"I started by noting that solitude and leadership would seem to be contradictory things. But it seems to me that solitude is the very essence of leadership. The position of the leader is ultimately an intensely solitary, even intensely lonely one. However many people you may consult, you are the one who has to make the hard decisions. And at such moments, all you really have is yourself."I recommend giving it a read, as it is an interesting piece. Here it is again, in The American Scholar: http://www.theamericanscholar.org/solitude-and-leadership/
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Class of 2011 at Yale University, seeker of wisdom, cares about animals and the environment, making the world a better place.
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TwitterFacebookTumblr"Solitude and Leadership" : An Address at West Point
William Deresiewicz gave a very interesting address at West Point this past spring, I discovered. I do not always agree with his opinions but his essays -- and, it seems, his speeches -- readily provoke interesting discussions and a great deal of thought. In that regard, they are very valuable indeed, for it is too rare a thing which can provoke a good debate on topics of serious import. This speech is about leadership, and in it Deresiewicz tackles the problems posed for thosed christened the "future leaders of the world" when faced with mediocre leadership in the here and now. Those who have fought their way into Yale and West Point and Stanford and other places, he observes, are not fully informed on how to navigate the jungle of bureaucracy that threatens to ensnares their ambitions and dreams. In "Solitude and Leadership," he therefore contends, "If you want others to follow, learn to be alone with your thoughts." Ultimately, he writes:
