by Cynthia Knapek, President, Leadership Louisville Center
Good leaders surround themselves with diverse voices, and listen to truly understand different perspectives.
Good leaders are learners and know that most learning happens just outside our comfort zone.
Being a good leader, a good person, requires us to acknowledge our own privileges and most importantly, understand how to use them to advance the greater good for all.
Good leaders don’t wonder when someone else is going to act. They ask, “What can I do?” So what can you do?
First, open yourself up to the possibility that even if you feel empathy, you don’t truly understand why people are angry. Then, figure out how you can learn to see the world from a perspective other than your own. News channel soundbites won’t help especially if they only confirm your biases.
Commit to acts of education – even if they are small, they are powerful. One way the Leadership Louisville Center wants to help is by curating reading that might help you on your journey. Take those newfound insights and talk about them…. at the dinner table, at the water cooler, in the meeting.
Ignoring racism and the pain of others has not solved our troubles but maybe more authentic dialogue can. We all deserve the right to thrive in a just society. We grieve alongside the families of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and David McAtee.
We share these words with you today and hope you will spend time to listen, and learn, and grow so that we as a society can Be Better and Do Better.
Here are our first two reading suggestions and watch for more to come…..