they do then they know what they’re doing.