Thinking about leadership – more vacation thoughts

We arrived back in the USA after 12 days in the Baltic. During our trip we visited Copenhagen, Berlin, Helsinki, St. Petersburg, Tallinn and Stockholm. I highly recommend such a trip. In all the cities, during tours, guides referred to leaders. While leadership was not an explicit theme, implicitly ideas of leadership crystallized as the tour finished. Each city and country represented different attitudes towards their leaders. Denmark and Sweden still have monarchies, with no legislative or administrative powers. In both countries we heard stories about how the royalty made a huge difference in the progress of the country. In Germany and Russia, the guides talked about the failure of leadership. In Finland and Estonia, we heard tales of victories against huge odds with leadership and persistence. So what should we learn from this experience. Leaders have responsibility. Leaders should work to help their constituents. Leadership in Russia was striking in the opulence of power and wealth. The grandeur of the palaces, the incredible art collections and the striking museums all provide a wonderful tourist experience. But the Romanov’s disregard for their population led to the Communist revolution. Then the same apparent mindset led to the eventual failure of the USSR. Leadership is not a reward, but rather a responsibility. True leaders understand that they are the servants. They understand the traps of power. In medicine we see both types of leadership....
Source: DB's Medical Rants - Category: Internal Medicine Authors: Tags: Medical Rants Source Type: blogs