Leadership as Force Field Alignment

Did you know that birds navigate by sensing the magnetic force fields surrounding the earth?  Two researchers at Baylor College of Medicine recently recently discovered this fact, and the implications for the natural world are considerable.  That got me to thinking about the social world – what if those in leadership positions could learn to navigate by a clear force field?  In other words, what if they could learn follow their own true north and enable others to do so as well?  The metaphor of a moral compass seems much more real within this context.

George Washington as a Model Leader

I’ve been reading the Pulitzer prize winning book “1776” by David McCullough.  It is a fascinating story about those who followed General George Washington in the year of the Declaration of Independence for the 13 American colonies.  Washington was named commander in chief even though he had no formal training in the military arts or any experience in leading others into battle.