Leadership and Being Human
Part One: The Goal
Joe Moncarz, October 2021
When choosing a leader, we always kept in mind that humility provides clarity where
arrogance makes a cloud. The last thing we wanted was to be lead by someone whose
judgment and actions were clouded by arrogance.
― Joseph M. Marshall III, The Lakota Way: Stories and Lessons for Living
When the Lakota leader Sitting Bull was asked by a white reporter why his people loved
and respected him, Sitting Bull replied by asking if it was not true that among white people
a man is respected because he has many horses, many houses? When the reporter
replied that was indeed true, Sitting Bull then said that his people respected him
because he kept nothing for himself.
– Joseph Bruchac
arrogance makes a cloud. The last thing we wanted was to be lead by someone whose
judgment and actions were clouded by arrogance.
― Joseph M. Marshall III, The Lakota Way: Stories and Lessons for Living
When the Lakota leader Sitting Bull was asked by a white reporter why his people loved
and respected him, Sitting Bull replied by asking if it was not true that among white people
a man is respected because he has many horses, many houses? When the reporter
replied that was indeed true, Sitting Bull then said that his people respected him
because he kept nothing for himself.
– Joseph Bruchac
Running the Deep Green Bush-School from 2017 to 2020, I often thought about leadership, and what would be the ideal qualities for a leader. My main inspirations came from looking at Native American and Indigenous leadership qualities, since that way of living lasted for hundreds of thousands of years and was so successful. Furthermore, it was also important to me to consider the behavior of “leaders” among the social animals, such as elephants, orcas, gorillas and wolves. And when you cut to the core, they all point to similar qualities in a leader. Also, and more important, is that these same qualities are what make anyone a healthy human or social animal. In that sense, a leader is simply someone who is healthy and wise, and ideally everyone would be a leader.
Qualities of the Ideal Leader/Human/Social animal:
We need to be careful. The word “leader” has been co-opted by the modern world and rendered virtually meaningless (much like the words “sustainable” and “ecology”.) My use of the word “leader” does not apply to politicians, bureaucrats, CEOs, corporate executives, or anyone in the business world. The jobs of politicians and bureaucrats demand dishonesty and an absence of wisdom, regardless of the person's stated personal values. Likewise, corporations and businesses exist for profit, and money is only made through the destruction of the Earth and the lives on it. (The existence of money itself is a declaration of war upon the Earth and all its inhabitants.) So such people can never be true leaders.
Many CEOs, political leaders, and business leaders will talk about qualities on the above list, such as humility and emotional intelligence. Books are written and read, and coaches hired, conferences held, to be a better leader. But what is it all for? That's the key question. If the aim of “humility” is to make a profit then that's not actual humility – and it sure isn't wisdom. If it's in service of the State, which can only exist through endless violence, then that's not wisdom.
The true leader (or human) exists for the benefit of the people and the planet. This has been what a leader has meant for the vast majority of human existence on Earth – i.e., life before civilization.
Furthermore, a true leader is not thrust upon the people, as are today's “leaders”, through meaningless spectacles such as elections, by the media, or simply by inheriting wealth, or by making a lot of money and declaring themselves a leader. No, the true leader is chosen or recognized by the people. And such a person only continues to exist as a leader as long as the people continue to view them as wise and intelligent. If the people no longer view such a person as wise, then they no longer exist as a leader.
And very important is that the true leader has no ability to tell others what to do. The true leader has absolutely no coercive power over others. They are a leader because people view them as wise, and people choose to listen to their advice.
Finally, despite a culture that tells us that humans are the most intelligent and superior thing on Earth, a leader does not even have to be human. A leader can be a wolf, a kingfisher, a cicada, a rock, a mountain, or a river. That is because there is wisdom in everything on Earth, in all life forms, and we have much to learn from all of it. The cultures that dismiss this idea as “tree-hugger bullshit” is precisely one which destroys life on Earth. All cultures, since the beginning of time up until the start of civilization, have looked upon all of the natural world for wisdom and inspiration.
So to summarize, a true leader:
If any of the first four elements are missing, then that is not a leader.
In fact, there are many leaders among us already. It's just that we fail to see them, because we have a misguided idea of what a leader is. Just as we often fail to recognize the animals, trees and Earth around us as our family. Hence our current predicament.
Qualities of the Ideal Leader/Human/Social animal:
- Humility
- Patience
- Ability to listen to others
- Ability to trust others
- Empathy and compassion
- Emotional intelligence
- Thoughtfulness
- Wisdom (knowledge and action that benefits the health and well-being of the group, clan, herd, pack, etc. - and ultimately, the planet)
- A collectivist orientation
- Leading by example
- An absence of coercion or bullying
- Reverence for life
We need to be careful. The word “leader” has been co-opted by the modern world and rendered virtually meaningless (much like the words “sustainable” and “ecology”.) My use of the word “leader” does not apply to politicians, bureaucrats, CEOs, corporate executives, or anyone in the business world. The jobs of politicians and bureaucrats demand dishonesty and an absence of wisdom, regardless of the person's stated personal values. Likewise, corporations and businesses exist for profit, and money is only made through the destruction of the Earth and the lives on it. (The existence of money itself is a declaration of war upon the Earth and all its inhabitants.) So such people can never be true leaders.
Many CEOs, political leaders, and business leaders will talk about qualities on the above list, such as humility and emotional intelligence. Books are written and read, and coaches hired, conferences held, to be a better leader. But what is it all for? That's the key question. If the aim of “humility” is to make a profit then that's not actual humility – and it sure isn't wisdom. If it's in service of the State, which can only exist through endless violence, then that's not wisdom.
The true leader (or human) exists for the benefit of the people and the planet. This has been what a leader has meant for the vast majority of human existence on Earth – i.e., life before civilization.
Furthermore, a true leader is not thrust upon the people, as are today's “leaders”, through meaningless spectacles such as elections, by the media, or simply by inheriting wealth, or by making a lot of money and declaring themselves a leader. No, the true leader is chosen or recognized by the people. And such a person only continues to exist as a leader as long as the people continue to view them as wise and intelligent. If the people no longer view such a person as wise, then they no longer exist as a leader.
And very important is that the true leader has no ability to tell others what to do. The true leader has absolutely no coercive power over others. They are a leader because people view them as wise, and people choose to listen to their advice.
Finally, despite a culture that tells us that humans are the most intelligent and superior thing on Earth, a leader does not even have to be human. A leader can be a wolf, a kingfisher, a cicada, a rock, a mountain, or a river. That is because there is wisdom in everything on Earth, in all life forms, and we have much to learn from all of it. The cultures that dismiss this idea as “tree-hugger bullshit” is precisely one which destroys life on Earth. All cultures, since the beginning of time up until the start of civilization, have looked upon all of the natural world for wisdom and inspiration.
So to summarize, a true leader:
- Is freely chosen by the people
- Can be “unchosen” at any time, by the people
- Has absolutely no coercive power over others
- Exists to benefit the people and all of life on the planet
- May or may not be human (ie, animal, plant, rock, river, etc.)
If any of the first four elements are missing, then that is not a leader.
In fact, there are many leaders among us already. It's just that we fail to see them, because we have a misguided idea of what a leader is. Just as we often fail to recognize the animals, trees and Earth around us as our family. Hence our current predicament.