Greatness is not developed in isolation

An opinion piece written by Pat Lynch, CEO, NZ Catholic Education Office

The last two years have witnessed crisis leadership at work in most countries of the world as political and economic leaders have sought to mitigate the worst effects of the ‘great recession’ on their populations. 
At this stage of the economic cycle signs of recovery are fortunately emerging, albeit too slowly for those who have been caught up in the worst manifestations of the setback.
While economic cycles will always be a fact of life it behoves us to reflect on the so–called soft dimensions of human behaviour which are able to provide citizens with the resilience and personal strength to protect themselves from the inevitable challenges the future will present.
Our post–modern world is driven by particular, very diverse world views.  Sovereign states, ethnic entities and other human groupings make their contribution to the world through various lenses, including their culture, philosophy, history, legal systems, business practices, technology, spiritual beliefs, religious beliefs and socio-economic settings.
Despite the strengthening of international communication systems, it is now very apparent that it still takes a major effort to come to a real understanding of others who do not share our particular world view.
The United Nations has long called on its member States to reach out and seek to better understand people who are different from us, and in the process break down the ‘them’ and ‘us’ syndrome that too often characterises human interaction.
Today’s national and global leaders who are making a difference for good in the world have a fundamental ability to bring a range of soft skills and attributes to their work. They seek to understand others while possessing a spiritual philosophy and positive values that are their personal dynamo.