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Great Leaders are led by inspiration which drives passion and authenticity.
I concluded my blogs on the five leaders that have inspired me and had a positive impact on Saskatchewan and Canada yesterday. All five of them brought something unique, and, something similar to the table.
Manning, Douglas and Wall all led populist parties. Add Diefenbaker to these three when it comes to having a clear vision for change. Romanow stands out alongside Diefenbaker when it came to governing by making tough decisions without fear of losing. I guess Douglas goes into that camp as well but then again, he had so much confidence in himself I suppose it came natural. I could go on, but I urge you to draw your own conclusions.
What they all had in common was absolute passion and love for their province, region, and country. Passion, is the key ingredient to success, and is necessary for happiness in all walks of life whether working in the service industry, the trades, business or being a parent.
It is written by the author David Hawkins in his book Power vs Force, that there is a great deal of difference between motivation and inspiration. You can achieve goals through pure motivation, but it usually comes with a lot of perspiration, a lot of work or Force as Hawkins puts it, is required. And once you reach those goals you are left feeling empty and realize you now must set even higher goals to get the same rush of adrenaline. But when one is inspired in their work, or as he says, “in-spirit”, as these men were you have true Power. It goes for all of us, when you find your inspiration and passion it isn’t work at all. And when you bring that to the table for the world to see that you are leading with emotion and love that “only” comes through with pure authenticity. True Power.
Winston Churchill comes to mind, that seemed to be driven by an unseen power. Malcolm Gladwell speaks more on this in is book, Blink- The Power of Thinking Without Thinking. (I've been accused of talking without thinking but this is different ;) . )
These leaders I have written about are not alone, many others have given much and I believe the vast majority of leaders are there for the right reasons, especially in Saskatchewan. Thus, my series could go for a long time but I chose the top five in my heart. Others are worthy of mention, and a couple that I will blog about soon are Alan Blakeney and Grant Devine. That blog is almost complete and will be published soon. I have a ton of respect for both of these men as well.
One I will mention here that I won’t do a full piece on in is Joe Clarke. Here was a Prime Minister that was mercilessly mocked by the media elite of Central Canada. He was also one of the shortest reigning elected Prime Ministers as he refused to compromise his principles and cut a deal with the Quebec members of the fledgling Social Credit Party to stay in power. Principles in Politics in Ottawa, unique! I remember where I was and how sad I felt the day Mulroney defeated Joe to become the new leader of the PC Party of Canada.
To close I want to say that I have enjoyed you being with me through this exercise. I hope you have enjoyed reading and will continue to follow me as I try and steer myself to future projects such as sports, children or finance which are other passions of mine.
This is a labour of love and is truly in-spirit, as Hawkins might say.
Yours in this great Province we call Saskatchewan
Daryl
