To eliminate a long-standing fiefdom power system among senators, in 1997 I helped institute a committee co-chair system that reversed communication incentives from secrecy to collaboration. Four years later, senators who sought to foster collaboration were removed from leadership positions by traditional uses of political power.
When you think about leadership in a self organizing world what questions are cooking you? What do you hope to learn at this gathering? I am interested in receiving feedback from others on what I have learned in my 20 years in the Hawaii legislature, that: political power and fear have addictive qualities that can be released; as the addictions are released, leaders are able to empower themselves using vision-based actions to communicate authenticity, integrity, and accountability; empowered leaders can be carriers of a new political culture that resonates with collective energies in the community and serves as an alternative to the prevailing control- and fear-oriented culture; and every person can be empowered similarly to express themselves through their actions as a way of living life, beyond only seeking to accomplish goals.