501derful.org
I got up this morning, did my routine, and headed off to the office. When I got there the gates to the garage were closed, the windows dark. Uh-oh, this must be some kinda holiday (duh!). I called my wife on the phone. "Honey, it’s finally happened. I went to the office and it was closed." She said, "Yah. It’s Martin Luther King Day!" Oh. I drive my wife nuts because I don’t keep close track of holidays and vacation days. She doesn’t get MLK Day off.
Too bad. I’m sorry Dr. King. This after I watched a news program last night about where America is on racial equity this long after his death. They played a video of the speech he made the evening before he was assassinated. When I saw it I felt a wave of nostalgia and I thought, "What happened to the good, inspiring leaders like him?"
The leaders are in private industry and not-for-profits and even those who are trying to lead by example, like Bono, to change the world. It may have more to do with technology and media – we are less likely to all recognize and appreciate a leader as a large mass of people than we were 30 years ago – we have our social networks more narrowly defined now.
For some an infusion of inspiring leadership,check out Barak Obama’s podcast, http://obama.senate.gov/podcast/