Last night was an interesting turn in politics. I’m not one to write about current affairs unless it has to do with plumbing, but I did want to comment on leadership and how to go about it when you’re a woman.
I remember back in high school, how I dreamed of being the school captain. The thing was I wasn’t popular and I don’t think I voiced myself up as a potential nominee for fear that others in my grade would put me down. Unfortunately most of the nominations were based on popularity rather than all round achievers. In the end, the right people got the right roles, but there were some nominations that left me scratching my head at the time. I wasn’t in the running for any of the positions and even though I was disappointed, I realized that it was just one year of my life and after school was finished no one would really care or even remember if I were school captain or not.
The prestige of being captain for me was deeply rooted from wanting to be accepted. It’s taken me years to realize that some people just won’t accept you or like you. A leader isn’t focused on their own agenda for acceptance, they are concerned for the greater good of all.
I also had to learn that my value was not from what others thought of me but on who I knew God created me to be. In effect, once I realized how pretty darn awesome I was (not in a proud way), it didn’t and doesn’t matter if leadership opportunities come my way again or not. I don’t need to be a leader to prove my worth.
Exceptional leaders know their worth and so do the people that follow them.
That is why the state of our political system is such a mess. Sometimes it feels like our leaders forget that we are watching and judging their every move. We want leaders who can provide policies that work and are backed authentically by their party. We want a leader that leads by example. I don’t think Labor realizes that the scandal last night did more damage than good in the eyes of the Australian Public.
While Julia Gillard has been regarded as a strong female leader and made history as the first female Australian Prime Minister, her tactic in acclaiming the top job was neither inspiring or one to be followed .
The change in leadership back in 2010 when Julia took over as Prime Minister from Kevin Rudd never sat right with me. I do believe that women need to be determined to reach the top (if they want to), but they need to do it with integrity. I’m all for women being CEO’s and Prime Ministers and hold positions of leadership but it’s got to be done right. I almost want to see a woman smash the glass ceiling when it comes to gaining a leadership position because that is more inspiring than watching a woman betray her own to get what she wants.
I love hearing stories of women triumphing in the business world and becoming managers or successfully running their own business through hard work. These women receive their positions of power and attention on merit, not through backstabbing their colleagues or competitors.
Which is why last night’s spill, for me, was not a surprise. It’s a good lesson that betrayal breeds betrayal.
On a positive note, I do hope the election is brought to a head sooner. That way us tradies can stop blaming it as one of the reasons behind the lack of work. It would be nice for us to be busy again.
