Lately the word preside has been on my mind. Not even looking what the dictionary says, to me preside means a leader who defers the actual decision making to the council and make sure everyone in the council is heard before a decision is made. The president must find the common chord, to listen to and consider what all have to say and then propose back to the group the least common denominators.
The president does not dictate the decision nor the direction the conversation goes. They are essentially a democracy facilitator who hold no official power other than to make sure everyone else is given the opportunity to be heard. This takes a special type of person who can fit in with all the different cliques. Much like a chameleon and much like those of us in the middle. The president is a consensus maker who puts the pieces of the puzzle together through skilled conversation and then presents the completed puzzle back to the group. The individuals can not see the all the pieces of the puzzle in their silos. The best presidents have pieced together such a masterpiece that appeases the broader council, that there are few revisions once it has been revealed. They are masters of crafting the compromise.
A president is not a forceful dictator with a faction (fraction) of the council following their every move and essentially bullying the smaller factions into submission. Too often our leaders become this. Their position of power was obtained through force or purchased, not given to them and graciously accepted as an opportunity to serve all.
Not everyone can be a proper president, it takes a special kind of person. Those of us in the middle are a great place to start. But we must be further dissected into those who can communicate well and genuinely appreciate the diversity and company in all the groups of people. It is one who truly lives by the creed that there is beauty in the mosaic and there is something that can be learned from everyone. It must be an infinitely curious person who loves to ask tough questions and then listen. It must be someone who has an insatiable appetite for knowledge and sharing that with others.
Since the president is speaking to everyone and knows the desires of all the factions, they have the opportunity to subtly present the missing pieces to all the groups so later on when the overall compromise is presented it is accepted by all. This is not done by telling. This is done through suggestion and subtle persuasion. Allow them to arrive at the conclusion and to even think they were the ones who suggested it. Essentially you are the conversation bus driver, gently steering the conversations on the fringes back towards the comfortable middle agreeable to all (or most).
A president is not a proud person boasting of personal achievements. Rather a president is constantly deflecting praise back to the group for it was their recommendations and decisions that went into effect, not the presidents'. When the president has done the job effectively, much like a composer, the music is beautiful and everyone is playing the same song. Right now in America we desperately need more effective presiding in homes, schools, churches, companies, and governments at all levels.
The president does not dictate the decision nor the direction the conversation goes. They are essentially a democracy facilitator who hold no official power other than to make sure everyone else is given the opportunity to be heard. This takes a special type of person who can fit in with all the different cliques. Much like a chameleon and much like those of us in the middle. The president is a consensus maker who puts the pieces of the puzzle together through skilled conversation and then presents the completed puzzle back to the group. The individuals can not see the all the pieces of the puzzle in their silos. The best presidents have pieced together such a masterpiece that appeases the broader council, that there are few revisions once it has been revealed. They are masters of crafting the compromise.
A president is not a forceful dictator with a faction (fraction) of the council following their every move and essentially bullying the smaller factions into submission. Too often our leaders become this. Their position of power was obtained through force or purchased, not given to them and graciously accepted as an opportunity to serve all.
Not everyone can be a proper president, it takes a special kind of person. Those of us in the middle are a great place to start. But we must be further dissected into those who can communicate well and genuinely appreciate the diversity and company in all the groups of people. It is one who truly lives by the creed that there is beauty in the mosaic and there is something that can be learned from everyone. It must be an infinitely curious person who loves to ask tough questions and then listen. It must be someone who has an insatiable appetite for knowledge and sharing that with others.
Since the president is speaking to everyone and knows the desires of all the factions, they have the opportunity to subtly present the missing pieces to all the groups so later on when the overall compromise is presented it is accepted by all. This is not done by telling. This is done through suggestion and subtle persuasion. Allow them to arrive at the conclusion and to even think they were the ones who suggested it. Essentially you are the conversation bus driver, gently steering the conversations on the fringes back towards the comfortable middle agreeable to all (or most).
A president is not a proud person boasting of personal achievements. Rather a president is constantly deflecting praise back to the group for it was their recommendations and decisions that went into effect, not the presidents'. When the president has done the job effectively, much like a composer, the music is beautiful and everyone is playing the same song. Right now in America we desperately need more effective presiding in homes, schools, churches, companies, and governments at all levels.
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