Leadership and service aren’t
limited to public roles, according to author Marian Wright Edelman, president
of the Children’s Defense Fund.
In fact, she argued that the
strongest leadership and most effective service comes from the way individuals
handle themselves, day to day, in their normal interactions with others.
In a book for her children, she
wrote: “Be a quiet servant-leader and example. You have a role to exercise ...
every minute of the day.”
She explained how in the most
common of circumstances we can seize the opportunity to resist what is negative
and set an example for what can be positive.
She wrote: “Have you ever noticed how one example — good
or bad — can prompt others to follow?
“How one illegally parked car
can give permission for others to do likewise?
“How one racial joke can fuel
another?
“How one sour person can dampen
a meeting?”
Edelman writes that the
opposite is also true. “One positive person can set the tone in an office or
school. Just doing the right and decent thing can set the pace for others to
follow.”
We could all benefit by being
one of those people who models positive behavior.
Edelman writes: “America is in
urgent need of a band of moral guerrillas who simply decide to do what is right,
regardless of the immediate consequences.”
This is wonderful advice for
young and old alike.
