What makes a good leader? A New Story of Sustainability
Meet Mac Macartney; an international speaker, writer and change-maker. Mentored by indigenous people over many years, he has acquired profound and original insights into questions preoccupying many contemporary leaders. Mac seeks to inspire the emergence of the leader in each of us, the leader who will take courageous action for a better world.
On a windy day in late August, the BrightSky team met up at Embercombe in South Devon. We were there to visit the community’s founder, Mac McCartney and spend the afternoon with him in his cabin in the woods. The day was warm and the apples and blackberries were well on their way to ripeness. We walked down the twisting path to his cabin, admiring the beauty of the place.
Embercombe is one of the longest, established communities in the UK. For twenty years they have been hosting workshops and talks, tirelessly sounding the message of how important it is that we change the way we live on the planet. They have been rewilding their valley for as long as the community has been open and the results are spectacular- a beautifully diverse landscape with wooden buildings and structures hidden in amongst the trees, blending seamlessly into the lush, green setting.
Upon arrival at the cabin, we were welcomed in by a smiling Mac. The kettle was on and the small wood burner was going, we sat down on the comfy sofas, had a cup of tea and started our chat with Mac.
Mac is one of BrightSky’s ambassadors and a mentor to its core team. The wisdom that he shares comes from decades of working with indigenous tribes, gathering their ancient knowledge and bringing it back to the UK to share with the people of this land. He carried the wisdom of the Children’s Fire to this country and handed the understanding of it on to BrightSky to use as the central pillar in our community.
The Children’s Fire pledge: The Children’s Fire is a pledge to the welfare of unborn future children (human and non-human alike) but more profoundly it’s a pledge to life, a commitment to the responsibility carried by each successive generation to safeguard the vitality and regenerative capacity of the earth. It insists on a circular economy and it views any action that compromises the wellspring of creativity from which our species has emerged as sacrilege, an act of betrayal, evidence hinting at insanity.
Our chats with Mac follow no particular formula; they are like wandering in the woods, organically exploring the terrain and dallying off the main track. On this particular day, our words and questions lead us down a trail, which focused leadership and self-leadership. We discussed the importance of creating a community where integrity and staying true to the group’s core values and oneself does not become corrupted.
We see so many leaders who start by doing good but end up putting themselves before the people they serve.
Mac explained how we can create a new form of leadership based on the wisdom and lessons of the past:
“There is a real art to holding space without taking up space and the only way to unlearn the hierarchical system is to be in a circle. Many of the indigenous tribes I visited couldn’t understand the way we treat our leaders in the west. We put them in first class, give them more money, more possessions, medals and awards. How can they not become corrupted? Eventually, if you put someone on a pedestal they start to believe that they deserve it, are somehow different, better than those they are supposed to be working for. Hubris is the biggest challenge of leadership, and power and acclaim are weakening forces.”
Like most people, we understand the wisdom of this and it leads to the question: Why would anyone want to become a leader and take on this responsibility? But, we all feel the weight of leadership upon our shoulders; within ourselves, our families and our communities.
We asked him what the qualities were that make a good leader:
“Very few humans can handle success, can maintain integrity with power. What leadership requires is to be present, to allow vulnerability, otherwise you move into fear. Leadership is a choice you make when you care enough about something to put up your hand and say, ‘I’ll do it’ and not only once, it is a choice that needs to happen moment by moment.
There are several qualities a good leader should have; courage, the ability to listen and show interest in others’ points of view, the ability to ask questions, to be curious and be brave enough to act with our conscience. A good leader will always behave the same in private as they do in public, but perhaps the most valuable quality of all is self-doubt. Leaders carry the weight of people’s lives on their shoulders; they should feel that weight and question the impact of the decisions they make.
Never trust a leader who is not walking the Twin Trail, both the inner and outer paths. The two paths need to be engaged together, at the same time, because we never finish with our inner journeys. There is never a right time; you will never be ready; perfection is in the mind and it is not perfection towards which we grow, it is wholeness. The only way to do this is to go deeper within.
Anyone who feels the call to lead should stand beneath the moon or beside the sea and acclaim ‘I am available. I am here. I will show up’. How you are now is fine, it’s not how you will always be. None of us knows what we are truly capable of.”
Mac then gave us some good advice on what we should ask ourselves and others who take on the role of leadership:
“There are three questions which leaders should be asked:
Firstly, what do you most deeply and profoundly love?
Secondly, what are you deepest and most profound gifts, the ones that have been whispered to you since before you were born?
Thirdly, what are your deepest and most profound responsibilities?
The answer to which should be to share those gifts.”
“When you take the Children’s Fire pledge, it carries a responsibility and I see BrightSky as a wonderful acknowledgement of how we can live when we’re here.”
We left the cabin in the woods that afternoon with a spring in our step, like kids who’d had an inspiring school trip. Mac’s words of wisdom help us stay focused on what we’re all trying to create with BrightSky - a beacon of hope for others, a place where they can join and feel a part of a community that is making a real difference.
A place where they can find their leadership role, using their gifts in the world to make a difference. It’s not always easy to stay on that path, but with partners like Mac and others, it ensures the integrity of the vision stays true and tested and it’s good to ask questions and admit that you don’t always have the answer.
That is, after all, what makes a good leader.
Check out these links:
Mac Macartnery, Ambassador of BrightSky https://brightsky.community/people/jzOqRLnd
Meet Mac. Read his about his latest articles, updates and workshops. Mac on what it means to be a leader in the 21st century, courageous action, spirit in business, responsibility. https://macmacartney.com/#news
Inspired by nature Embercombe is a place to reconnect to your wild authentic self, resourcing you to live a passionate, intimate and purposeful life. Check out the programmes they have on offer. https://embercombe.org
